Education
Let the “No Child” law do its work
Christian Science Monitor – September 25, 2007
Congress begins debate this week on renewal of a 2001 education law that has led many more children to read and do math at their grade level. The gold-star success of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) argues for keeping the law’s mandate for state largely intact. The simple wisdom of the NCLB law is its recognition that reading and math are fundamental to learning other subjects, and that schools need to be independently judged. Before this law, US public schools were graduating many students who could barely read a sentence or multiply numbers. Since then, test scores in these subjects have risen. More than 70 percent of schools showed progress. And, most important, large gaps between white and minority students have narrowed. So far, NCLB’s successes outweigh its flaws. Congress should stick to the law’s purpose of ensuring basic education for as many children as possible, with as much transparency as possible.
School discipline tougher on African Americans
Chicago Tribune – September 25, 2007
America’s public schools remain as unequal as they have ever been when measured in terms of disciplinary sanctions such as suspensions and expulsions, according to little-noticed data collected by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2004-2005 school year. In every state but Idaho, a Tribune analysis of the date shows, black students are being suspended in numbers greater than would be expected from their proportions of the student population. There’s more at stake than just a few bad marks in a student’s school record. Studies show that a history of school suspensions or expulsions is a strong predictor of future trouble with the law – and the first step on what civil rights leaders have described as a “school-to-prison pipeline” for black youths, who represent 16 percent of U.S. adolescents but 38 percent of those incarcerated in youth prisons.
USC to assist needy
The State – September 21, 2007
USC will guarantee debt-free tuition for some of South Carolina’s poorest students beginning next year, officials said Thursday. About 200 students from low-income families will be offered fully paid tuition and fee grants in the fall of 2008 in what officials describe as the first of its kind program in South Carolina. The grants are indicative of a trend among private and public universities to give tuition grants to students who have had to take on major debts to attend college. “We believe this will help with our racial and economic diversity. Whether you are white or black, it is the goal of the program to break the cycle of poverty.”
Juvenile Justice
County’s juvenile delinquent program gets national kudos
Santa Cruz Sentinel – September 26, 2007
Santa Cruz County’s holistic approach to juvenile offenders has successfully reduced the number of minors detained in Juvenile Hall. That success is highlighted in a report scheduled for release today by the Justice Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. One of the keys to success in Santa Cruz County has been developing and seeking out existing community-based programs to connect young offenders to services and resources to help them stay out of trouble. Another key component are neighborhood accountability boards, which help divert low-risk offenders away from the formal criminal justice system. Family conferences also are used, to help an offender’s extended family become actively involved in helping to keep them out of trouble.
Juvenile services win praise
Chicago Tribune – September 26, 2007
Cook County juvenile court sent nearly 400 fewer youths to state prisons between 1997 and 2004 because they were referred instead to community-based support services, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation made public Wednesday. Court officials found a more efficient way to assess the mental health of kids by assigning each courtroom an expert who interprets psychological assessments and helps identify the appropriate treatment. Also, Cook County has teamed up with community counseling providers to expand programs that were once only for youths returning home from treatment to include those at risk of going there or to a prison. The Cook County Probation and Court Services Departments created an advisory panel in 2002 of current and former youth in the juvenile justice system to help assess the effectiveness of programs and find ways to improve them. Youth on probation in Cook County attend an orientation led by that council, which has been shown to reduce probation violations.
Greene County gets grant for juvenile drug court expansion
News-Leader – September 28, 2007
The Greene County Juvenile Office has been awarded a $420,000 Juvenile Drug Court-Reclaiming Futures grant to fund expansion and enhancement of Green County’s Juvenile Drug Court. Juvenile Drug Court is designed to enhance our capacity to provide intervention, treatment and structure to young people who have began the downward spiral of substance abuse and delinquent activity, Epperly said. One thing this community can wrap its arms around is a program that addresses substance abuse by children and delinquency behavior associated with adolescent substance abuse.
Foster Care
Foster care overhaul – some say long overdue – on governor’s desk
San Francisco Chronicle – September 29, 2007
More than 77,000 foster children live in California, more than in any other state. For decades, members of this largely invisible population have been moved from home to home until they were “emancipated” at age 18 and cut off from services. But the safety net for these youths might be expanding soon. Nine foster care overhaul bills are in front of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to be signed or vetoed by Oct.14. In Washington, a bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., seeks to extend benefits for foster youth to the age of 21. Experts and policymakers see the beginning of a revolution in a long-beleaguered system.
