Education
Saginaw resident goes from high school dropout to Delta College commencement speaker
MLive.com, Frankenlust Township, MI – April 26, 2012
Jovanna Jones jokes that when she was in high school, she didn’t even know what GPA stood for. The Saginaw native bounced among three high schools, dropping out at one point, and never thought about attending college.
Event at Robertsdale High School allows students to bring awareness to program, give back to community
The Independent, Robertsdale, AL – April 29, 2012
Nationwide the decline in high school graduation rates has reached epidemic proportions. A recent paper by the Alabama Training Institute at Auburn University at Montgomery cited a Southern Education Foundation study stating that nationwide, roughly 30 percent of the 1 million American students who begin the ninth grade each year don’t graduate.
Before East students can dance, they have to show up for class
Indianapolis Star, Des Moines, IA – April 27, 2012
Students must do more than pay for a ticket to get into East High School’s prom on Saturday. They have to show up for class.
Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice System gives kids second chance
Shore News Today, Atlantic County, NJ – April 26, 2012
Increasing numbers of Atlantic County at-risk youth are turning their lives around by taking advantage of second chances afforded through the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative. In the past, secured detention was the primary option for supervising youth offenders. With the implementation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative, a standardized risk assessment helps determine whether a youth is detained or placed into one of several alternative programs that may include treatment, counseling and education services, and community-based monitoring programs.
Ex-police chief calls for juvenile justice reform
The Daily Nonpareil, Lincoln, NB – April 26, 2012
Former Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren called for reform of the state's juvenile justice system in response to a new study that found widespread racial disparities in how cases are handled. "It's obvious there's gross disparities and over-representation of minorities in the juvenile justice system, as demonstrated by this report," Warren, now president of the Urban League of Nebraska, said Wednesday.
Foster Care
Former foster kids get connected to a better life
USA Today, Indiana – April 29, 2012
De'Jerica Michaels became pregnant at age 15, but friction at home became so tense that she left. She wound up in foster care, placed with a Noblesville family. After seven months, she returned to live at home. That arrangement fell apart again, however, and Michaels wound up living briefly in five different foster homes.
$350,000 Grant Awarded to Study Foster Youth
UCR Today, Riverside, CA – April 26, 2012
A five-year, $350,000 grant from the William T. Grant Foundation will enable Tuppett Yates to continue on-going research on how youth emerging from foster care navigate young adulthood.
Teen Pregnancy
Planned Parenthood to promote curriculum to prevent teen pregnancy
MLive.com, Flint, MI – April 24, 2012
Planned Parenthood will participate in the 11th annual "National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy" on May 2. As part of the day, Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan, it will educate more than 530 youth and 80 parents in the area on the importance of making healthy sexual choices through the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative and Taking Pride in Prevention programs, according to a news release.
North Country Children’s Clinic; new grant assists teen pregnancy program Healthy Outcomes
ABC50, North Country, NY – April 24, 2012
A $20,000 grant has been awarded to the North Country Children’s Clinic, allowing for the continuation of programming supporting teen mothers during pregnancy. The grant was awarded from the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation (MECF) for the North Country Children’s Clinic program Healthy Outcomes.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
This Week's News: Youth in Transition
Education
Women In Charge gives high school dropouts emotional and academic support
St. Louis Today, Missouri - April 18, 2012
Desiree King started having trouble in school in seventh grade. She had just transferred and wasn't fitting in. Her self-esteem plummeted and so did her grades. After her sophomore year of high school, she left to get home- schooled. But her mom, who was suffering with depression, never taught her.
LAUSD considers lowering the bar for graduation
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA – April 18, 2012
Eight years ago, the Los Angeles Board of Education adopted an ambitious plan to have all students take college-prep classes to raise academic standards in the nation's second-largest school district.
NM teachers discuss high school dropout crisis in PBS special
KOB 4, New Mexico – April 18, 2012
Teachers from across New Mexico came together to talk about the state's high school drop out crisis. Right now the state has a graduation rate of about 67 percent. Wednesday night was a chance for teachers to sound off and think of solutions.
