CFK Weekly March 5, 2008

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Bringing you up-to-date and relevant news, research and policy developments affecting children, youth and families.

March 5, 2008

In This Issue

New on Connectforkids.org [2]

Reconnecting Youth [3]

Work & Family Well-Being [4]

Access to College [5]

Youth Leadership Opportunities [6]

Education News [7]

Out-of-School Time [8]

Health and Health Care [9]

Tools for Your Work [10]

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Quick Links

Connect for Kids [12]

Forum for Youth Investment [13]

Youth Policy Action Center [14]

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 [15]

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New on ConnectforKids.org
RB21 logo

[18]
Kicking Off the Ready by 21 Challenge [19]
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.

karen

[20]Superintendents of Learning [21]
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.

[22]Reconnecting Youth

Shop Class Retooled at San Francisco High School [23]
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.)

CDRP

[24]Solving California's Dropout Crisis [25]
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

fever Inc

[26]"Frank Fever": Animating Paid Sick Leave [27]
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 [28] online.

Cities Helping Families Claim Earned Income Tax Credit [29]
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 [30]
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

[31]First in the Family: Advice About College from First-Generation Students [32]
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 [33]. 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. [34] 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.

Youth Leadership Opportunities: Engagement and Service

[35]
Y [36]outh Service America Seeks Nominees for National Youth Council [37]
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 [38]
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.

conference

[39]Heads Up: Global Youth Enterprise Conference (September 15-16) [40]
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) [41]
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 [42]
In her blog, Education Week reporter Christina A. Samuels tracks local, state and national news and trends in the special education community.

GLSEN

[43]Involved, Invisible, Ignored: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Parents and their Children in K-12 Schools [44]
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.

IDRA logo

[45]Six Goals of Educational Equity -- A Podcast for Educators [46]
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:

Financing and Sustaining Out-of-School Time Programs in Rural Communities [47]. This brief describes the funding landscape and challenges confronting rural out-of-school time programs. It also describes public and private resources and effective strategies for sustaining after-school programming.

Using CDBG to Support Community-Based Youth Programs [48]. 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 [49]
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.

[50]The Impact of After-School Programs That Promote Personal and Social Skills [51]
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.

Full Report [52]

Executive Summary [53]

Health and Health Care

Impact of New Federal Medicaid Regulations [54]

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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.

[56]Healthcare Insecurity Greatest among Hispanics [57]
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.

healthy teen network

[58]Call for Proposals: Healthy Teen Network Conference [59]
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.

[60]Tools for Your Work

Fundraising on Facebook (Causes and Network for Good) [61]
Nonprofits can use the Causes module on Facebook to launch an online fundraising drive for their cause and promote it to their friends and networks. Network for Good is processing the U.S.-based donations.

Workshops on the State Legislative Process (Alabama) [62]
To help Alabama's citizens become more active and better informed, VOICES for Alabama's Children is offering free 2 1⁄2-hour workshops on the state legislative process and effective legislative advocacy. For more information, contact VOICES at 800-444-KIDS (5437) ext. 100 or bbriscoe@alavoices.org [63].

Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
Connect for Kids and the Forum for Youth Investment