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Editor's
Note
Eric Polk grew up in East Nashville, Tennessee. "I
entered high school with 657 ninth graders; 187 graduated,"
he said at a February 27 press event where he received
the Ready by 21 Change Maker Award. At the event, the
Forum for Youth Investment brought together six national
partners -- United Way of America, National Conference
of State Legislatures, American Association of School
Administrators, the National Collaboration for Youth,
America's Promise and Corporate Voices for Working
Families -- to launch the Ready by 21™ Challenge
to support states and localities in changing the way
youth work is done to ensure that all young people are
ready for college, work and life.
Polk, a college graduate who has returned to his
hometown to work with young people, says, "it's
time" for the Ready by 21 Challenge. The Co-Chairs
of the Ready by 21 Challenge -- Former Congressman Dick
Gephardt and Former Governor Tom Ridge -- spoke in support
of the Challenge. Connectforkids.org has the scoop.
Also this week: in the face of growing economic worries
and a federal budget proposal that advocates say leaves
children out, there are new resources for family well-being
-- including a fun animated video in support of paid
sick leave, tools to help families access the powerful
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and resources for first-generation
college students.
For the young people in your work or life, there are
several opportunities for leadership development and
service learning. And since out-of-school time programs
can be critical for the safety and success of youth,
check out the Finance Project's guides for sustaining
programs, and new evidence about what works in after-school
from Chapin Hall and CASEL.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has a guide to help you
make sense of the new Medicaid regulations that have
many governors and advocates concerned.
Thanks to all who voted on our name change: the winner
is CFK Update! Look for a snazzy new banner to top our
next issue on March 19.
Keep working together for kids, everyone!
Caitlin Johnson
weekly@connectforkids.org
 To
read PDF files, download the free Adobe
Reader.
|
New
on ConnectforKids.org
Kicking
Off the Ready by 21 Challenge
On February 27, the Forum for Youth Investment and its
national partners launched the Ready by 21 Challenge to
help state and local leaders "change the odds for
youth by changing the way they do business." Specifically,
the aim is to help leaders make decisions that lead to
bigger goals, bolder strategies and better partnerships
to ensure that every young person is ready by 21 -- ready
for college, work and life.
 Superintendents
of Learning
In her latest Youth Today
column, Karen Pittman surprised herself. "Superintendents
rock! I've never started a column like this before,
certainly not one about school administrators -- the people
whom youth workers frequently butt heads with over money,
building space, bus schedules and even permission slips.
But at a forum hosted by the American Association of School
Administrators, I recently spent two days with 25 of the
most enthusiastic public leaders I've ever met."
Read more about Karen's comments on what it takes
to shift from superintendents of schools to superintendents
of new, student-focused learning systems.
|
 Reconnecting
Youth
Shop
Class Retooled at San Francisco High School
This is not your parents' shop class. San Francisco's
Thurgood Marshall High School has transformed its vocational
education classes into a program that gives a diverse
group of students computer and industrial
design skills for 21st-century careers. (Thanks
to the Children's Partnership for pointing us to this
San Francisco Chronicle
article.)
 Solving
California's Dropout Crisis
A new report from the California Dropout Research Project
looks at the rates, causes and costs of high school dropout
and what the state, schools and districts can do about
it. Among the findings: the graduation rate for African-Americans
in California is 57 percent, Hispanics 60 percent, Native
Americans 52 percent, Asians 84 percent and Whites 77
percent. |
Work
& Family Well-Being
 "Frank
Fever": Animating Paid Sick Leave
Nearly 50 percent of workers -- 57 million people -- don't
have any paid sick days. The National Partnership for
Women and Families is taking the important policy discussion
in a decidedly non-wonky direction with a new animated
video. The National Partnership has more information
and tools for action online.
Cities
Helping Families Claim Earned Income Tax Credit
As families throughout the country file their tax returns,
city leaders are hosting campaign kickoff events to alert
low-income working families about their eligibility for
the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Increase
in Inequality is Highest on Record
December data from the Congressional Budget Office reveal
an historic increase in household income inequality over
the past few years -- $400 billion dollars has transferred
from households in the bottom 95 percent of the income
scale to those in the top 5 percent.
|
Access
to College
 First
in the Family: Advice About College from First-Generation
Students
For two years, Next Generation Press/What Kids Can Do
has been gathering the wisdom of first-generation college
students on the critical issues of college access and
success. The result is a growing collection of resources
by and for first-generation students. (Created with support
from the Lumina Foundation.)
