This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

Community college graduations pushed; ECC programs touted
The Courier-News, Elgin, IL – January 20, 2012
Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon has released a report on the state of the state’s community colleges, and has proposed a number of reforms summing up her fact-finding tour of every community college in the state over the past year.

School districts aim to keep drop-out rates low
Killeen Daily Herald, Killeen, TX – January 21, 2012
When Bobbie Reeders tells how many students graduated from her school so far this year, the pride in their achievements is apparent in her voice. "It was 42 at our winter graduation," said Reeders. "Last year, we had 219 total."

Program to help 5th-year seniors earn diplomas
The Columbia County News-Times, Columbia County, GA – January 22, 2012
A new program to help fifth-year Columbia County high school seniors get their diplomas more quickly starts Monday at the alternative school in Grovetown. Called Saving Our Students (S.O.S.), the program specifically targets seniors who would benefit from an alternative to the traditional high school setting.

Juvenile Justice

Illinois official urges juvenile justice reform
Evansville Courier & Press, Illinois – January 19, 2012
George Timberlake retired five years ago as an Illinois judge, and now he's convinced he was doing it all wrong. "I put kids in jail at a higher rate than almost anybody," he told the Henderson Rotary Club on Thursday. "I thought that was the right way to do things." But when he "turned around and looked at what I had been doing," he said, he came to the conclusion that "we were just greasing the skids" for youngsters' path downhill to adult prison.

New Juvenile Court Guidelines to Help Struggling Students
The San Fernando Valley Sun, Los Angles, CA – January 19, 2012
Los Angeles' Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Michael Nash has issued new guidelines to eliminate fines and unnecessary court time for students who were late to school and for other minor offenses. The court will also direct students who miss school to seek out school- and community-based resources that are shown to improve academic achievement and get struggling students back on track.

Foster Care

New Bronx housing development offers fresh start to young adults exiting foster care
NY Daily News, New York – January 19, 2012
Steven Nunez never had a father, lost his mother when he was 10 years old and spent seven years in foster care. When he aged out of the New York City foster care system, he had nowhere to go, so he started sleeping on couches and the subway. But today the slim, upbeat 28-year-old college student and aspiring restaurateur boasts a shiny studio apartment with a kitchen that faces the rising sun and Tremont Park in the Bronx.

Colleges offer help to foster care youth
The Washington Times, New York, NY – January 20, 2012
A growing number of colleges around the country are providing special support services for students who have spent time in the American foster care system. Public colleges and universities in California are in the forefront of this movement and have piloted innovative programs designed to help former foster care youth succeed in their studies.

AB 12 offers support to foster youth after age 18
Turlock Journal, California – January 17, 2012
urlock high school student Miranda Scoles is one of the approximately 5,000 foster youth in California and 40 in Stanislaus County who turned 18 this year, automatically aging-out of the system. In the past, Scoles would have had to face the world without financial support or the help of a social worker. But thanks to the California Fostering Connections to Success Act (Assembly Bill 12), she will remain in foster care and receive services and support until age 20.

Teen Pregnancy

Fighting teen pregnancy in Minnesota
Twin Cities Daily Planet, Minnesota – January 19, 2012
Nine Hennepin and Ramsey County organizations will have some extra help fighting teen pregnancy in 2012, thanks to grants announced in December by the Ripley Memorial Foundation. The foundation has awarded a total of $59,500 to metro-area programs aimed at reducing teen birth rates in at-risk communities.

Report: Start educating kids early about their body, sex
Today’s THV Channel 11, Little Rock, AK – January 19, 2012
A new report released by sex advocates details when children should be taught about their bodies and how. The National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K-12 (http://on.kthv.com/wr5WZU) is presented by The Future of Sex Education, an initiative started by sex education advocates. According to FoSE, the goal of the report is "to provide clear, consistent and straightforward guidance on the essential minimum, core content for sexuality education that is age-appropriate for students in grades K-12.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

Washington Foundation gives $450,000 grant to help Montana's 'Graduation Matters' campaign
Great Falls Tribune, Montana – January 11, 2012
Montana's Office of Public Instruction got a big boost to its "Graduation Matters" initiative thanks to a $450,000 grant from a private foundation. The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation announced Wednesday that OPI will be given the grant over three years to support a statewide network of locally designed, community-driven efforts to increase the number of Montana students who graduate from high school and to reduce the dropout rate.

LAUSD program gives students alternative way to graduate
Contra Costa Times, Reseda, CA – January 13, 2012
Devon Leonard was missing. The teen hadn't shown up on the first day of classes at Panorama High School. Days went by, and still no one named Devon appeared in the seats of English composition or U.S. government classes.

Proficiency-based learning gaining popularity for its focus on knowledge
Statesman Journal, Redmond, OR – January 15, 2012
It doesn't take long to see that Redmond Proficiency Academy isn't your typical high school. Students freely come and go from the three-story office building in downtown Redmond, just north of Bend. Some attend morning classes, others opt for afternoon or a mix of both when they build their schedules, similar to the way college students pick their classes. The freedom allows students to work jobs, stay on top of homework or even develop independent classes based on interests.
 
Juvenile Justice

Boys & Girls Clubs receives $600k+ to help juvenile offenders
Ventura County Star, Ventura County, CA – January 10, 2012
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme aims to reduce repeat crimes among juvenile offenders in Ventura County by merging two pilot projects into a new program. The nonprofit received $609,232 from the Department of Justice to create RAMP, a Reentry Aftercare Mentoring Program, which will provide mentoring to incarcerated teens in the group’s Juvenile Justice Facility program so they are prepared to reenter the community and avoid committing further crimes.

Drug court, arts program giving kids a chance at a clean slate
The Herald, Washington – January 15, 2012
The molten glass came alive as it was pulled from the red-hot furnace on the end of a steel pole, oozing like honey from a hive. For a couple of hours, the kids explored words and art. What brought them there didn't matter. They were connecting with two adults who patiently opened doors for them to step through.

Foster Care

New state law gives foster youth time to bloom
The San Francisco Examiner, California – January 8, 2012
Timajae Evans spent his teenage years in foster care, moving from one group home to another. When he aged out of the system at 19, he had to grow up fast. Evans, now 20, lives by himself in a Daly City apartment. He is taking general studies courses at City College of San Francisco and hopes to become an auto mechanic.

 Children Shelter of the Upstate helping young women go to college
Go Upstate, Spartanburg, SC – January 10, 2012
The Children Shelter of the Upstate has launched a program to help those overcoming difficult pasts work toward brighter futures. The transitional living program is for young women who have “aged out” of the foster care system and want to pursue higher education.

Teen Pregnancy

Conn. high school clinic to offer condoms, birth control pills
MSNBC, New London, CT – January, 12, 2012
The health center at New London High School already diagnoses and treats sexually transmitted diseases and provides pregnancy tests. Soon, it will also be handing out birth control. Supt. Nicholas Fischer told the Day that providing contraceptives in the school would help address the high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease among New London teens.

Coalitions of interest
Prevention Action, Chicago, IL – January 11, 2012
"The aim of the first therapeutic session,” child psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott has suggested, “must always be to get a second one.” It is a sentiment that anyone working in difficult neighbourhoods with reluctant clients, where the main problem is not so much arousing interest and commitment but maintaining it, will be all too familiar with. Barbara Goldberg and her colleagues were faced with this very challenge when they were charged with implementing a teenage pregnancy prevention program in a tough district of Chicago. Cynics warned them that while most young people would probably listen, they would soon drift away. The project was part of the wider FOCUS (Families in Our Community United for Success) program designed to build relationships between young people, parents, schools, community members and professionals to encourage healthy choices about sexual activity.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

YouthBuild Petoskey seeks to put high school dropouts back on right track
Petoskey News, Petoskey, MI - January 6, 2012
In a back room, in an unmarked building, on the industrial side of Standish Avenue in Petoskey, eight students are sitting around a table learning math. The eight students are the first class of the YouthBuild Program, a work skills and GED program for high school dropouts that launched in Petoskey in the fall to give young adults the chance to finish their education and learn a trade.

Grant To Help Las Cruces Increase Graduation Rates
NBC9, Las Cruces, NM - January 3, 2012
A new grant for students in New Mexico is aiming to bridge the gap between students, potential workers and businesses. New Mexico is currently rated 48th in the nation with the highest high school dropout rates, and that makes it hard for employers to find qualified workers.

United Way of Northwest Connecticut joins national mentoring effort
The Register Citizen, Connecticut - January 7, 2012
The United Way of Northwest Connecticut has joined United Way Worldwide’s Million Mentors Challenge! United Way has set out a challenge to help cut the high school dropout number in half by 2018.

Juvenile Justice

Bill would keep kids out of criminal justice system
Lexington Herald-Leader, Kentucky - January 8, 2012
In 2009 and 2010, at least 748 Kentucky children younger than 11 had complaints filed against them for offenses that included being out of control, minor injury assaults and criminal mischief. Sixty-three of them were ages 5, 6, and 7, according to a 2011 Herald-Leader analysis of state records. Eight of those children were 5 years old. But state Rep. Darryl Owens, D-Louisville, last week introduced House Bill 143, which would prohibit children 10 or younger from being charged with a criminal offense.

Gov. Jerry Brown calls for historic shuttering of state's notorious youth prison system
Mercury News, California - January 7, 2012
Following years of failed attempts to rehabilitate juvenile offenders and improve public safety, California's once-sprawling youth prison system may soon shut its gates for good. If the Legislature approves the plan Gov. Jerry Brown released Thursday as part of his budget blueprint, California could become the first state to entirely eliminate its prisons for youthful offenders, juvenile crime experts say. The responsibility for jailing all youths would shift to local governments.

Foster Care

Program Provides Resources to Teens in Foster Care
KIIITV, Texas - January 5, 2012
With the New Year comes new opportunities. A local group of volunteers is spreading that message to local teenagers in foster care. The program is called Foster Youth Life Investment Partners, or FYLIP. It helps young adults who "age out" of the conventional foster care program...giving them the tools to survive on their own.

Giving children a chance at happiness
The Springfield News-Leader, Southwest Missouri - January 7, 2012
CASA of Southwest Missouri is a private, nonprofit organization that recruits, trains and supports community volunteers who assist the court in protecting the best interests of abused and neglected children in southwest Missouri. CASA volunteers are asked to make a commitment to stay with each case they assume until the case closes through reunification with the family, adoption or "aging out" of the system.

SMCOE Liaisons Help Foster Youth Succeed
Burlingame Patch, San Mateo County, CA - January 6, 2012
Renee Vorrises and Dorothy Burge, foster youth educational liaisons at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE), see their primary role as supporting communication and collaboration to help foster youths succeed in school.

Teen Pregnancy

Parenting classes set for LCHS
The Lincoln Journal, Inc., Hamlin, WV - January 8, 2012
The latest effort to deal with the high number of teenage pregnancies in Lincoln County will see the launch of classes for pregnant teens and parenting teens at Lincoln County High School over the coming weeks.

Big Study Links Good Teachers to Lasting Gain
The New York Times, Washington, DC - January 6, 2012
Elementary- and middle-school teachers who help raise their students’ standardized-test scores seem to have a wide-ranging, lasting positive effect on those students’ lives beyond academics, including lower teenage-pregnancy rates and greater college matriculation and adult earnings, according to a new study that tracked 2.5 million students over 20 years.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Education

With A Job, Life Improves For 9th Grade Dropout
NPR, Pennsylvania - December 27, 2011
This morning, we have an update on a story we first heard this past summer, as NPR aired a series about high school dropouts. In that series we heard from Kenny Buchanan. The 44-year-old dropped out when he was in the 9th grade. We met him not long after he got his GED in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

2012 Kentucky Legislative Preview | Dropout bill and charter schools to return
The Courier-Journal, Frankfort, KY - December 29, 2011
With Kentucky’s student dropout rate hovering around 3 percent, Gov. Steve Beshear, lawmakers and education officials all expect raising the dropout age to remain a key issue in the 2012 legislative session.

BCC offers second chance to high school dropouts
South Coast Today, Bristol, MA – December 29, 2011
Bristol Community College will open admission to the first Gateway to College class in January to give local high school dropouts a second chance to earn their high school diploma this spring.

Juvenile Justice

Everychild Gives $1 Million to Juvenile Justice Center
Palisadian-Post, Los Angeles, CA – December 29, 2011
Centinela Youth Services, Inc. has been named the recipient of the $1 million 2012 Everychild Foundation grant. The funds will launch and sustain a restorative justice center across the street from three Los Angeles juvenile courts over a three-year period.

Lawmakers prepare for busy year beneath Gold Dome
Reporter Newspapers, Georgia – December 29, 2011
Sandy Springs legislators will be busy when they return to the Gold Dome on Jan. 9 for the start of the General Assembly. Rep. Wendall Willard, R-Sandy Springs, said one of his priorities for the session is to reform the state’s juvenile justice system.

Foster Care

Healing Native Spirits in MN Long-Term Foster Care
Public News Service, Minneapolis, MN – December 29, 2011
A unique program in south Minneapolis is finding success helping American Indian boys in long-term foster care. The director of the Healing Spirit program for boys, Kirk Crow Shoe, says the group home they operate takes in teens with a history of running away, skipping school and runs-ins with police. Many have been placed in multiple foster-care situations without success.

York County reduces need for foster care
York Dispatch, York County, PA – December 26, 2011
In just two years, York County has reduced the number of children in foster care by nearly 50 percent. Deb Chronister, director of the county's Office of Children, Youth and Families, applauds the county's efforts over the past year to dramatically cut down on the number of children entering the foster care system. "Too many of these young adults end up 'aging out' of the foster care system without the support of a permanent family to help them cope with the often stressful transition to adulthood," said Joan Benso, president and chief executive officer of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, speaking of foster care statewide.

Teen Pregnancy

Teen moms have a friend in St. Louis high school
St. Louis Today, St. Louis, MO – December 27, 2011
ucked away from the raucous hallways of Vashon High School are four isolated classrooms.
Inside one, an infant boy sleeps. In another, a pair of 1-year-olds color on yellow construction paper. In a different room, four 2-year-olds listen as their teacher reads a story.

County’s teen pregnancy rate drops by 22%
The Herald-Sun, Durham, NC – December 29, 2011
Durham County’s teen pregnancy rate plummeted 22 percent in 2010, according to data released by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina this month. The decline was driven by decreases in pregnancies across the board, the most significant of which was a 48 percent drop among Latina teenagers, which in recent years have posted the highest rates.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-12-26T12:16:00.001-05:00

Education

High school dropouts Gateway to College at Owens
WNWO, Toledo, OH – December 19, 2011
Owens Community College has received a $325,000 grant to help high school drop outs earn their diplomas while earning college credit at the same time.

USC to open charter school for at-risk youth
Los Angeles Wave, California – December 21, 2011
Come September 2012, at-risk youth will be able to attend a new charter high school that will aim to eliminate some of the stressors that lead some students to drop out.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile justice group pushes for sea-change in kid prisons
IllinoisTimes, Illinois – Deember 22, 2011
Illinois’ system of warehousing juvenile delinquents doesn’t work, according to a state-appointed reform group calling for sweeping changes in how youth offenders are handled.

Foster Care

York County reduces need for foster care
The York Dispatch, York County, PA – December 26, 2011
In just two years, York County has reduced the number of children in foster care by nearly 50 percent. Deb Chronister, director of the county's Office of Children, Youth and Families, applauds the county's efforts over the past year to dramatically cut down on the number of children entering the foster care system.

StopGap aids transition from foster care to adulthood
LJWorld.com, Lawrence, KS – December 25, 2011
Lawrence resident Emily Jacobs, now 22, spent her four high school years in the foster care system, leaving when she “aged out” upon graduation. Former social worker Justine Burton founded the nonprofit organization StopGap Inc. in 2008. After a few years of building support, the group will host its first series of courses for teens in foster care who are getting ready for life on their own. The five-week course, for those 16 to 18, will focus on topics like job skills, financial planning, education and a variety of other life skills.

New Law Extends Foster Care Emancipation Age in Calif.
Capital Public Radio, California – December 22, 2011
We continue our series on new California laws that take effect January 1st with a look at a measure that could help older teens in the foster care system turn their lives around. The law will extend benefits for foster kids from age 18 to 21.

Teen Pregnancy

Florida teen pregnancy task force says abstinence-only sex education is not enough
The Florida Independent, Florida – December 19, 2011
Last month, the Northeast Florida Teen Pregnancy Task Force released a report outlining recommendations for dealing with the region’s persistent teen pregnancy problem. The report (.pdf) was part of “a year-long process to identify strategies and community partners to address the high rate of teenage pregnancy, birth and repeat teen pregnancies in the region,” the group states.

Teen birth rate down in Polk this year
News Chief, Winter Haven, FL – December 26, 2011
Polk County had its lowest rate in 10 years of births to girls younger than 18: 8.4 per 1,000 births in 2010. An increasing amount of outreach to teenagers is beginning to show results, said Marquinia Butts- Fisher, who manages the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Healthy Start Coalition of Hardee, Highlands & Polk Counties.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

Utah academy’s business is helping high school dropouts drop back in
The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT – December 17, 2011
The United States has roughly 35 million high school dropouts, a staggering number that continues to increase each day for any number of reasons. But on the 11th floor of Salt Lake City’s Walker Center, employees in an innovative business venture reach out to mentor and educate this fractured population through online learning and the use of technology to keep in touch.

Cutting the high school dropout rate would be huge boost for economy
Wilmington Family Examiner – December 15, 2011
A new economic analysis released December 14, 2011 by the Alliance for Excellent Education shows cutting the dropout rate in half and producing graduates that meet national goals for achieving a postsecondary degree creates new jobs, increases earnings for individuals, and boosts states' tax revenues.

Alternative high school diploma offered
The Pueblo Chieftain, Canon City, CO – December 13, 2011
The Fremont campus of Pueblo Community College is enrolling students in a program that can provide high-school dropouts with a second chance. The Alternative High School Diploma Program is open to students from Fremont County between the ages of 17 and 20 who have left high school. Classes are held on the campus, 51320 U.S. 50 West, and give students the opportunity to complete their high school studies in a college environment.

Juvenile Justice

Report says better case management key to juvenile justice reform
Daily Herald, Illinois – December 13, 2011
Leaders in the Illinois Juvenile Justice community say a stronger case management system would better serve young offenders who remain incarcerated or who have been paroled. The comments came in response to a report, released Tuesday and provided to Gov. Pat Quinn and state lawmakers, that dubbed the state’s youth prison system ineffective and inefficient.

Henderson County, state launch pilot program to decrease juvenile detentions
The Courier-Journal, Henderson, KY – December 12, 2011
The emails, sent to the head of the state Department of Juvenile Justice in June 2010, expressed alarm, dismay and, eventually, a request for help. “We're looking to reduce commitments, detentions and petitions here in Henderson County. Do you have any resources to help us?” read one of the emails, from Henderson District Court Judge Robert Wiederstein to the department.

Foster Care

Treehouse helps foster kids branch out
The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA – December 17, 2011
Treehouse, a nonprofit agency that benefits from The Seattle Times Fund For The Needy, serves some 5,000 foster children each year, working to give them as normal a life as possible by providing such things as tutoring, toys, school supplies, summer camp and ballet lessons.

Foster care system helps thousands of kids
The Tennessean, Tennessee – December 13, 2011
Every year, as youth age out of the system, they are faced with the challenge of becoming self-sufficient virtually on their own. Those who age out without family face homelessness, incarceration, school dropout, unemployment, unwanted pregnancy and lack of health care. These outcomes are preventable!

Improving Outcomes for Youth in Long-Term Foster Care
St. Louis Public Policy Examiner – December 12, 2011
A new report by the Carsey Institute, Long-Term Foster Care—Different Needs, Different Outcomes, presents research on the characteristics and needs of children who remain in foster care for long periods.

Teen Pregnancy

Coalition forms to lower teen pregnancy rate
Times-Republican, Marshall County, IA – December 17, 2011
For years, Marshall County had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state. It no longer holds the dubious distinction, but it still is too high as far as area agency and school leaders are concerned. A group of school, agency and church leaders met Friday to discuss plans to get to the number lower in Marshall and Hardin Counties as part of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition.

U.S. teen pregnancies reaching record-low levels
Public Radio International – December 15, 2011
As comprehensive sex education ramps up and the economy continues to sputter, more women are choosing not to get pregnant in their teens, sending the U.S. teen birth rate to low levels not seen in 70 years.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

High School Dropout Rates
Chicago Tonight, Chicago, IL – December 8, 2011
Chicago is home to the third largest public school district in the country, and it's a system that's plagued by a high dropout rate. A new study has taken a closer look at the individual and societal costs of dropping out. Andrew Sum, professor of Economics and director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston, conducted the study. He shared the key findings with Chicago Tonight.

Dropouts revive dreams at alternative high school
The Detroit News, Detroit, MI – December 7, 2011
He dropped out and became a statistic. Eleven percent of all Michigan students dropped out in 2009-10, according to Michigan School Data. Then he saw an advertisement for Fusion Academy of Michigan West.

Illinois study cites cost of high school dropouts
Reuters, Chicago, Illinois – December 7, 2011
High school dropouts on average receive $1,500 a year more from government than they pay in taxes because they are more likely to get benefits or to be in prison, according to a U.S. study released on Wednesday.

Juvenile Justice

Law alters juveniles’ sentencing
Toledo Blade, Lucas County, OH – December 12, 2011
When Marquis Grant returns to Lucas County Common Pleas Court on Jan. 5 to be sentenced for a felonious assault conviction, he won’t know exactly what his future holds. Grant’s is one of two cases that will fall under provisions governing criminal sentencing put into effect by the Ohio legislature this year. House Bill 86 adds another step in the process involving juveniles being treated in the criminal system as adults.

Stephen Wise bill links education department with juvenile justice
The Florida Times-Union, Florida – December 8, 2011
An overhaul of Florida’s juvenile justice system aims to better measure how educators handle students who enter that system and tries to ensure that those students have a marketable skill when they return home.

Keeping troubled kids out of jail
The State, Richland County, SC – December 10, 2011
Richland County sheriff’s investigator Cassie Radford once chased down a 16-year-old marijuana user when he hit a door and stormed out of a counseling session. “I didn’t like the way he hit the door,” Radford said. “I wanted to know what was going on in his head. I wasn’t going to let him go out like that. By God, I was going to save him.”

Foster Care

PA Partnerships for Children: Pennsylvania's Strategy on Foster Care is Working, New Statewide Report Finds

The Sacramento Bee, Harrisburg, PA – December 6, 2011

Pennsylvania's family-focused approach to foster care is helping to reduce the number of children placed in foster care and drive down the overall foster care population, according to the annual State of Child Welfare report issued today by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.

Ohio AG calls for foster care review
WTAM 1100 Radio, Cincinnati, OH – December 9, 2011
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today called for a complete review of the foster care system in Ohio. DeWine's call for action was made at a Child Safety Summit he hosted in Cincinnati.

Teen Pregnancy

Advocates: Enhanced sex ed may cut teen pregnancy
The Examiner, Mississippi – December 8, 2011
Health advocates are urging Mississippi school districts to adopt enhanced sex education classes, saying they would cut teen pregnancy rates and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases.

ARISE Launches New Program to Raise Teen Pregnancy Awareness
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – December 6, 2011
This month, the nationwide non-profit organization ARISE launched a new website to promote its Sprouts Series, a program designed to encourage prevention and raise awareness of teenage pregnancy.

BCM Teen Clinic takes innovative approach to teen pregnancy education
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX – December 8, 2011
The Baylor Teen Health Clinic has increasingly turned to technology to communicate important messages about teen sexuality. Its latest tool is a series of videos for the Internet designed to increase awareness of sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

Study: Intervention in middle school helps keep kids in school
Redlands Daily Facts, California – December 3, 2011
Preventing high school students from dropping out doesn't begin in high school - it begins in middle school at successful districts, which track and engage students from an early age, according to a recently released report.

Innovative programs try to get college dropouts back into school
The Sacramento Bee, Philadelphia, PA – December 4, 2011
Like many young Americans, Julia Capece went straight from high school to college. Halfway toward her bachelor's degree, Capece decided to move out of her parents' home. She tried juggling work and school, but living on her own and keeping up with tuition and coursework proved too much.

Glenn Hills High finds success with mentoring program for at-risk students
The Augusta Chronicle, Glenn Hills, GA – December 2, 2011
Dr. Gale Levon Bell knew the name on a list of chronically absent students belonged to a junior at Glenn Hills High School who had been absent more days than she ever sat in a classroom, but the clues ended there.

Juvenile Justice

The De-Incarceration of California’s Juvenile Justice System
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, California – November 30, 2011
The juvenile justice system in California has been evolving faster than most other parts of the country. While Missouri, Texas and other states have reduced their youth prison populations, California has made the most drastic reductions.

New era for Texas juvenile justice
The Houston Chronicle, Texas – November 30, 2011
Today is more than the beginning of a new month. It is the beginning of a new era for juvenile justice in Texas. The 82nd Texas Legislature passed a bill that abolished the Texas Youth Commission (TYC), the agency responsible for juvenile incarceration, and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, responsible for county-level probation departments.

Juvenile agency shifts its efforts
Delaware Online, Delaware – November 27, 2011
Delaware's juvenile-justice agency has begun putting more youths into community treatment programs instead of assigning them probation officers to improve their chances of staying out of trouble.
 
Foster Care

Law eases transition from foster care to adulthood
Battle Creek Enquirer, Michigan – November 29, 2011
Age 18 is a crucial milestone in life. Most people are finishing high school and looking ahead to college, the military or finding a job. While legally it is the threshold to adulthood, most 18-year-olds still depend heavily on their parents for support and guidance. Last week, Michigan extended a much-needed hand to teenagers who are "aging out" of the foster care system.

Nonprofit gives hope to students without families
The Marietta Daily Journal, Marietta, GA – December 4, 2011
A group of college students without families to go home to for Thanksgiving were treated to a special holiday weekend, thanks to a local nonprofit and hotel. The Orange Duffle Bag Foundation, a Marietta-based nonprofit, partnered with Chateau Élan resort in Braselton, to provided four days of food, accommodations and other activities to 19 metro Atlanta foster youth who had no other place to go for Thanksgiving.

 Santa Cruz County focusing on finding permanent homes for foster youth
Santa Cruz Sentinel, Santa Cruz, CA – December 3, 2011
Foster youth should not have to face life alone, without a family, say county social workers who see the pain and problems those children face after being removed from abusive or neglectful parents. The focus on finding permanent foster parents shifted with a $2 million grant received in 2008 that launched a program called Roots & Wings, said Melissa Delgadillo, who manages the program for the county's Human Services Agency.

Teen Pregnancy

Agencies encouraged by Ohio teen birth rate decline, but say work isn't over
Fox 19, Hamilton, OH – December 2, 2011
The state's birth rate among teens has dropped to a 21-year low. Experts say that reflects less sex and more contraceptives and health officials say declines suggest teens are responding to the fear of STD's and economic anxieties of becoming a parent.

Report: Teen births down
Times Daily, Alabama – November 28, 2011
Health officials say beefed-up education programs are producing positive results in the number of teen births, both nationally and in Alabama. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics shows the number of teens having babies declined 9 percent nationwide in 2010, compared to the previous year. The survey involves girls ages 15-19.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

Job Shadow Event part of $100 Million effort by AT&T and Junior Achievement to help reduce high school drop-out rate
Milwaukee Courier, Milwaukee, WI – November 25, 2011
Milwaukee high school students learned about the importance of staying in school from Representative JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee) and local AT&T employees as part of a day-long Junior Achievement (JA) job shadowing event.

Detroit Tackles Dropout Crisis By Engaging Students, Parents
PBS Newshour, Detroit, MI – November 25, 2011
Over the next 18 months, the NewsHour and other public media partners are examining the consequences of, and solutions for, one of this country's most pressing education issues. The project is called American Graduate. Tonight, a look at Detroit, where four out of 10 children don't graduate.

Cash-strapped school districts struggle to improve access to higher education for students
MLive.com, Bloomingdale, MI – November 27, 2011
Ask a classroom of seventh-graders at Bloomingdale Middle School how many intend to go to college, and every hand in the room flies up.

Juvenile Justice

Right on Crime and the Conservative Focus on Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, Texas – November 25, 2011
For years, many people have considered juvenile justice reform a dyed-blue plank in the liberal platform. However, deep in the heart of the red state of Texas, one conservative organization has adopted the issue as a major policy concern heading into the 2012 election season.