State high court considers ways to repair foster care
Houston Chronicle – September 25, 2007
Austin – Crowded dockets, poorly trained judges and lawyers and lack of collaboration with child protective caseworkers contribute to a legal system that consistently fails abused and neglected children, legal experts and child welfare officials told the Texas Supreme Court of Tuesday. The court is considering establishing a permanent judicial commission to help courts better serve children, youth and families in the foster care system.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
This Week's News:Youth in Transition
Education
Saving ninth-graders: Metro schools try to ease transition to high school
The Detroit News – September 19, 2007
Dearborn High School teachers and administrators were startled three years ago to learn that more than a third of their freshman failed one or more classes - a rate three times that of other grades. In 2005-06, Michigan schools saw 21,000 more students in ninth grad than eighth. The number of students in 10th grade dropped by nearly 15,000, as some dropped out or were held back. Experts and school officials say ninth-graders face greater peer pressure and tougher coursework. Some fail classes, and successive failures – along with the discomfort of being older than their peers- cause some to give up and drop out, experts say. Researchers at John Hopkins University found in 2004 that as many as 40 percent of freshman repeat ninth grade in cities with the worst dropout rates, and 10 percent to 15 percent of those students eventually get a diploma. Some Metro Detroit districts are tackling the ninth-grade bulge by creating smaller learning environments to help students transition to high school. These include a Freshman Academy in a separate hallway to seclude ninth-grades for three core academic courses, a special campus orientation and a peer-mentoring program linking ninth-graders with upperclassman.
“Inside Out” day aims to decrease dropouts
Cullman Times – September 21, 2007
Students at Good Hope Middles School made an important decision Friday, one that may affect the rest of their lives, when they signed a pledge to not drop out of school. The students in grades 6-8 made the declaration to stay in school after watching “Inside Out,” a 34-minute documentary about incarcerated dropouts. The prisoners featured in the film discussed how the decision to quit school negatively impacted their lives and played a part in getting them where they are today. The movie is the work of the Birmingham-based Mattie B. Stewart Foundation, an organization founded by the Birmingham radio personality Shelly Stewart for the sole purpose of influencing more students to finish high school.
Oregon Schools Adopt Mexican Curriculum, Stirring Debate
Fox News – September 21, 2007
Portland—Some Oregon high schools are adopting Mexico’s public school curriculum to help educate Spanish-speaking students with textbooks, an online web site, DVDs and CDs provided free by Mexico to teach math, science and even U.S. history. Similar ventures are under way in Yakima, Wash., San Diego, Calif., and Austin, Texas. The Oregon Department of Education and Mexico’s Secretariat of Public Education are discussing aligning their curricula so courses will be valid in both countries. Oregon officials say the approach is intended as a supplement to keep students learning in Spanish while also gaining English skills.
Juvenile Justice
Professor to boost juvenile justice
Orlando Sentinel – September 18, 2007
Kids pleading guilty without talking to a lawyer. Teenagers waiving their rights without understanding the consequences. Little trial preparation by attorneys. These findings from a 2006 study of Florida’s juvenile-justice system make Gerald F. Glynn cringe. That’s why Glynn, an associate professor at Barry University School of Law in Orlando, is leading the charge for a new center to focus on improving legal representation for children in the juvenile justice system. “People need to remember that juvenile-justice system is about providing services and rehabilitation service to children at risk,” Glynn said. “The idea is to catch them and serve them before they become lifelong criminals.” Starting with a $779,000 grant from the Eckerd Family Foundation in Clearwater, Glynn is setting up training programs for lawyers who serve these and other children in the justice system.
Juvenile parolees’ constitutional rights violated, court rules
San Jose Mercury News – September 20, 2007
Sacramento—California violates juvenile offenders’ constitutional rights by not giving them a prompt hearing when they are accused of parole violations, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton of Sacramento gave the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 30 days to come up with a constitutionally acceptable process. Some juvenile offenders are in custody for months before they get a hearing, Karlton found. More than half are accused of technical violations of their parole, and in 75 percent of those cases they are eventually released to simply continue their parole, Karlton said in his ruling.
Foster Care
Youth Program aimed at getting foster children back in school
The News-Daily – September 16, 2007
In Clayton County, foster youth who drop out of high school are being targeted as part of a pilot program established by officials from DFCS to get them back into the classroom. Foster youth who have not been attending school for some time are sent to the Riverdale-based Youth Empowerment Project for tutoring before returning to school. The program will also help them prepare for the General Educational Development equivalency diploma (GED) exam. About half of all 15 year olds in foster homes are likely to graduate form high school, while the rest will either drop out or be incarcerated, according to Casey Family Programs, a group that studies foster care issues. Officials have been pleased with the program so far and are considering taking it to a regional level.
Foster Children Find Latino-friendly Homes
New America Media – September 17, 2007
In almost two years and a half, La Cuna has been able to secure a stable, safe place for 50 Latino children that are part of the County of San Diego’s foster care system. La Cuna, which means “the cradle,” in Spanish, was established to address the shortage of quality foster homes serving Latino babies and toddlers. Its mission it “to develop programs that allow foster infants to grow up healthy and happy, and to evaluate the results and create best practices that will improve the lives of Hispanic foster infants throughout California.” According to La Cuna information, the most current statistics for San Diego County, the breakdown of local children in foster care show that 2, 423 are Latino children, 1,723 are white and 1,423 are black children.
