This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Kentucky's Appalachian Challenge Academy offers dropouts a chance to complete school
The Courier-Journal, Harlan, KY – April 27, 2013
After dropping out of high school in Clay County, David Bowling spent his days smoking pot, abusing pills and avoiding a troubled home — all the while edging closer to a dead-end future in a corner of Appalachia where jobs are scarce.  But today, the 17-year-old has a buzz cut and a pair of fatigues and rises at 5 a.m. in a spartan, military-style bunk dorm at the foot of a mountainside.

Biloxi schools making graduation a mission
Sun Herald, Biloxi, MS – April 24, 2013
Biloxi High senior Antonio Barnes dreams of seeing his name in lights one day.  Graduation isn't an option for him, he said. It's a requirement to reach his goal.  Community leaders, students and school officials have formed a task force aimed at seeing every Biloxi senior walk in the graduation procession.

Houston High to celebrate 1,000th graduate
MyPlainview.com, Houston, TX – April 27, 2013
Houston High School reached a major milestone on April 11 when 17-year-old Antonio Espinoza, son of Roland and Norica Rodriguez, became the campus’s 1,000th graduate.  Houston High School was established as an alternative campus in 1999 to meet the needs of students who are identified as “at risk” and struggling to complete coursework in a traditional school setting.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile-justice reforms set to hit high gear in Georgia
The Florida Times-Union, Atlanta, GA – April 27, 2013
Even before Gov. Nathan Deal signs a comprehensive juvenile-justice bill into law this week in Dalton, state and local governments have begun putting the pieces into place.  After seven years of effort by lawyers, advocates and legislators, reforms are on the way to becoming law that will fundamentally change how delinquent children are handled.

Proposed overhaul of Nebraska's juvenile justice system is advanced
Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska – April 23, 2013
The cornerstone bill of a proposed overhaul of Nebraska's juvenile justice system was given first-round approval Tuesday by state lawmakers.  "We have … come to a critical point in time and cannot wait to enact meaningful juvenile justice reform," said Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha. "What we have now is simply not working."

Big Brothers Big Sisters Program Taking on Court-Referred Juveniles
ABC KCRG, Cedar Rapids, IA – April 24, 2013
The national Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is reaching out to kids already in legal trouble. And the Cedar Rapids-East Central Iowa chapter is joining that effort by now accepting kids referred by juvenile courts.  Charles Pierson, CEO of the national Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, came to Cedar Rapids on Wednesday to announce the local effort to help juveniles in legal trouble.

Foster Care

KidsPeace Launches Online Resource for Foster Care Teens
The Paramus Post, Paramus, NJ – April 24, 2013
New portal goes live for National Foster Care Awareness Month with anonymous counseling to aid teens with unique issues.  To kick-off National Foster Care Awareness Month next month, KidsPeace today launched a new web portal to provide foster care teens with a dedicated online resource to discuss and cope with issues relevant to their unique experiences.

Teen Pregnancy

Austin presentation aims to lower teen pregnancy
NBC KTTC, Austin, MN – April 23, 2013
Teen pregnancy rates in southeastern Minnesota are among the highest in the state.  And to help shed light on the issue, a married couple from the Twin Cities will speak at Austin High School on Wednesday about preventing teen pregnancy.

Strong Latino support for sex education and birth control, says new poll
NBC Latino – April 25, 2013
Nine out of ten Hispanics think sex education should be taught in the nation’s high schools and middle schools, and almost 90 percent say teen pregnancy prevention is as important as doing well in school, says a  new national poll of over 1,000 Latinos over the age of 18.  Moreover, more than half of those polled thought avoiding teen pregnancy is even  more important for Latino teens than other groups.