The veto came down, so now what? This morning, President Bush vetoed the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansion that passed with strong bipartisan support in Congress. The Senate has enough votes to override the veto. But supporters of the bill are working to drum up enough votes in the House, which is still short of the required two-thirds majority. Fear not: federal funds won't dry up right away -- a continuing resolution funds SCHIP at current levels through November 16.
There's less tension in the after-school world, as groups across the country get ready for Lights on Afterschool! a global rally to support positive after-school activities for kids and youth and to celebrate federal support for local after-school programs. Find out what's going down in your hometown on October 18.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is still simmering, as analyses of its effectiveness continue to fuel debate and discussion. This week, several organizations look at NCLB in the context of children with disabiltiies, children in poverty and those on the verge of dropping out.
Check out the Tools section, below, for resources and events, and keep on working for kids, everyone!
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Health and Health Care
State Children's Health Insurance Program: Vetoed This morning, President Bush vetoed a Congressional bill that would have expanded State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP) by an additional $35 billion over five years and covered an estimated 4 million more children. Bush says it goes too far toward socializing health care. The bill now returns to the House, where it originated. The Senate could override the veto, but the House is still more than 20 votes short of the required two-thirds majority. (The New York Times has the latest news and resources on the popular, bipartisan program.)
Although SCHIP expired on September 30, a stopgap measure will fund states at current levels through November 16.
Kids March to Stop Bush SCHIP Veto Everyone's playing politics. On Monday, 25 kids marched to the White House to ask Bush not to veto SCHIP. It was part of a Service Employees International Union rally; Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) spoke to the crowd, as ABC News reports.
What you Can Do: Families USA Stay tuned for action alerts and ways to make your voice heard about the program and the veto, from Families USA.
Eight States Will Sue to Block Administration SCHIP Changes New Bush administration SCHIP rules make it harder for states to extend their SCHIP programs to cover children in families earning more than double the poverty level ($51,625 for a family of four). New Jersey and New York have filed suit in District Court to block the rules, and six other states are likely to do the same, according to the Kaiser Network.
Obesity and Child Well-Being (October 4) SCHIP isn't the only news. The Foundation for Child Development's Child Well-Being Index finds that the boost in childhood obesity since 1975 has decreased the overall well-being of children by more than 30 percent. What's behind the epidemic and what can America do about it? On October 4, the New America Foundation, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are hosting a panel to explore these issues. Time: 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the U.S. Capitol.
Resources for Reconnecting Youth
Our Youth, Our Economy, Our Future: A National Investment Strategy for Disconnected Youth The Campaign for Youth has developed a national strategy outlining opportunities for federal investment in disconnected youth. These two documents -- the full strategy document and its accompanying executive summary -- have been circulated to all 2008 presidential candidates.
Under-Equipped and Unprepared: America's Emerging Workforce and the Soft Skills Gap Too many young people lack the "soft skills" -- teamwork, conflict resolution, communication and leadership -- needed for success in the workplace, according to this America's Promise Alliance brief. What's more, youth have few opportunities at school, home and through real-world activities to learn and practice these skills. The brief suggests some steps for improvement.
Foster Care and Child Welfare
Racial Disparity in Foster Care Admissions African American children are overrepresented in the foster care system. This Chapin Hall study is the first to look at racial disparity in foster care placements at the county level in both urban and rural areas. Disparity is lower in counties with less educated adult populations, high poverty rates or larger proportions of African American residents.
State Partnerships for Prevention: Reducing the Risk for Very Young Children (Call for Applications) States can get help in training child care providers to work with families to prevent the abuse of very young children. ZERO TO THREE is calling for applications for its State Partnerships for Prevention Project to help states use the Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: Parent-Provider Partnership curriculum. Contact Linda Gillespie at Lgillespie@zerotothree.org. Deadline: October 23. Child Protection: Using Data to Improve Policy and Practice A recent Brookings Institution event looked at parent training services and their potential to reduce child abuse and neglect and to improve children's development and well-being. It was based on the Child Protection report. The transcript is online.
Education News
K-12 Online Conference: 21st Century Teaching and Learning Skills (October) This online conference, hosted by a group of teachers and learning consultants, is open to educators from around the world who are interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning and teaching. This year's theme is "Playing with Boundaries." Online October 15-19 and October 22-26.
Web-Based Science Learning: Tools for Teachers This National Science Teachers Association site is still in the beta phase, but it's packed with articles, lesson plans, learning activities and other resources to help teachers and adults work with students. Some of the tools are free, some require payment. (Thanks to MiddleWeb.com for this heads up.)
Important, But Not for Me: Kansas and Missouri Students and Parents Talk About Math, Science and Technology Education Much has been made of our nation's need to foster skills in math, science and technology in order to stay economically competitive. Still, Public Agenda finds that just 25 percent of Kansas and Missouri parents think their children should be studying more math and science. Parents and students are satisfied with their schools' math and science teachers and curriculum -- and three-quarters of kids think the subjects are largely irrelevant to their lives.
Spotlight: No Child Left Behind
Draft Language from the House We covered this in an earlier Weekly but thought a recap was in order: the House Education and Labor Committee issued its No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act discussion draft in early September. (The Senate expects to release its bill on October 4.)