Saving ninth-graders: Metro schools try to ease transition to high school
The Detroit News – September 19, 2007
Dearborn High School teachers and administrators were startled three years ago to learn that more than a third of their freshman failed one or more classes - a rate three times that of other grades. In 2005-06, Michigan schools saw 21,000 more students in ninth grad than eighth. The number of students in 10th grade dropped by nearly 15,000, as some dropped out or were held back. Experts and school officials say ninth-graders face greater peer pressure and tougher coursework. Some fail classes, and successive failures – along with the discomfort of being older than their peers- cause some to give up and drop out, experts say. Researchers at John Hopkins University found in 2004 that as many as 40 percent of freshman repeat ninth grade in cities with the worst dropout rates, and 10 percent to 15 percent of those students eventually get a diploma. Some Metro Detroit districts are tackling the ninth-grade bulge by creating smaller learning environments to help students transition to high school. These include a Freshman Academy in a separate hallway to seclude ninth-grades for three core academic courses, a special campus orientation and a peer-mentoring program linking ninth-graders with upperclassman.
“Inside Out” day aims to decrease dropouts
Cullman Times – September 21, 2007
Students at Good Hope Middles School made an important decision Friday, one that may affect the rest of their lives, when they signed a pledge to not drop out of school. The students in grades 6-8 made the declaration to stay in school after watching “Inside Out,” a 34-minute documentary about incarcerated dropouts. The prisoners featured in the film discussed how the decision to quit school negatively impacted their lives and played a part in getting them where they are today. The movie is the work of the Birmingham-based Mattie B. Stewart Foundation, an organization founded by the Birmingham radio personality Shelly Stewart for the sole purpose of influencing more students to finish high school.
Oregon Schools Adopt Mexican Curriculum, Stirring Debate
Fox News – September 21, 2007
Portland—Some Oregon high schools are adopting Mexico’s public school curriculum to help educate Spanish-speaking students with textbooks, an online web site, DVDs and CDs provided free by Mexico to teach math, science and even U.S. history. Similar ventures are under way in Yakima, Wash., San Diego, Calif., and Austin, Texas. The Oregon Department of Education and Mexico’s Secretariat of Public Education are discussing aligning their curricula so courses will be valid in both countries. Oregon officials say the approach is intended as a supplement to keep students learning in Spanish while also gaining English skills.
Juvenile Justice
Professor to boost juvenile justice
Orlando Sentinel – September 18, 2007
Kids pleading guilty without talking to a lawyer. Teenagers waiving their rights without understanding the consequences. Little trial preparation by attorneys. These findings from a 2006 study of Florida’s juvenile-justice system make Gerald F. Glynn cringe. That’s why Glynn, an associate professor at Barry University School of Law in Orlando, is leading the charge for a new center to focus on improving legal representation for children in the juvenile justice system. “People need to remember that juvenile-justice system is about providing services and rehabilitation service to children at risk,” Glynn said. “The idea is to catch them and serve them before they become lifelong criminals.” Starting with a $779,000 grant from the Eckerd Family Foundation in Clearwater, Glynn is setting up training programs for lawyers who serve these and other children in the justice system.
Juvenile parolees’ constitutional rights violated, court rules
San Jose Mercury News – September 20, 2007
Sacramento—California violates juvenile offenders’ constitutional rights by not giving them a prompt hearing when they are accused of parole violations, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton of Sacramento gave the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 30 days to come up with a constitutionally acceptable process. Some juvenile offenders are in custody for months before they get a hearing, Karlton found. More than half are accused of technical violations of their parole, and in 75 percent of those cases they are eventually released to simply continue their parole, Karlton said in his ruling.
Foster Care
Youth Program aimed at getting foster children back in school
The News-Daily – September 16, 2007
In Clayton County, foster youth who drop out of high school are being targeted as part of a pilot program established by officials from DFCS to get them back into the classroom. Foster youth who have not been attending school for some time are sent to the Riverdale-based Youth Empowerment Project for tutoring before returning to school. The program will also help them prepare for the General Educational Development equivalency diploma (GED) exam. About half of all 15 year olds in foster homes are likely to graduate form high school, while the rest will either drop out or be incarcerated, according to Casey Family Programs, a group that studies foster care issues. Officials have been pleased with the program so far and are considering taking it to a regional level.
