L.A.'s
Homeboy Industries Intervenes With Gang-Involved Youth
Homeboy Industries is a
job-training program that educates, trains, and finds jobs for at-risk and
gang-involved youth. Located in the gang-afflicted East L.A. community of Boyle Heights, Homeboy Industries offers gang-involved and at-risk youth
the opportunity to become productive members of society through a variety
of employment-centered services.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/las_homeboy_ind.html
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Realistic
Child Support Policies that Support Successful Re-entry
These slides from the Center
for Law and Social Policy describe 8 child support strategies to improve
employment and long-term child support outcomes for parents leaving prison.
One half of parents in prison have an open child support case. On average,
parents owe $10,000 entering prison and $20,000+ upon release. There is evidence
that increased incarceration and stronger child support enforcement contribute
to the decline in employment by less-educated African-American young men.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/realistic_child.html
Teen
Career Plans Out of Sync with Reality
Unfortunately, the goals
of too many teens now outpace what they are likely to achieve, a problem that
can lead to wasted time and resources, not to mention anxiety and distress,
according to a new Florida State University study.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/teen_career_pla.html
**Civic Engagement
Stories
of Women's Hope, Activism and Leadership Across the Gulf Coast
Women are building houses
and communities, sheltering the homeless and preventing domestic violence,
and advocating for policies and approaches that improve life in the areas
devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with help from the Ms. Foundation
through its Katrina Women's Response fund. The fund has raised $1.3 million
in the aftermath of the storms to help elevate the voices of low-income women
in the Gulf - especially those of color - and to ensure that their leadership
is central to the region's recovery process.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/stories_of_wome.html
National
Conference of Black Mayors, Inc. Calls for National Day of Prayer, Remembrance
in Wake of Anniversary of Katrina
The National Conference
of Black Mayors, Inc. (NCBM) has called for a National Day of Prayer for the
families and communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. Mayors from across
the country will come together in unity to pray for the Gulf Coast and thousands
of citizens still feeling the aftermath of the storm one year later.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/national_confer.html
**Economic Security
The
Changing Role of Welfare in the Lives of Low-Income Families with Children
Individuals no longer have
an entitlement to welfare, and states have changed how they administer cash
assistance. Numerous other safety net programs also changed, as the 1996
legislation limited immigrant eligibility for food stamps, scaled back children's
eligibility for disability benefits, increased federal money for child care,
and placed greater demands on states' child support enforcement systems.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/the_changing_ro.html
**Education
Study
Shows Aggressive Students often Lack Psychological Evaluations and Effective
Treatment
As the disturbing trend
of school violence continues to plague our education system, it is important
for caregivers, educators, and doctors to join forces to be proactive in its
prevention. A study in the August issue of The Journal of Pediatrics shows
that students displaying violent behaviors often have untreated learning disorders
and psychiatric illnesses.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/study_shows_agg.html
A
Closer Look at Charter Schools
A special over sample of
charter schools, conducted as part of the 2003 fourth-grade NAEP assessments,
permitted a comparison of academic achievement for students enrolled in charter
schools to that for students enrolled in traditional public schools. After
adjusting for student demographic characteristics, charter school mean scores
in reading and mathematics were lower, on average, than those for traditional
public schools.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/a_closer_look_a.html
Statement
by Secretary Margaret Spellings on Release of NCES Study on Charter Schools
Many charter schools are
still relatively new, and we need to examine how they improve student performance
over time for a better picture of how they compare to traditional public schools.
Charter schools are empowering low-income parents with new educational options
and providing an important lifeline for families in areas where traditional
public schools have fallen short of their responsibilities.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/statement_by_se_1.html
Education
Department Announces New Aid for Hurricane-Affected Schools
U.S. Secretary of Education
Margaret Spellings announced today that over $60 million in foreign aid donations
have been awarded, and $235 million in supplemental funding from the Emergency
Impact Aid for Displaced Students program also has been made immediately available
to rebuild, restart school operations and meet the education needs of displaced
students in Gulf Coast states.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/secretary_spell_21.html
U.S.
Department of Education Awards $16.7 Million in Grants to Alaska Organizations
The Education Department
announced the award of $16.7 million in grants to 32 Alaska organizations to help them support
the unique educational needs of Alaska Native children and adults. The three-year
grants will support a wide range of innovative projects---from family literacy
and home-based tutoring to dropout prevention and teacher training---designed
to benefit Alaska native populations through enhanced
teaching and learning opportunities.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/us_department_o_8.html
U.S.
Education Department Grants Provide Over $11.6 Million for 23 Native Hawaiian
Education Programs
Nearly two dozen Native
Hawaiian Education (NHE) programs on Oahu, Maui and the island of Hawaii have been selected to receive $11,609,750 to develop, assist
and expand innovative programs that provide supplemental services and address
the educational needs of Native Hawaiian children and adults
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/us_education_de.html
**Health
New
Study Seeks to Lower Diabetes Risk in Youth
As schools across the country
reopen their doors this fall, hundreds of sixth graders in 42 middle schools
will begin taking part in a study sponsored by the National Institutes of
Health. The HEALTHY study will determine if changes in school food services
and physical education classes, along with activities that encourage healthy
behaviors, lower risk factors for type 2 diabetes, an increasingly common
disease in youth.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/new_study_seeks.html
Analysis
Shows Blacks have Poorer Diabetes Control than Whites
An analysis combining 11
separate research studies found that blacks with diabetes have poorer control
of blood sugar than whites, according to researchers from Wake Forest University
School of Medicine and colleagues. "This lower level of control may
partly explain why blacks have disproportionately higher rates of death and
complications from diabetes."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/analysis_shows.html
Levels
of Serious Mental Illness in Katrina Survivors Doubled Compared to Earlier
Pre-Katrina Survey
According to the most comprehensive
survey yet completed of mental health among Hurricane Katrina survivors from
Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, the proportion of people with a serious
mental illness doubled in the months after the hurricane compared to a survey
carried out several years before the hurricane. The study also found that
thoughts of suicide did not increase despite the dramatic increase in mental
illness.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/levels_of_serio.html
**Substance Abuse
Fight
Teen Drinking from the Outside
When considering how to
prevent use of the No. 1 drug of choice for youth - alcohol - people usually
think of awareness programs that tell teens and their parents why underage
drinking is bad. Such individual behavioral approaches may be common, but
the newest, most promising means is changing the overall environment where
problems take root, thereby protecting whole populations.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/fight_teen_drin.html
READERS
RESPOND: War on Drugs (Part 3)
Passionate, thoughtful responses
to Join Together's feature story on a June gathering of former drug czars
(part 3 of 3). It's a war we all need to fight in behalf of children of addicted
parents, an invisible mass of kids (one out of every four in this country)
who needs still are not being met, even though they carry the burden of the
transgenerational effects of alcoholism and other substance abuse.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/readers_respond_2.html
Alcohol
Wholesalers Say Kids Get Alcohol from Internet
The trade association for
the wine and liquor wholesalers industry -- a group that stands to lose big
from direct sales of alcohol -- has released a study saying that 2 percent
of 14- to 20-year-olds have purchased alcohol online. "For the first
time, we have hard evidence that millions of kids are buying alcohol online
and that the Internet is fast becoming a high-tech, low-risk way for kids
to get beer, wine and liquor delivered to their home with no ID check."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/08/alcohol_wholesa.html