Juvenile Justice
McDowell to get its first youth drug court
The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, WV – April 16, 2012
Year after year, educators in McDowell County have seen the same tragic story unfold in their schools: Students pop pills, snort drugs, start skipping class and eventually abandon school altogether. On Monday, the state Supreme Court announced it would create a juvenile drug court in the southern coalfield region to try to tackle one part of McDowell's devastating youth drug problem.
Ramsey County: Locking up fewer kids, and so far, less crime
Pioneer Press, Ramsey County, MN – April 21, 2012
You can hear the superintendent's words echo from the white walls of his empty cellblock. "Many days, you'd walk around here, in a pod designed to handle 12 kids, we had 16, 17 kids in there," said Steve Poynter, the head of Ramsey County's juvenile detention center. "A lot of kids were being double-bunked, put in rooms together....You put two high-risk kids together, and nothing good's going to happen.
Foster Care
New Program Could Give Young Homeless People a Hand Up
1011 Now, Central Nebraska – April 20, 2012
It is a reality for hundreds of young adults in Central Nebraska: aged out of foster care and no where to go. They're the invisible population of Hastings. "I didn't have a house and I thought after school, what am I going to do? So, it was scary," one formally homeless teenager said. She asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons. There are many like this young woman, and a new program could give them a place to call home. "It's safe place where these young people could go and they could be taught some independent living skills, get some of life's answers," CASA Executive Director RuAnn Root said.
Partners for Forever Families helps bring foster children's plight to stage
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH – April 22, 2012
Playwright Michael Oatman created an all-too real play about the Cuyahoga County foster care system. Oatman talked to some of the 1,900 teens in the system and some who have turned 18 and were forced out of it, a situation that he used as a basis for his play.
Mother and daughter show adoption is good at any age
The Baltimore Sun, Maryland – April 22, 2012
The mother and daughter relax on a cushy sofa, laughing quietly as they speak of their unusual yet utterly normal life together. "Sometimes I get a little frustrated [with you], don't I, Talynn?" the mom asks. "Yes, but we always work it out," the 9-year-old replies, leaping onto Traci Lucien and applying a huge hug.
Teen Pregnancy
Surprisingly sharp decline in teen birthrates worth cheering
Star Tribune, Minnesota – April 18, 2012
Recent news about teen birthrates had one staff member at Teenwise Minnesota going back to check her calculations. "That can't be right," she thought. But it was right.
Teen Pregnancy Rates Hit All-Time Low in the U.S.
BET – April 19, 2012
Teen pregnancy rates have hit an all-time low says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the recent report, teen pregnancy rates decreased by nine percent from 2009 to 2010. That indicates 34.3 births per 1,000 were to a teenage mother ages 15 to 19, which is a 44 percent drop from 1991 to 2010. The CDC also found a decrease among all races and ethnicities, but disparities still remain. Latino, Native American and Alaskan teenage birth rates dropped by 12 percent, while African-American and white rates dropped by nine percent.
Women In Charge gives high school dropouts emotional and academic support
St. Louis Today, Missouri - April 18, 2012
Desiree King started having trouble in school in seventh grade. She had just transferred and wasn't fitting in. Her self-esteem plummeted and so did her grades. After her sophomore year of high school, she left to get home- schooled. But her mom, who was suffering with depression, never taught her.
LAUSD considers lowering the bar for graduation
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA – April 18, 2012
Eight years ago, the Los Angeles Board of Education adopted an ambitious plan to have all students take college-prep classes to raise academic standards in the nation's second-largest school district.
NM teachers discuss high school dropout crisis in PBS special
KOB 4, New Mexico – April 18, 2012
Teachers from across New Mexico came together to talk about the state's high school drop out crisis. Right now the state has a graduation rate of about 67 percent. Wednesday night was a chance for teachers to sound off and think of solutions.
Juvenile Justice
McDowell to get its first youth drug court
The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, WV – April 16, 2012
Year after year, educators in McDowell County have seen the same tragic story unfold in their schools: Students pop pills, snort drugs, start skipping class and eventually abandon school altogether. On Monday, the state Supreme Court announced it would create a juvenile drug court in the southern coalfield region to try to tackle one part of McDowell's devastating youth drug problem.