Taylor County youth to be tried as adults now won't necessarily be jailed with adults
Reporter News, Texas – November 26, 2011
In 29 states a loophole in a federal law allows juveniles facing prosecution as adults to be kept in county jails instead of juvenile detention facilities, possibly placing them in cells with hardened criminals. But in Texas, a new law passed by the Legislature allows district judges to order juveniles certified to be tried as adults to be held at either a juvenile facility or a county jail.

Foster Care

Governor extends benefits to foster kids who "age out"
NPR Michigan Radio, Michigan – November 22, 2011
Governor Rick Snyder signed a law today to extend benefits for children who grew up in foster care after they turn 18 years old. The new law will allow foster kids to continue to receive a housing subsidy and health coverage until the age of 21, and to continue to work with foster care caseworkers.

Agency helps woman with rough childhood live on her own
Sun Sentinel, Coconut Creek, FL – November 24, 2011
There's toast left in the toaster, smiling faces of young people displayed in the picture frames in the living room. None of it belongs to Danielle St. Hillaire. It's not her house anymore, this two-story in a row of 11 others tucked away in the SOS Children's Villages property in Coconut Creek.

Holidays can be difficult for ex-foster students
The Fresno Bee, Fresno, CA – November 23, 2011
Richard Alonso-Lazaro was accepted to Fresno State when he graduated high school. But as a young man aging out of foster care, he ended up homeless and unable to pursue college. He spent many holidays on the streets. But college programs and community organizations in Fresno have helped diminish that hardship.

Teen Pregnancy

Social media, reality TV could help reduce teen pregnancies
The Independent Florida Alligator – November 23, 2011
Thank Maci, Farrah and the other stars of MTV's "Teen Mom" - they may be the reason teen pregnancy rates are decreasing. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen birth rates in the U.S. dropped last year to the lowest they have been in about 70 years.

Voices for Illinois Children fights for the most vulnerable
Chicago Tribune, Illinois – November 24, 2011
With college, two jobs and her young son to care for, Jessica Olague does not give much thought to the goings-on in the Illinois Legislature or the impact child advocates in Springfield might have on her life. But the programs Olague credits with her success are the result of efforts by child advocates, including those with the Chicago-based nonprofit Voices for Illinois Children.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

Utah education leaders tackle problem of high school dropout rate
The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah – November 14, 2011
Linda Toli didn’t think she would finish high school. She had missed too many days, fallen too far behind and thought the whole situation hopeless. "I didn’t think I belonged there because I was way behind and couldn’t get help," said the 17 year old. Toli has since gotten back on track after transferring to Horizonte Instruction and Training Center.

A College Degree Is STILL The Surest Path To A Middle Class Income
Business Insider – November 15, 2011
A post-secondary education is still the clearest path to a middle class income, new research shows. Jobs for high school graduates will plummet dramatically in the next ten years, making up only 37 percent of the market six years from now, the study found.
 
Curbing The Drop-Out Rate
WJTV Channel 12, Jackson, MS – November 15, 2011
No one wants to be a high school drop-out. Unfortunately, many of our teens are joining the long list of statistics. Today, Mississippi Public Broadcasting hosted a summit for dozens of metro area students to stress the importance of staying in school. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, 37-percent of high school students in our state dropped out last year.

Juvenile Justice

Youth Involved in Both Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Struggle At Unexpected Rate, LA Study Finds
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, Los Angeles County, CA – November 17, 2011
Crossover youth, as young adults with dual involvement in foster care and juvenile justice systems are called, face a variety of challenges when entering adulthood, and they carry a high public cost. That is according to the first-ever study of youth in foster care and on probation in Los Angeles County.

Harlem Youth Court Takes On Juvenile Justice
The UpTowner, Harlem, NY – November 17, 2011
It’s a familiar courtroom scene: An advocate scribbling on a notepad prepares her closing statement. A judge presides, pounding her gavel to bring the hearing to order. The juror, named Milagros, is a high school student. Everyone participating– judge, jury, advocate, clerk and offender – is under 18.

Inglewood youth advocacy program receives federal grant
Daily Breeze, Los Angeles, CA – November 17, 2011 
A local youth advocacy program has formed a partnership with a group of philanthropic women in an effort to reduce the large numbers - tens of thousands - of teenagers who go through the Los Angeles criminal justice system annually.

Foster Care

New Foster Care Program Starting Up in Charlottesville
NBC29, Charlottesville, NC – November 16, 2011 
A new organization in Charlottesville is working to help kids who have "Aged Out" of the foster care program, but directors say they need the community's help to get things up and running. State's transitional program helping 18-year olds stay in care until age 21 KTHV, Little Rock, AK – November 17, 2011 What happens when a child in state foster care turns 18 and "ages out" of the system without ever being adopted? It happens to many children up for adoption, including 19-year old Sedella White.

Special Report: Adoption Agency Recruits Families for Kids
WABI TV, Maine – November 17, 2011
More than a thousand kids in Maine are in need of a home, and many remain in foster care until they're 18 years old. Last year, an initiative that began in Missouri to target kids at risk of never getting adopted, made its way to Maine.

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancies on the decline
NBC, Atlanta, GA – November 17, 2011
Fewer babies are having babies of their own. The Centers for Disease Control reports the teen birth rate has hit a record low, the fourth consecutive year for a decrease.

Grant funds Tehama school program on teen pregnancy
The Record Searchlight, Red Bluff, CA – November 19, 2011
A special school curriculum aimed at preventing teen pregnancy will be launched in area high schools after the first of the year, thanks to a grant from the Sierra Health Foundation.

HERO CENTRAL: DC Teen Pregnancy Prevention
WUSA9, Washington, DC – November 14, 2011
Young girls of Washington, D.C. should be able to come to a place where they can discuss their issues, bond with peers and ensure a brighter future for themselves. DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is that place.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-11-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

St. Louis Teachers Voice Struggles Over Dropouts
PBS Newshour, St. Louis, MO – November 8, 2011
Teachers are struggling to find solutions to the high school dropout crisis plaguing the nation. As part of our American Graduate Project series, Gwen Ifill discusses the challenges educators are facing in the classroom with Civic Enterprises' John Bridgeland.

WTTW11 Kicks Off "American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen" 
WTTW, Chicago, IL – November 7, 2011 
Nearly 40 percent of Chicago Public School students drop out. Why are they dropping out and what can be done to get them back on track to graduate? Elizabeth Brackett looks at two programs with some answers.

Forum focuses on lowering dropout rate for students 
St. Louis Today, St. Louis, MO – November 8, 2011 
School teacher Barrett Taylor said schools need to adapt curricula to fit student needs. The CPB has partnered with youth advocacy group America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to address the dropout problem. Monday's American Graduate Teacher Town Hall meeting was the first of 12 to be held across the country.

Juvenile Justice

New option for girls in juvenile justice system
The Capital, Annapolis, MD – November 12, 2011
For the first time, Baltimore girls going through the juvenile justice system now have an alternative to detention while waiting to be adjudicated - an alternative that's been available to boys for years.

Restorative Justice for Santa Clara County's Youth Court
Mercury News, Santa Clara, CA – November 9, 2011 
In my State of the County address, I stated that my big, hairy audacious goal as a county supervisor is to put juvenile hall out of business. My vision is that we will transform the Juvenile Justice System, shifting the emphasis from punishment to reform. I believe that quite often these young children can be shown how to become good-standing members of their community. This is possible even if they have made an early detour into the justice system.

Foster Care

Program helps make transition from foster more successful
The Miami Herald, Coconut Grove, FL – November 12, 2011
Casa Valentina was created to provide safe and affordable housing for young women who had aged out of foster care. But in the five years since opening its doors, the nonprofit has become much more.
 
Advocates pushing for more help for foster children in Kentucky after they turn 18
The Republic, Lexington, KY – November 12, 2011
Evicted and struggling to save money to buy a car, 19-year-old Clairessa Johnson often feels hopeless. Johnson and her infant daughter have been staying with a friend and she's saving what she can from a minimum-wage fast-food job in Lexington.
 
At Children's Village, Finding the WAY Home
Rivertowns Patch, Rivertowns, NY – November 10, 2011
It’s hard enough growing up in foster care. It’s harder still to establish an independent adult life when you’re abruptly shifted from a residential care setting, like Dobbs Ferry’s Children’s Village, into an unstructured and untethered existence as you age out of the system.

Teen Pregnancy

CDC director: Reducing teen pregnancy will reduce ‘societal inequality’
The Florida Independent, Florida – November 11, 2011
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden said Wednesday that reducing teen pregnancy should be a major public health priority in the U.S., according to the National Journal. Friedan said teen pregnancy affects health care costs and limits opportunities for young girls. 

State's Division of Public Health releases adolescent sexual health plan
Dover Post, Dover, DE – November 7, 2011
The Delaware Division of Public Health's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Advisory Board has released an Adolescent Sexual Health State Plan to help Delawareans become involved in preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Education

County students at Virtual fulfill graduation requirements online
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Clark County, NV – November 6, 2011
Fifteen-year-old Jared Smith sat in a high school classroom for the last time on Monday. No, he's not a Doogie Howser kind of genius graduating early. He's not being home-schooled by his mom. And he's not dropping out.

Truancy a family affair
The Beacon-News, Illinois – November 6, 2011
They’re mostly teenagers, mostly male, and mostly under the assumption they have something better to do with their days than listen to a teacher drone on about algebra or British Literature. That’s the conception most people have of students who are chronically truant from school.

Trimble clearing obstacles to graduation for at-risk students
Madison Courier, Trimble County, IN – November 2, 2011
This year the Trimble County High School is trying something new to increase the graduation rate and decrease the dropout rate. The school began a credit recovery program that is helping 18 students who have fallen behind to obtain their high school diploma.

Juvenile Justice

Program aimed at cutting African-American teens in juvenile justice system open to girls
The Republic, Baltimore, IN – November 2, 2011
A program meant to reduce the number of African-American boys in the juvenile justice system is being expanded to include girls. The program collaborates with the teens and their families, to encourage the teens to address the underlying issues that lead to anti-social or deviant behavior.

 Foster Care

Fighting to change foster care
KXAN, Austin, TX – November 3, 2011
When Courtney Jones looks at photos of herself when she was a young child, she often wonders what she was thinking at that age. Courtney was part of a state panel that recommended changes to the Texas foster care system.’’

Aging out at 21? Child welfare advocates say yes
NewsWorks, PA – November 2, 2011
Federal legislation passed in 2008 provides matching funds for states to provide foster care services through age 21 for most young adults, but Pennsylvania is one of the majority of states that have not extended assistance. At a public hearing held by state Sen. LeAnna Washington in Philadelphia Wednesday, 18-year-old Braheem Farmer testified in favor of more services for older youth.

Grant aids young people leaving foster care
The Columbian, Washington – October 31, 2011
A local program that helps young people transition out of foster care is receiving a $100,000 grant from a national nonprofit that focuses on those at-risk youth. Innovative Services NW announced that its Transitions Program will be receiving the one-year, $100,000 grant from the Andrus Family Fund.

Teen Pregnancy

Abt Associates to Study the Effectiveness of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs
The Sacramento Bee, Bethesda, MA – November 3, 2011
Abt Associates, a global research and program implementation company, today announced it has been awarded an $11.1 million contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate the effectiveness of replications of three teen pregnancy prevention program models.

Educating to prevent teen pregnancy
Chicago Parent, Illinois – November 4, 2011
Talking to their teens about sex is awkward for most parents, so three local agencies are joining to make the conversation a little easier. Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Department of Public Health are attacking the problem of teen pregnancy by partnering with Plan Parenthood of Illinois to teach parents how to talk to their kids.

Pregnant pauses
The News Star, Louisiana - November 5, 2011
In 2004, Ouachita Parish's teen birth rate was 54.7, reflecting the number of births per 1,000 teen females ages 15 to 19, according to data released by the Department of Health and Hospitals. In 2009, that rate increased to 65.7. That's why GO CARE this Saturday will start implementing a Centers for Disease Control-funded teen pregnancy prevention program.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

Tackle dropout rate one at-risk student at a time
Shreveport Times, Louisiana – October 29, 2011
Cutting Louisiana's high school dropout rate is a cause with many supporters, but even more are needed. Every resident should attack the sources that result in one out of six students dropping out each year — their actions affecting not only the student but the state's future prosperity.

EDUCATION: Battle on to increase graduation, college-going rates
The Press-Enterprise, Inland Empire, CA – October 30, 2011
A generation ago, a high school degree was enough to land a decent-paying job at the local steel mill or aerospace plant and gain entry to the middle class. In the years since, the job market has evolved into one that requires more brain power and less muscle.

Three of Four Students Not Prepared for College, City Says
The New York Times, New York, NY – October 24, 2011
Three quarters of New York City students who were high school freshmen in 2006 did not leave high school prepared for college, new data from the city Education Department shows. Still, of the students in that cohort, about 46 percent had enrolled in a two or four-year college by late 2010. CUNY's START program provides remediation for students who did not pass the reading, writing and math placement exams.

Juvenile Justice

Senate Takes on Juvenile Justice Reforms
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL – October 29, 2011
Some of the same accountability measures that were introduced in public K-12 schools over the last decade are coming to the state's juvenile justice facilities. Under a proposed law (SPB 7016) that will be considered Wednesday in a Senate education committee, school districts and the private companies involved in educating youth in the state's detention centers, residential treatment facilities and prevention programs would be subjected to a three-tier performance rating, from "failing" to "high performance."

Juvenile Justice – Governor Mead Calls For Changes
K2 Radio, Casper, WY – October 28, 2011
Changes to juvenile justice law won’t likely come during the next legislative session, that from Governor, Matt Mead, who is expected at the dedication of a new juvenile detention center in Casper Saturday. Mead says he wants a plan for the future that is state-based and works with alternatives already in use by some prosecutors in the state. He sites practices in Natrona County that he says are providing alternatives to incarceration, “and rather than detaining them, getting them back in school, getting them education, and moving forward.

Five regional counties look at ways to improve juvenile justice systems
The Kansas City Star, Kansas – October 23, 2011
A national group that helped Missouri counties put fewer children in juvenile detention is turning its attention to Kansas. Jackson County officials credit the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative with cutting juvenile detention by about two-thirds over the past five years. 

 Foster Care

New group offers help for foster care ‘age outs’
The North Wind, Michigan – October 28, 2011
What started as a concerned student meeting with an adviser led to the group’s formation over the summer. This fall marked the beginning of S.O.S. Networking for Success, a new student group on Northern’s campus. S.O.S. Networking for Success is a student organization that provides mentoring and social networking for independent students at Northern Michigan University. “We invite first generation students, young single parents, students that have been in the foster care system and any others who lack a family support system,” said S.O.S. founder Cassandra Evers.

Project tries to help foster kids who turn 18 and leave system
Radio Iowa, Iowa – October 25, 2011
A new project in eastern Iowa aims to smooth the transition for foster children who age out of the system. Organizers of “Bridging the Gap” will meet today with Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley to discuss the program. Grassley, who co-founded and is co-chairman of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, says thousands of foster kids nationwide are falling through cracks in the system.

Exclusive: A rough ride into adulthood
News-Press, Florida – October 24, 2011
Earlier this month, 15 teenagers in foster care gathered in a room dotted with inspirational messages and portraits of ubersuccessful people, such as Oprah Winfrey and the president. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" asked the speaker who had been talking to them about preparing a resume.

Teen Pregnancy

City program tackles rising teen pregnancy rate
Medille Reports, Illinois – October 27, 2011
Despite a steady decade-long decline in teen birth rates in the U.S., rates have risen in Illinois. Illinois ranks 18th in the country for teen birth rates with a rate of 60.0 per 1,000 teens, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, compared with the U.S. rate of 56.8.

Researchers study link between teen pregnancy, poverty
The Daily O’Collegian, Oklahoma – October 24, 2011
Social service providers in the Tulsa area have asked researchers from The Oklahoma State University Center of Family Resilience to help end poverty and teen pregnancy. The study is part of the Tulsa Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition, which is joined by multiple social service organizations.

Girls, Inc. to open new teen pregnancy help centers in Frayser 
WMC TV, Memphis, TN – October 25, 2011
A community in a pregnancy crisis is getting some help. Tuesday, Girls, Inc. announced the opening of two new pregnancy help centers in Frayser. Deborah Hester-Harrison, President of Girl's Incorporated, said the new after-school centers would will allow her organization to do more in the battle against teen pregnancy.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

Teacher uses experience as dropout to help at-risk students
Standard-Examiner, Ogden, UT – October 17, 2011
When Cassie Cox dropped out of high school in 1992, all she saw were dead ends. Now, 19 years later, she inspires the at-risk students at Two Rivers High School to reach for the stars. She credits her life change to one major thing: education.

New PSAs, Microsite Aim to Keep Teens in School
AdAge – October 18, 2011
The U.S. Army and the Ad Council are introducing new PSAs in their Boost Up campaign encouraging students ages 9 to 17 to stay in school. The TV, radio, print, outdoor and online work was produced pro bono by Publicis, New York. The effort targets friends, parents and adult influencers of at-risk students, directing them to go to www.BoostUp.org to learn about dropout rates, the challenges of staying in school until graduation and how to get involved with students or classroom projects in their communities.

Educators work to reach kids during 'pivotal years'
The Tennessean, Tennessee – October 17, 2011
Reforming high schools was Tennessee’s last big effort. State lawmakers revamped credit and testing requirements while local districts opened special wings for freshmen, grouped sophomores by career interest and touted online classes to pull more seniors across the finish line.

Juvenile Justice

Justice & Defense Departments Provide $20 Million to Support Military Children and Families
Joining Forces – October 17, 2011
On Friday, I was honored to join General Raymond Odierno, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and Dr. Jill Biden, the Second Lady of the United States – and a proud Blue Star mom – at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Conference, “Children’s Justice & Safety: Unite, Build, Lead.” During this three-day conference, more than 2,500 juvenile justice practitioners and experts gathered to reflect upon and redouble current efforts to build a brighter, more secure, and more just future for our nation’s young people.

Foster Care

Youth program gains statewide recognition
Times-Standard, Humboldt County, CA – October 23, 2011
The Humboldt County Transition Age Youth Collaboration program is being recognized by a statewide organization for innovation in county government. The merit award was given by the California State Association of Counties, which presents a small number of Challenge and Merit Awards each year. The program was one of nine merit awardees chosen from more than 250 entries. ”The name of this awards program has never been more appropriate,” said Paul McIntosh, the association's executive director. “The 2011 Challenge and Merit Awards exemplify the amazing spirit and commitment of our counties and the dedicated individuals who provide the vital services that 38 million Californians depend on every day.”

Teen Pregnancy

Grant Money Used to Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy
CBS 47, Fresno, CA – October 21, 2011
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money will be used to help prevent teenage pregnancies in the Valley. Sarah Villa got pregnant when she was just 16-years-old. "You know I was in shock that it happened to me. I was a straight 'A' student, so it was a difficult thing for our family," said Villa. She says too many teenagers think it won't happen to them.

Grant to Examine and Reduce High Incidence of American Indian Teen Pregnancy
Indian Country Today Media Network, South Dakota – October 18, 2011
Teen pregnancy rates among American Indians in South Dakota exceed the rest of the state’s population by four times, reported the Rapid City Journal. Sanford Research and the University of South Dakota (USD) have been awarded a $1.5 million grant to address related issues and lower the rate of pregnant American Indian teens.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

Hispanic agency targets high school dropouts
Poughkeepsie Journal, Poughkeepsie, NY – October 12, 2011
Kids need support in school and at home to reduce the dropout rate of Hispanic high school students. Bernice Rodriguez-Morton, president of the Association of Hispanics to Obtain Resources, said family involvement and early intervention are key factors that can help reduce the dropout rate.

Education program for high school drop-outs launched
Petoskey News, Petoskey, MI – October 12, 2011
A federally funded program to pay at-risk youth to educate themselves is in the works in northwest Lower Michigan. The YouthBuild program of Northwest Michigan Works! is intended to serve high school drop-outs with social or economic disadvantages by helping them achieve a GED and additional career training.

Grant helps KACV-TV tackle high school dropout crisis
Connect Amarillo, Amarillo, TX – October 12, 2011
One in five adults in Amarillo does not have a high school diploma. That's a fact KACV-TV is now working to change. Earlier in the summer, KACV received one of 41 nationwide American Graduate Community Engagement Grants to help raise awareness about what some would call the "dropout crisis".

Juvenile Justice

Young Offenders Get Second Chance
LakeElsinore-Wildomar Patch, Lake Elsinore, CA – October 16, 2011
The Elsinore Valley Youth Court Diversion Program gives young offenders a second chance to learn from their mistakes before their cases are referred to the Juvenile Court System.

Results instead of revenge: A new plan for juvenile justice
Vanderbilt University News – October 13, 2011
The struggle against juvenile crime may come down to one simple question, says a Vanderbilt University researcher: Do we want revenge or do we want results? If we want results, says Christopher Slobogin, the Milton Underwood Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University Law School, we should dramatically reform the system to stress community-based treatment over incarceration.

Foster Care

New Law Protects Foster Children From Identity Theft
Fox News, Providence, RI – October 9, 2011
Dee Saint Franc left the Rhode Island foster care system eager to start life on her own. But when she tried sign up for cable and Internet at Verizon, she learned that breaking free from her past wouldn't be easy.

Program helps foster kids take next step
9News, Kusa, CO – October 9, 2011
It's a tough time for people out of work to find a job, regardless of age. Though some, particularly adults in their 20's and 30's are living with their parents when they can't pay the bills, that isn't an option for most kids who grew up in the Foster system. That's where Forward Steps can help.

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy rate down in Milwaukee
WHBL, Milwaukee, WI – October 12, 2011
Fewer kids are having kids in Milwaukee for the second year in a row. City officials said almost 36 of every 1,000-teenagers had babies last year. That’s 5.6-less than in 2009 – when a similar drop was reported. The teen birth rate was as high as 52-per-thousand in 2006, and it brought Milwaukee some unwanted national attention. Three years ago, the city and its United Way joined forces to attack the problem.

DC Leaders Focus on Teen Pregnancy
MyFoxDC, Washington, DC – October 11, 2011
Did you know 60 percent of all pregnancies in the District are not planned? And public officials say many of those are involving teenagers in D.C.

'Put pregnancy on pause,' event urges Spartanburg teenagers
GoUpstate, Spartanburg County, SC – October 16, 2011
For 57.3 seconds, teens and college students paused in place as screens ticked off the time. The seconds represented the number of infants, 573, born in 2009 to teens ages 15 through 19, in Spartanburg County. That was just one statistic revealed at an event called PAUSE for a PURPOSE.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

New Report Details High School Dropout Prevention Efforts
U.S. News & World Report – October 3, 2011
Most high school districts offer some sort of dropout prevention program, according to a new report released last week by the National Center for Education Statistics.

USD 437 sees progress in preventing dropouts
The Topeka Capital-Journal, Topeka, KS – October 3, 2011
Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437 board of education members heard a report Monday that shows the district’s dropout prevention efforts are working.

'My Idea' Aims to Mobilize High School Students and Solve Dropout Crisis
TMCnet, Washington, DC – October 5, 2011
More than one million students every year, that is around one in four public school pupils, never complete high school. AT&T has made a generous donation to America’s Promise Alliance for the My Idea program. This is a program that works at helping solve the dropout crisis and helping students improve on their own lives as well as their peers.

Juvenile Justice

National Youth Justice Awareness Month Aims to Raise Issue of Juvenile Incarceration
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – October 7, 2011
This October marks the fourth annual National Youth Justice Awareness Month. The month long program, sponsored by the Campaign for Youth Justice, involves activities and events across the United States that are centered on raising awareness and civic involvement with youth justice issues, primarily the incarceration of minors in the prison system of the nation.

Stephen Wise Renews Push for Juvenile Justice Reform
Sunshine State News, Florida – October 6, 2011
Two years after the Legislature softened Florida's zero-tolerance law in schools to prevent students from being sent to juvenile justice facilities for minor offenses, lawmakers are eager to take a second crack at juvenile justice reforms.

Group receives $135,000 grant to promote juvenile rehab programs
Arkansas News, Little Rock, AK – October 4, 2011
A child advocacy group said today it will use a $135,000 grant to fund a public information campaign promoting the success and importance of juvenile rehabilitation programs. Paul Kelly, senior policy analyst for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, announced the 18-month grant from the Washington, D.C.-based Public Welfare Foundation as juvenile justice officials emphasized Arkansas’ need for more community-based programs to address the needs of non-violent juvenile offenders.

Foster Care

DCF may extend benefits to more young adults
The CT Mirror, CT – October 3, 2011
The state has been Mufasa Abdulbasil's guardian for nearly 10 years, seeing to his needs for everything from food and shelter to clothes for school. But unless he goes to college when he turns 18--something he's not sure about now--he'll be on his own. But that may soon change. DCF Commissioner Joette Katz said she is looking into whether it makes sense for the state to extend services for children until age 21, and ask the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to split the cost.

Foster Kids Ask For More Encouragement To Go To College
Hartford Courant, New Haven, CT – October 3, 2011
Alixes Rosado, who has been in and out of the state's foster care system since he was 6 and is now a senior at the University of New Haven, credits his success in part to his social worker. "The kids [who] have somebody there caring for them and wanting them to succeed are going to do it," Rosado, 22, said Monday at a forum for legislators and state officials. "We all need a little push."

Teen Pregnancy

Revamping Sex Education: A New Approach to the Birds and the Bees
Huffington Post, New York, NY – October 6, 2011
New York City School Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Mayor Michael Bloomberg should be commended for their push to improve family life and sex education for public school students in grades 6-12. Current data indicate African-American and Latino teens in New York City have extraordinarily high rates of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and sexual risk-taking. Public education has an obligation to address this frightening trend.

Fonda says comprehensive approach needed to reduce teen pregnancy
The Daily Citizen, Georgia – October 6, 2011
When Jane Fonda founded the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP) in 1996, the state had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. Today, it ranks 13th. That’s considerable progress, but there’s still more work to be done.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-10-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

Maryland graduation rate at record 87%
The Washington Post, Maryland – September 30, 2011
Eighty-seven percent of Maryland students in the Class of 2011 received a high school diploma last spring, the highest graduation rate on record, according to state data released Friday.

Graduation Matters: Success in life starts in high school, freshmen told  
Missoulian, Missoula County, MT – September 27, 2011
Nearly 1,000 high school freshmen took a seat in an uncommon venue Tuesday morning to hear what will become a common message for their next four years: Graduation matters.

Massachusetts considers raising school dropout age
Taunton Daily Gazette, Boston, MA – September 26, 2011
They can’t legally drink, smoke, vote or sign a contract, but 16-year-olds in Massachusetts can drop out of school without their parents’ consent. A new push to raise the dropout age from 16 to 18 comes at a time when close to 70 percent of high school graduates nationwide are choosing college, and there is fierce competition for jobs.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice commissioner says community is vital to department’s mission
The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA – September 29, 2011
Having a close connection to the community is vital to the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice’s mission, says Commissioner Amy Howell. “Our function is to keep our communities safe and our young people safe and to turn them out in better shape than they came in,” Howell said Wednesday during a visit to Dalton’s Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC).

Changing the focus of juvenile justice
Argus Leader, Minnehaha County, SD – Septmeber 30, 2011
Minnehaha County is locking up fewer delinquent juveniles for petty offenses than it did a year ago, but officials tasked with finding alternatives to detention say there's still work to do.

Foster Care

Former Foster Kids Get A Helping Hand
KERO23, Bakersfield, CA – October 1, 2011
Imagine starting out on your own with nothing. That’s exactly what foster kids have to do when they turn 18. But Saturday they got help from the community. Stephanie Ortega is a former foster child. "It’s very hard going through foster care because you don’t have that stability," Ortega said.

Donation Drive to Help Foster Teens Become Independent
Fox26, Fresno, CA – October 2, 2011
Volunteers load an old dresser and a couple lawn chairs into a storage unit – donations for local foster teens. "It's a big responsibility. Especially when you don't have a family or you don't have people to rely on. It's real hard and the programs that they provide you helps out a lot," said Sade Brown, who is a beneficiary of the donation drive.

D.C. Group Helps Foster Children Succeed After Emancipation
WAMU 88.5, Washington, D.C. – September 27, 2011
When D.C.'s children in foster care reach age 18, many begin to leave the system in a process called emancipation. Without continued support, some of these so-called 'foster kids' will fail as they become adults; but one local group is helping provide them with a leg up.

Teen Pregnancy

Study aims to reduce teen pregnancy among Montgomery Hispanics
Maryland Community News, Maryland – September 28, 2011
A multi-year county study focused on reducing teenage pregnancy among Hispanics began this week, as new statistics show a gap between pregnancy rates for Hispanic teens and others has widened.