- Vol.
I: Your High School Years. It's tough to aim
for college if other family members have not. This
book offers encouraging and practical guidance, stories
and checklists. It is geared towards students in grades
8 to 12.
- Vol.
II: Your College Years. First-generation students
share the sort of know-how that passes down through
generations of college-educated families: building
relationships with professors, choosing courses that
can open new doors, managing time and more.
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Youth
Leadership Opportunities: Engagement and Service
Youth
Service America Seeks Nominees for National Youth Council
The National Youth Council is a diverse group of young
people who advise Youth Service America in its programming,
direction and evaluation. Applicants must be between the
ages of 12 and 22 and live in the U.S. or Canada. For
an application packet, contact Daniel Hatcher at dhatcher@ysa.org.
Deadline: March 10.
State
Farm Seeks Applications for Youth Advisory Board
State Farm's new Youth Advisory Board will have input
into the design and implementation of $5 million per year
in youth service-learning grants. Thirty students ages
17-20 from across the United States and Canada will be
selected. Young people can apply online. Deadline:
April 18.
 Heads
Up: Global Youth Enterprise Conference (September 15-16)
This Making Cents International conference in Washington,
DC, will focus on effective youth enterprise and entrepreneurship
programs around the world. You can submit a proposal,
become an exhibitor, and/or register online. |
Education
News
Training:
Special Education Research (April 15 and 16)
The National Center for Special Education Research is
sponsoring a two-day Training Institute to help researches
conduct rigorous special education research using single-case
methodologies that incorporate quantitative analyses.
It will be held in Washington, D.C. Apply online.
Special
Education Blog
In her blog, Education
Week reporter Christina A. Samuels tracks local,
state and national news and trends in the special education
community.
 Involved,
Invisible, Ignored: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgender Parents and their Children in K-12 Schools
There are more than 7 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) parents with school-age children in
the United States, according to a new report from the
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. These parents
are more likely than the general public to be involved
with their child's school -- 94 percent attend parent-teacher
conferences compared to 42 percent overall. But they and
their children often report harassment because of their
family structure.
 Six
Goals of Educational Equity -- A Podcast for Educators
This free podcast from the Intercultural Development Research
Association offers insight and strategies for giving today's
diverse student population an excellent and equitable
education through to graduation. It is designed for public
school teachers and administrators. |
After-School
and Out-of-School Time
Finance Project Out-of-School
Time Resources
There are two new after-school publications from the Finance
Project:
 Using
CDBG to Support Community-Based Youth Programs.
This brief aims to provide policymakers, stakeholders,
community leaders and program developers with a basic
understanding of how the Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) is structured and how it can support
youth initiatives.
Palm
Beach County's Prime Time Initiative: Improving the
Quality of After-School Programs
To strengthen the quality of local after-school programs,
the Prime Time Initiative in Palm Beach County, Florida
launched a quality improvement project in 38 after-school
programs serving elementary and middle-school students.
This Chapin Hall report evaluates the project and discusses
its third-year challenges and successes.
 The
Impact of After-School Programs That Promote Personal
and Social Skills
A new report from the Collaborative for Academic, Social,
and Emotional Learning (CASEL) finds good outcomes from
after-school programs that use evidence-based approaches
to enhance personal and social skills. Outcomes included
feelings of self-confidence, positive feelings toward
school, grades and achievement test scores.
|
Health
and Health Care
Impact
of New Federal Medicaid Regulations
Six controversial regulatory changes to the Medicaid health
insurance program could reduce Medicaid spending by $12
billion over five years, according to the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services. This brief from the Kaiser
Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured explains current
policy, the changes and what they will mean for states
and children.
Healthcare
Insecurity Greatest among Hispanics
One-fourth of Hispanics are worried about losing their
insurance coverage -- nearly twice the percentage of whites
who share that worry -- and 26 percent avoid going to
the doctor because of concerns about costs. Find out more
in this recent Economic Policy Institute snapshot.
 Call
for Proposals: Healthy Teen Network Conference
Healthy Teen Network's 2008 national conference, Speaking
Many Languages, will focus on reducing teen pregnancy,
promoting positive decisions about sexuality and reproductive
issues and supporting teen parents to raise healthy children.
The conference will be held October 19 to November 1 in
Albuquerque, NM. Proposal
deadline: April 11. |
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Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment
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