Ramsey County: Locking up fewer kids, and so far, less crime
Pioneer Press, Ramsey County, MN – April 21, 2012
You can hear the superintendent's words echo from the white walls of his empty cellblock. "Many days, you'd walk around here, in a pod designed to handle 12 kids, we had 16, 17 kids in there," said Steve Poynter, the head of Ramsey County's juvenile detention center. "A lot of kids were being double-bunked, put in rooms together....You put two high-risk kids together, and nothing good's going to happen.
Foster Care
New Program Could Give Young Homeless People a Hand Up
1011 Now, Central Nebraska – April 20, 2012
It is a reality for hundreds of young adults in Central Nebraska: aged out of foster care and no where to go. They're the invisible population of Hastings. "I didn't have a house and I thought after school, what am I going to do? So, it was scary," one formally homeless teenager said. She asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons. There are many like this young woman, and a new program could give them a place to call home. "It's safe place where these young people could go and they could be taught some independent living skills, get some of life's answers," CASA Executive Director RuAnn Root said.
Partners for Forever Families helps bring foster children's plight to stage
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH – April 22, 2012
Playwright Michael Oatman created an all-too real play about the Cuyahoga County foster care system. Oatman talked to some of the 1,900 teens in the system and some who have turned 18 and were forced out of it, a situation that he used as a basis for his play.
Mother and daughter show adoption is good at any age
The Baltimore Sun, Maryland – April 22, 2012
The mother and daughter relax on a cushy sofa, laughing quietly as they speak of their unusual yet utterly normal life together. "Sometimes I get a little frustrated [with you], don't I, Talynn?" the mom asks. "Yes, but we always work it out," the 9-year-old replies, leaping onto Traci Lucien and applying a huge hug.
Teen Pregnancy
Surprisingly sharp decline in teen birthrates worth cheering
Star Tribune, Minnesota – April 18, 2012
Recent news about teen birthrates had one staff member at Teenwise Minnesota going back to check her calculations. "That can't be right," she thought. But it was right.
Teen Pregnancy Rates Hit All-Time Low in the U.S.
BET – April 19, 2012
Teen pregnancy rates have hit an all-time low says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the recent report, teen pregnancy rates decreased by nine percent from 2009 to 2010. That indicates 34.3 births per 1,000 were to a teenage mother ages 15 to 19, which is a 44 percent drop from 1991 to 2010. The CDC also found a decrease among all races and ethnicities, but disparities still remain. Latino, Native American and Alaskan teenage birth rates dropped by 12 percent, while African-American and white rates dropped by nine percent.
Monday, April 16, 2012
This Week's News: Youth in Transition
Education
Show will highlight high school drop-out crisis
The Times-Picayume, New Orleans, LA – April 13, 2012
American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen is a public media initiative designed to help communities across America find solutions to the drop-out crisis. It is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in partnership with America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
JPS officials work to curb dropouts
The Jamestown Sun, Jamestown, ND – April 13, 2012
Students enter or leave Jamestown Public Schools almost daily for a multitude of reasons. At the high school level, some simply quit. “There isn’t hardly a day that goes by that I don’t get an enrollment update from an elementary school, the middle school or the high school,” said JPS Superintendent Bob Toso.
Brockton High School to receive Gould Award from Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Enterprise, Brockton, MA – April 12, 2012
Principal Sue Szachowicz will be able to add another accolade to Brockton High School’s resume next month when the Associated Industries of Massachusetts gives the school its annual Gould Award. The award, given annually by AIM since 1998, recognizes the contributions of individuals and institutions in improving public education and advancement, employability and productivity.
Juvenile Justice
Youth Court aims to get misbehaving teens back on the right track
KSL.com, Sandy, UT – April 10, 2012
It's considered one of the most successful juvenile programs in the state: Youth Court. Organizers say it helps steer good kids away from a possibly bad direction. Every other Tuesday, a jury made up of school-age kids gathers in a Sandy City court room and doles out punishment to other kids who've committed essentially petty crimes.
Juvenile Information Sharing Bill Becomes Law in Wisconsin
My Stateline, Rock County, WI – April 10, 2012
Juvenile Justice Service Division Manager Lance Horozewski oversees all juvenile court cases and services in Rock County. He does what he can to make sure he's providing the right and appropriate services to stateline kids.
