This Week's News: Youth in Transition

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.