By developing programs for youth grounded in American Indian tribal cultures, the National Indian Youth Leadership project is helping cultivate a new generation of strong leaders. Rob Capriccioso takes a look at the New Mexico-based organization.

The New Mexico resort town of Taos isn't known for its elevated rates of child poverty and teen homelessness. But those harsh realities have spurred a team of seven local women to create a special place where at least some homeless teens can get the help they need to become successful young adults. Denise M. Spranger reports.

From the moment a kindergarten teacher asks students what they think of the first little pig's choice of building material, children are learning how to be critical readers. But when they flop down in front of the TV, do our kids have similar skills for responding to what they see? Mark and Keisha Hoerrner report.

Founded in 1987, New Mexico Voices for Children is a research-based public education advocacy organization that works statewide to promote the well-being of New Mexico's children, youth and families. Our work promotes three core values:

Economic Justice
Healthy Communities
Citizen Participation

We work on a wide range of policy issues at the state leven, and operate a number of community-based programs to promote access to affordable health care, develop the leadership of youth, protect abused and neglected children, and decrease substance abuse and promote healthy communities.

Based on the averaged freshman graduation rate, a new measure the U.S. Dept. of Education is using to assess more accurately and comprehensively how many students are graduating from high school, 11 states drastically overestimate the number of students who graduate from their high schools. The biggest offenders include North Carolina, New Mexico, Mississippi, Indiana and South Dakota, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education summary. New Jersey, North Dakota and Wisconsin graduated the highest percentages of their high school students on time, while Washington, DC, South Carolina and Georgia had the lowest graduation rates.

As of year 2004, eight states and two large cities had at least 95 percent of children younger than age six enrolled in fully operational, population-based immunization registries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools has the full story.

Positive Youth Development
Media related issues and influences
Community Involvement and Public/Private Partnerships
Policy