Education key to lower teen birth rates
The Star Democrat, Cambridge, MD – October 2, 2011
It's a touchy subject, often discussed under the topic of adolescent health, but adolescent pregnancy is one of the biggest concerns for women's health, according to Dr. Kevin Kearney at Choptank Community Health Services' Women's Health Center in Cambridge.

Low funding, budget cuts may contribute to rise in teen pregnancy locally
ENC Today, North Carolina – October 2, 2011
Young girls who are barely old enough to operate a car are having to take the wheel of not only their future but that of their children. Though teen pregnancy rates are slightly dropping around the country, the numbers are still high and it’s becoming more and more commonplace, depicted in popular television shows such as “16 and Pregnant,” “Teen Mom” and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-09-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

Denzel Washington on Dropouts: 'Most Dangerous Time' for Kids Right After School
PBS – September 21, 2011
In the first installment of an 18-month series on the nation's high school dropout rate, Gwen Ifill sits down with Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington to discuss his work as national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and making a difference in the lives of at-risk youth.

Alternative Opportunities gives high school drop outs a second chance
KY3, Springfield, MO – September 22, 2011
The lost earnings for the 2010 Missouri high school dropouts totals nearly $5.2 billion dollars. One organization in the Ozarks is trying to reverse that trend by helping kids get back on track.

Rising freshmen complete Communities In Schools graduation camp
Salisbury Post, Rowan County, NC – September 22, 2011
Thirty rising North Rowan High School freshmen completed a 12-day camp, the culmination of the Communities In Schools (CIS) of Rowan County’s Mission Possible: Graduation,” funded by the North Carolina Department of Education and Drop Out Prevention, this summer.

Juvenile Justice

New York Judge Seeks New System for Juveniles
The New York Times, New York – September 20, 2011
New York State has long dealt with 16- and 17-year-old defendants more severely than almost every other state, trying all of them as adults in criminal courts. Now, New York’s chief judge is calling for a less punitive approach that would focus on finding ways to rehabilitate them.

Juvenile grant aimed at rehabilitation
The News-Messenger, Sandusky County, OH – September 24, 2011
Counties across Ohio have limited funding for juvenile rehabilitation programs, though court statistics suggest just locking kids up does little to change their behavior. In Sandusky County, at least, a recently-received federal grant is aimed at addressing that problem.

Juvenile Probation Program Shows Results
WIFR, Winnebago County, IL – September 21, 2011
Five thousand Winnebago County residents are on probation and nearly a fifth of them are kids. However, an old juvenile probation initiative is making new progress.

Foster Care

CASA volunteers work to find support for youth aging out of welfare system
Midland Reporter-Telegram – September 11, 2011
A recent report issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute in New York found a growing number of children in foster care are aging out of the system without any connections to adults, resulting in a disproportionate number of young men and women becoming parents or ending up homeless or in jail. CASA volunteers are committed to helping children find permanent, safe homes as quickly as possible.

 State House to Vote on Bill to Extend Foster Care
Public News Service, Lansing, MI – September 20, 2011
Most young adults in Michigan who turn 18 still have a support system to fall back on, even if they are away at college or living on their own. But for those in foster care, 18 is when they "age out" of the system and no longer qualify for supportive services. That could change under a package of bills before a legislative committee today which would extend foster-care services to age 21.

Forum encourages adoptions of older children
Houston Chronicle, Texas – September 24, 2011
Just five months removed from foster care, 18-year-old Andre Crumedy is already beating the odds. The Texas A&M student is among the 10 percent of foster children to enroll in postsecondary school.

Teen Pregnancy

More Texas Schools Teach Safe Sex With Abstinence
Texas Tribune, Midland, TX – September 19, 2011
In the spring, public school students in Midland will cross what until very recently was the political third rail of sex education. For the first time, they will be taught about contraception — and how to practice safe sex.

Group aims to guide teen girls to success, prevent pregnancy
Vindy.com, Youngstown, OH – September 19, 2011
The Sisters of Serenity nonprofit mentoring group is looking for a few good girls — or at least those striving to be better. Neoma McDowell, founder of the program for teenage girls, plans an orientation for girls between ages 11 and 16 who want to get involved with the mentoring program. According to McDowell, the group seeks to establish and reinforce good qualities in teenage girls.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-09-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

Magic Johnson's new venture: helping LA high school dropouts
ABC7, Los Angeles, CA – September 12, 2011
Magic Johnson is teaming up with EdisonLearning to help improve high school dropout rates of African-American and Latino students in Los Angeles County.

Blacks in Berkeley Are Beating National High School Graduation Rate
The Atlanta Post, Berkeley, CA – September 16, 2011
California educators have found that African-American students are graduating from high school in the city of Berkeley at a much higher rate than the national average.

Dropouts Face a Future with More Jobs But Less Options, Study Finds
Youth Today – September 16, 2011
The number of jobs available to dropouts and high school graduates will go up this decade, but there also will be far more jobs for which they are not eligible, according to a study on the future of jobs in the Midwest states.

Juvenile Justice

Three Strategies for Changing Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – September 12, 2011
A recent report from the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN), titled, “Bringing Youth Home: A National Movement to Increase Public Safety, Rehabilitate Youth and Save Money,” documented the extraordinary number of states and jurisdictions (at least 24) that are closing or downsizing their youth correctional facilities, due to budget cuts, legislation, lawsuits, and pressure from reformers. (Download the report for tips on ways to downsize wisely.) This is a good thing, because it means taxpayers can save money or avoid the high cost of incarceration, and reallocate those monies to community-based programs that are more effective at helping young people turn their lives around.

Program to help Hawaii youth in justice system
Houston Chronicle, Honolulu, HI – September 14, 2011
A new program has been launched to help youth in the juvenile justice system. Nonprofit Hale Kipa, which works with at-risk youth and their families, said Tuesday it's the first program of its kind in Hawaii.

Foster Care

Separated in Foster Care, Siblings Reunite in Camp
The New York Times, Kattskill Bay, NY – September 16, 2011
The crisp morning swims in Lake George were quite a change of pace for Shakeema, an 8-year-old from Far Rockaway, Queens. But so was spending five days straight with her sisters, Kendra, 10, and Marquia, 7, who live in the Bronx.

Aiding Young People in Foster Care
The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY – September 19, 2011
To Chris Del Gatto, the mark of a good charity is its efficiency. The 41-year-old chairman and chief executive of Circa, a reseller of high-end jewelry, has contributed $50,000 to New Yorkers for Children to support its annual fall gala. The gala, to be held Tuesday night at Cipriani 42, is among the glitziest events of the black-tie season. New Yorkers for Children works closely with the New York City Administration for Children's Services to support the roughly 15,000 young people in foster care by providing college scholarships, networking opportunities, tutoring programs and job training.

Teen Pregnancy

Agencies plan edgy campaign for youth sexual education
Reporter Herald, Larimer County, CO – September 15, 2011
Are you "doing IT?" The IT is not what you think. The "doing IT? Think Ahead. Plan Now." campaign is an effort to get sexual health information out to Larimer County teens and young adults by raising the question of "doing what? It's kind of edgy. It's out there," said Kim Sharpe, coordinator of the Healthier Communities Coalition of Larimer County in Fort Collins. Since April 2009, nearly 30 agencies who serve teens in Larimer County have been meeting to cooperatively address the issue of teen pregnancy. Their goal is to educate youths about the importance of reproductive life planning.

D.C. schools prepare for nation’s first sex-education standardized testing
The Washington Post, Washington, D.C. – September 14, 2011
D.C. public and public charter schools, which annually test student progress in reading and math, will also measure what they know about human sexuality, contraception and drug use starting this spring. The 50-question exam will be the nation’s first statewide standardized test on health and sex education, according to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, which developed the assessment for grades 5, 8 and 10.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Education

Project Rise offers second chance for high school dropouts
The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO – September 6, 2011
Times are tough for unemployed young people, but Kansas City leaders announced a program Tuesday that should provide a second chance for some lucky high school dropouts. “This is the way up and out,” Mayor Sly James said at a news conference to announce Project Rise. “The best social program we can offer is a job.”

Grant will help keep students in school
Statesman Journal, Salem-Keizer, OR – September 5, 2011
Salem-Keizer has the second-lowest graduation rate of the large districts in the state. Officials hope that a $10.7 million federal grant will turn those numbers around during the next four years. The grant is one of 29 High School Graduation Initiative awards given to districts throughout the country to boost persistently low-performing schools.

 ‘Walk for Success’
The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, SC – September 6, 2011
Orangeburg's three school districts took a "walk for success" Saturday, Aug. 27, to contact dropouts and get them back into school, but Edisto High had reached a 100-percent success rate before the day began.

Juvenile Justice

Test sets youths’ fitness for trial
 The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio – September 6, 2011 
Judging whether a child can stand trial for a crime should become easier next month, as Ohio enacts its first competency standards for juveniles. No longer will clinicians struggle to apply adult standards to defendants younger than 18. Advocates hope that having statewide standards will make it easier on the courts, too.

Study Looks at Strategies for Juvenile Justice Reform
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – September 6, 2011
Much of the nation has seen a drop in the incarceration rates for juvenile offenders, in part because of tight state budgets and falling crime rates. That a trend has been established is not in question, say advocates. What remains to be seen, however, is whether this will be short lived or will prove to be a permanent shift in juvenile justice policy.

Foster Care

REACH to Invest in the Lives of America's Foster Youth
Huffington Post – September 8, 2011
Kim was a foster child and later adopted. Her personal experience in foster care fuels her motivation to help and support others, which is why she founded REACH -- Realizing Every Action Creates Hope. Too often, foster youth find themselves lost and unaware of what it takes to really become an "adult" at 18. This is even the case for non-foster children.

Teen Pregnancy

Study: Teen births cost Miss. $154.9M in '09
Houston Chronicle, Jackson, MS – September 8, 2011
Groups pushing for comprehensive sex education classes in Mississippi schools say there's a good economic reason for what they're doing. A new analysis shows births to teen or preteen mothers cost the state $154.9 million in 2009.

Hewlett Foundation provides support to the city's disadvantaged youth
The Western Edition, San Francisco, CA – September 8, 2011
Through a program called “Serving Bay Area Communities,” the Hewlett Foundation based in Menlo Park has established itself as one of the major supporters of social services in the Bay Area. The Third Street Youth Center and Clinic is housed in a former liquor store. Where booze once flowed out the doors, now 1,000 young people yearly between the ages of 12 and 24 have received medical care, sexual education, health education and more.

New curriculum focuses on more than sex
NWI.com, Valparaiso, IN – September 5, 2011
On Monday night, members of A Positive Approach to Teen Health, or PATH, trained to teach the program Planned Potential to Northwest Indiana middle school students. The Planned Potential program was written by members of PATH with the help of a federal grant. While the grant is related to sex education and the Planned Potential program talks about relationships, it also discusses the importance of life choices, the legacy you want to leave behind and how every person has value.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-09-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Education

Grand Rapids trying to get high school dropouts back in the classroom
Michigan Radio, Grand Rapids, MI – August 30, 2011
A new program launching this fall in Grand Rapids will try to help high school dropouts earn both their high school diplomas and some college credit. The program is a joint effort of Grand Rapids Public Schools and Grand Rapids Community College.

Yakima Valley schools are building a graduation foundation
Yakima Herald-Republic, Yakima, WA – September 3, 2011
With an increased dedication to personal classroom attention, as well as help from some huge federal grants, the Valley's challenged schools are working to keep their students in class and on track toward graduation.

Norman schools tapped for national pilot program
Houston Chronical, Norman, OK – August 30, 2011
Norman Public Schools is one of four school districts across the country selected for a national pilot program that focuses on digital learning.

Juvenile Justice

New program orders young female offenders to the gym
KENS5, San Antonio, TX – September 1, 2011
A new court diversion program requires young offenders to go to the gym. It’s an innovative new partnership between the district attorney’s office and the YMCA. The idea is to keep young girls from becoming repeat offenders.

Foster Care

Out of Foster Care -- and Into What?
Gotham Gazette, New York City, NY – August 2011
When Chimore Mack Glover recently turned 21, she aged out of the New York City foster child program and so needed a place to live. "I usually plan things ahead of time, and my first step was to get a job and find a place to live," she recalled recently. She tried to stay with family members, but one turned her down, Her grandmother was sick and so could not help.

Online program helps with foster kids' education
San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA – September 4, 2011
The onset of the new school year in San Francisco comes with a new and relatively affordable attempt to help improve education for children entangled in the state's troubled foster care system. The San Francisco Unified School District is the latest in California to participate in Foster Focus, a Web-based service that allows school officials and social workers to track and share crucial records that often fail to follow foster children as they transfer to new schools.

Race a Major Factor in Foster Care Disparities
Los Angeles Sentinel, Los Angeles, CA - August 29, 2011
In Los Angeles and across the nation, there are clear disparities in foster care and Black children are faring far worse than their white counterparts. For Los Angeles Congresswoman Karen Bass, foster care reform has long care a top priority. She has repeatedly introduced legislation to increase foster care funding and the quality of services.

Teen Pregnancy

Parenthood Makes Finishing School Difficult For Hispanic Teens
EGPNews.com – September 1, 2011
While some people might think Hispanic parents are passive about their children’s education, the reality is that like most parents, Hispanics want the best for their children. In fact, a 2010 report in Social Science Quarterly shows that Hispanic parents hold higher education and economic achievement for their children as a higher priority than their non-Hispanic U.S. counterparts. The high rate of teen pregnancy among Hispanic girls, however, is making it tough for many of them to realize their parents’ dreams: or their own dreams for that matter.

Advocates: Proper Sex Education = Fewer Teens Having Sex
Public News Service, St. Paul, MN – August 31, 2011
Giving students the basic details will not make them more likely to engage in sexual activity, supporters of sex education in Minnesota say. In fact, the opposite is true, according to Brigid Riley, executive director of Teenwise Minnesota.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-08-29T09:00:00.002-04:00

Education

Family, income, student interest impact high school dropout rate
The Herald Bulletin, Indianapolis, IN – August 25, 2011
Indiana’s high school dropout rates are smaller than they were five years ago, but according to one measure, one in five of the state’s public schools are still struggling to graduate 70 percent of their students on time.

Joliet Job Corps graduates lauded for their success
The Herald-News, Joliet, IL – August 26, 2011
When Jeff Pierson graduated from Joliet West High School in 1982, the national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent. Now the president of the Joliet Township High School Board, Pierson was the guest speaker at summer commencement ceremonies for Joliet Job Corps, where he told students the unemployment rate is now 9.2 percent.

Polis renews fight to lower school dropout rate
The Colorado Independent, Colorado – August 26, 2011
The number-one factor fueling high school dropouts across the country is pregnancy and parenthood, a problem Colorado Congressman Jared Polis hopes to address by reintroducing his Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act.

Juvenile Justice

County program helping troubled youths stay out of detention centers
Southwest Review News, Dakota County, MN – August 21, 2011
As a result of the problems facing the juvenile detention facility, Dakota County Community Corrections, the county attorney's office, the county board and others got together and brainstormed about what could be done to help at-risk youths in the community without overpopulating the detention facility.

Legislature Ponders Juvenile Justice Reforms
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL – August 24, 2011
Florida lawmakers will continue in the coming year to look for ways to save money in juvenile justice and prevent incarcerated kids from committing crimes again. A procession of juvenile justice experts spoke before a panel of lawmakers and other stakeholders Wednesday to pitch ways to better educate and train incarcerated youth so that they are not tempted to become lifelong criminals.

Youth court gives young offenders second chance
North County Times, Escondido, CA – August 22, 2011
None of the young offenders gathered Tuesday evening in Escondido City Council Chambers looked happy as they answered for their crimes before their parents and a court of their peers ---- but juvenile hall would have been a lot worse.

Foster Care

Burbank program opens its doors to emancipated youth
Southern California Public Radio, Burbank, CA – August 26, 2011
A new program set up to assist 18 to 24 year-old emancipated and homeless youths with transitional housing opened its doors Thursday. The opening of Linden House comes on the heels of the passage of AB12, a bill that extends the age limit for foster care youth from 18 to 21.

A Bag Full of Hope
Morning Star, Traverse City, MI – August 22, 2011
For many foster children “aging out,” the world becomes an even more uncertain place, often with little or no resources or support systems. Child and Family Services is working to combat those obstacles with special programming to teach foster children life skills. The “Elements” program teaches independent living skills to youth ages 14-18 who are preparing to transition out of foster care.

Teen Pregnancy

Erie's teen birthrate drops to 20-year low
Erie Times-News, Erie, PA – August 23, 2011
Erie teenagers are giving birth at the lowest rate in more than 20 years, turning around one of the city's most pressing public-health concerns.

Teen works to empower other girls in need
San Antonio Express-News – August 22, 2011
You can't always see how you can change someone's life with a small but meaningful exchange of the heart. But if you can change how they look at themselves - their world and their possibilities - change has been set in motion. In May, Joi Stevens, a 16-year-old junior-to-be at Saint Mary's Hall, interviewed two girls from Seton Home, which provides residence and support services for homeless pregnant teens and teen moms and their children. Stevens did the interview for The Girls Inc. MVP's Town Hall on teenage pregnancy and prevention. Girls Inc. is a nonprofit organization that encourages girls to be empowered and proactive and bold in fulfilling their potential and being advocates for themselves and others.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-08-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

Education

Normandy School District Reach Out To Dropouts
Fox2Now, Normandy, MO – August 20, 2011
An in your face approach to getting kids back in school is seeing success in Normandy. They call it their annual "Reach Out to Drop Outs". Volunteers go door to door, talking face to face with kids who should be enrolled but aren't.

Coastside schools boast lowest dropout rate in county
Half Moon Bay Review, San Mateo County, CA – August 18, 2011
Local school officials say online academic recovery programs and a strong counseling force contributed to Cabrillo Unified School District's having the lowest high school dropout rate in San Mateo County.

Why Are More Black Males Dropping Out of High School?
BET – August 16, 2011
In a new PBS special, Tavis Smiley investigates why factors such as generational poverty, unemployment, and the lack of positive male role models in schools are contributing to staggering drop-out rates in Black male youth.

Juvenile Justice

New Juvenile Justice Law Aims To Keep Young Offenders Out Of Prison
Huffington Post, Illinois – August 16, 2011
Legislation signed Monday will require juvenile court judges to review additional factors before issuing sentences in Illinois, in the hopes sending fewer young people to state prison.

Advocates aim to change youth sentencing of life without parole
San Francisco Bay Guardian, California – August 16, 2011
Christian Bracamontes was 16 years old and had never been in trouble with the law when he made a decision that landed him in a California prison, serving out a sentence of life without parole.

Foster Care

'Superkids' Going Above and Beyond
Norristown Patch, Montgomery County, PA – August 17, 2011
Superkids in Montgomery County is trying to make a difference and let children know that they’re not forgotten. The group is a nonprofit organization that aims to help foster children with more than just their basic needs.

Genesee County program helps foster children prepare for life outside the system
The Flint Journal, Michigan – August 21, 2011
Sixteen teenagers living in foster care prepared last summer for life after they become too old for the system through a program called Foster Your Future. Tennison Barry directed the program and gave students a variety of experiences ranging from self-awareness to job interview training.

DHS honors students who beat the odds
6ABC.com, Philadelphia, PA – August 17, 2011
The Philadelphia Department of Human Services held a big celebration Wednesday afternoon for young people aging out of the foster care system, young people who have worked extremely hard against incredible odds. According to DHS, approximately 500 young men and women in Philadelphia age out of foster care and must prepare to live on their own.

Teen Pregnancy

PEACE Program peers speak up about teen pregnancy
ConnectAmarillo.com, Amarillo, TX – August 18, 2011
Teen pregnancy is a hard enough issue for parents and adults to talk about, much less teens. But that's what this group of young people is committed to doing in their own schools. Wednesday, members of the PEACE Program, or Peer Educators Acting for Change and Equality, met with the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition.

Educators: Parent Involvement Vital in Kids’ Sexuality Education
Public News Service, Phoenix, AZ – August 15, 2011
Arizona schools are putting added emphasis on getting parents involved in their children's education. A PTA official says parents have an even greater responsibility when it comes to sexuality and relationships.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-08-15T09:07:00.000-04:00

Education

Facing reality on dropouts may aid reform
Daily News, Los Angeles, CA – August 14, 2011
The California Department of Education made an announcement on Thursday that will have earthshaking impact on the entire state. For the first time, it acknowledged the massive numbers of County Office of Education dropouts that have been largely invisible to the public. It also acknowledged the existence of the significant numbers of especially tragic dropouts who do not even complete middle school before dropping out.

Murkowski Unveils High School Graduation Bill
KTVA11, Alaska – August 12, 2011
Senator Lisa Murkowski has introduced a new bill she hopes will raise high school graduation rates. Several states have very low rates, and Alaska is one of them.

Georgetown study says college degree still worth the front-end costs
The Washington Independent – August 10, 2011
Despite the soaring costs of college (rising at 3 percent above inflation for over a decade), a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workplace argues the lifetime financial benefits are still worth the five-digit amounts of debt graduates endure.

Juvenile Justice

NM receives nearly $1 million in grants for juvenile justice
The Republic, Albuquerque, NM – August 8, 2011
New Mexico has received nearly $1 million in grants from the Justice Department for programs aimed at protecting youth.

Redirecting the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Take Part – August 13, 2011
America’s prison-industrial complex is unlike any other in the world. U.S. prisons cost taxpayers more than $32 billion per year, and house 25 percent of the world’s inmate population. Most prisoners have two things in common: They come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and they're high-school dropouts.

Foster Care

Rutgers program for homeless students graduates 40
MyCentralJersey.com, New Brunswick, NJ – August 12, 2011
The recently expanded Summer Housing and Internship program funded by the state Department of Children and Families graduated its largest class of 40 on Thursday at Crossroads Theatre. The program is for young adults who are aging out of the New Jersey foster care system.

Unraveling the Black Adoption Myths in America
The Atlanta Post, Oakland, CA – August 15, 2011
Adoption. At first glance it’s just another word in the dictionary. But its power is vested in the weight of the word – conjuring images of abandonment, cherished blessings, adamant secrecy and self discovery. For African Americans adoption has yet another layer of imagery. Families being torn apart by drug use, poverty, homelessness and even death. At any given moment there are 500,000 children in foster care across the United States with 26% being African American according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010 statistics.

Teen Pregnancy

Woman's work in pregnancy prevention keeps teens on right path
The Item, South Carolina – August 12, 2011
A local woman is putting the foundation she gained from her parents to help area teens stay on the right path. Melanie Dees, director of the United Way Diamonds Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, was recognized a few months ago for her work in teen pregnancy prevention.

Officials want to pinpoint risks in school divisions
NVDaily.com, Woodstock, VA – August 15, 2011
One school division at a time, the Lord Fairfax Health District wants to learn more about the risky behaviors that lead to potentially deadly problems among teens. Two district representatives addressed the Shenandoah County School Board on Thursday about a survey that would be administered to seventh- and ninth-graders next year. Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the survey focuses on youth health risk behaviors that result in such things as violence, drug use, alcohol abuse, sexual activity and unhealthy dietary habits.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-08-08T09:37:00.000-04:00

Education

Bloomberg to Use Own Funds in Plan to Aid Minority Youth
The New York Times, New York, NY – August 3, 2011
The administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, in a blunt acknowledgment that thousands of young black and Latino men are cut off from New York’s civic, educational and economic life, plans to spend nearly $130 million on far-reaching measures to improve their circumstances.

Kindergartners already planning for high school graduation
WLOX 13, St. Martin, MS – August 3, 2011
The school bell rang and buses rolled throughout Jackson County Wednesday morning. Schools in St. Martin, Vancleave and East Central welcomed back thousands of students. Kindergartners at St. Martin North Elementary spent part of their first day learning how to walk quietly along the hallway. They also sang songs, listened to stories and made new friends. They seemed to be adjusting well to their new environment.

Graduation rates increase in Cleveland County: More minority students get diplomas
The Star, Shelby, NC – August 5, 2011
The number of minority students earning diplomas from Cleveland County Schools continues to increase. Nearly 70 percent of black students and 75 percent of Hispanic students entering ninth grade in Cleveland County graduated in four years or less, according to 2010-11 graduation data released Thursday from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Juvenile Justice

New limits on charging 17-year-olds as adults
NECN.com, Biloxi, MS - August 7, 2011
An amended law that took effect in July prevents law enforcement officials from charging 17-year-olds as adults in most nonviolent felony cases. Youth Court and law enforcement officials are keeping a close eye on the law to see how it's going to affect the already overburdened Youth Court system.

Youth Aid Program Gives First-time Juveniles Second Chance
Upper Southampton Patch – Upper Southampton, PA - August 3, 2011
The Upper Southampton Youth Aid Panel offers local juveniles an alternative to the criminal justice system. First-time juvenile offenders can be referred to the panel as a means to avoid immediately going through the system.

Foster Care

Crossroads provides housing for young adults aging out of foster care
Sun Sentinel, FL – August 2, 2011
The Parent-Child Center's Crossroads Independent Living program hosted its first "Open House" on July 15. More than 50 people from the community attended the event and received a personal tour of the program, including county commissioners and visitors from the Department of Juvenile Justice, foster care programs and disability services.

Utahn hopes to help youth who are homeless, in foster care
The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah – August 1, 2011
Sam Bracken says growing up in his family was like belonging to a whacked-out version of the Brady Bunch that was starring in an episode of the reality TV show "Cops." And that’s putting it kindly. "You can’t always determine where you start in this world," he said, "but we can determine how we end." That message is at the center of Bracken’s campaign to help youth who are homeless or aging out of foster care through his Orange Duffel Bag Foundation — named after the fluorescent bag that held his belongings when Bracken was forced from home.

Youth Villages to Expand Transitional Living Program with $42 million grant
Youth Today – August 4, 2011
A major multi-state provider of child welfare services will receive perhaps one of the largest grants ever made to a social service agency to expand its transitional living program for youth aging out of foster care. Youth Villages, a Memphis, Tenn.-based nonprofit that operates residential and community youth programs in 12 states, will receive a $42 million challenge grant from The Day Foundation. YV will start receiving the grant money soon, but it is also required to match the $42 million with commitments from other revenue streams.

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy prevention program offered
Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Parkersburg, OH – August 4, 2011
A new program for sixth-graders will offer support and information to help students develop goals and self-esteem to help them make positive choices for their lives. The Children's Home Society was chosen as one of nine of 75 applicants from across the country to receive the grant funding.

UC Merced students look at how culture affects health 
Merced Sun-Star, Fresno County, CA – August 4, 2011
Marisol Chavez was used to seeing pregnant Latina teens in her classrooms when she was attending high school in Cantua Creek, a small Fresno County town. Latina teens continue to have higher pregnancy rates compared to teen girls from other ethnicities, the soon-to-be senior at UC Merced said. 

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-08-01T09:00:00.001-04:00

Education

National graduation rates likely to dip as states switch to more accurate calculation formula
The Washington Post, Kansas City, MO – July 27, 2011
States are bracing for plummeting high school graduation rates as districts nationwide dump flawed measurement formulas that often undercounted dropouts and produced inflated results. Education wonks long have suspected the statistics used by some people to determine how their neighborhood high school is faring — or even where to buy a house — can be figured using various formulas that produce wildly different results.

Examining the high school dropout crisis
KPCC 89.3 – July 27, 2011
An NPR series this week has focused on the high school dropout crisis, which disproportionately affects black and Latino teens. According to U.S. Department of Education statistics, in spite of lower overall dropout rates since 1980, Latino teens’ rates remain the highest. And while boys receive much of the attention, nearly as many girls drop out, too.

 U.S. firms spend $3.5 billion a year on education
Market Watch, Washington, DC – July 26, 2011
Big business and the Obama administration are teaming up to better target the $3.5 billion corporations invest in the U.S. education system each year, with a focus on fixing lagging skills in science, technology, engineering and math. The first step: A meeting in Washington last week to announce new financial commitments from Bank of America Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Nike Inc. The next step: Business leaders plan to look to employees and communities for answers.

Juvenile Justice

Trio of Juvenile Justice Bills Signed Into Law
Ledyard Patch, Connecticut – July, 29, 2011
Three juvenile justice bills aim to rebalance the scales. Ending racial disparity, decreasing recidivism, and making the system more fair and accountable – lofty goals to be sure. But children of color are more likely to enter juvenile justice system and are treated more harshly than white peers, according to the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance.

 Juvenile Lockups Locking Their Doors This Week
Public News Service, Austin, TX – July 27, 2011
Four Texas Youth Commission (TYC) lockups are locking their doors for good this week, as the state's juvenile-justice system prepares for a major transformation. TYC and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission are slated to merge into a single department by December. The goal, says Benet Magnuson, an attorney with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition's Juvenile Justice Initiative, is to dramatically reduce the number of juveniles who wind up behind bars, diverting many toward rehabilitation programs in their own communities.