Foster Children Find Latino-friendly Homes
New America Media – September 17, 2007
In almost two years and a half, La Cuna has been able to secure a stable, safe place for 50 Latino children that are part of the County of San Diego’s foster care system. La Cuna, which means “the cradle,” in Spanish, was established to address the shortage of quality foster homes serving Latino babies and toddlers. Its mission it “to develop programs that allow foster infants to grow up healthy and happy, and to evaluate the results and create best practices that will improve the lives of Hispanic foster infants throughout California.” According to La Cuna information, the most current statistics for San Diego County, the breakdown of local children in foster care show that 2, 423 are Latino children, 1,723 are white and 1,423 are black children.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
This Week's News: Youth in Transition
Education
Homeless face challenges at school
Express-News – September 11, 2007
While most school-age children are getting over the new school-year jitters, scores of children across the city fact a different kind of challenge. Instead of just worrying about their homework and how they’re going to make new friends, homeless students struggle on a daily basis with basic things, like where they’ll spend the night. Experts who study the root causes of homelessness say it’s a pervasive problem that has far-reaching ramifications: Homeless children are far more likely to drop out of school, thus making them more likely to stay homeless. A June 2007 U.S. Department of Education report identified 195,521 homeless students in Texas during the last school year. Nationally, the number of homeless students who were enrolled in grader K-12 increased by 28 percent – totaling a record 907, 228 homeless students in the last school year that experts attribute to displaced students from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, officials said.
Utah may swap standardized tests for online exams
The Salt Lake Tribune – September 8, 2007
Utah students may be able to say goodbye to several standardized tests – and hello to “adaptive” online tests – if State Schools Superintendent Patti Harrington and an alliance of state educators have their way. In place of the of the old tests, she and the K-16 Alliance would like to see students in grades two through 12 take adaptive, online tests at least three times a year. Harrington said the adaptive tests, which would be fitted to each student’s needs and progress, would do a better job of showing teachers how students are progressing and which areas they need to work on during the school year. Also, the tests would be online, allowing teachers to see results quickly as opposed to waiting, as they must with other standardized tests.
Speeding encouraged
Tracy Press – September 14, 2007
Tracy Unified School District now offers school on the really fast track. The district introduced computer software called Cyber High at Duncan-Russell High School this summer that allows would-be dropouts and students who have fallen behind to make up failed credits at nearly three times the pace of traditional classes. Duncan-Russell’s 32 students sit at computers three hours every weekday to earn as many as five credits a week, the equivalent of a semester-long class. They read through state standardized lessons and take a test at the end of each unit. The students will eventually transfer to a continuation or traditional high school to continue classes and eventually receive a diploma, after passing the California High School Exit Exam.
Juvenile Justice
Closing of girls’ facility urged
Baltimore Sun – September 15, 2007
The state’s primary facility for delinquent girls is so dilapidated and unsafe that it should be closed, according to Maryland’s juvenile justice monitor. The recommendation to close Waxter is part of a broader report on the physical condition of several facilities that house youths who have been found guilty of crimes or are awaiting hearings after arrests. “If Maryland is to have any hope of rehabilitating delinquent youth and stanching the steady flow of children into the adult criminal system, immediate action must be taken to improve the facilities in which they are housed and the rehabilitative programs and services offered to them,” the report says.
Coalition bands together to provide youth jobs
South Carolina Now – September 13, 2007
With 15 thousand students in Florence School District one alone, the community has banded together to give those thousands a promising future. Educators, police, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Florence Mayor’s Coalition are working together to combat gangs. A deterrent that’s proven its success is the “JOBS” program created by the Florence Department of Juvenile Justice. This summer they trained 230 kids and helped 170 of those kids earn part time jobs. This summer officials said juvenile felonies have dropped 75 percent, Department of Juvenile Justice referrals dropped 20 percent and there were 45 percent fewer juvenile arbitration cases.
Foster Care
Bill to support disabled foster youth heads to governor
Times-Herald - September 13, 2007
California’s disabled foster youth are one step closer to gaining a “safety net,” with the passage late Tuesday of Assemblywoman Noreen Evans’ bill, AB 1331. The bill requires county welfare agencies to screen all foster youth age 16 and 17 for a mental or physical disability and assist them in applying for Supplemental Security Income, which provides a monthly cash benefit for the disabled. The goal is to have SSI in place for eligible youth once they age out of the foster care system. The bill allows youth with pending SSI applications to remain in foster care past their 18th birthdays until their applications are processed.
Youth Alliance videos helping teens cope
The Connecticut Post – September 9, 2007
Standburry is one of eight teens who created digital stories as part of a project they described as part internship, part therapeutic. The assignment was to share a bit about themselves as a teenager aging out of the state’s foster care system. The project has a screening this month at the Bridgeport Public Library. Connecticut Youth Alliance is looking at ways to show and distribute the videos online. The projects was inspired by a similar digital storytelling project run by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Associations, said Joan Jenkins, executive director of Children in Placement Inc., a Connecticut-based nonprofit.
Homeless face challenges at school
Express-News – September 11, 2007
While most school-age children are getting over the new school-year jitters, scores of children across the city fact a different kind of challenge. Instead of just worrying about their homework and how they’re going to make new friends, homeless students struggle on a daily basis with basic things, like where they’ll spend the night. Experts who study the root causes of homelessness say it’s a pervasive problem that has far-reaching ramifications: Homeless children are far more likely to drop out of school, thus making them more likely to stay homeless. A June 2007 U.S. Department of Education report identified 195,521 homeless students in Texas during the last school year. Nationally, the number of homeless students who were enrolled in grader K-12 increased by 28 percent – totaling a record 907, 228 homeless students in the last school year that experts attribute to displaced students from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, officials said.
