Monday, July 29, 2013

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Dropout numbers decline, according to state report
MyrtleBeachOnline.com, Myrtle Beach, SC – July 24, 2013
The percentage of students dropping out of Horry County Schools has fallen, mirroring a similar trend across the state, according to a report from the S.C. Department of Education.

Trenton superintendent prepares for district reconfiguration, new initiatives
The Times of Trenton, Trenton, NJ – July 29, 2013
Superintendent Francisco Duran is preparing to begin his second year overseeing the district’s 12,000 students with a major reconfiguration of the schools and raft of new initiatives, including new supports for struggling middle schoolers, high school academies aimed at lowering the dropout rate, bilingual elementary classrooms and new efforts to reach out to parents.

Dropout Indicators Found for 1st Graders
Education Week, Maryland – July 29, 2013
As tracking data on students grow ever more extensive, some Maryland educators are finding that the early-warning signs of a student at risk of dropping out may become visible at the very start of their school careers.

Juvenile Justice

Alternative detention program could come to Allen County
Wane.com, Fort Wayne, IN – July 25, 2013
An Allen County judge wants to bring a program to town that reduce the number of teenagers in jail and reduce crime in the community.  On Wednesday afternoon, Allen County Superior Court Judge Dan Heath signed a letter of intent for Allen County to join the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI).

Grant going to juvenile justice reporting center
ForsythNews.com, Forsyth County, GA – July 25, 2013
Forsyth County has accepted a grant from the Georgia Governor’s Office for Children and Families for about $80,000.  The funding will go toward a day and evening reporting center for youths in the juvenile justice system.  The grant assists with a requirement of juvenile justice reform to provide alternatives to detention centers.

Foster Care

Summit County attempts to smooth transition for foster kids aging out of the system
Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio – July 26, 2013
To try to improve the oftentimes bumpy transition, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters and eight counties, including Summit, have launched a pilot program called “Connecting the Dots from Foster Care to Employment and Independent Living.”

The Program Helping Texas Foster Care Youth Go to College - For Free
News 90.5, Texas – July 25, 2013
Heading to college is confusing under the best of circumstances. But for many young people aging out of foster care, the challenges can be almost impossible to overcome.  Some schools in Texas host programs each year aimed at trying to help foster kids make the transition.  At Austin Community College in Round Rock yesterday, a group of about 10 prospective students toured the campus.  Each had been through the foster care system in Texas.

Teen Pregnancy

Plain talk for parents with pregnant teens
Las Cruses Sun-News, Las Cruses, NM – July 22, 2013
A unique program pairing adolescents and parents to discuss honest and accurate information about teen pregnancy and sexual health has swept the Southwest and is changing the meaning behind the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child."

Latina Leaders: Empowering young Latinas with L.O.V.E. mentoring
NBC Latino – July 29, 2013
Claudia Espinosa used to daydream of becoming an FBI agent when she was a teen in her native Cali, Colombia. At 20, she came to the U.S., by herself, to study forensic psychology at John Jay College in New York City in pursuit of that dream. However, 14 years and a few other degrees later, she finds herself on a new path — empowering other young Latinas.

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