Partnership provides extra help to keep troubled youths out of court system
News-Leader, MO – April 9, 2012
Local juvenile and school officials are exploring a new approach to keep youths who get into a little trouble from making bigger mistakes. They hope a pilot program that provides extra help at the school level will keep fewer children and youths from ever entering the juvenile court system.
Foster Care
Teens give a voice to those in foster care in hopes of making the system more effective
ABC5, Cleveland, OH – April 12, 2012
"We've got to fight that fight and it's not going to stop. Foster care is inevitable." Those are powerful words coming from a young man who is familiar with life in the foster care system. His mother was in the system and subsequently, so was he.
Mentor program helps youth in need
City Times, San Diego, CA – April 12, 2012
With an alarming statistic stating that roughly 3 percent of youths in foster care will be graduating once in college, the Public Mental Health Academy decided to launch the Foster Youth Mentor Program this semester at City College.
Teen Pregnancy
U.S. teen pregnancy rates at an all-time low across all ethnicities
CBS News – April 10, 2012
The rate of teenagers becoming mothers is declining rapidly, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The average teen birth rate decreased 9 percent from 2009 to 2010, reaching an all time low of 34.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19. That's a 44 percent drop from 1991 to 2010. There were less teenage mothers in 2010 than any year since 1946.
Show will highlight high school drop-out crisis
The Times-Picayume, New Orleans, LA – April 13, 2012
American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen is a public media initiative designed to help communities across America find solutions to the drop-out crisis. It is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in partnership with America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
JPS officials work to curb dropouts
The Jamestown Sun, Jamestown, ND – April 13, 2012
Students enter or leave Jamestown Public Schools almost daily for a multitude of reasons. At the high school level, some simply quit. “There isn’t hardly a day that goes by that I don’t get an enrollment update from an elementary school, the middle school or the high school,” said JPS Superintendent Bob Toso.
Brockton High School to receive Gould Award from Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Enterprise, Brockton, MA – April 12, 2012
Principal Sue Szachowicz will be able to add another accolade to Brockton High School’s resume next month when the Associated Industries of Massachusetts gives the school its annual Gould Award. The award, given annually by AIM since 1998, recognizes the contributions of individuals and institutions in improving public education and advancement, employability and productivity.
Juvenile Justice
Youth Court aims to get misbehaving teens back on the right track
KSL.com, Sandy, UT – April 10, 2012
It's considered one of the most successful juvenile programs in the state: Youth Court. Organizers say it helps steer good kids away from a possibly bad direction. Every other Tuesday, a jury made up of school-age kids gathers in a Sandy City court room and doles out punishment to other kids who've committed essentially petty crimes.
Juvenile Information Sharing Bill Becomes Law in Wisconsin
My Stateline, Rock County, WI – April 10, 2012
Juvenile Justice Service Division Manager Lance Horozewski oversees all juvenile court cases and services in Rock County. He does what he can to make sure he's providing the right and appropriate services to stateline kids.
Partnership provides extra help to keep troubled youths out of court system
News-Leader, MO – April 9, 2012
Local juvenile and school officials are exploring a new approach to keep youths who get into a little trouble from making bigger mistakes. They hope a pilot program that provides extra help at the school level will keep fewer children and youths from ever entering the juvenile court system.
Foster Care
Teens give a voice to those in foster care in hopes of making the system more effective
ABC5, Cleveland, OH – April 12, 2012
"We've got to fight that fight and it's not going to stop. Foster care is inevitable." Those are powerful words coming from a young man who is familiar with life in the foster care system. His mother was in the system and subsequently, so was he.
Mentor program helps youth in need
City Times, San Diego, CA – April 12, 2012
With an alarming statistic stating that roughly 3 percent of youths in foster care will be graduating once in college, the Public Mental Health Academy decided to launch the Foster Youth Mentor Program this semester at City College.
Teen Pregnancy
U.S. teen pregnancy rates at an all-time low across all ethnicities
CBS News – April 10, 2012
The rate of teenagers becoming mothers is declining rapidly, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The average teen birth rate decreased 9 percent from 2009 to 2010, reaching an all time low of 34.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19. That's a 44 percent drop from 1991 to 2010. There were less teenage mothers in 2010 than any year since 1946.