Utah may swap standardized tests for online exams
The Salt Lake Tribune – September 8, 2007
Utah students may be able to say goodbye to several standardized tests – and hello to “adaptive” online tests – if State Schools Superintendent Patti Harrington and an alliance of state educators have their way. In place of the of the old tests, she and the K-16 Alliance would like to see students in grades two through 12 take adaptive, online tests at least three times a year. Harrington said the adaptive tests, which would be fitted to each student’s needs and progress, would do a better job of showing teachers how students are progressing and which areas they need to work on during the school year. Also, the tests would be online, allowing teachers to see results quickly as opposed to waiting, as they must with other standardized tests.
Speeding encouraged
Tracy Press – September 14, 2007
Tracy Unified School District now offers school on the really fast track. The district introduced computer software called Cyber High at Duncan-Russell High School this summer that allows would-be dropouts and students who have fallen behind to make up failed credits at nearly three times the pace of traditional classes. Duncan-Russell’s 32 students sit at computers three hours every weekday to earn as many as five credits a week, the equivalent of a semester-long class. They read through state standardized lessons and take a test at the end of each unit. The students will eventually transfer to a continuation or traditional high school to continue classes and eventually receive a diploma, after passing the California High School Exit Exam.
Juvenile Justice
Closing of girls’ facility urged
Baltimore Sun – September 15, 2007
The state’s primary facility for delinquent girls is so dilapidated and unsafe that it should be closed, according to Maryland’s juvenile justice monitor. The recommendation to close Waxter is part of a broader report on the physical condition of several facilities that house youths who have been found guilty of crimes or are awaiting hearings after arrests. “If Maryland is to have any hope of rehabilitating delinquent youth and stanching the steady flow of children into the adult criminal system, immediate action must be taken to improve the facilities in which they are housed and the rehabilitative programs and services offered to them,” the report says.
Coalition bands together to provide youth jobs
South Carolina Now – September 13, 2007
With 15 thousand students in Florence School District one alone, the community has banded together to give those thousands a promising future. Educators, police, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Florence Mayor’s Coalition are working together to combat gangs. A deterrent that’s proven its success is the “JOBS” program created by the Florence Department of Juvenile Justice. This summer they trained 230 kids and helped 170 of those kids earn part time jobs. This summer officials said juvenile felonies have dropped 75 percent, Department of Juvenile Justice referrals dropped 20 percent and there were 45 percent fewer juvenile arbitration cases.
Foster Care
Bill to support disabled foster youth heads to governor
Times-Herald - September 13, 2007
California’s disabled foster youth are one step closer to gaining a “safety net,” with the passage late Tuesday of Assemblywoman Noreen Evans’ bill, AB 1331. The bill requires county welfare agencies to screen all foster youth age 16 and 17 for a mental or physical disability and assist them in applying for Supplemental Security Income, which provides a monthly cash benefit for the disabled. The goal is to have SSI in place for eligible youth once they age out of the foster care system. The bill allows youth with pending SSI applications to remain in foster care past their 18th birthdays until their applications are processed.
Youth Alliance videos helping teens cope
The Connecticut Post – September 9, 2007
Standburry is one of eight teens who created digital stories as part of a project they described as part internship, part therapeutic. The assignment was to share a bit about themselves as a teenager aging out of the state’s foster care system. The project has a screening this month at the Bridgeport Public Library. Connecticut Youth Alliance is looking at ways to show and distribute the videos online. The projects was inspired by a similar digital storytelling project run by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Associations, said Joan Jenkins, executive director of Children in Placement Inc., a Connecticut-based nonprofit.
Monday, September 10, 2007
This Week's News: Youth in Transition
Education
Pitch to dropouts: We want you to come back
Chicago Sun-Times – September 9, 2007
Harden and a group of volunteers went door-to-door to the homes of 12 students who were close to graduation and had dropped out. Ten were reached, and four returned to school to find out their options. Every student who misses school costs the system $95 a day, officials estimated, and a 1 percentage point drop in yearly attendance costs $18 million in funding, meaning Saturday’s door-to-door effort to boost attendance served academic and financial needs.
Blacks in suburbs failing Md. Exams
The Baltimore Sun – September 5, 2007
An alarming pattern of failure is surfacing: Minority students, especially African-Americans, are struggling to pass the exams in the suburban classrooms their families had hoped would provide a better education. Educators point to the gap in achievement between African-Americans and whites as one reason for the slump among inner suburban schools – although not the only one. “It’s about establishing expectations and communicating those to parents, teachers and students,” said Cheswick, in her second year at the helm of the four-year-old school. “As a principal, I have high expectations of students, regardless of their background.”