Foster Care

"Project Now" helps foster youth
VolunteerTV, Knoxville, TN – July 28, 2011
The program teaches foster care youth how to manage money and save. It gives them the knowledge and tools to succeed in life independently. Thousands of children "age out" of foster care once they turn 18 years old. Many go out on their own without the knowledge they need to succeed.

Homes for Those That Could Have Been Homeless
East Atlanta Patch, East Atlanta, AL – July 27, 2011
“When I needed my real mom the most, she wasn’t there for me. I go to bed every night just thinking about her. It’s tough,” said Tracy Joachim, a 21-year-old Atlantan who spent his childhood in the city’s foster care system. Joachim’s story is painful, but things have been looking up for him since he entered the CHRIS Kids’ TransitionZ program and moved into Summit Trail, the EarthCraft-certified apartment complex in East Atlanta where the young adults in the program live.

Making A Difference In The Lives Of Foster Kids
WLWT News 5, Cincinnati, OH – July 26, 2011
A Tri-State program is helping teens bridge the gap between leaving foster care and becoming adults. On any given day, there are 850 kids in foster care in Hamilton County. Dozens get too old to stay in the system, and many have nowhere to turn for help.

Teen Pregnancy

Proven Programs and Community Ownership Are The Keys
Gaston Gazette, Gaston, NC – July 31, 2011
Parents, professionals, and community leaders have a landmark opportunity to help all young people grow to be healthy adults, and to help those least privileged break the sad cycles of poverty and poor health that last for generations. Gaston Youth Connected gives the community more tools to do this by addressing adolescent pregnancy in the most effective ways possible.

Groundbreaking Bill Integrates Pregnancy and Violence Prevention Strategies for Young People of Color
RH Reality Check – July 28, 2011
While the rest of the policy world is going a bit crazy arguing about the debt ceiling or trying to restrict women’s reproductive health access, how about a bit of good news for young women? Today a groundbreaking bill was introduced in Congress with a first-ever policy approach that combines teen dating violence prevention and teen pregnancy prevention in communities of color.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-07-25T09:45:00.000-04:00

Education

School Dropout Rates Adds To Fiscal Burden
NPR – July 24, 2011
Nearly 1 million kids who start high school every year don't make it to graduation. At a time when federal and state budgets are tight, dropouts costs taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenue, health care, welfare and incarceration costs.

Beating the Odds: High School ‘Dropouts’ Earn Diploma At East LA Program Facing Big Cuts
EGP News, East Los Angeles, CA – July 21, 2011
While the 2011 season for pomp and circumstance has already wrapped up at Los Angeles area schools, not until last week did nearly three-dozen students at an East Los Angeles-based academy finally received their diplomas. It was a privilege they thought they forfeited when they dropped out of high school, and one which may not be available to as many students in the future due to federal funding cuts. Twenty-one-year-old Luz Avila struggled in high school. She attended Garfield High School, Garfield Adult school, another program, and then Cesar Chavez Continuation, but on July 14, she received her high school diploma through LA CAUSA YouthBuild, a non-profit organization and charter school she says allowed her to experience high school, go to grad night, volunteer; everything “without the drama,”

Encouraged in the face of adversity
Los Angeles Times, East Los Angeles, CA – July 20, 2011
Teen moms, gang members and dropouts trade bleak futures for the hope of a better life at Ramona High. For Genesis Diaz, a struggling young mother, graduating at the top of her class is only the beginning.

Juvenile Justice

Obama Administration to Fight Harsh School Discipline
Youth Today – July 21, 2011
The U.S. Justice and Education departments are making disruption of the “school to prison” pipeline – which can begin with minor school infractions and can end in a lifetime of poverty – a new government objective. Calling removal from school “inappropriate forms” of punishment, Holder was joined this morning by Duncan at a meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to announce the effort. “When our young people are locked up, we are condemning them to poverty,” Duncan told the group.

Juveniles in Custody Dropped 12 Percent, New Report Says
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – July 18, 2011
A new report shows that nationally the total number of juvenile offenders in custody dropped by 12 percent from 2006 to 2008. The biannual census by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) surveyed juvenile residential facilities about population, size and security measures, among others.

Juvenile detention center providing much-needed services
Southeast Missourian, Charleston, MO – July 22, 2011
The Mississippi County Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Charleston, Mo., is alive and well. Although six juvenile detention centers in Missouri lost their state funding for the 2012 calendar year due to a controversial Circuit Court Budget Committee decision, our facility was not one of those that lost its funding. In fact, our juvenile detention center has played a major role in the state of Missouri. In May of this year, our circuit was selected as one of only three sites to be named a Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Model Replication Site, and the only one in Southeast Missouri.

Foster Care

Grant will help foster youth in Forsyth County
Winston-Salem Journal, Forsyth County, PA – July 22, 2011
A $600,000 grant announced Thursday will benefit the Youth in Transition Community Initiative of Forsyth County, an initiative that serves foster youth. The grant, awarded from the Duke Endowment, will help youths aging out of foster care with housing support, financial training and mentoring.

Young people too old for foster care get help
The Sun, Redlands, CA – July 17, 2011
When a young man showed up on DeeDee Schilt's doorstep last year offering to work for food and shelter, she knew she had to do something. Not just for him, but for what she soon discovered were hundreds in his position: too old for foster care, which ends at 18, but not quite ready to support themselves. Of about 425 people who "age out" of San Bernardino County's foster care system every year, about 70percent will be homeless for at least a stretch of time, she said.

Teen Pregnancy

Research Aims to Reduce Teen Pregnancy Among Latinos
The University of Texas, Austin, TX – July 19, 2011
Latina teens would benefit from expanded sexual education programs in schools and increased flexibility in education beyond high school to prevent unplanned pregnancies, according to a report by social scientists at the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin. The report, funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services, aims to help policymakers better understand why Latina teenagers are more likely to become pregnant compared with other groups.

Ninth graders to study Safer Choices for sex ed
Bluffton Today, Beaufort County, SC – July 21, 2011
The school board unanimously approves research-based curriculum for reproductive health. For the first time, Beaufort County freshmen and sophomores will meet their state requirements for reproductive health from a program proven to help them make safer choices.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-07-18T09:45:00.000-04:00

Education

Colleges to counteract dwindling ranks of high school graduates
The Kansas City Star, Kansas – July 12, 2011
The Columbia and Kansas City campuses of the University of Missouri again will be awash in freshmen this fall. Seeing the writing on the marker board, some area educators are looking past the freshman glut and trying to entice other sources of college fodder, including former dropouts.

 5th year of high school a good idea
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL – July 8, 2011
Is four years of high school enough to prepare today’s students for the real world? On Friday, state Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) teased a group of students at Wells High School that Gov. Quinn was about to sign legislation that would keep them in high school a year longer. Of course he was joking. Quinn was at Wells for the ceremonial signing of three pieces of education legislation. Two of the bills require school districts to emphasize reading and math during summer school for students who are at least two grade levels behind for two consecutive years.

HATS program aims to put a lid on dropout rates
Times-News Online, Henderson County, TN – July 14, 2011
Having a caring adult work with a student one hour a week can go a long way toward keeping students in school. That’s the premise behind Helping All Teens Succeed, a new program Henderson County Public Schools has designed to address dropout prevention.

Juvenile Justice

Texas’s Progress on Juvenile Justice
The New York Times, Texas – July 9, 2011
Just four years ago, the Texas juvenile justice system was awash in allegations of brutality, neglect and sexual abuse by staff members. Thanks to leadership by Gov. Rick Perry and thoughtful, decisive action by the Legislature, a state juvenile justice system that was in chaos a few years ago is making impressive strides.

House Appropriations Committee Eliminates Most Juvenile Justice Funding
Youth Today – July 13, 2011
A spending bill that eliminates most federal funding for juvenile justice activities was approved today by the House Appropriations Committee, and is expected to receive a vote by the full House before the August recess. The bill, approved after a four-hour mark-up session, reduces spending by $3 billion from 2011 fiscal year levels, following most of the recommendations of its subcommittee on commerce, justice and science. It passed on a voice vote.

Foster Care

YourNews: New program creates opportunities for self-sufficicency
KnoxNews.com, Tennessee – July 12, 2011
Child & Family Tennessee now has programs designed to help strengthen teens on their journey to adulthood and self-sufficiency. CFT has partnered with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative’s Opportunity Passport, the Department of Children’s Services and the Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union to create a new package of resources, collectively called Project NOW (Navigating Opportunities that Work).

Business providing bright spot as teens transition out of foster care
Delaware Online, New Castle, DE – July 8, 2011
Tucked away in an industrial park office near New Castle, Jalisa Baines and her co-workers on Friday went about their tasks of readying used books for resale. All work at Bright Spot Venture -- a new business like no other in the state. "This is the first social enterprise managed by youth in -- and aging out of -- foster care in Delaware," said its manager, Carolyn A. Gordon.

BCFS opens transition center for Abilene youth
San Antonio Business Journal, Abilene, TX – July 11, 2011
BCFS Health and Human Services has expanded operations to Abilene, Texas, and is opening the city’s first youth transition center to provide case management, counseling, housing, employment placement, educational support and life-skills services to struggling young adults. The Abilene Transition Center expects to serve 150 youth who are either at-risk, aging out of foster care, returning home from juvenile justice institutions, or coping with other challenges, such as homelessness.

Teen Pregnancy

Grant helps young moms succeed
KAIT, Paragould, AR – July 14, 2011
A new program is reaching out to teen mothers. The School of the 21st Century in Paragould recently received a grant through the Arkansas Child Abuse and Neglect Department to start up the program, which is called T.H.R.I.V.E. Representatives with the school say they hope to help set up these young mothers with a career, and to be the best parent that they can be.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-07-11T09:11:00.001-04:00

Education

CFCC concerned about school system dropout program 
6WECT TV, New Hanover County, NC – July 7, 2011
House Bill 822 allowed New Hanover County Schools to pioneer a new dropout recovery program, which now has Cape Fear Community College concerned. The Dropout Recovery Pilot Program was co-sponsored by Representative Susi Hamilton in an effort to reach the segment of students who had already separated from the school system. NHCS would put out a request-for-proposal for an outside agency (profit or non-profit) to run a non-traditional diploma-based program for dropouts. Students would be enrolled with the school system and would no longer be labeled dropouts, thereby improving the school system's rate.

High school drop-out prevention starts early
The Westerly Sun, Rhode Island – July 5, 2011
Local school districts are working to identify and support students as young as elementary-age who may be at risk of not graduating from high school. Westerly and Chariho Regional School District practices fall in line with recommendations made last week by Rhode Island Kids Count, a nonprofit children's policy and advocacy organization.

 Valley program helps high school dropouts go to college
Action 4 News, Texas – July 7, 2011
Vanessa Flores and her mother Mary Sandoval have been through a lot together. "I know I'm very blessed and she's a good person," said Sandoval. During her freshman year, Vanessa contracted H-1-N-1 virus, then meningitis and her mother suffered a stroke. "So I missed a lot of schooling and I've been in 10th grade for the past three years," said Vanessa. Not only did Vanessa have to miss school to recover from her illnesses, but also to take care of her mother. "She's done so much for me, and now its time for her. She needs to catch up on her schoolwork," said Sandoval.

Juvenile Justice

Keeping Kids Outside the System: Alternatives to juvenile detention are cheaper and more effective
Hawaii Reporter, Florida – July 5, 2011
Rashad never took his eyes off his mother. While his public defender questioned him, Rashad clenched and unclenched his hands, answering in staccato bursts, his large brown eyes imploring or challenging his mother, who returned his stare from the front row of the courtroom. A cheaper and more effective approach than arresting Rashad would have been referring him to Family Resources, a Pinellas County, Florida, shelter for runaway and homeless youth that also provides family counseling and an alternative respite from violent domestic disputes.

State treating some teen offenders as juveniles now and not adults
Northwest Herald, Illinois – July 5, 2011
A state law placing 17-year-olds charged with misdemeanors under the juvenile court system makes legal sense to local defense attorney Matt Haiduk. Considering that a 17-year-old is not old enough to vote, buy cigarettes and alcohol or even agree to a plea agreement without a parent or guardian's permission, the statute needed an update.

Foster Care

Grant helps foster children stay in homes
Reporter Herald, Fort Collins, CO – July 6, 2011
The Fort Collins Housing Authority is providing the ruby red slippers that foster care youths need to find a place to call home. For the first time, the housing authority is administering 50 federally funded housing choice vouchers with the aim of providing stable housing for youths receiving foster care. Their purpose is to reunite foster children with their families and to prevent young adults ages 18-21 who are "aging out" of the foster care system from becoming homeless.

Programs Aim At Keeping Kids In Stable Homes
OPB News, Oregon – July 7, 2011
Kids in Oregon are twice as likely as children nationwide to be placed in foster care. And child advocates say that's a problem. Mainly because national statistics on the success of foster kids aren't good -- a quarter have been homeless at least once by age 23, and almost half have been on food stamps by the same age. In Oregon, several new programs have been set up to keep children in stable family homes.

Jasmine Winters, 18, is outgrowing foster care, but is leaving with family-like support network
The Patriot-News – July 7, 2011
She was almost 19. A senior in high school. Foster care would end. She would have no home to go to on college breaks. No relatives to visit on Thanksgiving. Jasmine Winters would be on her own. Unless she could spin a new family from the broken threads of relationships in her past. She started weaving that network last year, reaching out to family and friends with help from her Dauphin County caseworkers.

Teen Pregnancy

Grant Will Aid City's Effort To Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Hartford Courant, Connecticut – July 2, 2011
Connecticut has one of the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the country, for which all should be thankful. But the state numbers can mask the fact that in some urban areas, notably Hartford, the problem is still rampant. The city has received a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ramp up its efforts to curb teen pregnancy. Four agencies will work together on the project.

Reducing teen pregnancy is a priority for all of us
Gaston Gazette, Gaston County, NC – July 3, 2011
One of the things you accept when you become a health director is that it’s fairly easy to get everyone to agree on problems, but getting everyone to agree on solutions is another story. Case in point—a lot of people here in my hometown know teen pregnancy is a problem, and many are passionate about finding a solution. However, opinions vary as to what approach we should take. Lately, there has been a great deal of discussion about Gaston Youth Connected, a new teen pregnancy prevention initiative in Gaston County. I felt this would be a great opportunity to talk about our teen pregnancy issues, the role of the health department in reducing teen pregnancy, and the goals of the Gaston Youth Connected (GYC) initiative.

This Week’s News: Youth in Transition

2011-07-05T08:59:00.001-04:00

Education

Invest in youth to boost economy
Tampa Bay Online, Hillsborough County, FL – June 30, 2011
As political leaders grapple with the remnants of the worst economic decline since the Great Depression, they must balance the need for fiscal austerity with the question of who will carry the weight of future economic prosperity. Currently 20 percent of America's youth are at risk of disconnection from their schools, communities and families. These 14- to 24-year-olds typically arrive at the distinction of "at risk" through separate but, too often, dangerously intertwining paths: being precariously close to or dropping out of high school, involvement with the juvenile-justice system or placement in the foster-care system.

Legend Targets High School Dropouts
Defender Network – June 30, 2011
As part of his support of education reform, John Legend will headline a Procter & Gamble Co. promotion to benefit dropout prevention. Legend has focused much of his charitable work on improving education, which he calls “a civil rights issue for our time.” He said there’s a dropout crisis in some impoverished communities, making it harder to break the cycle of poverty.

High school dropout rates on the decline
The Desert Sun, Riverside County, CA – June 29, 2011
A survey of about 360 students participating in the Riverside County Office of Education's “Come Back Kids” program — which reaches out to high school dropouts — found 71 percent were not working. One of the top reasons they came back was to get a job. If they had a job, they said they couldn't make much money. But studies show not having a high school diploma affects more than a dropout's own income.

Youth achieve financial literacy goals 
Times-Standard, Humboldt County, CA  – June 26, 2011
Through a partnership with California Connected by 25 Initiative, Humboldt County CFS designed a financial literacy program addressing the unique needs of foster youth. More than a dozen youth now have the tools to achieve financial self-sufficiency thanks to a 15-hour workshop sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services' Independent Living Skills program. The youth started the workshop learning the difference between what they need and what they want, and were asked questions about income, credit, banking and insurance.

Youth program gives teens second chance
CBS Atlanta, Brooklyn, NY – June 17, 2011
Social programs designed to take teens off the streets and put them back into classrooms are crumbling under budget cuts. Donovan Bruce dropped out of two different high schools, but today he gets paid to learn home construction. The program ensured a job and education for him while he studied to complete his high school education, which he recently did when he passed his GED. Where traditional education failed, the federally-funded YouthBuild program is succeeding for Bruce, who plans to attend college in the fall. But in the past two years, congress has cut the program's funding by more than 30 percent.

Juvenile Justice

Jefferson Parish's juvenile probation officer receives award
NOLA.com, New Orleans, LA – July 3, 2011
Roy Juncker Jr., Jefferson Parish’s juvenile services director, presented Stephen Cabal with the Don E. Wydra Memorial Award for his extraordinary contribution to juvenile justice and delinquency prevention. Juncker said that while Cabal has been important to the reform process, this award is really a testament to his decision to choose a life of public service. Cabal’s 51 years of public service stretch beyond the field of juvenile service, though. He previously served in the military and as an officer in the New Orleans Police Department.

NAMI Manual For Police, School CIT To Help Children And Teens; 70 Percent Of Youth In Juvenile Justice System Have Mental Illness
Medical News Today – June 30, 2011
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has published a crisis intervention team (CIT) manual for families, police, schools, mental health professionals and others to build local programs to help youth with mental illness. CIT for youth programs improve responses to youth in psychiatric crisis by relying on de-escalation techniques and community partnerships that connect young people to treatment rather than to arrest and detention. A key background fact is that seventy percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have mental illness, but the U.S. Department of Justice has found that juvenile facilities do not adequately treat them.

Work beats prison
Illinois Times, Springfield, IL – June 30, 2011
While major juvenile justice reform remains a low priority for state government, the General Assembly passed legislation this year to set a standard for judges regarding how they sentence youth who have committed nonviolent crimes. Redeploy Illinois is an alternative to incarceration for troubled youth. Instead of being locked up, youth are close to family in their hometown and get another chance to make restitution for the harm they have done.

'Interrupters' Documentary Takes on Chicago Youth Violence
The Root, Chicago, IL – June 30, 2011
A new documentary chronicles the work of violence interrupters, former gang members dispatched to their old Chicago neighborhoods by an organization called CeaseFire to stop youth violence. NPR talked to Eddie Bocanegra, one of the interventionists featured in The Interrupters and a former participant in the city's violence himself, about the challenges of his work – and of being followed by a film crew while doing it.

Foster Care

Collier has foster-care home shortage; foster parents need more support, officials say
Naples Daily News, Collier County, FL – June 30, 2011
The state filed court petitions to take action for 1,455 children in Southwest Florida in 2010, to either provide in-home services or remove children. Collier County only has 43 foster-care homes for placing children who have been removed from their biological parents, and the shortage needs to be addressed, local social service officials said during a workshop Thursday. The problem is especially critical for placing teenagers, and there are no foster homes in Collier for children with medical needs, officials said.

Hooping it up for foster care
Willows Journal, Glenn County, CA – June 28, 2011
The first ever-formalized Foster Care Basketball Tournament for the Glenn County chapter of the California Youth Connection was held on Saturday morning at the Orland Recreation Center. The tournament was designed to raise money for the local CYC chapter, but also served as a celebration of foster care during June, which is "Foster Care Awareness Month", according to event co-coordinator Robin Smith. Four teams competed Saturday, but everyone won.

Teen Pregnancy

Pregnancy prevention is a better answer
Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, OH – July 3, 2011
Earlier this year, seven bills were introduced in Ohio to regulate abortion access. Hearings took on a circus atmosphere as live ultrasounds were performed, women were encouraged to triumph over their rapists and opponent witnesses were ridiculed. Recently, without public input or clamor, language to further restrict access to abortion services was sneaked into the state budget bill. Noticeably absent has been any discussion about how to prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place.

Grant Will Aid City's Effort To Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT – July 2, 2011
Connecticut has one of the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the country, for which all should be thankful. But the state numbers can mask the fact that in some urban areas, notably Hartford, the problem is still rampant. Thus it is encouraging that the city has received a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ramp up its efforts to curb teen pregnancy. Four agencies will work together on the project.

Study: Pregnant teens a community issue
Chieftain News, Pueblo City-County, CO – July 1, 2011
Community organizations need to come together to mount a unified campaign to stem the growing rate of teen pregnancy, the county’s public health director said Thursday. Dr. Christine Nevin-Woods, executive director of the Pueblo City-County Health Department, distributed a 75-page study done earlier this year to help local officials target the causes of teen pregnancies unique to the community.

This Week’s News: Youth in Transition

2011-06-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

Education

Case High School Dropout Becomes RUSD Teacher
Patch.com, Mount Pleasant, WI – June 24, 2011
The Horlick High School Class of 2011 had an interesting choice for graduation speaker this year: a high school dropout. That dropout -- Aaron Eick -- is now a teacher at Horlick, after bailing out of Racine's Case High School during his "second junior year" back in 1998. He wants to share his story because it shows that teachers really can make a difference.

SC High School Dropout Rates Drop
WYFF Greenville, Greenville, SC – June 23, 2011
The number of high school dropouts from South Carolina high schools dropped two years in a row according to the South Carolina Department of Education. A report tracking dropout rates from the 2007-2008 school year through the 2009-2010 school year showed the number of dropouts declined 22 percent over the two-year period.

MTV Developing New Documentary Project About High School Dropouts‎
Hollywood Reporter – June 23, 2011
MTV is hoping that shedding light on high school dropouts will encourage kids to stay in school with a possible new documentary project about high school dropouts. MTV hopes the project will reignite young people’s passion for learning and stoke their interest in pursuing a career. Apparently, it’s so early in the process that the creative decisions are still being made as to what form the documentary project will take.

Juvenile Justice

Georgetown selects Berks County for national juvenile justice program
Examiner.com, Washington, DC – June 26, 2011
The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University in Washington selected its four departments from applicants representing 30 states. Berks County’s juvenile probation department is one of four departments nationwide to be selected for a Georgetown University program to find better ways to reduce crime. The program costs $225,000 and will be funded by a $175,000 Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant and $50,000 from the university.

US Department of Labor announces $20 million in grants to support young people transitioning from justice facilities to the workforce
United States Department of Labor, Washington DC — June 21, 2011
The U.S. Department of Labor today announced 15 grants totaling $20 million through the Civic Justice Corps program to help formerly incarcerated individuals ages 18-24 reconnect with their communities and find pathways to success through community service and educational opportunities. Beyond service opportunities, the Civic Justice Corps offers postsecondary education and training, community connections, high staff-to-participant ratios, career development, and post-program support and follow-up, all of which help reduce recidivism rates.

Foster Care

CASA for kids gets grants
The Daily Courier, Prescott, AZ – June 26, 2011
Yavapai CASA for Kids, Inc. (C for K), a non-profit organization that serves the unmet needs of abused and/or neglected children who are in the care of the Court (and often living in foster homes), is proud to announce that it was recently awarded six new grants.

50 years of foster care: Elaine VanLeeuwen, of Portage, honored for half-century of service to kids
MLive.com, Kalamazoo, MI – June 25, 2011
More than 500 children have called her “Mom” or, these days, “Grandma,” over the past half-century. Elaine VanLeeuwen, of Portage, has never said “no” when asked to take a child into her Portage home, according to Joyce Daily-Spence, foster care and adoption services program director at Family & Children’s Services.

Court-ordered raise for foster parents due in July
Contra Costa Times, Contra Costa, California – June 25, 2011
Deanna and Dave Mitchell's first foster care assignment arrived in bulk. Forty years and more than 400 foster children later, Deanna Mitchell insists, "We have received back much more than we have given." It is not unusual for foster parents to cite the emotional benefits of caring for neglected or abused children, but it takes real currency to keep the foster care system running. To this end, California's foster care parents earned a big victory last month, when U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the state has chronically under-compensated them.

Teen Pregnancy

Daughter of teen mom counsels peers against teen pregnancies‎
New York Daily News, Washington Heights, NY – June 23, 2011
Patsy Garcia, 17, who works as a peer educator for a teen pregnancy prevention program, is the daughter of a teen mom. In a world where teens behaving badly are rewarded with reality-star status, Patsy Garcia of Washington Heights is a welcome reality check. She is the product of a teen pregnancy and, at 17, Garcia is the same age her mom was when she got pregnant. But instead of echoing her mother's choices, Garcia works to get the word out about teen pregnancy prevention and safe sex.

Nonprofit receives grant to fight teen pregnancy
Daily Times, Farmington, NM – June 23, 2011
Capacity Builders, a Farmington nonprofit organization, has received a $5 million, five-year federal grant for an initiative to reduce teen pregnancy on the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Youth Builder campaign kicks off in the fall when students return to school. “Teen pregnancy is a concern everywhere, especially rural communities because kids don't have anything to do,” said Rachel Nawrocki, executive director for Capacity Builders.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-06-20T08:39:00.002-04:00

Education

Combating The High School Dropout Rate
KXO Radio, El Centro, California – June 19, 2011
There is promising news for teens at risk of dropping out of high school with new programs designed to help them stay in school and succeed. This comes after a 2006 study by Bridgeland, Dilulio & Morison found that 80 percent of high school dropouts said their chances of staying in school would have increased if classes were more interesting and provided opportunities for real-world learning.

Gateway to College program helps high school dropouts
The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa – June 16, 2011
Des Moines Area Community College is offering its Gateway to College program this fall for students who dropped out of high school. This is not a GED program, but a high school completion program that gives students the opportunity to earn college credits while completing their high school diploma.

School dropout turned High Court judge honored
Brisbane Times, Australia – June 13, 2011
A high school dropout who became Australia's third female High Court judge has been awarded the highest Queen's Birthday honor. Justice Susan Kiefel has been appointed a Companion in the Order of Australia for eminent service to the law and to the judiciary, law reform and legal education.

Juvenile Justice

More Calls to Reform Pa.'s Judicial Conduct System
Law.com, Pennsylvania – June 20, 2011
The advocacy group Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts is the latest to weigh in on the issue of judicial discipline reform. The group released a report Wednesday that expanded on several of the recommendations the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice made a little more than a year ago, but diverged on one key issue: funding for the Judicial Conduct Board and the Court of Judicial Discipline.

Protecting youthful offenders
The Washington Post – June 18, 2011
Every day, some 10,000 juveniles are held in adult jails or prisons at an increased risk of rape and other forms of sexual abuse and violence. Others are held in isolation and experience the emotional and psychological harm that comes from being cut off from human contact. The Justice Department now has an opportunity to address the detention or incarceration protocols for youths charged or convicted as adults.

Chief Justice Starts Juvenile Services Commission
WBOY-TV, Charleston, WV – June 13, 2011
An Adjudicated Juvenile Rehabilitation Review Commission has been established by West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Margaret L. Workman to examine the Division of Juvenile Services’ operations plan and other facilities operated by that division. The commission’s initial plan is to look into the Industrial Home for Youth in Salem and the Honey Rubenstein Center in Davis and report the findings to the Supreme Court.

How Cops Turn 'Stop and Frisk' Into 'Stop and Arrest'
The Root, New York, NY – June 13, 2011
Justice-reform advocates want young Black and Hispanic men to avoid being tricked by police into emptying their pockets. Advocates of drug and juvenile-justice reform have launched a campaign against what they contend are the New York Police Department's illegal "stop and frisks" and the disproportionate number of arrests of Black and Hispanic young men.

Foster Care

Foster father enjoys providing kids with stable home
The Detroit News, Grand Black, MI – June 19, 2011
For people who think foster parents take in children only for the money, Michael Bradley has a message: "If you want to make a small fortune in foster care, start with a large one," he said. The 56-year-old from Grand Blanc has had six foster children since 2008.

Agency to take over foster care for Catholic Charities in Rockford
Chicago Tribune, Ottawa, IL – June 16, 2011
Youth Service Bureau of Illinois Valley intends to interview and hire the 58 staff members who oversee more than 300 foster children now under the care of Catholic Charities in the Rockford Diocese. The Catholic agency elected to terminate publicly funded foster care and adoption services on June 1 when civil unions went into effect – effective June 30. The Youth Service Bureau does not have criteria for foster parents regarding sexual orientation.

Elderly couple looks to care for 72nd foster child
KPLC-TV, Allentown, PA – June 15, 2011
An elderly couple in Pennsylvania has raised 71 foster kids, and said they're ready for one more. Thomas and Ann Rose said they really want to provide a home for another foster child. "We have children. We have grandchildren. They were getting older, didn't have any babies, so we thought we'd do this," Ann said.