Monday, April 09, 2012
This Week's News: Youth in Transition
Education
Massachusetts considers raising school dropout age
The Tufts Daily, Massachusetts – April 5, 2012
The Massachusetts legislature is considering legislation that would increase the mandatory school attendance age from 16 to 18 in an effort to reduce the state’s dropout rate.
Nebraska lawmakers pass high school dropout bill
KCAU TV, Lincoln, NE – April 3, 2012
Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill that would make dropping out of high school more difficult. Lawmakers voted the bill through its final reading Tuesday, 28-20. The measure by Lexington Sen. John Wightman would only allow students to drop out before age 18 if they can show that they have to work to support their family, or cannot attend school because of an illness.
Randolph program makes ‘Stars’ of potential dropouts
The Boston Globe, Randolph, MA – April 8, 2012
Four years ago, the Stars after-school program at Randolph High School began looking for ways to encourage ninth-graders who were at risk of becoming dropouts to stay in school. This year, its first class is graduating with flying colors, according to Stars officials.
Juvenile Justice
State Senate gives initial approval to juvenile justice reform bill
Fox 31, Denver, CO – April 4, 2012
The Colorado State Senate on Wednesday gave initial approval to one of the most controversial bills of the legislative session: a proposal to strip Colorado district attorneys of their ability to “direct file” the cases of juvenile offenders into the adult prison system.
Ohio Supreme Court strikes down lifetime registration requirements for juvenile sex offenders
The Plain Dealer, Columbus, OH – April 3, 2012
The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a lifetime requirement that certain juvenile sex offenders register online and elsewhere, saying it was cruel and unusual punishment.
Foster Care
New program allows foster youth to remain in state care until age 21
Detroit Free Press, Michigan – April 2, 2012
Foster youth in Michigan can now tap into service until they are 21 under a long-awaited Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care program.
Nonprofit helps those aging out of foster care
Coshocton Tribune, Little Rock, AK – April 5, 2012
Every year, time runs out for 250 young Arkansans — figuratively, perhaps, not literally. That's where Eric Gilmore comes in. In August 2010, he and his wife, North Little native Kara Howe Gilmore, started Immerse Arkansas, a nonprofit that offers a helping hand to young people trying to make the transition from foster care to a successful adult life.
Lawmakers get glimpse of Florida’s child welfare system
South Florida Times, Florida – April 5, 2012
Stories of children in peril and relatives and foster care programs caring for them were told during a one-day stop on March 30 in Broward and Miami-counties by the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth looking into possible improvements to federal policy to help children in need.
Teen Pregnancy
Jackson County Initiative Helps Prevent Teen Pregnancy
WILX, Jackson County, MI – April 2, 2012
Jackson County has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state of Michigan, but a group of teens is taking a stand to change that legacy. Jackson County's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) was recently given more than $600,000 over the next three years in state and federal grants. The grants allow the TPPI to provide support and mentoring for at-risk Jackson County teens through programming and educational assemblies.
Teen Pregnancy More Prevalent In States With High Income Inequality: Study
The Huffington Post – April 3, 2012
While plenty of research confirms that living in poverty increases the chances of teen pregnancy, new information suggests that when low-income teenagers live in places with high income inequality the risk of pregnancy is even higher.
Massachusetts considers raising school dropout age
The Tufts Daily, Massachusetts – April 5, 2012
The Massachusetts legislature is considering legislation that would increase the mandatory school attendance age from 16 to 18 in an effort to reduce the state’s dropout rate.
Nebraska lawmakers pass high school dropout bill
KCAU TV, Lincoln, NE – April 3, 2012
Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill that would make dropping out of high school more difficult. Lawmakers voted the bill through its final reading Tuesday, 28-20. The measure by Lexington Sen. John Wightman would only allow students to drop out before age 18 if they can show that they have to work to support their family, or cannot attend school because of an illness.
Randolph program makes ‘Stars’ of potential dropouts
The Boston Globe, Randolph, MA – April 8, 2012
Four years ago, the Stars after-school program at Randolph High School began looking for ways to encourage ninth-graders who were at risk of becoming dropouts to stay in school. This year, its first class is graduating with flying colors, according to Stars officials.