Virtual schooling growing at K-12 level
The Kansas City Star – September 7, 2007
Virtual learning is becoming ubiquitous at colleges and universities but remains in its infancy at the elementary and secondary level, where skeptics have questioned its cost and effect on children’s socialization. However, virtual schools are growing fast – at an annual rate of about 25 percent. There are 25 statewide or state-led programs and more than 170 virtual charter schools across the nation, according to the North American Council on Online Learning. Online learning is used as an alternative for summer school and for students who need remedial help, are disabled, being home schooled or suspended for behavioral problems, It also can help avoid overcrowding in traditional classrooms and provide courses that local school, often rural or inner-city, do not offer.
Juvenile Justice
Group Seeks to Reduce Number of Minorities in Juvenile Justice System
Broward Times – September 9, 2007
Concerned citizens, activists and parents gathered this week to find ways of steering young people away from the juvenile justice system. The BluePrint Commission of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice came to Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday during a tour of six cities in the state to help find solutions for the overrepresentation of minorities in the system. The commission was created in response to key concerns such as repeat juvenile offenders, the overrepresentation of minority youth and the alarming growth of girls in the juvenile justice population. Brogan suggested that more youth could be kept out of the system by focusing on crime trends, detention data, screening tools, services and alternatives to detention.
Part of juvenile system quashed
The Courier-Journal – September 6, 2007
A Franklin Circuit judge has struck down Kentucky’s system for classifying and housing juveniles who commit sex, offenses, finding it deprives the youths of proper treatment. Shepard found juvenile justice officials have begun classifying youths who commit even minor sex offenses, such as fondling, as “juvenile sex offenders,” a category under law generally reserved for older children who commit serious offenses. That classification allows the department to send the youths to a secure facility where they are required to enter sex offender treatment programs for up to three years. But the practice exceeds the legal definition of what constitutes a juvenile sex offender, Shepherd said. Juvenile Justice officials also made no exceptions for youths with mental retardation—even though the law says they may not be classified as juvenile sex offenders, the judge said.
Foster Care
Court: Teen parenthood terminated too quickly
Lexington Herald-Leader – September 8, 2007
The youth and immaturity of a teen parent cannot alone be grounds for taking away parental rights, the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled. A decision last week to reverse the termination of parental rights for a girl who was 14 when her son was born could have implications for the more than 10,000 teens who become pregnant in Kentucky each year and who are at risk of permanently losing custody, said the teen’s court-appointed attorney John Helmers. The ruling involved a teen who was in foster care along with her infant, though much of the time they were assigned to different homes. As of Thursday, there were 118 instances in Kentucky in which the state had placed a baby in foster care whose parent was also in foster care, state officials said.
Program helps kids too old to stay in foster system
USA Today – September 9, 2007
The St. Louis Aging Out Initiative focuses on young people in state custody who don’t have the resources needed to make a smooth transition to life on their own once they “age out,” or are legally emancipated from the foster care system. The initiative is recruiting 100 16-year-olds this year and another 100 in 2008. The hope is that participants will be more likely to have a high school diploma, to make use of educational training vouchers, to be able to secure steady jobs and housing.
Pitch to dropouts: We want you to come back
Chicago Sun-Times – September 9, 2007
Harden and a group of volunteers went door-to-door to the homes of 12 students who were close to graduation and had dropped out. Ten were reached, and four returned to school to find out their options. Every student who misses school costs the system $95 a day, officials estimated, and a 1 percentage point drop in yearly attendance costs $18 million in funding, meaning Saturday’s door-to-door effort to boost attendance served academic and financial needs.
Blacks in suburbs failing Md. Exams
The Baltimore Sun – September 5, 2007
An alarming pattern of failure is surfacing: Minority students, especially African-Americans, are struggling to pass the exams in the suburban classrooms their families had hoped would provide a better education. Educators point to the gap in achievement between African-Americans and whites as one reason for the slump among inner suburban schools – although not the only one. “It’s about establishing expectations and communicating those to parents, teachers and students,” said Cheswick, in her second year at the helm of the four-year-old school. “As a principal, I have high expectations of students, regardless of their background.”
Virtual schooling growing at K-12 level
The Kansas City Star – September 7, 2007
Virtual learning is becoming ubiquitous at colleges and universities but remains in its infancy at the elementary and secondary level, where skeptics have questioned its cost and effect on children’s socialization. However, virtual schools are growing fast – at an annual rate of about 25 percent. There are 25 statewide or state-led programs and more than 170 virtual charter schools across the nation, according to the North American Council on Online Learning. Online learning is used as an alternative for summer school and for students who need remedial help, are disabled, being home schooled or suspended for behavioral problems, It also can help avoid overcrowding in traditional classrooms and provide courses that local school, often rural or inner-city, do not offer.