Teen Pregnancy

Augusta Juvenile Court takes aim at teen pregnancy‎
WRDW-TV, Augusta, GA – June 17, 2011
Statistics show Richmond County taxpayers have spent more than $100 million over the last 10 years helping support teen moms and dads. One Juvenile Court Judge says enough is enough with the idea to tackle teen pregnancy with more than $1 million in grant money.

City Planning Program To Curb Teen Pregnancy‎
Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT – June 16, 2011
With a teen pregnancy rate more than three times the state average, city and agency officials are planning an ambitious program to try to curb the problem. With a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the city's health and human services department and Office for Youth Services are collaborating on the effort with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England and Hartford Action Plan.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-06-13T10:06:00.000-04:00

Education

State leads U.S. with 90.7% graduation rate
HTRNews.com, Wisconsin – June 11, 2011
Wisconsin has one of the highest graduation rates in the country — the highest, according to one method of calculation — and many of the school districts in Manitowoc County have even higher rates than the state.

New National Campaign Launched To Boost High School Graduation Rate
Diverse, Washington, DC – June 8, 2011
At a news briefing on Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol, a group of representatives from the Campaign for High School Equity coalition unveiled the campaign’s new “Plan For Success” while urging lawmakers to take more decisive steps toward addressing the nation's high school dropout rate.

 Conn. House votes to clarify high school dropout age; notifies parents of failing students
Harford, CT – June 6, 2011
The Connecticut House on Monday passed legislation requiring school principals to give parents and guardians a heads-up if their student is in danger of flunking a course. Under the bill, which passed 95-49, principals would notify parents of students in grades six through 12, in writing or electronically, of a possible failing grade at the middle of the marking period or at least six weeks before the grade is final.

Juvenile Justice

New Indiana law aims to help at-risk children
The Herald Bulletin, Lafayette, IN – June 13, 2011
A new state law aims to help at-risk children get services to put them on the right path before they have a criminal record. The Journal & Courier of Lafayette reported that the law essentially allows juvenile court judges to create voluntary programs to provide early intervention options for at-risk young people before they're adjudicated as a delinquent. An adjudication in juvenile court is similar to a conviction for adults.

State saves on alternatives to juvenile detention
NWITimes.com, Springfield, IL – June 13, 2011
The state saved about $9 million last year by sending 184 youth to community-based services as an alternative to incarceration, according to a report from the Illinois Department of Human Services. Through the Redeploy Illinois program, certain counties commit to reducing, by at least 25 percent, the number of youth incarcerated with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice in exchange for grant money that pays for services such as counseling, drug treatment and family support services.

Foster Care

Foster Care Gets an Overhaul
The Wall Street Journal, Alameda County, CA – June 9, 2011
A risky plan to turn around Alameda County's foster-care system is paying dividends, reducing the number of kids in the program while providing more help to older teens as they make the transition to adulthood. On the heels of hiring about 50 social workers and opening a new community center last month, Alameda is preparing a job-placement program for some of its foster-care kids who have become too old for the system. The new program is part of an expansion that began in 2007 when the county started to overhaul the operation by questioning established ways foster care operates.

OH Budget Proposal Bridges Gap from Foster Care to Adulthood
Public News Service, Columbus, OH – June 7, 2011
More than $2 million could help Ohio's foster youth find their way in the "real world," but only if the state Senate budget passes. Lawmakers are proposing the additional funding for programs that assist teens as they transition out of foster care and learn to live as independent adults.

Foster kids get a special high school graduation ceremony
The Miami Herald, Miami-Dade County, FL – June 12, 2011
High school graduation is a day most people will always remember. But on Saturday, about 70 foster children celebrated more than just this rite of passage; they were honored by their case workers, child advocates and child welfare agencies for the adversities they’ve overcome. “We let the kids know how important it is to celebrate their achievements,” said Fran Allegra, CEO for Our Kids, a private nonprofit agency responsible for overseeing foster care services in Miami-Dade County and the Keys.

Teen Pregnancy

Hickenlooper signs bill extending teen pregnancy prevention program
Examiner.com, Colorado – June 9, 2011
Pregnant teenagers in Colorado will continue to get help from the state thanks to a bill signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper that extends and expands a teen pregnancy and dropout prevention program. The bi-partisan bill signed this week by Hickenlooper (SB11-177) builds upon an existing program begun in 1995, the Medicaid Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, that is aimed at reducing the incidence of teen pregnancy high school dropout rates and “promoting self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and a sense of personal responsibility in making appropriate family planning decisions” among at-risk teens and teen parents.

CASA holds seminar for at risk teen girls
Fox 31, Albany, GA – June 10, 2011
A group of at-risk teenage girls got some special attention and motivation Friday. Dougherty County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) held a seminar at the Albany police department, aimed at getting the girls to see themselves in a positive light. They say many of the girls are battling issues like teen pregnancy and low self esteem.

Group strives to change negative influences with positive deeds
JDNews.com, Jacksonville, NC – June 12, 2011
A group of Jacksonville teens are coming together to provide an outlet for youth who want to change their community, one project at a time. The North Carolina chapter of Youth in Action was founded last year by 15-year-old Ashanti Curry, an actively involved sophomore at Northside High School. Underage drinking and smoking, bullying and teen pregnancy are just some of the issues that Youth in Action want to address through a variety of monthly projects and activities. 

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-06-06T11:16:00.000-04:00

Education

High School Dropouts Get A Second Chance
Patch.com, Lake Elsinore-Wildomar, CA – June 5, 2011
A record 170 county residents will be graduating from the "Come Back Kids'' program run by the county's Office of Education. One-time Riverside County high school dropouts will get diplomas Monday (today), thanks to a program aimed at getting them back on track. The number of graduates is six times greater than it was when the program began in 2008, Public Information Officer Rick Peoples said.

Program eyes Biddeford High School dropout rates
Keep Me Current, Biddeford, ME – June 2, 2011
Students who know the adults at their school care about them and who believe their absence will be noticed and missed are more likely to attend regularly, which is key to helping students achieve academically and in lowering dropout rates. This is the main reason Biddeford High School is instituting a pilot Freshmen Academy in the fall, according to Jeff Porter, assistant superintendent for Biddeford schools. The program will include 80 incoming freshmen that will have the same group of teachers and yearlong classes in the core subjects of English, math, science and social studies.

Dropout rates decline in Jefferson, Bullitt Counties
WAVE 3, Louisville, KY – June 1, 2011
There’s good news from the Kentucky Department of Education: the results of a recent study indicate the dropout rate is decreasing and attendance is increasing. Overall, 20 of the district's 21 high schools reduced their dropout rates, which is the first time in five years the district's dropout rate has been below 5 percent. Student attendance also increased - with 5,000 fewer absences during the 2009-10 school year - raising the district's student attendance rate to 93.78 percent (from 93.73).

Senate votes to leave NH dropout age at 18
Boston Globe, Concord, NH – June 1, 2011
New Hampshire lawmakers are voting against lowering the high school dropout age from 18 to 16. The Senate voted 18-6 Wednesday to kill a bill that allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to drop out with a parent's permission. Gov. John Lynch pushed a law that passed in 2007 that raised the dropout age to 18. Under it, school districts have to seek out dropouts living in their area and urge them to return to school or enroll in an alternative program.

Juvenile Justice

Grant Seeks Systematic Change In Juvenile Justice System
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – June 5, 2011
The Public Welfare Foundation offers a grant to support efforts to ensure fundamental rights and opportunities for people in need. The organization focuses on two programs, one of which is in criminal and juvenile justice. The goal of this grant is to help change the justice system.

Shelby County's juvenile detention totals may lure Annie E. Casey Foundation
Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN – June 3, 2011
Gone are the days in Memphis of tossing any unruly kid in jail until officials figured out what to do next. So far this year, the average daily number of minors held in detention is 38, compared to 89 nine years ago, said Rick Powell, who oversees the detention center. That reduction is a key reason Shelby County may earn a coveted designation as a site of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the multibillion-dollar organization that supports reform of juvenile justice systems across the nation.

Peer Jury Gives First Time Juvenile Offenders a Second Chance
Patch.com, Western Springs, IL – June 1, 2011
Since October of 1997, first time juvenile offenders in Western Springs have been given a second chance through the police department’s Juvenile Peer Jury, an alternative to juvenile court. “The Peer Jury provides a diversion for first time offenders from entering the Juvenile Justice System by recognizing that their behavior can potentially be corrected through balanced and restorative justice,” explains Sergeant John Piest, who oversees the Jury.

Advocates Eye Missouri Model as Md. Juvenile Justice Solution
Southern Maryland Online, Baltimore, MD – May 30, 2011
Ask some Maryland leaders interested in juvenile justice what they think of the state's system, and they say it's not working. Ask them how they'd reform it, and many point to the model used in Missouri. In Missouri, less than 10 percent of delinquents return to the Division of Youth Services within three years after release from a treatment facility. In Maryland, 56 percent are rearrested within three years.

Foster Care

Local Woman Awarded Foster Care Recognition
Patch.com, Peabody, MA – June 2, 2011
When Brandi Ditch relocated to the area 10 years ago she knew she wanted to help change lives. What she didn’t know was how much her experience would change her own in the process. Ditch, 32, now a Peabody resident, was named Foster Parent of the Year for 2010 by the Salem branch of the state Department of Children and Family Services this month, as well as a Foster Parent All Star by the Boston branch of the same organization – two unexpected honors for someone who says she just wants to help make a difference.

Michigan Senate bill would require proof of imminent risk for child to go to foster care
The Washington Independent, Lansing, MI – June 1, 2011
Police could remove children from their parents only if they face an imminent risk of serious harm or with a court order, according to a bill under consideration in the state Senate. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), was inspired by a 2008 incident in which a seven-year-old boy was placed in foster care by authorities after his father, Christopher Ratte of Ann Arbor, mistakenly bought an alcoholic lemonade for him at a Tiger’s game in Detroit.

Judge orders California to boost foster payments
San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA – June 1, 2011
A federal judge has ordered California to increase payment rates immediately to thousands of foster parents, noting that it has been more than 2 1/2 years since he ruled that the state's reimbursement levels failed to cover the costs of raising a child. State officials "have now had a full and fair opportunity to come into compliance with federal law. They have not done so," U.S. District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco said Friday.

Teen Pregnancy

Facts of life improve in Highlands County‎
Tampa Bay Online, Sebring, FL – June 5, 2011
Debra Caruso knows what every parent learns: Talking to kids influences their behaviors. It's the same with diabetics and the mothers of infant children, and Caruso has the statistics to prove it. She is the Healthy Start coordinator at Highlands County Health Department, educator in the Wellness and Diabetes program, and pregnancy prevention overseer.

Some teens wait on sex‎
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN – June 5, 2011
Josh King, a sophomore at Ivy Tech Community College, says he doesn’t think people take sex seriously enough. The fifth- and sixth-grade boys Josh King works with can get a little girl-crazy. “I tell them, ‘Slow your roll, guys. They’re gonna be there for the rest of your lives,’ ” says King, 19. King works with the students through Fellowship Missionary Church in Fort Wayne, and he remembers what he was like when he was that age. “I liked girls, but I was still playing with action figures,” he says.

Teen birth rate hits all-time low in South Carolina
The Times and Democrat, Columbia, SC – June 4, 2011
After experiencing an increase in teen birth rates from 2005 to 2007, it seems this pattern is now reversing. The Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported a decrease in South Carolina's teen birth rate for 2009. According to statistics, the 15- to 19-year-old teen birth rate in South Carolina decreased by 7.5 percent between 2008 and 2009, which correlates to the lowest teen birth rate for this age group in the state's history - 49.0 births per 1,000 females 15 to 19 years old.

Pregnancy prevention funds saved
Montrose Daily Press, Montrose, CO – June 2, 2011
Montrose County can continue using Medicaid dollars to combat teen pregnancy and dropout rates, after Rep. Don Coram resisted efforts by House leadership to effectively kill SB 177. The efforts paid off in the form of bipartisan support, and Gov. John Hickenlooper will be in town June 8 to sign SB 177.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-05-31T09:42:00.003-04:00

Education

Councilors push bill to reduce dropouts
Boston.com, Boston MA – May 26, 2011
Two Boston city councilors, frustrated that hundreds of city teenagers quit school each year, launched an effort yesterday to persuade the Legislature to raise the legal dropout age in Boston from 16 to 18. Councilors John Connolly and Tito Jackson said that they believe that 16-year-olds are too young to understand the dire consequences of quitting school and that a roughly century-old state law that allows them to do so is outdated. They point to research that shows that high school dropouts make significantly less money than college graduates and are more likely to depend on welfare or go to jail.

National Solution to Black High School Dropout
Defender Network – May 25, 2011
For the last several years there has been an endless stream of negative reporting about the growing and persistent problems of the terrible rate of high school dropout rates for Black American students across the United States. Of course, it is always important to focus on the most critical problems that beset the quality of life of the African American community. But, to just keep describing and analyzing the “problems” of Black American high school dropouts or pointing the fingers at the internal and external forces or contradictions that plague the African American community will do very little to change this situation.

Urlacher signs on to promote military academy
Daily Harold, Rantoul, IL – May 24, 2011
Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher hadn’t heard of Lincoln’s Challenge Academy until recently. But after a whirlwind visit, he’s the military school’s new spokesman. The Illinois National Guard runs Lincoln’s Challenge in Rantoul for high school dropouts from around the state. About 300 students live and go to school at what used to be Chanute Air Force Base.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice, Criminal Justice Reform On Governor Deal’s Radar, Policy Staffers Say
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – May 25, 2011
Criminal justice reform – including juvenile justice – is among Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal’s top priorities during his tenure, according to a key member of his policy staff. “As a former juvenile judge this is certainly one of his passions,” said Public Safety Policy Advisor David Werner during the “A Conversation with the Governor’s Policy Staff” event hosted Wednesday by the non-profit Voices for Georgia’s Children.

Juvenile Justice; making “what works” a reality
Prevention Action – May 24, 2011
Politicians want the juvenile justice system to keep the public safe and to deter juveniles from future illegal acts. Scientists want to develop programs that improve the well-being of youth at risk. Therein lies a problem: these two perspectives are not necessarily aligned.

Bill in NY legislature would localize juvenile justice
Times Herald-Record, New York, NY – May 23, 2011
Could a newly introduced bill in the state Assembly spell the end of the state's troubled juvenile justice system? Assemblyman Karim Camara, D-Brooklyn, introduced a bill last week that would give New York City and local counties authority to house their juvenile offenders, instead of in facilities run by the state Office of Children and Family Services. There are two OCFS facilities in our region: the Goshen Secure Center and the Highland Residential Facility.

Number of juveniles incarcerated in Ky. decreases for third consecutive year
The Republic, Owensboro, KY – May 23, 2011
State records show that the number of juveniles being incarcerated in Kentucky has decreased for three consecutive years, according to a newspaper report. A total of 7,100 juveniles were incarcerated in 2010, according to the Messenger-Inquirer, which cited statistics from the state Department of Juvenile Justice and Kentucky Youth Advocates. That's down from 8,883 incarcerations in 2009; 9,834 in 2008; and 11,299 in 2007.

Foster Care

Program aimed at helping foster children
NewsHarold.com, Panama City, FL – May 29, 2011
The Big Bend Community Based Care will launch the “Everybody’s a Teacher” program aimed at encouraging everyone in the community to participate in foster care students’ education. The statewide initiative involves the Big Bend CBC as the lead agency for Community Based Care, the Department of Children and Families, the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the Office of Early Learning the Department of Education and several other organizations. “The program will be implemented to hold community meetings to make sure that everyone that touches these children’s lives are teachers,” said Mary Helen Barnes, the community liaison for Big Bend Community Based Care.

Fewer kids in foster care
The Oxford Press, Columbus, OH – May 27, 2011
Ohio leads the nation in the sharpest percentage drop in kids placed in foster care, despite the fact that the state’s investment in child protection ranks lowest in the country, according to a report released Friday. Between 2001 and 2009, Ohio saw a 42 percent drop in the number of children in placed in out-of-home-care and a 46 percent decrease in the number of kids awaiting adoption, according to the latest Fact Book from the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, which represents public child welfare agencies across the state. Butler County Children Services Director Jeff Centers said the drop is not by accident.

Foster Parents Recognized by Area Foster Care Agency
Norristown Patch – May 25, 2011
Concern, a private, Willow-Grove foster care agency, took May’s designation as National Foster Care Month to shine a light on the people who make foster care possible, foster parents. On May 20, Concern held its annual Foster Parent Appreciation Celebration at na’Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse in Horsham. “It affects your whole life in wonderful ways,” said Dee Faller, a Norristown resident who has been a foster parent for seven years.

Teen Pregnancy

Sex ed sometimes awkward, but necessary
The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA – May 29, 2011
The talk. The birds and the bees. It. Whatever you call it -- or don't call it -- sex is a difficult topic to wrap words around, especially if you're an adult trying to talk with a teenager. But a climbing teen birth rate in Berkshire County -- compared with the rest of the state's declining numbers -- is making sexual education in schools and homes a subject that needs attention, according to community leaders who are focusing on that education as a way to tackle the issue of teen pregnancy.

Grant will help Horry County combat teen pregnancy
TheSunNews.com, Myrtle Beach, SC – May 27, 2011
Horry County will reap the benefit of federally funded programs aimed at combating teen pregnancy through the efforts of the S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The organization received a federal grant last year of nearly $1.5 million per year for the next five years, which will be spent on targeted programs in Spartanburg and Horry counties, where teen birth rates are higher than state and national averages, said Forrest Alton, the group's CEO. One of the group's first efforts in Horry was to conduct a county survey on the issue, and results showed a community that by and large acknowledges the issue and wants to see it addressed.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-05-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

Education

Mass. can learn much from N.H. in cutting dropouts
The Boston Globe – May 23, 2011
WHEN IT comes to keeping young people in school, Massachusetts can take some inspiration from its neighbor to the north. In 2007, New Hampshire raised the mandatory school age from 16 to 18 as a way to reduce the high school dropout rate. The dropout rate has fallen by nearly half in two years.

Drop out? No driver's license, House says
The State – May 18, 2011
By a 55-54 vote, the S.C. House Wednesday approved a bill -- again -- to revoke the driving rights of high school dropouts. The measure requires the state Department of Motor Vehicles to revoke the learner's permits or driver's licenses of students who drop out of high school. Students who must work to support themselves or their families would be exempt from the requirement.

$1M grant to help youths get GED and job training
San Antonio Express-News, Honolulu, HI – May 18, 2011
The grant from the U.S. Department of Labor is awarding $1 million to the Honolulu Department of Community Services for education and job training. The grant announced Tuesday comes from a program called YouthBuild. The program assists out-of-school youths to obtain their diplomas or GEDS while providing occupational training in the construction industry.

Juvenile Justice

Texas lawmakers in lockstep on juvenile-justice reform efforts
Chron, Austin, TX – May 21, 2011
Every day, lawmakers entering the Texas House face a gantlet of advocates handing out one-page flyers. The flyer touting this year's reorganization of the Texas juvenile justice system, however, carried an endorsement by the strangest of political bedfellows this session: the liberal Texas Appleseed and the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. Their joint endorsement blessed the latest milestone in a five-year transformation of the Texas criminal justice system, perhaps the one area in state government where the left and right have found common ground — in the shared belief that prisons cost too much and accomplish little.

Craig Haney, Scott MacDonald and Phil Wowak: Crisis presents opportunity to improve criminal justice system
Santa Cruz Sentinel – May 21, 2011
The national budget crisis has produced a crisis in the nation's criminal justice system. Shrinking resources have prompted a widespread re-examination of criminal justice practices that have gone unquestioned for decades. State and federal agencies across the country are seeking new ways to safeguard public safety that are more effective and less costly.

Foster Care

Open house set for youth in foster care
WCFCourier.com, Waterloo, IA – May 18, 2011
A graduation open house took place on Friday for students in foster care, and the community was invited. Twelve graduating seniors placed in foster care who are either from or currently living in Black Hawk County was part of the celebration. The students "age out" of foster care when they turn 18, so they will be on their own after graduation.

Heart Gallery Photo Exhibit at Atlantic Terminal to help foster care children
Examiner.com, Brooklyn, NY – May 17, 2011
On Wednesday, May 18th, the Heart Gallery at Brooklyn's Atlantic Terminal presented the grand opening of a photo exhibit showing photographs of New York City foster care children to help raise awareness toward children in foster care. In honor of National Foster Care Month, the Heart Gallery Photo Exhibit features more than 50 photographs of children seeking adoption from May 18-June 15.

Teen Pregnancy

'Let's CHAT' About Teen Pregnancy‎
San Lorenzo Patch.com – May 22, 2011
Ashland Youth Center and the Hayward Area Recreational District sponsored a free event on Saturday, raising awareness on teen pregnancy. Nearly 100 teens, parents, organizations and members of the community showed up at Jack Holland Sr. Park on Saturday afternoon to learn and raise awareness about teen pregnancy. Funded by Kaiser and offered through the Ashland Youth Center, Let's CHAT is a teen pregnancy awareness project that's been in the works for the past four months.

Children with children: Teen pregnancy numbers declining‎
Richmond Times Dispatch – May 22, 2011
Every year, hundreds of thousands of teenagers in the United States give birth. In 2009, the most recent year for which final data is available, more than 410,000 girls ages 15 to 19 had babies. In Virginia, more than 8,000 teens gave birth in 2009. The promising news is that the rates of teen births and pregnancies are declining.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-05-16T13:07:00.002-04:00

Education

Many say college too pricey but grads say worth it: survey
Reuters – May 16, 2011
A majority of Americans say college is unaffordable and not worth its skyrocketing price tag, but graduates say the investment pays off, according to a report published on Sunday. College graduates say they are happier and more satisfied with their jobs, with 86 percent saying college was a good investment, according to data analyzed by Pew Research Center. A college degree translates into $20,000 more in earnings per year and remains the goal nearly all parents set for their children, the report said. "The public has a pretty keen awareness that there is a real world dollar and cents dividend that comes with getting a college degree," said Paul Taylor, an executive vice president at Pew and an author of the report.

100-year-old high school dropout to get diploma
Chron, AP Texas News, Texas City, Texas – May 13, 2011
A 100-year-old Texas high school dropout is finally getting her diploma. Thelma Dyess had told the Galveston County Daily News at her 100th birthday party in Texas City that she had always regretted dropping out of school after the eighth grade during the Great Depression to find work. Texas City school Superintendent Bob Brundrett read her comments and decided to do something about it. At his suggestion, the Texas City school board voted this week to award Dyess an honorary high school diploma during the June 3 graduation ceremony. District spokeswoman Melissa Tortorici says Dyess will even don the cap and gown for the occasion.

Lawmakers would link school, driving
USA Today – May 12, 2011
Stay in school or you're grounded. That's the message a growing number of states are trying to send to teenage drivers this year in an attempt to reduce the number of dropouts, despite criticism that the approach isn't effective. Legislators in Alabama, Iowa, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia are working to pass bills or update laws that would snatch driver's licenses out of the hands of dropouts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Lawmakers in Montana and Nevada made similar attempts but failed to get their bills through the legislative process. "It's not the silver bullet to the problem, but it's going to encourage some kids to stay in school," says South Carolina Rep. Thomas Young, a Republican. "We've got to do something about the high school dropout rate." The NCSL reports there are 21 states with laws linking driving privileges and school. Some require only that the applicant to be in school at the time they get their license. Others call for suspending the license of students who either drop out or are chronic truants.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile justice initiative comes to Wyoming
Trib, Wyoming – May 15, 2011
A national juvenile justice reform initiative is coming to Wyoming. Laramie and Sweetwater counties have agreed to participate in the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, a program developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to reduce reliance on secure detention. Officials in Campbell County decided Friday to also join the program, said Rachel Campbell, who’s coordinating the initiative for the state. The Casey foundation and the Department of Family Services have established a $275,000 annual budget to launch the initiative in Wyoming. While participation in the program is optional, officials hope other counties will take part. “The end goal is to have this as the statewide model for juvenile detention,” Campbell said. Nationally, 140 sites participate in the initiative, which is designed to keep juveniles out of detention unless they pose a high risk to the community. It accomplishes this through eight basic strategies that include developing more alternative programs and creating screening tools that can evaluate a juvenile’s risk level.

Rep. Angela Bryant receives Defenders of Justice Award
Rocky Mount Telegram, Durham, NC – May 14, 2011
The N.C. Justice Center is proud to announce that N.C. Rep. Angela Bryant, R-Nash, has won a prestigious Defenders of Justice Award. The award will be presented Thursday in Durham. Each year, the N.C. Justice Center presents its Defender of Justice Awards to honor individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions in the fight against poverty. This year is the 13th annual event. “Rep. Angela Bryant has dedicated her legislative career to advocating for some of North Carolina’s most beleaguered communities,” said Melinda Lawrence, executive director of the N.C. Justice Center. Bryant has worked valiantly to improve the state’s systems of civil, criminal and juvenile justice. She is deeply involved in efforts to ensure the safe and successful reintegration of adults and juveniles returning home from incarceration by promoting policies that remove barriers to productive citizenship.

It’s Official: Governor Deal Signs Juvenile ‘Good Behavior Bill’ Into Law
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – May 11, 2011
Lorena Padron, 18, and Maria Calderon, 19, were all smiles this afternoon as they flanked Governor Nathan Deal in his office. With a stroke of a pen, the governor signed HB 373 into law, giving both of them and thousands of others with a track record of good behavior and academic success in Georgia’s Regional Youth Detention Centers (RYDCs) and Youth Development Centers (YDCs) a chance to substantially reduce their time in custody. Known as the “Good Behavior bill,” the measure passed in the 2011 legislative session that ended last month also gives juvenile court judges more discretion. “I feel very good, I’m very happy,” said Padron, after the signing ceremony at the state capitol. “I feel like I can begin my life again, like I’ll be able to go home and help my family. Now everybody has hope; an opportunity to show that they can do better.” Calderon agreed with her fellow Macon YDC peer.

Foster Care

Senator Kerry Introduces Bill to Combat Youth Homelessness
The Epoch Times – May 15, 2011
Sen. Kerry introduced a new bill that would help reduce youth homelessness in the United States, last Thursday. “As a father, it’s a punch in the gut to imagine children living on the streets, but this year alone, one in fifty American kids will be homeless,” Sen. Kerry said in a statement. “There are common-sense reforms we can implement to help make things better.” The bill, called the Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act allows youth to stay in foster care until they are 21, among other measures. Currently, some 30,000 youth age 16 or older “age out” at 18 or gain “legal emancipation” from foster care programs. Of these, one in four goes on to experience homelessness within four years of exiting foster care. The legislation also provides support for states to work together to decrease barriers that prohibit cooperation across state borders for giving foster children homes in different states.

South central Ky. program keeps 18-year-olds in foster care to finish high school education
The Republic, Bowling Green, KY – May 15, 2011
A program for foster children in south central Kentucky is allowing them to remain in foster care while they complete high school. The program by Court Appointed Special Advocates of South Central Kentucky serves six Kentucky counties. Called Fostering Futures, the program focuses on 16- and 17-year-olds in foster care, and encourages them to remain in the system to complete their education and informs them of their options in higher education and the job market after graduation, The Daily News in Bowling Green reported. The program is similar to ones at 16 CASA branches in urban areas around the country. It can be a challenge to persuade teenagers to remain in foster care past age 18, said Will Constable, executive director for CASA. Many of them want to rejoin their families or try to make it on their own. "They're reaching the point that they think they should have the privilege of making their own decisions and want to exercise that freedom, but they're not always as well-equipped to be independent," Constable said. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 25 percent of foster children experience homelessness within two to four years of exiting foster care.

The Root: Helping Kids After Foster Care Ends
NPR – May 10, 2011
On April 29, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation recognizing May as National Foster Care Month. "For nearly half a million youth in foster care across our country," the president began in the lengthy statement, "the best path to success we can give them is the chance to experience a loving home where they can feel secure and thrive. "That he did it doesn't seem momentous, until you realize that he was renewing federal acknowledgment of the awareness month after similar proclamations had lapsed under President Bill Clinton. The Obama administration told The Root that it's just one small way they're working to help foster-care youth — a renewed focus that includes fresh initiatives to help children move into permanent homes, as well as increased support for those who age out of the system. The policy push may affect in particular African-American children, who, despite accounting for 14 percent of the U.S. child population, make up 30 percent of foster-care youths. According to a 2007 Government Accountability Office report, black children also stay in foster care longer than children of other races.

