As the nation's soaring drop-out rates draw new attention and concern, parents and policymakers struggle to find ways to give kids an urgent message: staying in school is important. But sometimes, the messenger is as important as the message. Here is a young man's own cautionary tale of high school struggles, republished here with permission from YO! Youth Outlook.

The Hassels, husband and wife, brought their experiences as parents, education policy wonks, and consultants on management and school leadership to the job of developing this "Picky Parent Guide" to choosing an elementary school.

For seven years, a Nebraska couple has been pushing a simple idea to save kids' lives: encourage drivers to observe a 25 MPH speed limit on residential streets. Cindy Murphy McMahon reports on how Tom and Wendy Everson have spread their message to hundreds of cities and towns in 46 states.

CFK reports from: The Library of Congress
Event: The Education Policy Forum
Organized by: The American Educational Research Association, and The Institute for Educational Leadership
Where/When: Washington DC, Friday, September 9, 2005

Members of various child advocacy organizations congregated at a monthly forum hosted by The American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) to discuss the findings and implications of Children: Key National Indicators of Well Being, 2005.

It's the ultimate back-to-school story: about 80 middle-aged Virginians are heading back to the classroom--more than four decades after their educations were derailed by the state's "massive resistance" campaign, which led some Virginia communities to shut down their public schools rather than integrate them. Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips spoke to recipients of Virginia's new Brown v. Board of Education scholarships.

The deadly school shooting in Red Lake, Minnesota has been a brutal reminder of the persistence of gun violence in our schools and communities. What can we say to help children feel safe? And what can we do to try and insure that they really are? Connect for Kids has pulled togethe information and resources.

The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress also has an online checklist for response during and after a school-based crisis.

This National Crime Prevention Council toolkit acts as a step-by-step guide for forming an action team, assessing school safety and security, holding a forum with stakeholders to brainstorm solutions, developing and promoting an action plan, and evaluating the results.

CFK reports from: The Rayburn House Office Building
Event: Making Out-of-School-Time Matter: Evidence for an Action Agenda
Organized by: The RAND Corporation
Where/When: Washington, D.C., March 14, 2005

In conjunction with a series of research briefings, the RAND Corporation presented Making Out-of-School-Time Matter: Evidence for an Action Agenda. Research was conducted by RAND and supported by The Wallace Foundation. The researchers identified and assessed various methods that could potentially improve support for before- and after-school programs.

Assuming that bullying is part of growing up, some educators look the other way – which only leads to more of the same behavior, researchers from the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools say. More effective intervention is needed, including clear rules and strong social norms against the bullying to create a safer school environment. These approaches are common in countries such as England and Norway, but are less frequently implemented in the United States.