Research on NCLB Can Inform Reauthorization Process As Congress works to reauthorize NCLB, public opinion is evenly divided over the act and its effects. A new brief from the Society for Research in Child Development examines NCLB's early years and finds some gains, although not the profound effects on achievement that were hoped for. It offers research-based recommendations for improving NCLB.
NCLB and After-School Programs NCLB's language affects after-school programs, so the Afterschool Alliance has offered recommendations for: making Supplemental Education Services more accessible after-school; allowing some schools to lengthen the school day to involve community groups and other partners; and ensuring that additional time is used to meet the holistic needs of children rather than to simply extend the traditional school day.
Recommendations to Improve NCLB for Struggling Students and Disconnected Youth Every day, an estimated 2,500 U.S. students drop out of high school. While NCLB has highlighted the disparities in the U.S. education system, it has done less to provide solutions to the dropout issue. These recommendations from the Center for Law and Social Policy and the National Youth Employment Coalition focus on how NCLB can link vulnerable youth to the services, support and funding they need to attain an education that prepares them for future learning opportunities and good jobs.
Web Chat - No Remedy Left Behind: Lessons from a Half-Decade of NCLB (October 4) In this week's Education Week Web chat, authors Frederick M. Hess and Chester E. Finn Jr. will take questions on issues raised in their new book No Remedy Left Behind: Lessons from a Half-Decade of NCLB. Their book analyzes key NCLB policies, such as school choice, supplemental services and restructuring. The chat happens online from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern.
Standards-Based Reform and the Poverty Gap: Lessons for No Child Left Behind Poor children are still being left behind by educational opportunities, according to a new book from the nonpartisan Brookings Institution. Some strategies seem promising, such as requiring teachers to master their subjects, assessing core academic content and offering free tutoring to struggling students -- but poor implementation is impeding their potential impact. (Cost:$16.99)
Heads up: October 22 Panel. At an event at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, four of the book's authors will provide an overview of findings, explain teacher quality and supplemental tutoring, and offer recommendations for NCLB reauthorization. To RSVP e-mail kfield@brookings.edu.
Rallying for After-School Lights on Afterschool 2007 (Octover 18) More than 14 million children have no place to go after the school day ends. This annual rally, hosted by the Afterschool Alliance, will include 7,500 events across the country and at military bases around the world. The event is designed to support the after-school programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families. It also kicks off a year-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the chief federal funding stream for after-school programs.
T-MOBILE Huddle Up Survey Finds Support for After-School In this national survey, 90 percent of parents say having a safe, positive place for their children to go after school will keep them away from criminal activity. One in four parents would be willing to start paying to keep their after-school programs open, and some who already pay would pay more. Nearly half of parents say they would rally to encourage federal, state and local officials to invest in after-school programs.
After-School Wins When America Competes In August, President Bush signed the America COMPETES Act, a comprehensive bill focusing on improving science, technology, engineering and math education. The act authorizes a number of new after-school and summer programs, providing for some $33.6 billion for education programs at five federal agencies over the next three years. If all of the authorized funds are approved, it would open some new avenues of funding for after-school programs. The Afterschool Alliance has the scoop.
Who's Doing What That Works In this section, our partner, Child Advocacy 360, highlights innovative work and perspectives from the child and youth field.California Group Matches Faces with Families More than 4,000 teens age out of California's foster system annually. More than 50 percent of these youths leave the state's care without high school diplomas, jobs or families of their own.
To curb those numbers, the Sacramento-based Sierra Adoption Services launched the "Capitol Kids Are Waiting" program, which displays selected children's photos and biographies in the rotunda of the state Capitol. In its first year, each of the 16 highlighted children were adopted within two months, as The Davis Enterprise reports.
"It's phenomenally effective to be able to make the individual children real, rather than making them just a statistic," states Gail Johnson, Sierra's executive director. While Sierra is not the first to tap the power of pictures and print, it remains to be seen whether the California group can successfully scale its programs. CFK and CA360 will monitor the response.
Tools for Your Work
Funding Tip: Create More Flexibility in Existing Categorical Funding Streams Most funding streams support narrowly defined purposes for specific children and adolescents -- which can lead to program duplication and make coordination difficult. The September monthly funding tip from the Finance Project's Youth Programs Resource Center offers strategies and examples for creating more flexible funding to serve children and youth. (It will be online today.)
YouthNetwork.org: Connecting with Local Youth Programs/Services This new Website aims to help people find youth programs and services in their communities. Youth Network has imported over 1 million listings all across the country -- including schools, libraries, parks, shelters, counseling services, YMCAs, Girls and Boys Clubs, and more. Search by keyword and location, or add a listing of your own. It's all free!
Training Staff to work with Immigrant Youth The National Youth Development Information Center has a publication and training module to help staff work effectively with immigrant youth. It includes a PowerPoint presentation that is an effective tool to use with leaders, champions and board members to encourage an understanding of the importance and organizational implications of serving immigrant youth.
Parenting from Prison: A Book for Children of Inmates Parents and those who work with children of incarcerated parents may find this news useful. Good People Make Mistakes Sometimes, a new booklet produced by inmates, is aimed at teaching inmates' children about life in jail. The Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel reports.
2007 Alliance for Children and Families Annual Conference (October 17-19) This year's Alliance for Children & Families Conference takes place in Annaheim, California and will give nonprofit child and family services agencies tools, workshops, networking opportunities and a chance to share information on innovations and effective work. Register online.
Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment
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