Teen Pregnancy

YMCA program’s ‘AIM’ to help prevent teen pregnancy in area
Cumberland Times-News, Cumberland, MD – May 15, 2011
Allegany County middle-schoolers who are taking a new 8-week course designed to reduce teenage pregnancy aren’t talking about sex, per se. They’re talking about “possible future selves” and the types of behaviors that can propel them toward success. They’re preparing resumes and business cards and trying to get a sense of what being a grownup is like. “It’s completely different than what we had before,” said Sharon Cihlar, director of the YTeens program at the Cumberland YMCA, which has offered some type of sex education curriculum in area middle schools for more than a decade. Most recently, eighth-graders here were taught abstinence, but funding for that program was lost last year when federal funding for about $170 million worth of abstinence-based programs was eliminated. The new curriculum, called Project AIM (Adult Identity Mentoring), is funded by a $450,000 federal grant that the YMCA received last fall. It’s being piloted this year at Bishop Walsh, Washington and Mount Savage middle schools, and next year plans are to teach it to eighth-graders across the county.

Preventing teenage pregnancy
Herald-Tribune, Manatee County – May 15, 2011
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month and Healthy Start Manatee, as a proud member of the Healthy Teens Coalition of Manatee, is working to help raise awareness of this critical issue locally. Florida's Healthy Start initiative was implemented in 1992, with the goal of reducing infant mortality, the number of low-birth-weight babies, and to improve the overall health and developmental outcomes of newborns in the state. As Healthy Start Manatee carries out this mandate locally, offering comprehensive care-coordination and case management to approximately 2,500 pregnant women and infants annually, we are all too familiar with the poor outcomes that are often seen among babies born to teen parents. Teens are more likely to receive late or no prenatal care, often because they don't know they are pregnant. Research shows that children born to teen parents are more likely to be born at a low birth weight, face health problems, experience developmental delays, and are twice as likely to be placed in foster care. Manatee County has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state, ranking 11th out of 67 counties and Florida, as well, has a high rate, ranking 12th in the nation.

Teen Pregnancy Conference Aims To Improve Services
Mount Pleasant Patch, Mount Pleasant, WI – May 12, 2011
Representatives of programs in Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant attending Friday event at Wingspread. No matter your thoughts about teen pregnancy, the county’s high rate of teenage girls giving birth and teen parents is a fact. Carole Johnson, the director of Local and Regional Community Programs for the Johnson Foundation, said the community needs to accept teen parents to help the young parents and their children develop well. That’s the point of Friday’s conference of Racine County Pregnant and Parenting Teens Programs at Wingspread in Wind Point: to bring together the people and the programs in the county that serve pregnant and parenting teens. Part of the conference hopes to erase that knowledge deficit. Each group will present information on their programs and services they offer to pregnant and parenting teens. The second portion of the conference is where the hopes of Johnson, and the other organizers, are pinned, however.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-05-09T16:49:00.001-04:00

Education

Cal State San Bernardino project strives for lower dropout rate

Redlands Daily Facts, Redlands, CA – May 7, 2011

During the last 18 months, a group of Cal State San Bernardino students and a professor have spent at least two days a week working with students at Colton High School. The effort known as Participatory Research Advocating For Excellence In Schools, PRAXIS, is all about reducing the high dropout rate in the Inland Empire, according to Louie Rodriguez, the Cal State San Bernardino assistant professor who started it. "This is more than anything a collaborative effort aimed at recognizing and responding to the education crisis facing us," he said. It was soon after he began teaching at Cal State that Rodriguez, a Colton High alumni who went on to graduate from Harvard University, became aware of the high dropout rate.

Drop-outs Down For Watauga Schools

Go Blue Ridge, North Carolina – May 6, 2011

There’s good news for Watauga Schools as their school year winds down—drop-out rates are at new lows. The school system’s spring newsletter, quotes figures released by the State Board of Education in March showing the dropout rate declined to new lows both locally and statewide in 2009-10. The statewide dropout rate for grades 9-12 declined to 3.75% last year and the rate for Watauga High School fell to 2.74%, well below the state rate. The State Board had previously released good news on graduation rates. The four0year graduation rate rose to 74.2% statewide and to 82.0% at Watauga High School.

Public broadcasters to tackle school dropout rates

The Wall Street Journal, Washington, DC – May 3, 2011

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is partnering with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and America's Promise Alliance on a new effort to combat the nation's high school dropout rate. Under the American Graduate initiative announced last Tuesday, public broadcasters will expand beyond early childhood education to reach students in middle school. The group says it's a critical time before more than one million students drop out of high school each year. The nonprofit CPB is the primary channel for federal funds directed to local stations. It will initially grant $4.4 million to 20 markets. The Gates Foundation will add $800,000. It will fund teacher town halls, tutoring programs and broadcasts about the dropout issue.

Juvenile Justice

Grant Offers Juvenile Court Drug Training Program

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange – May 8, 2011

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, The U.S. Department of Justice, and the Office of Justice Programs offers the 2011 Best Practices for Juvenile Courts Training Grant. The objective is for juvenile drug courts to better serve kids who are involved in substance abuse, co-occurring substance abuse, and mental health trauma. This will be accomplished by using the Sixteen Strategies of Effective Juvenile Drug Courts as a framework to help build competency, performance and the capacity of the juvenile drug courts nationwide. The deadline for this is June 6, 2011.

County breaks ground on new Juvenile Justice Center
The Daily Courier, Prescott, AZ – May 8, 2011
Members of the community are invited to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Yavapai County Juvenile Justice Center at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at 1100 Prescott Lakes Parkway, adjacent to the new roundabout on the parkway. The current juvenile court and detention center, which has been at 960 Division St. in Prescott near Yavapai Regional Medical Center and Prescott High School since 1974, will relocate in the summer of 2012 to the new multi-purpose facility designed to provide court and court-related services for children and their families who have cases involving juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, and adoptions. "The Juvenile Justice Center will provide better collaboration between all Yavapai County children's service agencies and will provide the infrastructure to implement an educational, pro-social, and rehabilitative setting for all the kids in our care," said Scott Mabery, director of Juvenile Court Service.

Foster Care

CASA helping teens complete education

The Daily News, Kentucky – May 7, 2011

Program encourages foster kids to remain in the system when they turn 18. When she turned 18, Charlene Long left foster care without a support network to help her adjust to life as an adult, and she struggled with addiction and other problems. A program overseen by Court Appointed Special Advocates of South Central Kentucky is working to ensure a different outcome for Long’s teenage son. The local CASA branch began a Fostering Futures initiative last year, in which local youth remain in foster care past age 18 - when they age out of the system - in order to complete their high school education. Serving six counties, the program focuses on 16- and 17-year-olds in foster care, encouraging them to remain in the system to complete their education and informing them of their options in higher education and the job market after graduation.

Teens who are close to aging out of foster care find homes, hope

The Tennessean, Memphis, Tennessee – April 30, 2011

There was no genetic bond. No family history. In truth, Tevin Smith had met the Clarksville woman only once before. But last May, after years in the foster-care system, the young man from Memphis called Ami Smith and spoke six simple words. Mom, he said, I want to come home. For the better part of Tevin’s life, the state was his caretaker. Caseworkers led him from foster home to foster home. His possessions fit in a single Rubbermaid tub. Each time he relocated, he aged closer to becoming a legal adult but appeared no closer to having a family. “The way I felt, I just wanted to get away from everything and have a parent that I could call mom,” the 17-year-old said. Thousands of Tennessee children face similar situations. Recently the federal government ranked Tennessee first in the country in its ability to establish permanency for children and youth in foster care for 24 or more months, according to information from the state Department of Children’s Services.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-05-02T14:07:00.001-04:00

Education

Cuts shrink summer school

The Desert Sun – May 2, 2011

Summer school programs have continued to shrink along with state funding, leaving fewer opportunities for students to get ahead or continue learning during the summer. The Coachella Valley's three public school districts are focusing most of their summer programs on high school students who need the extra opportunity to catch up on credits in order to graduate. All summer programs have been slashed from previous years. Palm Springs Unified School District scaled back its summer school this year to 10 days for middle and high school students learning English as a second language.

School Board wants to put dropouts back in the classroom

Ocala News – May 1, 2011

The Marion County School Board wants to partner with a national dropout retrieval company called Alternatives Unlimited to find local high school dropouts and help them get their diplomas. A contract will come back to the School Board at a later date for a vote, although it appears all five members support the concept. The group, founded in 1997 and based in Maryland, will go into the communities and search for dropouts, then help them finish the courses they need to graduate high school. And there’s no cost to the school district. “This is a no-lose situation,” School Board Chairwoman Judi Zanetti said.

Best economic plan includes education reforms

Statesman Journal – May 1, 2011

Last year 5,980 Oregon students dropped out of high school. These dropouts are now at a substantially higher risk for life-long difficulties associated with unemployment, poverty and incarceration. This is a problem that affects us all. Our state's economic health, now more than ever, depends on ensuring more high school students graduate prepared for college and careers. According to the Alliance for Excellence in Education, if these Oregon students had graduated, state tax revenues would have likely grown by as much as $4.7 million during an average year. By the time they had reached the midpoint in their careers, their combined spending and investment potential would have been enough to support as many as 500 new Oregon jobs and increase the gross state product by as much as $72 million.

Oregon high school graduation rate at 66%: 'We have got to do better'

Oregon Live – April 26, 2011

Oregon's high schools graduated just 66 percent of students in the class of 2010 in four years, the state reported Tuesday. That represents almost imperceptible improvement from the previous year, both statewide and in Portland Public Schools, Oregon's largest district. The district's on-time graduation rate was 53.6 percent, up from 53.3. Nearly 11,600 students dropped out statewide, including almost 1,400 -- or one of every 3 students -- in Portland Public Schools.

Juvenile Justice

Md. on Track to Comply with Federal Juvenile Detention Rules

Southern Maryland Online, Annapolis, MD – April 29, 2011

After at least two years of noncompliance and threats of funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Justice, Maryland appears to be on track for compliance with federal rules meant to protect juveniles from interacting with adult offenders when they're detained in adult facilities. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) requires that juveniles not be detained in facilities that hold adults for more than six hours, or 24 hours in rural areas, while awaiting transfer to a juvenile facility, a court hearing or processing. In 2008, Maryland had a rate of 43.48 juveniles per 100,000 juvenile population of the state held with adults for more than six hours, nearly five times the allowed rate of "9 per 100,000 juvenile population of the state." In 2009, 19.13 juveniles per 100,000 juvenile population of the state were held in adult facilities for more than six hours, totaling 287 violations.

House Tentatively OKs New Juvenile Justice Agency

The Texas Tribune – April 28, 2011

Texas youths who get crossways with the law could soon find themselves under the supervision of a new state juvenile justice agency whose main mission is to keep young offenders close to home and quickly headed in a more positive direction. The Texas House on Thursday tentatively approved a bill by state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Plano, that would abolish the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and establish a Texas Juvenile Justice Department that would deal with young offenders. It's a move that the Texas Sunset Commission recommended as a cost-saving measure. But Madden and state Sen. John Whitmire, who worked together on the bill, have said their goal is loftier than saving money. The new agency would continue efforts the state started in 2007 to revamp its approach to juvenile justice.

Juvenile justice bill essentially dead for session

The Iowa Independent -- April 26, 2011

Without legislative guidance some new juvenile felony offenders will receive life, but be immediately eligible for parole. Iowa lawmakers have been unable to find compromise on new sentencing guidelines for juveniles convicted of certain non-homicide felonies. It’s a situation that will likely result in any new juveniles convicted of such crimes becoming immediately eligible for parole.

Foster Care

National Foster Care Month

Stock Market Review, Mesa, AZ – May 1, 2011

Adoption.com is celebrating National Foster Care Month! Each May, since 1988, National Foster Care Month has raised awareness for millions of Americans across the country. Celebrate with us by supporting your local foster care community. Each May, since 1988, National Foster Care Month has raised awareness for millions of Americans across the country. Originally purposed to recognize and show appreciation to foster parents throughout the nation, National Foster Care Month has transferred that focus towards the needs of the children, specifically the teenagers, aging out of the system. Today, National Foster Care Month continues to broaden awareness, uniting individuals and organizations through strong support and recruitment programs nationwide.

Abused kids' numbers soar as foster funding is slashed

Arizona Daily Star – May 1, 2011

The number of abused and neglected children in state care has nearly doubled in Pima County over the past decade - even as funding to help them has dropped precipitously and the number of foster homes declined. Statewide and locally, it is becoming more difficult to place children removed from their homes with families where they can experience some normalcy. Caseworkers are trying harder to place children with relatives, but it's not a simple solution. Tracking down extended family who might help can be challenging, and resources are scant. Group homes and shelters, meant to offer a temporary reprieve, are becoming long-term housing for many older children, sibling groups and teens.

Licking County's need for foster care growing

Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio – May 1, 2011

Veronica Priest remembers the first advice her caseworker gave her when she became a foster parent. "These kids will come in and out of your life for as long as you do this," she said. "They'll remember that you kept them safe, gave them a warm bed and kept food in their belly." As National Foster Care Month begins, local providers say the need for foster parents is as great as ever. Licking County Job and Family Services currently has 260 to 300 children in its system, and private services bring in more children from surrounding counties. "We had brought those numbers down a few years ago, but they shot back up," said Celeste Nichols, a placement supervisor with LCJFS. "The current economic situation puts strains on the community in so many different ways."

College For Foster Youth in Jeopardy

Capitol News Service – April 29, 2011

Only three percent of Florida foster kids graduate from college and legislation being discussed in Tallahassee could lower the success rate even more. Right now kids who age out of the foster care system can receive money to go to college until they are 23. A bill filed by Representative Matt Hudson would lower the age to 21. Christina Spudeas, the Executive Director of Florida’s Children First says the change would leave the kids who are trying to improve their situation with no where to turn.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-04-25T19:25:00.000-04:00

Education

Grand Rapids-Wyoming metro area economy could gain millions from fewer dropouts

MLive, Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI – April 23, 2011

Slashing the high school dropout rate in half in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming metro area for just one class could pump millions of dollars into the local economy, according to a new study. The Grand Rapids-Wyoming metropolitan statistical area was among nine Metropolitan statistical area in the state analyzed in "Education and the Economy" by the nonprofit Alliance for Excellent Education, with the support of State Farm. The group studied the economic returns lost from young people deciding to leave school. "The best economic stimulus is a high school diploma," said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellence in Education, a Washington, D.C., think tank that advocates for resources for at-risk kids in middle and high school.

High school dropouts couldn’t drive until 18 if bill passes

Albert Lea Tribune – April 23, 2011

If a state Democrat-sponsored bill gets signed into law, high school dropouts would be unable to obtain their driver’s licenses until they are 18. The proposal has bipartisan support, including the backing of Sen. Gen Olson, a Minnetrista Republican who heads the Senate Education Committee. The bill hasn’t had a hearing yet. “We need to make sure our students stay in school,” said Rep. Jeanne Poppe, D-Austin. “The biggest thing to prevent people from going into poverty or crime would be to have education.”

Can a 9-Hour School Day Prevent Students from Dropping Out

MindShift – April 22, 2011

Despite President Obama’s loftiest hopes to extend the number of school days per year, many schools are actually having to decrease them because of severe budget cuts. While the number of school days in other countries exceeds 200, they’re being cut further in the U.S. to fewer than 180. With families that have access to enrichment programs and encourage learning online at home, the discrepancy can be filled. But for low-income kids who don’t have those opportunities, fewer school days puts them at an even greater disadvantage. For these kids, the nonprofit organization Citizen Schools attempts to fill that gap. The organization works with low-income students in low-performing middle schools across the country to, in essence, lengthen the learning day by “bringing in a second shift of educators who work with students,” says Stacey Gilbert, the organization’s spokesperson.

Juvenile Justice

Reform group sees problems at Illinois juvenile detention facility

Pantagraph, Springfield, IL – April 21, 2011

A prison reform group is criticizing one of the state's juvenile detention facilities in southern Illinois for relying too heavily on solitary confinement to discipline youth. The Illinois Youth Center in Harrisburg, a medium security facility for boys, used solitary confinement more than any other Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice facility, according to a report issued Wednesday by the John Howard Association, a prison watchdog group. The 239-resident facility used confinement 122 times in January and 103 times in February this year, the report said. Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, said the department is reviewing the use of confinement at all of its facilities.

Looming Education Rewrite is Likely the Best Chance for Juvenile Reform

Youth Today – April 21, 2011

After a long, frustrating wait for action on any juvenile justice-related legislation, the pending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – now known as No Child Left Behind – offers advocates a chance to improve the plight of youth who are incarcerated. The education act sets standards for schooling in juvenile facilities, which can be a key to improving a youth’s chances for staying out of such institutions in the future. “This is a huge piece of the day running 24-7 facilities,” said Ed Dolan, deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. Having a better school day can “stabilize things for so many other units.”

Lawmakers want civil citations for juveniles statewide

Tampa Bay Online – April 18, 2011

A program designed to give juvenile law-breakers a chance to avoid arrest records will be bolstered around the state under bills approved by the House last week and on track for passage in the Senate. Employing what are known as civil citations, the program provides social services for first-time youthful offenders who commit certain nonviolent crimes and allows them to take responsibility for their actions without having to enter the juvenile justice system. "This bill is a really important first step in our juvenile justice reform efforts," said Wansley Walters, secretary of the state Department of Juvenile Justice, speaking before a Senate committee that approved the bill sponsored by Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico.

Foster Care

Ex-foster children ‘rise above’ to enroll in college, aid others

The Spokesman Review – April 21, 2011

Justin Vinge, Josephine Davis and Mariah Hottell have a lot in common. They’re bright, articulate and successful college students. They’ve also been called disposable, unwanted and told they’d never succeed. These Spokane Falls Community College students are former foster youth who are proving their detractors wrong. Recently, the three shared their stories at a College Success Foundation storytelling workshop in Issaquah, Wash. The foundation funds and administrates several scholarship programs like Passport to College Promise, which makes it possible for foster care youth to attend college. “We’re all part of the Passport program,” Hottell, 19, said. For young people who’ve spent their childhoods moving from house to house, never feeling like they belonged, the sense of community they’ve found at SFCC is empowering.

Foster Care's Web Of Policies, Problems And Promise Keeps Kids In Waiting

Huffington Post – April 19, 2011

In the first part of this two-part series highlighting the hardships that half a million foster children face each year, Enrique Montiel shared his story. As a foster care alumnus, he now works as a social worker within the system that took him, and his five siblings, from his parents when he was only 9. Montiel advocates for teens who share the experiences he endured and the problems that persist in America's foster homes. His story provides hope for those who continue to deal with the rampant race issues, homophobia that results in the abuse of LGBT foster children and the denial of adoptive opportunities for LGBT potential parents, problems in education stemming from emotional stress and frequent relocation, and health hazards that result from neglect and abuse that plague the foster care system. However, as looming budget deficits force states to scramble to reduce recessionary spending, many may cut the programs that provide services to foster children.

Story of college student fosters hope for foster care children

NY Daily News – April 8, 2011

Like many young adults her age, Jessica Jimenez is looking for her first apartment. She's figuring out rent, calculating how she would get around, juggling figures to see how she can afford utility bills, health care and cable television. "It's stressful," Jimenez said. "A lot of stuff is going on and, sometimes, it's a little overwhelming. "But I have hope that everything is going to be fine." As she says this, Jimenez's eyes are a bit careworn and the set of her jaw resolute. Judging from where she came from to where she is now, there is little doubt the College of Staten Island second-year student will get where she plans to go. Jimenez has been in the city's foster care system since she was 8 years old. The 21-year-old will "age out" of the system in a few weeks, meaning she will be on her own.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-04-18T10:37:00.004-04:00

Education

Dropout rate costs Missouri economy millions a year

Southeaast Missourian, Missouri – April 15, 2011

High school dropouts are costing Missouri hundreds of millions of dollars in lost earnings and spending every year, according to a new study. "Education and the Economy," released by the not-for-profit Alliance for Excellent Education, a national policy and advocacy organization, tracks the economic potential of bolstering graduation rates. An estimated 20,000 students dropped out of Missouri's class of 2010, according to the report. The lost lifetime earnings in Missouri for that class of dropouts alone totals nearly $5.2 billion, based on figures from a previous study the organization conducted.

Kentucky schools get new measures for academic success

NKY.com, Frankfort, KY – April 13, 2011

Starting this fall, Kentucky's public schools will be judged not only by their test scores, but also on how much progress they make and whether they're closing learning gaps among disadvantaged students, the state board of education decided Wednesday. It's the first phase of a new accountability system that will replace the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, or CATS, which was dismantled as part of Senate Bill 1, a wide-ranging education reform bill passed by the Kentucky legislature in March 2009.

School Dropouts Help Build Homes

WOWT.com, Omaha, NE – April 14, 2011

A low-income Omaha family received the keys to a new home Thursday morning thanks to the work of Habitat For Humanity and Goodwill Industries. The five-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 22nd and Fowler took six months to build. While the homeowner had to put in a lot of time in working on the residence, students from a Goodwill program called YouthBuild Omaha provided most of the labor. It gives high school dropouts ages 16-24 a chance to get a GED and get real life, work experience.

Juvenile Justice

Senate committee passes sweeping juvenile justice reform

Standard Speaker, Harrisburg, PA – April 12, 2011

After hearing a Wilkes-Barre mother’s impassioned plea for justice, a Senate committee this morning approved the most sweeping package of bills to date to address issues raised by the Luzerne County courthouse scandal. Sandy Fonzo asked that bills to add safeguards to the conduct of juvenile justice cases be approved in the name of her late son, Edward Kenzakoski. She told senators that the improper detention of her son in a juvenile case on orders of former Luzerne County Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. set events in motion that led to his suicide years later.

NJ Juvenile Justice Commission students participate in science fair

Philly Burbs, Trenton, NJ – April 15, 2011

Students from the Juvenile Justice Commission participated today in the 12th Annual Science Fair at the New Jersey State Museum. Students from nine Juvenile Justice Commission's residential day and transitional programs took part in the event. This year's theme was “The Climate of Weather.” “This is a wonderful educational event that allows the JJC’s students to do something that all of their classmates across the country do every year – participate in a science fair,” said Veleria N. Lawson, executive director of the Juvenile Justice Commission.

Study: Troubled-Teen Prevention Programs Save Florida $160 Million a Year

Sunshine State News, Florida – April 14, 2011

Leaders from the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services unveiled a report from the Justice Research Center Wednesday that found the state saved more than $160 million annually. And the state did it by employing prevention services aimed at helping troubled youth stay out of the state juvenile justice system.

Foster Care

Oregon legislators would like to offer tuition break for former foster youths but can the state afford it?

Oregon Live, Salem, OR – April 15, 2011

No one disagrees with the premise: Oregon ought to do all it can to help kids aging out of foster care get a solid start as adults. But a proposal to waive the cost of tuition and fees for foster youths who want to study at Oregon's state colleges and universities is struggling in the 2011 Legislature because of government's money troubles. House Bill 3471 has both a Republican and a Democratic sponsor. A team of former foster youths has been to the Capitol to lobby for it. The waiver would cost about $1 million for the 2012-13 academic year, chump change in a $14 billion state budget.

‘A genuine passion’

Herald Argus, Michigan City, MI – April 15, 2011

Best-selling author Ashley Rhodes-Courter said it was a CASA volunteer who helped save her from a life of abusive foster homes and neglect, and set her on a path for success. She spoke Thursday evening to Harmony House/CASA volunteers during a 20th anniversary celebration in their honor at the Blue Chip Casino and Visitors Center.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-04-11T11:55:00.002-04:00

Education

GM pledges mentors for students at its grant schools

Detroit Free Press, Michigan – April 8, 2011

After pledging its largest financial gift to increase high school graduation rates, General Motors added a human element to its pledge, saying it will provide mentors to help students achieve. Mark Reuss, GM's North American president, said in a conference call Thursday that he's asking employees to volunteer to tutor at seven Detroit-area schools targeted by the grant because of poor graduation rates.

More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality

The New York Times, Memphis, TN – April 5, 2011

Jack London was the subject in Daterrius Hamilton’s online English 3 course. In a high school classroom packed with computers, he read a brief biography of London with single-paragraph excerpts from the author’s works. But the curriculum did not require him, as it had generations of English students, to wade through a tattered copy of “Call of the Wild” or “To Build a Fire.” Mr. Hamilton, who had failed English 3 in a conventional classroom and was hoping to earn credit online to graduate, was asked a question about the meaning of social Darwinism. He pasted the question into Google and read a summary of a Wikipedia entry. He copied the language, spell-checked it and e-mailed it to his teacher.

Program helps northwest Alabama teens get GED, motivation for success

Daily Reporter, Florence, AL – April 11, 2011

For eight months, Tyler Springer rode a bus four hours back and forth each day to a court-ordered program that he often marked off as a waste of time. Springer has a different perspective these days of the Lauderdale County Special Programming for Achievement Network program. He now says the program has turned his life around. Instead of facing a bleak future as a high school dropout, Springer, 17, is preparing to further his education.

Juvenile Justice

Lawmakers, ACLU consider juvenile justice issues

My San Antonio, Cheyenne, WY – April 8, 2011

Wyoming needs to establish a unified court system to handle all criminal cases involving juveniles in the state, the ACLU concludes in a report released Friday. The report, titled "Inequality in the Equality State," also calls on Wyoming to enforce standards for juvenile detention facilities and do a better job of tracking youth rehabilitation services.

Connecticut Plans to Raise the Age of Adjudication

Montville Patch, Connecticut – April 9, 2011

If all goes according to plan, 17-year-olds in Connecticut will no longer be treated like adults when it comes to criminal justice. Prior to 2010, Connecticut adjudicated 16-year-olds accused of minor crimes as adults. Yet research showed youths who go through the juvenile system are less likely to re-offend.

Foster Care

Story of college student fosters hope for foster care children

New York Daily News, New York, NY – April 8, 2011

Like many young adults her age, Jessica Jimenez is looking for her first apartment. She's figuring out rent, calculating how she would get around, juggling figures to see how she can afford utility bills, health care and cable television. Jimenez has been in the city's foster care system since she was 8 years old. The 21-year-old will "age out" of the system in a few weeks, meaning she will be on her own. She's been appointed to the youth advisory board of New Yorkers For Children, a nonprofit group that provides college scholarships, tutoring programs, job training, mentoring and networking opportunities for children in the foster care system.

Helping foster youth get to college

Union-Tribune, California – April 7, 2011

California legislators have introduced a bill to give former foster youth priority registration in the Cal State system, but Cal State San Marcos in North County has been ahead of the curve for several years now. The San Marcos university began giving priority registration and housing to former foster youth in 2008. It also helps those students through its ACE Scholar Services program, which stands for Achieving College Excellence, and with things like scholarships and time-management courses.

Footsteps to the future

News-Press, Florida – April 6, 2011

They play fight. They fall backward without knowing who will catch them. They tell each other their deepest, darkest secrets. For the last eight months, the students in Michelle Hayford's Theatre Lab at FGCU have worked as hard on the skill of trust as they have on writing and staging "Suit My Heart," which premiered Wednesday. Told in dialogue, song, dance, video and movement, this ensemble-created performance piece is onstage at the lab theater at FGCU's arts complex through April 17. "Suit My Heart" was inspired by the stories of girls and adults involved with Footsteps to the Future, a Lee County nonprofit that helps young women who are transitioning out of foster care.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-04-04T13:34:00.004-04:00

Education

High School Graduation Rate in the City Is Lower Than Reported
The New York Times, New York City, NY – March 29, 2011

New York City’s high school graduation rate may be slightly lower than advertised because some dropouts have been improperly left out of the calculations, the state comptroller’s office said Tuesday. The comptroller conducted an audit because of allegations made in 2009 that the city may have been inflating its graduation rate by counting some dropouts as “discharges,” a classification that generally refers to students who transfer to private schools or to schools outside the city. Discharges are not counted against a school’s graduation rate, but dropouts are.

Study results to show effect of school choice on graduation, college enrollment

University of Wisconsin-Madison News – March 29, 2011

Reports on the fourth-year evaluation of school choice in Milwaukee will be released at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wednesday, March 30. For the first time, the researchers will report findings regarding the effect of the choice program on rates of high school graduation and college enrollment.

Boosting Graduation Rates

Huffington Post - March 30, 2011

Last Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden issued a call to boost college graduation rates across the country and meet President Obama's goal of the United States having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. A key component of reaching that goal is graduating more students from high school. Every year, more than one million students leave high school without a diploma.

Juvenile Justice

Obama Drops Juvenile Justice Funding Overhaul Plan

The Crime Report – April 1, 2011

The Obama administration has dropped its controversial proposal to overhaul federal juvenile justice funding. Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson told the House subcommittee that funds the Justice Department on March 30 that the White House would come up with a new plan that allocates 90 percent of federal aid to improve juvenile justice by formula to the states.