Juvenile Justice
Group Seeks to Reduce Number of Minorities in Juvenile Justice System
Broward Times – September 9, 2007
Concerned citizens, activists and parents gathered this week to find ways of steering young people away from the juvenile justice system. The BluePrint Commission of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice came to Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday during a tour of six cities in the state to help find solutions for the overrepresentation of minorities in the system. The commission was created in response to key concerns such as repeat juvenile offenders, the overrepresentation of minority youth and the alarming growth of girls in the juvenile justice population. Brogan suggested that more youth could be kept out of the system by focusing on crime trends, detention data, screening tools, services and alternatives to detention.
Part of juvenile system quashed
The Courier-Journal – September 6, 2007
A Franklin Circuit judge has struck down Kentucky’s system for classifying and housing juveniles who commit sex, offenses, finding it deprives the youths of proper treatment. Shepard found juvenile justice officials have begun classifying youths who commit even minor sex offenses, such as fondling, as “juvenile sex offenders,” a category under law generally reserved for older children who commit serious offenses. That classification allows the department to send the youths to a secure facility where they are required to enter sex offender treatment programs for up to three years. But the practice exceeds the legal definition of what constitutes a juvenile sex offender, Shepherd said. Juvenile Justice officials also made no exceptions for youths with mental retardation—even though the law says they may not be classified as juvenile sex offenders, the judge said.
Foster Care
Court: Teen parenthood terminated too quickly
Lexington Herald-Leader – September 8, 2007
The youth and immaturity of a teen parent cannot alone be grounds for taking away parental rights, the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled. A decision last week to reverse the termination of parental rights for a girl who was 14 when her son was born could have implications for the more than 10,000 teens who become pregnant in Kentucky each year and who are at risk of permanently losing custody, said the teen’s court-appointed attorney John Helmers. The ruling involved a teen who was in foster care along with her infant, though much of the time they were assigned to different homes. As of Thursday, there were 118 instances in Kentucky in which the state had placed a baby in foster care whose parent was also in foster care, state officials said.
Program helps kids too old to stay in foster system
USA Today – September 9, 2007
The St. Louis Aging Out Initiative focuses on young people in state custody who don’t have the resources needed to make a smooth transition to life on their own once they “age out,” or are legally emancipated from the foster care system. The initiative is recruiting 100 16-year-olds this year and another 100 in 2008. The hope is that participants will be more likely to have a high school diploma, to make use of educational training vouchers, to be able to secure steady jobs and housing.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
This Week's News: Youth in Transition
Education
Alternative Route to Diploma Proposed in Md.
The Washington Post – August 29, 2007
Maryland high school students who are unable to pass a set of exams required for graduation could instead submit projects to demonstrate their mastery of academic subjects, under a plan introduced Tuesday by the State School Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. Grasmick offered her alternative because she is concerned that hundreds of students could be denied diplomas based on a single set of tests, rather than on their master of the subject.
Dollars for Scholars
Newsweek National News – September 3, 2007
When school starts next week, New York City will offer an enticement to get parents in low-income neighborhoods more involved in their children’s education and overall health. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has raised more than $40 million to pay families a modest amount for small task - $50 for getting a library card or $100 to take a child to the dentist – that could make a big difference. The experimental program, called Opportunity NYC, is modeled on a 10-year-old Mexican program call Oportunidades, which has been so successful in reducing poverty in rural areas that it had been adopted by more than 20 countries. International studies have found that these programs raise school enrollment and vaccination rates and lower the number of sick days students take.
A push to bring dads into kids’ school lives
The Christian Science Monitor – August 31, 2007
Around the country, many African-American men are embracing a national movement called the Million Father March that encourages people of all races, but particularly black men, to be active in children’s educational lives. Created four years ago, the Million Father March is sponsored by The Black Star Project, a Chicago group working to build strong students, encourage parental involvement, and improve life in African-American and Latino communities. The goal is to eliminate the racial academic achievement gap, says Black Star Project founder and director Phillip Jackson. Father participation matters, according to a 1997 NCES report, “Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools.” Children from two-parent families and single-father homes who had fathers highly involved in school were more likely to get As and enjoy school, the study found. Children with involved nonresident fathers also fared better than peers with less involved dads. They were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities, and those in grades 6-12 were less likely to be suspended, expelled or repeat a grade.
Juvenile Justice
Ritter boosts youth justice
The Denver Post – August 30, 2007
In the first initiative of its kind nationally, Gov. Bill Ritter has created an executive clemency board exclusively for youth offenders, providing a possible way out of adult prison for teens currently serving life-without-parole sentences. Its goal is to find a middle ground for giving juveniles a shot at relief. Extraordinary circumstances, combined with modern scientific research showing juveniles’ brains – especially regions that process ethical decisionmaking – are not fully developed, warrant more lenient legal treatment for youths, advocates believe.