Juvenile Justice
State Senate gives initial approval to juvenile justice reform bill
Fox 31, Denver, CO – April 4, 2012
The Colorado State Senate on Wednesday gave initial approval to one of the most controversial bills of the legislative session: a proposal to strip Colorado district attorneys of their ability to “direct file” the cases of juvenile offenders into the adult prison system.
Ohio Supreme Court strikes down lifetime registration requirements for juvenile sex offenders
The Plain Dealer, Columbus, OH – April 3, 2012
The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a lifetime requirement that certain juvenile sex offenders register online and elsewhere, saying it was cruel and unusual punishment.
Foster Care
New program allows foster youth to remain in state care until age 21
Detroit Free Press, Michigan – April 2, 2012
Foster youth in Michigan can now tap into service until they are 21 under a long-awaited Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care program.
Nonprofit helps those aging out of foster care
Coshocton Tribune, Little Rock, AK – April 5, 2012
Every year, time runs out for 250 young Arkansans — figuratively, perhaps, not literally. That's where Eric Gilmore comes in. In August 2010, he and his wife, North Little native Kara Howe Gilmore, started Immerse Arkansas, a nonprofit that offers a helping hand to young people trying to make the transition from foster care to a successful adult life.
Lawmakers get glimpse of Florida’s child welfare system
South Florida Times, Florida – April 5, 2012
Stories of children in peril and relatives and foster care programs caring for them were told during a one-day stop on March 30 in Broward and Miami-counties by the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth looking into possible improvements to federal policy to help children in need.
Teen Pregnancy
Jackson County Initiative Helps Prevent Teen Pregnancy
WILX, Jackson County, MI – April 2, 2012
Jackson County has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state of Michigan, but a group of teens is taking a stand to change that legacy. Jackson County's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) was recently given more than $600,000 over the next three years in state and federal grants. The grants allow the TPPI to provide support and mentoring for at-risk Jackson County teens through programming and educational assemblies.
Teen Pregnancy More Prevalent In States With High Income Inequality: Study
The Huffington Post – April 3, 2012
While plenty of research confirms that living in poverty increases the chances of teen pregnancy, new information suggests that when low-income teenagers live in places with high income inequality the risk of pregnancy is even higher.
Monday, April 02, 2012
This Week's News: Youth in Transition
Education
Reaching individual students key to lowering dropout rate
Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln, NE – March 29, 2012
TJ McDowell spends a part of each week in three of Lincoln's public high schools tracking down a number of young men he's come to know.
Western’s turnaround progressing, high-ranking official finds in visit to school
Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas, NV – March 29, 2012
The government’s second-in-command for education came to town this week to nose around. The federal government has sent $8.7 million in federal money to help Clark County improve its poorest-performing schools, and Tony Miller wanted to see if it was doing any good.
Officials: Prevention better than changing dropout age
The Capital, Maryland – April 1, 2012
Principal Nelson Horine has another name for evening high schools he leads around Anne Arundel County: “Safety nets.” And in his job, he said, there are too many stories to count of students who might have otherwise fallen all the way to the hard ground.
Juvenile Justice
Seeking a Softer Justice System, Closer to Home, for New York’s Juvenile Offenders
The New York Times, Brooklyn, NY – March 26, 2012
The teenage boys living in a Brooklyn row house board a van every morning to go to school. When they return, they cook their own meals, do their own laundry, play video games and discuss life. They receive visits from their families each week and sometimes take field trips to the movies or to a bowling alley.
Supreme Court reviews life sentences for juvenile murderers
Sun Sentinel, Florida – April 1, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court recently took up the issue of whether it is cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a convicted killer to life in prison without parole if the crime was committed when the defendant was under 18. A decision is expected within the next few months.
Foster Care
Court orders aid resumed to former foster child despite some bad grades
The Miami Herald, Florida – March 26, 2012
In a ruling that could have significant implications for former foster children throughout Florida, a Miami appeals court last week said that a young adult who “aged out” of foster care need not have pulled good grades and attended faithfully all year in order to qualify for state-funded financial aid that is contingent upon successful academic achievement. Redeeming herself after a short educational setback may have been enough.