State Bar Association offers free info about reducing juvenile delinquency

Morton Times News, Springfield, IL – April 2, 2011

The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is offering a free booklet on its website to help citizens learn how to reduce juvenile delinquency in their community and provide alternatives to youth imprisonment. Called “Juvenile Justice in Illinois,” the booklet includes a description of the need, a summary of programs already in place, and action steps to implement a local program.

Foster Care

Stories Of The Foster Care System On Stage

KPBS, San Diego, CA – March 28, 2011

A new play creates theatre from the life experiences of youth in and out of the foster care system. It was written by San Diego playwright Lisa Kirazian and produced by the Playwright's Project, a local program that supports the art of playwrighting in schools and communities.

Transitional program for foster children in the works

The University Faily Kansan, Kansas – March 31, 2011

Imagine growing up without a stable family, group of friends or a sense of familiarity. Moving from home to home, perhaps without a mentor to teach you life skills. This is reality for many of Kansas’ foster children. And when these children turn 18, they “age out” of the foster system and instantly become independents. Many of these children simply lack the necessary living and coping skills to do this, according to Justine Burton, founder StopGap Inc., an organization that will teach youth those skills. “Looking at the kids now, they don’t have the knowledge to budget (or) maintain a home,” Burton said, adding that she wants to teach foster kids how to live healthy lives. Burton addressed the Douglas County Commission on Tuesday to help promote her organization. Although StopGap is in the development phase, Burton has a clear idea of what she wants to do.

Youth Transition Center in Vero Beach giving teens opportunities to succeed

TC Palm, Florida - March 29, 2011

Meet Melanie Dorn. At age 7, Dorn entered Florida's foster care system. For the next four years she lived with five different families. "It wasn't something I'd like to experience again," said Dorn, now 21. "The families that children are being placed with should be inspected better. In one home they made me iron my clothes. I didn't know how to do that. I've got a scar on my finger from where I was burned by the iron." For many teens "graduating" from foster care, this is a frightening prospect. Every year about 800 young adults in Florida's foster care system turn 18 years old. Of this group, 62 percent are left unemployed; 50 percent never earn their high school diploma; 33 percent will be homeless within three years, and 60 percent will become parents within four years, according to the Children's Home Society. Too many of these young adults are left to fend for themselves when they "age out" of the system. Thankfully, it's a different story on the Treasure Coast.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-01-31T18:53:00.005-05:00

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Youth in Transition News

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-01-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

Education

Stopping school dropouts

The State, Columbia, SC – January 21, 2011

A sweeping $350,000 state-funded initiative to prevent dropouts at a high school with one of the Midlands’ highest dropout rates is only five months old but already drawing rave reviews. “This time of the year, we would have had about 15 students in the 9th grade drop out. They get discouraged and don’t come back after Christmas break,” said Nathan White, 53, principal of C.A. Johnson High School, which serves a low-income area in downtown Columbia.

Boulder Valley schools boost dropout-prevention efforts

Daily Camera, Boulder, CO – January 22, 2011

Johnny Fernandez hated seeing teens, year after year, give up on school and slip away to an uncertain future. "I feel responsible for every single kid," said the assistant principal at Lafayette's Centaurus High School. "You get tired of seeing kids disengage." So he and others at the school gathered a group of students who seemed most likely to drop out, those with a large number of absences and few credits, and asked them what they needed from the school to make it work.

Dropout rate falls to 3.71%

The Herald, Smithfield, NE – January 19, 2011

Fewer students are dropping out of Johnston County schools. Last school year, the one-year dropout rate in Johnston schools fell to 3.71 percent from 4.58 percent in 2008-09. Last year, 340 students quit school, down from 411 the year before. "A tremendous amount of work has been done to address this problem in last few years," said Keith Beamon, the school system's chief academic officer. "Our position around the region and the Triangle has elevated."

Juvenile Justice

Whither Young Offenders? The Debate Has Begun
The New York Times, California – January 23, 2011

Joaquin E. DiazDeLeon, a former Fresno gang member, spent two years inside California's juvenile prison system. What he found there, he said, was no better than the streets he came from. Instead of rehabilitating young offenders, he said, correctional officers spent most of their time separating rival gangs. Violence was so pervasive, he said, that he kept his gang affiliation just to protect himself.

Juvenile Justice Group Criticizes A&E Over “Scared Straight”

The Crime Report – January 19, 2011

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice, a national association of governor-appointed state advisory groups, is critical of the A&E series “Beyond Scared Straight,” which began airing last week. The series highlights an intervention that purports to turn children and youth away from delinquent and criminal behavior. In fact, such approaches, the coalition said, have been shown to have the opposite of the desired effect and to increase delinquency. Started years ago with good intentions, ‘Scared Straight’ approaches have now been well-evaluated and shown to have a damaging rather than positive impact, said David Schmidt, chair of the coalition and president of the New Mexico Council on Crime and Delinquency.

Stand-alone Juvenile Justice Agencies Dwindling in Number

Youth Today – January 22, 2011

The number of independent state juvenile justice agencies has dropped recently, and it is likely that 2011 will drive that figure down again. There were 21 independent agencies in 2007, according to information collected annually by the Braintree, Mass.-based Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators. By 2009, that number had dropped to 16. New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia had all moved juvenile services within the purview of their respective social services or child welfare agencies.

Foster Care

New study finds court flaws in foster care system

San Antonio Express-News, Texas – January 23, 2011

A new study commissioned by the state found that thousands of children bounce around in the foster care system for years and never find a permanent home, partly because of flaws in the judicial system. Conducted by Texas Appleseed, an Austin-based social justice group, the study examined data for all 21,000 children in long-term foster care in Texas in 2008. It revealed that children in state custody for more than three years experienced an average of 11 different placements, according to a news release issued by the group.

Audit: Too many kids diverted to foster care

The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah – January 18, 2011

Legislative auditors believe too many Utah children are being diverted to foster care instead of being treated, along with their families, at home. A report released this week by Utah’s Legislative Auditor General says putting more children into foster care is costing the state too much money when alternatives are available that also can protect children, plus help resolve family issues. The auditors pointed out that more than 700 children have been added to the Utah foster care system in the past decade, a 38 percent increase, and a trend opposite to what has happened around the U.S.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-01-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

Education

Lawmakers, citizens weigh legal dropout age

Billings Gazette, Helena, MT – January 12, 2011

A bill before the Education and Cultural Resource Committee would increase the legal dropout rate from 16 to 18. Proponents, including State Superintendent Denise Juneau, say the change will set a state expectation that all Montana students will graduate, which in today's economy is imperative for a good job and a secure future, proponents say.

La. launching effort to reduce dropouts

2TheAdvocate, Louisiana – January 14, 2011

The state is about to launch a new bid to aid troubled public school students after an earlier program was scrapped, officials said Thursday. The new effort, called “Connections,” will replace an anti-dropout push called pre-GED/skills options that was launched in 2000 and has 6,600 students now.

Goals for BCC dropout program don't end at the diploma

The Herald News, Fall River, MA – January 13, 2011

The path to a high school diploma and an associate degree is about to get easier for students on the verge of dropping out of school. The school department and Bristol Community College have partnered to offer the Gateway to College program, aimed at giving students who have recently or are at risk of dropping out the chance to stay in school. The national program, which is currently offered in three Massachusetts communities, serves youths 16 to 21 years old, who have dropped out of school or are significantly behind in credits and unlikely to graduate from high school.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile justice centers face restructuring

Star Gazette, Albany, NY – January 9, 2011

With many of New York's juvenile-justice centers operating at less than 50 percent capacity, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has targeted them for restructuring and possibly closure, but unions, lawmakers and communities are concerned about losing jobs in an already struggling upstate. The facilities are underused, the recidivism rate is too high and the treatment provided has been proven ineffective, Cuomo said in his recent State of the State speech. The average yearly cost per child is $220,000, but some beds cost nearly $350,000 annually, and the recidivism rate is higher than 80 percent.

Taunton Youth Court loses grant funding, faces closure

Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA – January 11, 2011

Unless it raises $30,000 in the coming weeks, Taunton Youth Court will shut down at the end of the month, its organizers said. The restorative justice program, which uses positive peer pressure to improve student behavior as an alternative to the juvenile justice system and has strong support in Taunton High School, has lost significant grant funding in the midst of the struggling economy. “It’s so successful, I don’t understand how anyone who has the ability to make a contribution can’t or won’t do so,” said local attorney Louise Laudebache Glass, who volunteers to sit as a judge at Taunton Youth Court. “It’s turned lives around.”

Youth agencies to merge?

American-Statesman, Texas – January 12, 2011

In a surprise vote, the state Sunset Advisory Commission decided unanimously Wednesday to do away with the Texas Youth Commission and the Juvenile Probation Commission and merge it into a single agency that would oversee all state corrections programs for youths. The Legislature rejected a similar proposal two years ago, but supporters of the change acknowledged help from an unlikely new ally: the state's $27 billion budget shortfall. "A budget crisis can produce excellent opportunities to do very good things that we probably would not have done otherwise," said state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, a leading supporter of the merger.

Foster Care

18 and on her own - Life after foster care

13 News, Orlando, FL - January 12, 2011

Jaleeca Dawkins is determined not to become a statistic. She turned 18 in December, during her senior year of high school. At first, she celebrated, but reality soon set in -- Jaleeca was on her own. "The day I turned 18, I got my first rent notice," she said. Jaleeca was in foster care for nearly five years. After living in an abusive home, then group and foster homes, shelters, and finally transitional housing at 18, she said she finally has a support system helping her grow up.

Helping Children Complete College

The Wall Street Journal, New York , NY – January 13, 2011

Robert and Nancy Schulman make no niceties: They reward progress, not need. The couple this year are giving $250,000 to a number of New York City foster care and domestic violence organizations for two programs aimed at one goal: getting people to become productive members of their communities. More than a decade ago, Ms. Schulman, a psychologist and social worker, began leading support groups for domestic-violence victims. After selling his asset management business in New York in 2000, her husband wanted in on the project. In 2005, the couple founded a charity called Of Home, Family and Future, which gives grants to women and children who were affected by domestic violence.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-01-10T12:20:00.001-05:00

Education

City looks to bring dropouts back in the new year

The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore MD – January 6, 2011

When Dorian Teal wanted to turn his life around, the high-school dropout decided he didn't just want to be great, he wanted to be educated. The now-20-year-old student, who dropped out of Edmondson-Westside High School two years ago, is among the more than 2,000 students who have made their way back to the Baltimore school system in the past three years to take advantage of the Great Kids Come Back campaign, an effort launched by the school system in 2008 to lower the city's dropout rate.

Utah high school graduation rate up

The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah – January 5, 2011

The high school graduation rate is up in Utah — up to about 90 percent for last school year, according to the state Office of Education. But it could drop significantly for this school year, when Utah will be required to change the way it calculates graduation rates. About 90 percent of the Class of 2010 graduated, up from 88 percent in 2009, according to the state office. Graduation rates also rose among each of Utah’s ethnic groups, and the gaps between the rates of white students and Latino, American Indian and black students narrowed by several percentage points.

Dropout recovery program helps students graduate

Lubbock Avalanch-Journal, Montana – January 7, 2011

One of the great tragedies in our society are people who are capable of graduating from high school but don’t. The Lubbock Independent School District began a new initiative at the start of the current school year called Expectation Graduation — designed to help students who didn’t graduate to get back on track to receiving their diplomas.

Juvenile Justice

Gov. Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg on collision course over state's troubled juvenile justice system

NY Daily News, New York, NY – January 4, 2011

Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday will call for an overhaul of the state's troubled juvenile justice system - putting him on a collision course with Mayor Bloomberg. Cuomo, in his first State of the State address on Wednesday afternoon, will propose tightening the state's reins on the system by consolidating the 25 detention facilities. Bloomberg is demanding the state hand over control of jailing juveniles to local governments, meaning New York City kids in detention would remain in the five boroughs - instead of heading upstate.

D.C. wants to teach juvenile delinquents Yoga, Tai-Chi

The Examiner, Washington, D.C. – January 4, 2011

The District's troubled juvenile justice agency is looking for a yoga teacher, or maybe a tai-chi instructor, to work with some of the city's most dangerous youths. The idea for the new Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services programming comes from interim deputy director Barry Holman. Late last month, Holman e-mailed the agency's staff to see if they have "hidden talents that might be tapped to further our work with the young people in our care." In the e-mail obtained by The Washington Examiner, Holman said his primary interest was in finding among the staff an instructor certified in yoga, tai-chi, or another "mind-body connection discipline." The agency is coming off a controversial year during which more than a dozen of its wards were charged with murder and at least a half-dozen were killed. A heavy focus on rehabilitation programs for city youths was blamed by critics for the soaring violence. Under political pressure, former Mayor Adrian Fenty fired then DYRS interim director Marc Schindler six months after he replaced Vincent Schiraldi.

Foster Care

Bethesda philanthropist aims for local change

The Gazette, Montgomery County, MD – January 5, 2011

If there is a problem, Carol Trawick's skill, sometimes what she calls her affliction, is finding a way to make it better. The philanthropist's "give where you live" philosophy has helped shape Bethesda and the rest of the county through donations totaling millions of dollars to arts, health and humanities charities. The Latin American Youth Center will use a $230,000 Youth in Transition grant to provide work experience for teenagers aging out of foster care, or who are teen parents, Montero said.

Spotlight on a creative outlet for foster care and adoptive children

Examiner, Hartford, CT – January 5, 2011

Families in Connecticut who have foster and adoptive children have a resource available that can provide children with a creative outlet in which they can express their emotions. Creative Arts for Developing Minds “provides opportunities for creative expression, enhancement of positive self-esteem, and development of a sense of community to foster care and adoptive children aged two through twelve, through music, art and movement.” Creative Arts for Developing Mindsis the only organization in Connecticut which uses the arts to respond to the unique psychological effects of early childhood trauma experienced by foster care and adoptive children.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2011-01-03T09:04:00.001-05:00

Education

Dropout report: Progress and challenges

The Charlotte Post – December 29, 2010

In the last decade, a national coalition of public school educators, parents and civic activists have charted substantial progress in deterring tens of thousands of students from dropping out of high school, according to a newly-published study. The study showed there were 120,000 more high school graduates in 2008 than in 2001 (holding population constant) – a result fueled by overall graduation-rate increases in 29 states and significant graduation-rate increases among African-American, Latino-American and Native-American pupils.

'Early college' high school to start next year at NCSU

News Observer, North Carolina – December 31, 2010

North Carolina has become the nation's incubator of early college high schools, with one-third of the total in the United States. A new one will be launched in 2011 at N.C. State University, bringing the innovative concept of blended high school and college to one of the state's flagship campuses. The school will focus on science and technology, and its location - the edge of NCSU's Centennial Campus - is sure to be a draw. Early college high schools offer free college courses and an accelerated educational path to students who are often the first in their family to go to college. North Carolina has 71 such schools with 15,000 students - more than any other state.

Debate Continues on Changing High School Graduation Requirements

WLTX, The Greenville News – December 28, 2010

While a proposal to lower the number of credits some students need to graduate from South Carolina high schools would save money, some educators say it would leave students shortchanged. School districts could save thousands of dollars by winnowing elective offerings that no longer would be required of students not planning to pursue a four-year degree, said state Rep. Dan Cooper, a Piedmont Republican who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee and a sponsor of the bill.

Juvenile Justice

Scott Names Woman To Head Juvenile Justice Dept.

WKMG Local 6, Tallahassee, FL – December 31, 2010

The head of the Miami-Dade Juvenile Services Department, whose programs to keep young offenders out of detention have served as national models, will become the first woman to lead Florida's juvenile justice department. Gov.-elect Rick Scott on Friday appointed Wansley Walters to lead the state's Department of Juvenile Justice. Walters, who headed Scott's juvenile justice transition team, is currently the director of juvenile services in Miami-Dade County.

Rick Scott's team wants to revamp the juvenile justice system

WINK News Now, Fort Myers, FL – December 29, 2010

Fla-Kaley Graham is a different teen than she was two years ago. "I was skipping school, I was going out for the weekends, and not coming back until Sunday night really late," she told WINK News. Graham says family trouble led her to start hanging out with the wrong crowd at school. She was eventually kicked off the cheerleading team, and suspended from high school. "Without Pace, I'd probably be on my own," Graham explained.

Juvenile justice system must remain separate from adult program

Winston-Salem Journal, North Carolina – December 30, 2010

Gov. Bev Perdue is trying to save some money with her proposed government reorganization. A coalition of child-advocacy groups has sound concerns, however, that one element of that plan will unnecessarily harm services designed to help children stay out of trouble with the law. Perdue has proposed reducing the number of state departments from 14 to eight. In the process, she expects to reduce administrative costs and improve efficiency. One move would group the current Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention into a larger Department of Public Safety that would be focused on criminal punishment.

Foster Care

States Starting to Move on Federal Guardianship, Foster Care-to-21 Programs

Youth Today – December 28, 2010

More than a year after passage of a law intended to give more support to youths aging out of foster care, the federal government is now pushing states to participate in two programs that promote guardianship placements and extension of foster care until age 21. The two programs were included in the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, which was signed into law in October of 2009 and allows for two new uses of federal IV-E funds, a large federal entitlement that matches state expenditures for child welfare services. One allows states to use federal IV-E funds to help pay for a guardianship assistance program (GAP); the other enables states to use IV-E money on young adults up to the age of 21.

After an Unsettled Adolescence in Foster Care, a Young Woman Finds a Home

The New York Times, Bronx, NY – December 26, 2010

Lydia Monserrate lived in 13 foster homes in the past five years. But she is not an orphan. “I asked my mom a thousand times if I could come back home,” Ms. Monserrate, 21, said quietly, her face wearing a mask of pain. When she was 14, Ms. Monserrate, who grew up in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, began skipping school. She befriended the neighborhood “bad girls,” and they shoplifted, hopped subway turnstiles and drank in the park. One summer she ran away to Southern California, where she stayed with an aunt.

Hope and Opportunity for Homeless Youth at Nicollet Square

Southwest Minneapolis Patch, Minneapolis, MN – December 29, 2010

Over the holidays, the first three tenants moved into Nicollet Square, an innovative new housing project for homeless youth in Kingfield. By the end of January, all 42 studio apartments should be occupied at the project, which combines social services, affordable housing and employment assistance for young people struggling with homelessness or aging out of foster care.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-12-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

Education

High School Dropouts, In Their Own Words

NPR, Central Falls, RI – December 16, 2010

We've been hearing a lot about high school dropouts because of a flurry of studies and reports that offer dire warnings about the drag dropouts can be on the economy and the nation's future. But if you want to understand why a million kids drop out of school every year, all you have to do is ask them — which is what NPR's Claudio Sanchez did as part of a recent reporting assignment to Central Falls Rhode Island.

COMPASS gives after-school direction to Aurora children

Aurora Sentinel, Aurora, CO – December 16, 2010

Playing video games and lounging around the house after school are passé time-killers for middle-schooler Jamall Newbern. On most days, Newbern, 12, prefers to stay at school for an extra two hours to learn about computers, kick around a soccer ball or practice his science skills at East Middle School’s after-school enrichment program. “It’s really fun because I get to hang out with all my friends and make some new ones,” said Newbern, who is one of about 100 students from East Middle School who participate in the COMPASS program. COMPASS, or Coalition of Many Providing After School Success, is offered at seven schools within the Aurora Public Schools system and one of the reasons Aurora was recently named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People. The 100 Best Communities for Young People award recognizes communities that have launched community-wide efforts to improve the well-being of young people and address the nation’s dropout crisis.

High Schools honored for preventing dropouts

The Sacramento Bee, California – December 19, 2010

Rocklin's Victory High School and Truckee's Sierra High School have been named two of the state's model continuation schools. The campuses made a list – released last week by state Superintendent Jack O'Connell – of 27 continuation schools that should serve as models to the rest of the state for their programs to help struggling students stay in school.

Turning around the dropout rate

Times-Herald, California – December 15, 2010

We asked our nearly 6,000 Facebook fans and friends: Vallejo's public high school dropout rate is now nearing 50 percent, according to state figures. What do YOU think should be done to turn that around? Here are their edited responses:

Sara Foley: What do you think the percentage is going to be once Hogan closes? It's gonna be worse and I guarantee that there will be more crime and more dropouts then ever before!

Nadee Dagupan: Parents, students, teachers rally up students first!

Author Rhachelle Nicol: Pursuing the American Dream has cost us our families and values. I was born and raised in Vallejo when it was still considered a town. There was a strong sense of community among families, neighbors and each other's children. Our communities are supposed to bring accountability, no one is holding each other accountable. Parents blame teachers, teachers blame parents but no one is doing anything to work together. All it takes is one teacher and a parent to knock on a door and show their commitment and hold each other accountable for the future of our children.

Juvenile Justice

Dozens march to reform juvenile system

KABC-TV, Los Angeles, CA – December 14, 2010

Dozens of demonstrators started a 50-mile march Monday, calling for reforms in education and juvenile justice systems. The marchers left the juvenile hall in Sylmar and they planned many stops along the way to their final destination on Thursday, which will be at the Division of Juvenile Justice in Norwalk. They are trying to raise awareness of the problems faced by students who are forced out of school for breaking the rules.

Too many juveniles locked up

Concord Monitor, Concord, NH – December 19, 2010

The recent controversy about the operation of the Sununu Youth Services Center threatens to distract us from the real issues facing the New Hampshire juvenile justice system. If we are to address the immediate challenges facing the system and protect the long-term interests of our children and communities, we must begin with a few basic questions: Who should be confined at the Sununu Center? How long do we need to keep them there? And how can we use diminishing resources to meet the needs of court-involved children and keep our communities safe? We are confining too many kids for minor crimes, keeping them too long and using our resources unwisely in the process.

In aftermath of ‘kids for cash,’ creation of youth aid panel touted

The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA – December 16, 2010

In the first meeting of its kind, Juvenile Justice Task Force members urged school personnel Wednesday to work hand-in-hand with them in the ongoing effort to remedy the “kids-for-cash” scandal in Luzerne County. “(The juvenile justice) system is at a very different point than it was two years ago, or even one year ago,” District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll said at the meeting held at Wilkes University, adding she feels the county is becoming a model for the state. Part of that model, Musto Carroll explained, is the formation of a youth aid panel, which would consist of three to five community volunteers and will be organized by newly hired former Hazleton Area teacher Bob Stevens.

Foster Care

Mentors, youths aging out of foster care benefit from program

Standard-Examiner, Ogden, UT – December 11, 2010

They both like Coca-Cola over Pepsi, and are avid readers. “We both like Lady Gaga,” Bree said. “Some of her songs, not all of them.” “We like some of her outfits, not all of them,” Catherine adds during a recent lunch. They also share a love of horror movies. “Despite what movie reviewers might want to hear after ‘Resident Evil 4,’ obviously there is going to be a ‘Resident Evil 5,’ ” said Catherine. “She likes horror movies and listens to rock, not country or opera,” said Bree, who then brings up Ozzie Osbourne. “When he talks, you can’t understand him, but he can still sing the lyrics to his songs.” “Bree’s introduced me to things I wouldn’t have experienced,” Catherine said. Bree is an 18-year-old “aging out” of state-run foster care; Catherine Conklin is a 2nd District Court commissioner, a judgeship presiding over divorces and protective orders, among other things. They came together when matched in July under the Mentor Connection program.

Move afoot to extend Florida foster care age to 21

News-Press, Florida – December 13, 2010

The Department of Children and Families is pulling together a proposal that could extend foster care to age 21. Care now ends at 18, and many former foster children grapple with early pregnancy, homelessness and unemployment. Some young adults are pushed to live on their own before they have been able to earn driver’s licenses or high school diplomas.

Northeast Florida nursing assistant program helps foster new jobs and lives

The Florida Times-Union, Florida – December 17, 2010

For the first time in a long time, Jenette Bartley can't stop smiling. Bartley aged out of foster care two years ago, after many years of bouncing around and running away. She recently got her GED, an achievement she is the first in her extended family to reach. And on Thursday, the 20-year-old mother of two earned a certificate of completion for a 15-week certified nursing assistant program, an accomplishment that she hopes will open new doors for a job.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-12-13T12:58:00.001-05:00

Education

NH governor holding summit on school dropouts

The Boston Globe, Concord, NH – December 12, 2010

New Hampshire wants its youth to graduate from high school -- whether they are in school, in jail or homeless. Teachers, students, administrators and others will gather in Concord on Monday to discuss strategies to reduce the state's already low dropout rate. Gov. John Lynch is responsible for the Governor's Third New Hampshire Summit on High School Graduation. Lynch has made reducing the dropout rate a high priority of his administration and was behind a law that took effect last year that raised the compulsory education age from 16 to 18, giving all students the chance to graduate from high school.

Dropout rate for blacks doesn't tell full story
San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland, CA – December 10, 2010

The recent figures released by the state Department of Education, which show a statewide public high school dropout rate of 37 percent among African American students, is a symptom of a broader social malaise and not an accurate measure of one group's performance. Because when you hear some of the stories of children living in big city, high-crime neighborhoods, you come to understand that steering clear of troubled streets is in itself a full-time job.

GM to pump $27.1 million into United Way effort to save metro Detroit high schools

Detroit Free Press, Michigan – December 11, 2010

Two years ago, southeast Michigan had 30 failing high schools -- schools where fewer than six in 10 freshmen went on to graduate. Today, that number is down to 22, the United Way says. Some poor schools have closed, and five schools are showing the promise of a turnaround through a United Way program that breaks them into small academies. On Friday, General Motors jumped into the effort, announcing that it would pump $27.1 million over the next five years into the project to transform five yet-to-be-selected metro Detroit high schools, along with centers nearby to prepare children for kindergarten.

Juvenile Justice

Advocates Launch Juvenile Justice Week of Action

WIBW, Washington, DC – December 9, 2010

More than 250 youth, parents and advocates descended on the nation’s capital this weekend to launch this week's "National Juvenile Justice Week of Action," declaring in a unified voice that the U.S. juvenile justice system is unaccountable, expensive, and unsafe – and that Congress and the Obama Administration need to pass legislation that protects children.

CA Youth Push For Changes To Juvenile Justice System

Public News Service, California – December 6, 2010

Young people who have made some wrong decisions in the past now need adults to make some right decisions. Hundreds of youth from California and other states are in the nation's capital today to urge Congress and President Obama to pass legislation that they say protects children. Tshaka Barrows, with California's Community Justice Network for Youth (CJNY), says they're supporting the Youth PROMISE (Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education) Act.

Foster Care

Young, alone, and homeless

The Boston Globe – December 9, 2010

Since she aged out of foster care three years ago, Kaila Dunn has lived in more homeless shelters than she can recall, often dingy dwellings full of drunken men, rampant drug use, and too many people seeking to take advantage of her. “It’s really scary and lonely to be in a place with so many creepy adults with so many issues,’’ she said. The 21-year-old high school dropout from Randolph is among what city, state, and federal officials say is a rising number of homeless youths and young adults. Every year, tens of thousands of them become too old to remain in state custody or land on the streets because of broken families.

Homeless youth find help on Hollywood streets

Contra Costa Times, Hollywood, CA – December 12, 2010

The long white van with tinted windows crawls to a stop off a Hollywood street one night, luring those too old to be called children but too young to care about 401(k)s. What comes from inside the vehicle brightens otherwise slack-jawed expressions on sallow faces: free peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches, bottled water and, if the private donations have come through, underwear, socks and toothpaste. On a recent cold evening, the homeless youths who live on Hollywood's streets are forgoing food for anything that brings them warmth.

Tucson non-profit starts mentor program for teens outside of home care

Fox11AZ.com, Tucson, AZ – December 9, 2010

A local non-profit called "In my Shoes" which is a part of the Arizona Children Association launched a campaign Wednesday in search of mentors for teens in 'out of home' care. The campaign is called "Will You Be There." The goal is to match mentors who have been through foster care with teens currently living outside of home care. "Many of children age out of foster care without a forever family so when you think about birthdays, holidays, support getting through college, it's generally not there."

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-12-06T08:51:00.000-05:00

Education

U.S. School Graduation Rate Is Rising

The New York Times – November 30, 2010

The nation’s high school graduation rate, which declined in the latter part of the 20th century, may have hit bottom and begun to rise, according to a report to be issued Tuesday by a nonprofit group founded by former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. “The United States is turning a corner in meeting the high school dropout epidemic,” General Powell and his wife, Alma J. Powell, wrote in a letter introducing the report.