Helping girls in detention
Seattle Post-Intelligencer- August 29, 2007
The United State incarcerates more women than any other country. And, according to a recent report of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, the proportion of girls to boys in custody is steadily rising in the juvenile justice system. This creates a somewhat invisible female population in a system developed for young men. Teenage girls in juvenile detention who are pregnant or parenting are especially vulnerable. Already engaged in risky behavior, and often with a history of victimization, substance abuse or family conflict, these girls are even less prepared to be parents than the average teen. A specific and standardized response to the needs of pregnant and parenting teens in the juvenile system would contribute greatly to achieving a positive outcome for those girls and their children. Simple measures, such as routine pregnancy screening of all girls admitted to detention facilities, could make a difference. Pregnant teens could receive advice on their options, be referred to public health programs, benefit from prenatal and post-partum care, and even be equipped with vital life skills through parenting classes and family planning education.
Foster Care
Moving from shelters to sanctuary
Star-Ledger – August 30, 2007
Under the settlement with Children’s Rights Inc., a national advocacy group that sued the state of New Jersey to improve its child welfare and foster care system, the state no longer uses dormitory-style shelters as emergency housing for children under age 13 and the state also agreed not to keep teenagers in shelters more than 45 days, while signing up more foster parents to take displaced kids into their homes. “Shelter care is bad for kids. Studies have shown that to be the case,” said Susan Lambiase, associate director for Children’s Rights. “Institutions don’t meet emotional needs.”
Alternative Route to Diploma Proposed in Md.
The Washington Post – August 29, 2007
Maryland high school students who are unable to pass a set of exams required for graduation could instead submit projects to demonstrate their mastery of academic subjects, under a plan introduced Tuesday by the State School Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. Grasmick offered her alternative because she is concerned that hundreds of students could be denied diplomas based on a single set of tests, rather than on their master of the subject.
Dollars for Scholars
Newsweek National News – September 3, 2007
When school starts next week, New York City will offer an enticement to get parents in low-income neighborhoods more involved in their children’s education and overall health. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has raised more than $40 million to pay families a modest amount for small task - $50 for getting a library card or $100 to take a child to the dentist – that could make a big difference. The experimental program, called Opportunity NYC, is modeled on a 10-year-old Mexican program call Oportunidades, which has been so successful in reducing poverty in rural areas that it had been adopted by more than 20 countries. International studies have found that these programs raise school enrollment and vaccination rates and lower the number of sick days students take.
A push to bring dads into kids’ school lives
The Christian Science Monitor – August 31, 2007
Around the country, many African-American men are embracing a national movement called the Million Father March that encourages people of all races, but particularly black men, to be active in children’s educational lives. Created four years ago, the Million Father March is sponsored by The Black Star Project, a Chicago group working to build strong students, encourage parental involvement, and improve life in African-American and Latino communities. The goal is to eliminate the racial academic achievement gap, says Black Star Project founder and director Phillip Jackson. Father participation matters, according to a 1997 NCES report, “Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools.” Children from two-parent families and single-father homes who had fathers highly involved in school were more likely to get As and enjoy school, the study found. Children with involved nonresident fathers also fared better than peers with less involved dads. They were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities, and those in grades 6-12 were less likely to be suspended, expelled or repeat a grade.
Juvenile Justice
Ritter boosts youth justice
The Denver Post – August 30, 2007
In the first initiative of its kind nationally, Gov. Bill Ritter has created an executive clemency board exclusively for youth offenders, providing a possible way out of adult prison for teens currently serving life-without-parole sentences. Its goal is to find a middle ground for giving juveniles a shot at relief. Extraordinary circumstances, combined with modern scientific research showing juveniles’ brains – especially regions that process ethical decisionmaking – are not fully developed, warrant more lenient legal treatment for youths, advocates believe.
Helping girls in detention
Seattle Post-Intelligencer- August 29, 2007
The United State incarcerates more women than any other country. And, according to a recent report of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, the proportion of girls to boys in custody is steadily rising in the juvenile justice system. This creates a somewhat invisible female population in a system developed for young men. Teenage girls in juvenile detention who are pregnant or parenting are especially vulnerable. Already engaged in risky behavior, and often with a history of victimization, substance abuse or family conflict, these girls are even less prepared to be parents than the average teen. A specific and standardized response to the needs of pregnant and parenting teens in the juvenile system would contribute greatly to achieving a positive outcome for those girls and their children. Simple measures, such as routine pregnancy screening of all girls admitted to detention facilities, could make a difference. Pregnant teens could receive advice on their options, be referred to public health programs, benefit from prenatal and post-partum care, and even be equipped with vital life skills through parenting classes and family planning education.
Foster Care
Moving from shelters to sanctuary
Star-Ledger – August 30, 2007
Under the settlement with Children’s Rights Inc., a national advocacy group that sued the state of New Jersey to improve its child welfare and foster care system, the state no longer uses dormitory-style shelters as emergency housing for children under age 13 and the state also agreed not to keep teenagers in shelters more than 45 days, while signing up more foster parents to take displaced kids into their homes. “Shelter care is bad for kids. Studies have shown that to be the case,” said Susan Lambiase, associate director for Children’s Rights. “Institutions don’t meet emotional needs.”
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