This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Texas board seeks to close gap in Latinos attending college
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas TX – October 18, 2009
State higher education officials are developing a plan to address the lagging college attendance of Latinos and to close the gap within that group – where men are behind. According to a report by Victor Saenz, an assistant professor of education administration at the University of Texas, "sacrificing the individual over the needs of the family is commonplace" among Hispanic males. Other challenges, he notes, are a greater likelihood of being labeled at-risk or placed in special education and higher high school dropout rates.


Free Pass for Drop-Outs
NBC Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA – October 19, 2009
Monday is the first-ever Student Recovery Day in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The LAUSD wants drop-outs to come back to school and is willing to go door-to-door to find them. Starting around 8:00 this morning teams of LAUSD administrators, including superintendent Ramon Cortines, will scour the streets and neighborhoods of Los Angeles in an attempt to recover as many students as possible who are no longer enrolled in LAUSD schools. The recovery teams will also be tracking down the students by phone.

BISD reaching out to dropouts
The Brownsville Herald, Brownsville, TX – October 14, 2009
Recent BISD high school dropouts can expect a visit from people hoping to convince them to go back to school. A week from Saturday parents, teachers, school administrators and community volunteers will walk the neighborhoods of Brownsville looking for students who did not return to school this year. They’ll talk to them and their parents about the variety of paths open to return to school and graduate — and even continue their education beyond high school.

Juvenile Justice

Deal reached to help juveniles in trouble with the law in Ogle Co.
WREX 13, Oregon, IL – October 13, 2009
Juveniles running into trouble with the law in Ogle County are finding law enforcement and probation officers coming to their assistance. Members of the Ogle County Juvenile Justice Council announced 8/18/09 that they have signed an agreement that ensures juvenile offenders will undergo a professional assessment at an early stage of their contact with the justice system, which will offer the youth a chance to get needed services as quickly as possible.

Escaping the prison trap
UCLA Newsroom, Washington, DC – October 13, 2009
UCLA brought together top researchers in the criminal justice field, congressional staff, a high-ranking official in the Obama administration and a California congressman for its first Rosenfield Forum in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8. "Escaping the Prison Trap" sought to address some of the major issues confronting the U.S. justice system today, including the country's unprecedented incarceration rate; the role of communities in reducing crime, especially among juveniles; and the development of innovative programs for deterring crime and reducing prison crowding.

Foster Care

FLITE Center Helps Foster Kids Take Flight
CBS 4, Fort Lauderdale, FL – October 14, 2009
Every year, 120 foster kids in Broward County must leave their foster homes because they've turned 18. While they may be considered legal adults, many of them haven't fully developed the life skills they'll need to function successfully in the adult world. Now, those young adults aging out of the foster care system in Broward have a new place to hang out – the FLITE Center, which stands for the Fort Lauderdale Independence Training & Education Center.

Businesses improve foster kids’ chances to succeed in life
Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas, NV – October 16, 2009
It’s heartbreaking to think about children who have had a rough, unstable start in life, like many raised in foster care and entering a world when they are not ready. Some Las Vegas businesses are trying to help prepare these children for adulthood after their access to social services — the rock in their unstable world — dwindles and they are left to fend for themselves. These businesses are using their skills to help foster children who are aging out of the system and entering a world when they may not be ready.

Youth Villages eases transition from foster care
Greensboro News Record, Greensboro, NC – October 19, 2009
Brittany Emerson dropped out of Andrews High School during her senior year when she became pregnant. “When I had my son, I wanted to be focused on him,” she said. Now she’s ready to focus on herself, thanks in part to New Day, a transitional living program through the nonprofit Youth Villages. The program works with young people who have aged out of the foster-care system to help them learn to live on their own.