Jimmy Wayne Aids in Passing of New Tennessee Bill for Foster Children
Taste of Country, Tennessee – March 26, 2012
Chances are that no matter what happens to Jimmy Wayne in the coming weeks, he will remain with a smile on his face and in the grandest of moods. Earlier this month, Wayne was sitting front and center in a Tennessee board room when the news was revealed that a new bill he was fighting for — one which supports foster children — had passed congress.
Rise Up employment program puts focus on young adults transitioning out of foster care
Corpus Christi Caller, Texas – March 31, 2012
Even the Coastal Bend's gradually declining unemployment rate doesn't spell success for everyone. Some groups may be affected more than others, and the state and federal government target some of those priority populations with more focused employment resources.
Teen Pregnancy
United Way uses pregnant mannequins to fight teen pregnancy
620 WTMJ, Milwaukee, WI – March 29, 2012
An edgy campaign has kicked off to curb teen pregnancy, an issue that's prevalent in the Milwaukee area. The plan includes pregnant mannequins, targeted at teenagers preparing for prom.
Fewer teens in Solano County getting pregnant
The Reporter, California – March 29, 2012
California's and Solano County's teen birth rates dropped to record lows in 2010, with the county numbers well below the state average, state Department of Public Health officials said.
Reaching individual students key to lowering dropout rate
Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln, NE – March 29, 2012
TJ McDowell spends a part of each week in three of Lincoln's public high schools tracking down a number of young men he's come to know.
Western’s turnaround progressing, high-ranking official finds in visit to school
Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas, NV – March 29, 2012
The government’s second-in-command for education came to town this week to nose around. The federal government has sent $8.7 million in federal money to help Clark County improve its poorest-performing schools, and Tony Miller wanted to see if it was doing any good.
Officials: Prevention better than changing dropout age
The Capital, Maryland – April 1, 2012
Principal Nelson Horine has another name for evening high schools he leads around Anne Arundel County: “Safety nets.” And in his job, he said, there are too many stories to count of students who might have otherwise fallen all the way to the hard ground.
Juvenile Justice
Seeking a Softer Justice System, Closer to Home, for New York’s Juvenile Offenders
The New York Times, Brooklyn, NY – March 26, 2012
The teenage boys living in a Brooklyn row house board a van every morning to go to school. When they return, they cook their own meals, do their own laundry, play video games and discuss life. They receive visits from their families each week and sometimes take field trips to the movies or to a bowling alley.
Supreme Court reviews life sentences for juvenile murderers
Sun Sentinel, Florida – April 1, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court recently took up the issue of whether it is cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a convicted killer to life in prison without parole if the crime was committed when the defendant was under 18. A decision is expected within the next few months.
Foster Care
Court orders aid resumed to former foster child despite some bad grades
The Miami Herald, Florida – March 26, 2012
In a ruling that could have significant implications for former foster children throughout Florida, a Miami appeals court last week said that a young adult who “aged out” of foster care need not have pulled good grades and attended faithfully all year in order to qualify for state-funded financial aid that is contingent upon successful academic achievement. Redeeming herself after a short educational setback may have been enough.
Jimmy Wayne Aids in Passing of New Tennessee Bill for Foster Children
Taste of Country, Tennessee – March 26, 2012
Chances are that no matter what happens to Jimmy Wayne in the coming weeks, he will remain with a smile on his face and in the grandest of moods. Earlier this month, Wayne was sitting front and center in a Tennessee board room when the news was revealed that a new bill he was fighting for — one which supports foster children — had passed congress.
Rise Up employment program puts focus on young adults transitioning out of foster care
Corpus Christi Caller, Texas – March 31, 2012
Even the Coastal Bend's gradually declining unemployment rate doesn't spell success for everyone. Some groups may be affected more than others, and the state and federal government target some of those priority populations with more focused employment resources.
Teen Pregnancy
United Way uses pregnant mannequins to fight teen pregnancy
620 WTMJ, Milwaukee, WI – March 29, 2012
An edgy campaign has kicked off to curb teen pregnancy, an issue that's prevalent in the Milwaukee area. The plan includes pregnant mannequins, targeted at teenagers preparing for prom.
Fewer teens in Solano County getting pregnant
The Reporter, California – March 29, 2012
California's and Solano County's teen birth rates dropped to record lows in 2010, with the county numbers well below the state average, state Department of Public Health officials said.
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