Graduation strategies show signs of success

Tennessean, Rutherford County, TN – December 2, 2010

Strategies to get high school students to graduate on time like those implemented by the Rutherford County seem to be working. Don Odom, assistant superintendent of instruction and curriculum for Rutherford County Schools, said in 2009 Rutherford County's graduation rate was 91.3 percent, compared to the state's rate of 83.2 percent, according to the state report card. Four years prior, the state's rate was 77.9 percent, while the county's rate was 88.1 percent.

A Mission to Transform Baltimore’s Beaten Schools

The New York Times, Baltimore, MD – December 1, 2010

For years, this city had one of the worst school systems in the country. Fewer than half its students graduated, enrollment had fallen precipitously and proficiency levels were far below the national average. In 2007, the school board hired Andres Alonso, a Cuban immigrant with a Harvard degree and strong views on how to change things. In three years, he pushed through a sweeping reorganization of the school system, closing failing schools, slashing the central office staff by a third and replacing three-quarters of all school principals.

Juvenile Justice

Help for District's at-risk students

The Washington Post, District of Columbia – November 30, 2010

In an effort to keep serious school misbehavior from spiraling into even more serious juvenile delinquency, the law school at the University of the District of Columbia is taking up cases of public school students who have been suspended for weeks or months. Hundreds of D.C. public school students are suspended every year for periods of up to 90 days. Critics of the practice say that far from encouraging better behavior, the suspensions often open the door to more trouble.

Juvenile Detention Center sees areas of improvement

Kane County Chronicle, Kane County, IL – December 1, 2010

A recent inspection of the Kane County Juvenile Detention Center by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice listed seven areas of improvement. The detention center’s assistant superintendent, Amy Sierra, has been with the center for 19 years and was promoted to her new position in February. She said she has seen improvements over the last year that she credits to a new approach to dealing with youths. “I think we focus a lot more on training now,” Sierra said. “Punishing them does not always work.”

The Bridge: Helping change juvenile justice in Alabama

The Gadsden Times, Alabama – November 29, 2010

Alabama is changing the way juvenile justice and detention operates and The Bridge, which operates an adolescent drug and alcohol treatment facility in Gadsden, has developed programs that some officials are saying should be adopted for use throughout the state. “We're leading the way in the state, really, in the way the way things are shaped,” said Terry Schrimscher, director of marketing for The Bridge.

Foster Care

MN Program Provides Lifeline for Foster Kids Who "Age Out"

Public News Service, Minneapolis, MN – November 30, 2010

The transition to adulthood can be a bumpy road for young people, and family support is often a critical lifeline. But for foster kids who have aged out of the system, the transition is even harder, as many lack the skills needed to make the jump to adulthood. A recent study from the University of Chicago suggests that extending foster care, or providing additional support until age 21, helps aid the transition, and one Minnesota program is doing exactly that. The Division of Indian Work's Healthy Transitions program teaches a range of life skills such as resume building and job hunting, applying for college, and apartment hunting.

Program focuses on foster kids' success

Tallahassee Democrat, Florida – November 30, 2010

The Department of Children and Families has launched an initiative focusing on the educational needs of children in the state's care. Foster children tend to have a lot on their minds. School can easily become second priority. They often have the burden of worrying about court dates, life on their own or where they are going to get their next meal, said DCF Circuit 2 Operations Administrator Traci Leavine.

Giving students a home

Central Florida Future, Orlando, FL – December 5, 2010

Last year, while some students went home to celebrate the holidays with their families, one UCF student, still in Orlando, found herself sleeping on four different couches. As this holiday season nears, she's still not sure what her plans will be. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, there are currently 423,773 foster youths in the U.S.; junior advertising and public relations major Tara Dinoski is one of them. Dinoski was 14 when her mother's parenting rights were terminated when she tried to commit suicide in front of Dinoski and her brothers, who were ages 5 and 3. Today, Dinoski is a student with a mission: She wants to help foster students succeed in college and encourage foster youths to do so. This led her to create Golden Hearts at UCF, a student organization dedicated to raise awareness about foster care and build a family-like support group for former foster students, international students and students from broken homes.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-11-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

Education

San Bernardino parents focus on improving graduation rates

The Sun, San Bernardino, CA – November 26, 2010

Karla Antunez has only just begun her studies at San Gorgonio High School, but her father is already looking ahead to her graduation date. To ensure she and other area students get there, Jorge Antunez and other parents involved with Inland Congregations United for Change have embarked on an effort to improve graduation rates in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. "Little by little the dropout rate in the district is decreasing, but there are still a lot of dropouts, so I want to make sure my daughter graduates and gets a career," he said.

Students can make up credits online

USA Today – November 26, 2010

A growing network of online classes is giving thousands of high school students a second or third chance to pass courses they need to graduate, from algebra and history to health and physical education. The classes are part of a widening phenomenon called credit recovery — a term that sounds more about erasing debt than advancing education but actually enables troubled students to get credit for classes they've previously failed or didn't complete.

First hearing held for new charter school plan

The Salem News, Salem, OR – November 23, 2010

A public charter school would help the city better meet the needs of a significant but hard-to-reach group — high school dropouts and at-risk students — community leaders told a state commission yesterday. Advocates for the Salem Community Charter School touted the opportunities the new program would provide to a student group struggling to achieve under traditional teaching models.

NY study says punishment doesn't solve absenteeism

The Wall Street Journal, Albany, NY – November 27, 2010

A report commissioned by the state's Office of Children and Family Services says hauling parents into family court is not the best way to combat a rising tide of kids who chronically miss school. In New York City, "chronic absenteeism" — when a student misses at least 20 of the 180 days in a school year — afflicts 40 percent of high school students and educators currently refer cases to social services for neglect. "I've talked to a lot of principals on this," said Kim Nauer, who researched the city's statistics. "Schools call in these child protective services reports because they're frustrated with the families and their inability to get these kids to school." Under New York law, chronic school absence is a trigger for complaints to the Office of Children and Family Services. Referrals can lead to family court, foster care or probation-like PINS supervision.

Juvenile Justice

Federal Report Calls for Juvenile Justice Reforms

Correctional News, Washington, DC – November 24, 2010

The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice released its annual report calling for various reforms to the juvenile justice system in the United States. The FACJJ Annual Report 2010 is distributed to members of congress and the executive branch providing recommendations as to the federal government’s role in the juvenile justice system, which falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which oversees the committee. FACJJ members are made up if juvenile justice professionals from every state.

Grant aims to keep Jacksonville-area juveniles from repeating crime

The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, FL – November 26, 2010

When a Jacksonville mother signed her 16-year-old son up for a program aimed at keeping lawbreaking juveniles from having a criminal future, his reaction was uplifting, she said. At the time, Gregory Glover was being held in the Hastings Youth Academy on a 14-month sentence for battery on a school resource officer. "I know this is a good program because I saw a light go on in him," Jodi D. Glover recalled.

Foster Care

She guides youths from foster care to adulthood

Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska – November 27, 2010

Her job title is youth navigator, but Beth Croston Hansen doesn’t use an atlas. She helps youths turning 19 progress to independent living as they become too old for Nebraska’s foster care system. “The goal of this program is to help them make the transition after aging out of foster care. My job mainly is to get them hooked up with medical care,” Croston Hansen said. She does that through her job at OneWorld Community Health Centers, 4920 S. 30th St., in the Livestock Exchange Building. Last year, 208 children in Nebraska aged out of foster care. Four of them returned to their families, and the other 204 began to live on their own, according to statistics from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Foster children bill signed

The Times Leader, Harrisburg, PA – November 26, 2010

Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law Wednesday legislation authored by state Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston, to protect the rights of foster children. Act No. 119, known as the Children in Foster Care Act, addresses the basic needs that weigh greatly in a child’s quality of life. They include: the right to live in a safe and healthy home; access to routine medical care; access to a quality education; access to life-skills training and services to ease the transition to adulthood; and freedom from harassment, corporal punishment, unreasonable restraint, and physical, sexual, emotional and other abuse.

Students Rising Above: Former foster child achieves success

The Oakland Tribune, Richmond, VA – November 24, 2010

Growing up surrounded by violence and drugs, suffering abuse and moving from home to home, Adrian Morris was more preoccupied with surviving than doing well in school. The Richmond girl's mother dealt with addiction, and her father was in and out of jail. For several years, Morris and her sister bounced between relatives' homes, then were removed to foster care when Morris was 10. For the next eight years, Morris made her way through a half-dozen foster homes, always trying to get by. "It was really hard," she said. "You had drugs and prostitution around you, and on top of that you have to go to school. I didn't really pay attention in my classes. I didn't care about myself at all."

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-11-23T10:03:00.001-05:00

Education

Youth ChalleNGe Program Says Enrollment Will Be Up

CBS 4 Denver, Cheyenne, WY – November 19, 2010

Officials at a Wyoming National Guard program that helps high school dropouts get back on track with six months of exercise, coursework and community service literally have been knocking on doors to recruit new cadets. Wyoming Youth ChalleNGe officials say their efforts are paying off. The voluntary program at Camp Guernsey in southeast Wyoming has been averaging just 30 to 40 cadets since it was started in Wyoming in 2006. Twenty-three are enrolled in the fall class and preparing to graduate Dec. 11.

Teen moms breaking stereotypes at Broadway High School in Minneapolis

Twin Cities Daily Planet, Minneapolis, MN – November 20, 2010

Deneazra Burns wants to "break stereotypes" about teen moms: teen moms are not all high school dropouts and don't become pregnant to get attention. They're just trying to finish school and do well for themselves and their child. Burns attends Broadway High School in Minneapolis, an alternative high school devoted to pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers finishing their high school education. It also emphasizes the importance of mother-child relationships with morning childcare lessons and day care facilities.

Pulling together

The Boston Globe, Brockton, MA – November 21, 2010

The air conditioning was a sign of things to come. At 548,000 square feet, as large as a small aircraft carrier, Brockton High School had every modern convenience when its newest building opened in 1970. It was also plagued by low test scores and a high dropout rate. But as Brockton High celebrates its 40th anniversary, the students’ performance has caught up to the state-of-the-art facilities. The 4,400 students hail from more than 50 countries; more than one-third speak a language other than English at home; and 70 percent come from low-income households. Yet Brockton High has been designated a model school by The International Center for Leadership in Education for seven straight years. The school made US News & World Report’s list of America’s best high schools in 2007 and 2009, and has been the subject of recent glowing reports by The New York Times and CBS Evening News. The key, said Anna Bradfield, Bridgewater State University’s dean of education and allied learning, is the cooperation of the school administration, teachers, parents, students, and the community at large. Brockton, like other lower-income cities, faces distinctive challenges such as latchkey kids who are alone most of the time because a parent may be working extra jobs, or perhaps struggling with drugs and alcohol. The answer lies in wrap-around services outside of school hours.

Juvenile Justice

State applauds Kane Juvenile Justice Center
Geneva Sun, Kane County, IL – November 19, 2010
The Kane County Juvenile Justice Center has received high praise from the state. The St. Charles Township-based facility complies with all juvenile justice standards and has made several improvements since last year, an annual inspection report said. In addition, the report praised Rick Anselme, superintendent of the facility, for his team’s ability to keep residents — who can be volatile and have a propensity to become violent — engaged in programs and out of segregated confinement.

DA plans student outreach program
Citizens Voice, Luzerne County, PA – November 18, 2010
Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll will debut an educational outreach program aimed at junior high school students next week in Nanticoke, her office said Tuesday. Musto Carroll, a member of the Juvenile Justice Task Force formed in the wake of the Luzerne County "kids-for-cash" scandal, will speak to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders on Monday at the Greater Nanticoke Area High School. The program, marketed as 2Smart4Trbl, is designed to dispel myths and misinformation about delinquent acts while educating youth about the juvenile justice system and the ramifications of illegal activity.

Florence teens learn life skills at youth summit
WMBF News, Florence, SC – November 20, 2010
While most kids spend their Saturday mornings sleeping in, teens in the Pee Dee got up bright and early to attend a summit that aims to empower South Carolina's youth. The 5th Annual Village at Work Youth Empowerment Summit was held at the Florence Civic Center Saturday morning. This was the first time it was held in the Pee Dee Region in the history of the event. The summit is a product of The Community DMC Reduction Project, an initiative of the Children's Law Center of the University of South Carolina. It seeks to promote alternatives to the use of detention centers for non-violent minority youth groups.

Foster Care

Helping foster teens transition to adulthood
Miami Herald, Miami Dade County, FL – November 19, 2010
M.A.P.S., short for "Mentor, Attorney and Peer Support,'' is a program that brings together the nonprofit group Lawyers For Children America and former foster care youth to provide advocacy and mentoring to current foster teens who will soon age out of the system. The law firm of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod recently welcomed new M.A.P.S. participants and generously donated computers to all of the foster teens who are currently involved in the project. These computers will enable recipients to conduct research, navigate the Internet, complete school assignments and build additional skill sets that will assist them in future career planning.

The Good Samaritan Boys Ranch Opens New Living Facility
KSMU NPR Public Radio, Missouri – November 16, 2010
The Good Samaritan Boys Ranch opened a brand new home for boys on Tuesday morning, marking the first phase in their development of a new campus. Justin Lux has the report. The boy’s ranch oversees the Footsteps Transitional Living program. Many of the boys here are aging out of the foster care system. For 20-year old Josh Snyder, the transitional living program has been an absolute blessing.

On Their Own: Aging out of Foster Care
KWCH News, Wichita, KS – November 15, 2010
At age 18, you may be considered an adult but that doesn't mean you're ready to be on your own. For hundreds of Kansans, that doesn't matter. They age out of foster care and it's up to them to follow through getting help. We introduce you to two area teens trying to make it on their own. Everybody has a story and for some Kansas kids the early chapters are not pretty. "My mom smoked crack, drank and smoked pot every day she was pregnant with me," said former foster child Modia Evans. "There wasn't any safe place for me," another former foster child Jonathan Miller. The themes of Miller and Evans' stories are similar, both grew up without their parents. Evans bounced between extended family until entering foster care at age 17. "I was living like a foster kid before I got into the system," she said. Miller entered the foster care system at age three. "Obviously I hated foster care and I didn't want to be in it," Miller said.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-11-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

Education

They make graduating their business

The Indianapolis Star, Marion County, IN – November 14, 2010

Jamie Pittman is used to conducting job interviews. She's the director of nursing at The Indiana Heart Hospital. But on this day, as she asked a young man that classic interview question, "Tell me about a time you made a mistake and what you learned from it," the answer was a shocker. Pittman is a volunteer who twice a month takes a break from her busy workday to mentor at-risk students.

'New Haven Promise' Offers College Tuition To City Public School Students

The Huffington Post, New Haven, CT – November 9, 2010

New Haven officials have unveiled New Haven Promise, a new program that grants college tuition to qualifying public and charter high school students. In order to be applicable for free college tuition dollars to any public college or university in the state, high school students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and have a 90 percent attendance rate.

Attacking high school dropout dilemma

Ventura County Star – November 13, 2010

To build long-term strength as a nation, we need to recognize that our greatest asset is our children and act accordingly. Ensuring their success means a vibrant country of strength. Yet, a sustainable nation with high quality of life is threatened by our most precious asset dropping out of school. Thirty percent of all of America’s high-school students fail to graduate on time, and worse, nearly half of African-American and Latino males never graduate.

Juvenile Justice

Injustice for all

San Francisco Chronicle – November 10, 2010

What does it say about our criminal "justice" system when the seemingly just verdict and sentencing of Johannes Mehserle to two years for involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting Oscar Grant is met with violent protests? It reflects the reality that significant portions of our society - impoverished African Americans and Latinos - face discrimination in a racist justice system that no one seems interested in fixing. The Coalition for Juvenile Justice, a federally funded panel examining the reasons for the disproportionate incarceration rates, found "youth of color receive harsher sanctions than their white counterparts at every stage of the juvenile court system, from the point of surveillance (including racial profiling) to disposition/trial, sentencing, and incarceration." In California, the Drug Policy Alliance found that in 25 of the state's biggest counties, African American youth are arrested at three and sometimes four times the rates of white youth for pot possession, despite evidence that young African Americans use pot less than young whites. Studies also show that adult non-white offenders are arrested more, sentenced more and serve longer sentences than their white counterparts for the same crimes.

In Baltimore, more time in school means less juvenile crime

The Baltimore Sun – November 13, 2010

Four years ago, Darren Farmer's day started at noon and ended at 3 a.m. on a drug-riddled street corner. The 16-year-old had walked away from Frederick Douglass High School, one of nearly 3,000 city students to drop out that year, because he "just felt as though I had no need for school if I couldn't make money." Dealing drugs filled his pockets with cash. Soon, Farmer was arrested on drug and handgun charges and was incarcerated for two years. But this fall, he re-entered the city school system and is on his way to obtaining a high school diploma — a face behind the encouraging statistics that many say show that Baltimore is moving in the right direction.

Jacksonville Journal: $9 million grant to aid in mental health care

The Florida-Times Union, Duval County, FL – November 11, 2010

A $9 million, six-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will help Duval County establish a system of mental health care for children and youth. The grant will focus initially on children in foster care and the juvenile justice system, homeless children, as well as young, high-risk children in challenged neighborhoods.

Foster Care

UMFS day school's expansion gives students more options

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA – November 9, 2010

Before this year, you wouldn't have heard Kivon Matthews, 16, talking about foods like that, much less cooking with them. Now she has expanded her horizons in a new culinary program at Charterhouse Day School at UMFS (United Methodist Family Services), part of an expansion that more than doubled the school's space and increased enrollment by more than half. "We cook things we didn't know about before," Matthews said. She added that even if nonculinary student Chris Martin, 15, turned up his nose at anything involving olive oil, she liked it. When the school's new space is celebrated today on the UMFS grounds with a keynote speech by Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, an open house will feature dishes prepared by Matthews and others in the new culinary program.

Locals raise awareness for National Adoption Month

Des Moines Register, Iowa – November 11, 2010

Eighty balloons – each representing 100 Iowa children currently in foster care - were released locally Nov. 6 to honor and raise awareness for Iowa children waiting to be adopted. Iowa KidsNet, the statewide collaboration of agencies that recruits, trains, licenses and supports all of Iowa’s foster and foster adoptive parents, planned the statewide balloon release at nearly 20 locations across Iowa, including Class Act Production Theatre in Altoona and Berean Assembly of God in Pleasant Hill. Each site released 40 biodegradable balloons; one balloon represented approximately 100 children in foster care, shelter care or group care in Iowa on any given day. Angela Albers, who this year launched Dropz of Hope — a nonprofit foster parent support organization — organized the Pleasant Hill release.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-11-08T09:47:00.001-05:00

Education

More High School Students Acquire Online Credits

The New York Times, Houston, TX – November 5, 2010

Brett Rusnock can follow his students’ every move on his laptop: how much time they spend on computers each day at Waltrip High School in Houston, their scores on quizzes and when they stop working. He even gets e-mail alerts when they toil at home into the wee hours. “I can play Big Brother a little bit with this,” Mr. Rusnock said. Mr. Rusnock is not a teacher. He is a grad coach, one of 27 in Houston monitoring thousands of students who take so called credit-recovery courses online. Like many other districts across the state, particularly those with high dropout rates, the Houston Independent School District offers these self-paced make-ups to any student who fails a class.

Indiana Charter Flooded With Dropouts Who Want A Second Chance

The Huffington Post, Indianapolis, IN – November 5, 2010

Indianapolis' Excel Center set its enrollment at 200 students when it opened its doors this fall to give high school dropouts another opportunity to earn a diploma, reports Take Part. Just months later, more than 800 people are eagerly waiting to get in. A charter school funded partly by Goodwill Education Initiatives, the Excel Center focuses on dropout recovery, rather than prevention. In a city with one of the highest dropout rates in the country, the Excel Center has honed its strategy, encouraging students to earn diplomas instead of GEDs.

Mobile Co. battles high drop out rate

Fox 10 TV, Mobile County, AL – November 5, 2010

Here's a startling statistic for you, nearly half of all Mobile County Public School students will drop out. The superintendent said by the third grade, some teachers can pin point students at risk. Brooke Sellers was close to dropping out of school. The 18-year-old said school wasn't for her, so she started looking for jobs. Instead of landing in the world of nine to five, she landed in a Drop Back in Program.

Juvenile Justice

Goodwill program aims to help juvenile offenders 'figure out their lives'

The Palm Beach Post News, Palm Beach County, FL – November 1, 2010

For many youthful offenders, getting arrested means guaranteed time in a juvenile detention center to wait for a hearing or trial. Elise Johansen, director of Youth Enrichment Services at Gulfstream Goodwill, says she's seen incarceration too often turn teens with a chance to correct their wrongs into repeat offenders who end up spending years in the system. But now Johansen and others at Goodwill are hoping an alternative program they began last month in Palm Beach County will keep some of those borderline teens out of jail. It could even help some of them figure out whether undiagnosed mental or behavioral issues contributed to their choices.

Reforms OKd at LA County juvenile detention school
San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles County, CA – November 4, 2010

Education at Los Angeles County's biggest juvenile detention center will be overhauled by a team of national experts under the terms of a legal settlement announced Thursday. The county Probation Department and Office of Education have agreed to completely revamp the high school at the county's Challenger Memorial Youth Center, which comprises six camps in Lancaster, said the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Calling Challenger a "hellish place" and the "black hole of Los Angeles' juvenile justice system," ACLU Chief Counsel Mark Rosenbaum said the settlement will boost the youthful inmates' chances at rehabilitation over recidivism.

Breaking the cycle of crime

The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN – November 2, 2010

Kids who have gotten into trouble with the law and spent time behind bars aren't exactly poster children for today's youths, says Indiana Juvenile Justice Task Force head Bill Glick. They have trouble finding jobs. They often lack education. Many of them end up back in prison. But Glick and supporters of the Indianapolis-based statewide agency think youngsters who have been through the juvenile justice system need a helping hand despite reductions in taxpayer support over the years. Doing so, they say, can help the state save money in the long run.

Foster Care

Suicide Forces Attention on Plight of Older Foster Youth

Youth Today, Hawaii – November 5, 2010

The suicide of a teenager shortly after aging out of foster care has ignited a public debate in Hawaii about the struggles of older foster kids, and prompted the state to take the rare step of making the youth’s case files public. The hanging death of Erwin Celes in September, six months after he emancipated from foster care, set off a phenomenon that in some ways is typical – with state child welfare officials disputing accusations of failure from youth advocates and lawmakers – but which stands out because the victim was not a young child, but a teen who was no longer in the system. The emotional public discussion, including heavy media coverage and a state legislative hearing, comes amid a national movement toward expanding services for older foster youth.

Adopt a Child, Transform a Life

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA – November 7, 2010

International and national events during the past year have heightened public awareness about adoption, sometimes exacerbating misconceptions or distracting the public from the fact that across the United States there are children waiting today to be adopted. In Virginia alone, 1,500 are available for adoption out of the public foster care system. Virginia has been making positive strides in finding adoptive families for foster care children. The commonwealth has, for example, instituted a range of services to prevent children from entering foster care in the first place. As a result, Virginia has one of the lowest rates of children in the system. However, great challenges remain. Children spend more time in Virginia foster care than in many other states, and Virginia still has the highest percentage of youth who are "aging out" without being adopted.

November is “National Adoption Month”

Radio Iowa, Iowa – November 4, 2010

November is “National Adoption Month” and an Iowa group is asking everyone to look around their community and see if there are opportunities to adopt. Iowa KidsNet director Amy Juhnke says on average in Iowa, there are 600 kids available from foster care on a day-to-day basis. While her group works with foster care adoptions, she says the month celebrates all adoptions from international to private adoptions. Juhnke says they are always looking for people willing to take kids in from foster care. Juhnke says the process to adopt a foster child is similar to becoming a licensed foster parent, and they have many parents who are foster parents and adopt foster kids. She says you go through the process and they offer training.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

2010-11-01T09:10:00.003-04:00

Education

New laws try to keep teens in school

Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama – October 26, 2010

Up until 2009, 16-year-old Alabamians had the authority to make a life-altering decision. Whether they knew it or not, this decision would impact their future earning potential, increase their likelihood of going to prison and possibly earn them a one-way ticket into poverty. They could decide to drop out of school. The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that the students who dropped out in 2008 will cost the state of Alabama $1 billion in lost wages over their lifetimes.

The Education Manifesto

The Wall Street Journal, Washington, D.C. – October 30, 2010

Our time in office and in charge of the school system of Washington, D.C., is quickly drawing to an end. Monday is Michelle's last day as schools chancellor, and Mayor Fenty failed to win the Democratic primary last month. A new mayor will be elected next week. During our nearly four years in office we pressed forward an aggressive educational reform agenda. We were determined to turn around D.C.'s public schools and to put children above the political fray, no matter what the ramifications might be for ourselves or other public officials. As both of us embark on the next stages of our careers, we believe it is important to explain what we did in Washington, to share the lessons of our experience, and to offer some thoughts on what the rest of the country might learn from our successes and our mistakes.

High school grad rate tops 80 percent, but change in calculations coming

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia – October 26, 2010

Georgia's high school graduation rate rose 2 percentage points this year, bringing it to a record 80.8 percent, state officials announced Tuesday. But some national education experts say the 17-point gain in graduation rate over seven years cited by the state is suspect because of a flawed system used to calculate it. The 2010 state graduation rates cited by the state improved for students in all racial and economic groups, including: -- Georgia’s African-American students had a graduation rate of 75.8 percent, up more than 23 percentage points from 2003 and from 74.1 percent in 2009. -- Hispanic students had a graduation rate of 77.6 percent, up more than 29 percentage points from 2003 and from 71 percent in 2009.

Juvenile Justice

NY Working To Eliminate Racial Disparities In Juvenile Justice

The Crime Report, New York - October 25, 2010

The New York State juvenile detention system, where 85 percent of those incarcerated are minorities, is working to reduce racial disparity, says Gladys Carrion, New York commissioner of children and family services. Speaking to a Coalition for Juvenile Justice conference on Fundamental Fairness: Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice, Carrion says data show a “disproportionate representation of minority youth at critical decision points in the juvenile justice system” in the state. ”We need a juvenile justice system that values young people and doesn’t write them off as throwaways and believes that the young have the capacity to change their behavior and mature,” Carrion said.

Judges Forced to Revisit Juveniles' Life Sentences

The Wall Street Journal – October 29, 2010

Judges are grappling with whether it is ever proper to sentence a juvenile to life in prison without parole in light of a Supreme Court decision that such a punishment for non-murderers is cruel and unusual. In its May ruling, the Supreme Court reasoned juveniles are less culpable than adults for their crimes because they are less able to control their behavior, and they have a better chance of being rehabilitated.

North Carolina could raise juvenile crime age to 18

The Daily Tar Heel, North Carolina – October 29, 2010

North Carolina is discussing an issue of age — and it’s not the drinking age. The state may soon allow 16- and 17-year-olds to be tried in the juvenile justice system. North Carolina is the most strict for young offenders, trying those at or above age 16 in the adult system, Judge Marcia Morey of Durham County District Court said. The issue will go to the N.C. General Assembly in 2011, she said.

Foster Care

YWCA of Greater Flint opens Nina's Place, a center for women coming out of foster care

MLive.com, Flint, MI – October 26, 2010

For young women who are leaving foster care, often there is no place to go. Now, they have a place to call home. Nina's Place, a center for young women who have aged out of foster care, will celebrate its grand opening at the YWCA of Greater Flint Wednesday. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee and U.S. Sen. Carl Levin were instrumental in securing the $850,000 grant to pay for the program for two years, said Harmony Langford, director of operations at YWCA of Greater Flint.

Finding Common Ground on the Education of Children in Foster Care

The Huffington Post, Baltimore, MD – October 26, 2010

Baltimore City Public Schools and the Baltimore City Department of Social Services find common ground on the education of children in foster care. Few moments in the life of a child and family can rival the trauma that comes the day the state knocks on the door and places that child into foster care. Often this is only the first in a fast sequence of events that will invariably alter that child's life well into adulthood. As children around Baltimore settle into the routine of the school year, the distinct minority who enter foster care will struggle to find stability.

Foster-care agency competes for $27 million contract from state

The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Daytona Beach, FL – October 30, 2010

The local child welfare agency that has served foster children for almost 10 years will be competing to renew about a $27 million-a-year contract with the state. The state Department of Children & Families is seeking proposals for a nonprofit or governmental community-based organization to serve as the lead provider starting July 1 for five years to provide foster care services, including emergency shelter, case management, adoption and a host of other services. Agencies have until Jan. 13 to submit to the local DCF contract office, and a review committee will rate the proposals, then make a recommendation to the circuit and regional directors. Community Partnership for Children, in Daytona Beach, currently provides services to about 1,200 children who are in foster care or receiving services in their home.