This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Summer camp at UNLV looks to prevent school dropouts
ABC 13, Las Vegas, NV – July 8, 2013
It's a week-long summer camp that can make a lifelong difference.  80 teenagers from around the Valley have been invited to attend CampUs Las Vegas at UNLV, which focuses on the transition from middle school to high school and dropout prevention.

JCPS raises dropout age to 18; entire state could follow suit
WDRB, Louisville, KY – July 8, 2013
In two years, you'll have to be 18 years old and an adult to drop out of high school, legally, in Louisville.  The rule could reach statewide, too.  School boards across the state are rushing to raise the dropout age from 16 to 18, to keep students in school.

Graduation rate boosted
Branson Tri-Lake News, Missouri – July 5, 2013
Missouri saw a 9.5 percent increase in graduation rates over the last decade, a trend that was also seen locally, with one district recording 98.9 percent last year.  According to area superintendents, one contributing factor is alternative school programs.

Juvenile Justice

Change forbids holding minors in adult prison
Citizens Voice – July 8, 2013
Juvenile justice advocates are applauding a rule change recently enacted by the state Supreme Court that precludes authorities from holding juveniles in adult prisons pending their appearance in juvenile court.

Texas Passes 50 Justice Bills, Covering Death Row to Juvenile Hall
KUT News, Texas – July 5, 2013
The 2013 regular session ended with  50 new criminal and juvenile justice bills passed and signed into law.  House Bill 1479 addressed truancy and other "disruption of class" offenses. House Bill 1952 individualizes the needs of special education students in order to prevent undeserved punishment.  According to the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, nearly 100,000 children are placed in the Texas juvenile justice system every year.

Foster Care

Lone Star College, a leader in foster care youth education, hosts Texas Reach Conference Your
Houston News, Texas – July 2, 2013
Lone Star College-University Park recently hosted the fourth annual Texas Reach Conference in early June to empower Texans to champion post-secondary success for foster youth and alumni.  The two-day conference entitled, “From Foster Care to College” attracted more than 200 registrants from colleges and agencies throughout the nation, in addition to foster care alumni (former foster youth) and foster parents.
   
Program aims to keep kids safe in homes and out of foster care
Michigan Radio, Michigan – July 3, 2013
More than 400,000 children are currently in foster care in the U.S. Once a child has entered the system, they remain there on average for nearly two years, according to a federal report. Our State of Opportunity team looked into a unique program that’s working to prevent kids in Michigan from even entering foster care in the first place.

Teen Pregnancy

Catching Up: Cumberland teen program working well
Press of Atlantic City, Cumberland, NJ – July 4, 2013
In October 2010 officials at South Jersey Healthcare - now called Inspira Health Network - unveiled a comprehensive plan to help Cumberland County's teen pregnancy problems.  The county has long led the state in teen pregnancy, with the rate reported at 16 percent at the time the program was announced.  But local officials unveiled a plan to work with current sixth-graders and their families on a nearly daily basis and make sure they have everything they needed to stay in school, and for their families to have proper counseling and support for their children.