Education Advocacy Model for Foster Children

Project Achieve: A Model Project Providing Education Advocacy for Children in the Child Welfare System is a new report about Project Achieve, a model program developed by Advocates for Children (AFC) of New York. The program has shown promise in ensuring children in, or at risk of, foster care placement, receive appropriate educational services. The program uses three key strategies:

• Providing individual case assistance and advocacy to all clients of a child welfare agency with unmet education-related needs.
• Enhancing the ability of agency service staff, caseworkers, and supervisors to identify and solve routine school-related issues.
• Empowering and educating parents and young people to navigate the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and other agencies providing educational services.
  Click on the link above to download.

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Focus on Schools Helps Finns Build a Showcase Nation
High status is given to the teaching profession in Finland, a nation in which superb schools symbolize the modern transformation of the country which was poor and agrarian half a century ago. Today Finland is one of the world’s most prosperous, modern and adaptable countries. Finland graduates nearly every young person in the country from vocational or high school, and sends nearly half of them on to higher education.

The key, the Finns say, is the high quality of Finnish teachers. A teacher needs a college degree to teach kindergarten, a master’s-level degree to teach at a primary school. Salaries are about $2,500 a month at current exchange rates, work a 190 day school year three to eight hours a day, and teachers say the work is fun.

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High School Graduation Rates in Washington and the United States: A Long-Run View
This recent report from WSIPP presents data on the State of Washington’s and the country’s high school graduate rates throughout the 20th Century.  Washington’s high school graduation rates mirror the national average. The results are fairly startling:

• Throughout much of the 20th Century – until the mid-1960s – high school graduate rates increased steadily. By the 1965-66 school year, about 76% of youth graduated from high school.
• Since the mid-1960s the high school graduation rate has hit a plateau and has even trended down slightly
• .When viewed from the perspective of 13 decades, it is clear that progress in increasing graduation rates halted in the mid-1960s and has been a persistent problem for nearly 40 years.

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Teen Plans Lessons for Teachers on Teen Homelessness and Foster Care

Ashley Keiran of Portland, Maine entered foster care at 14 and kept it quiet except for a few supportive teachers and people she trusted. Now, as a parting gift to her school and with money from a youth leadership development grant, she is preparing to design and lead two training sessions for Portland High teachers on the educational challenges faced by teens who are homeless or in foster care.  Her intent is to sensitive teachers to the sheer logistical burdens faced by homeless teens or teens in unstable foster care situations.

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A Class Divided: Examining the chasm between student success and failure

The Rocky Mountain News looked at the dropout rate in Denver and studied a class of kids, beginning in eighth grade. With the help of an associate professor at the University of Colorado-Denver, Alan Davis, the News analyzed not only what happened to the class, but what role grades, attendance, poverty and other factors played in whether students graduated.

The results represent what Colorado’s biggest urban school district faces with a student body that is 81% minority and 64% poor.

A snapshot of this class shows:

• One in three received a diploma from a Denver high school.
• 27% of Hispanic eighth graders graduated compared to 34% of black students and 45% of whites.
• About 37% dropped out.
• About 21% of the original class transferred to schools outside the Denver system.

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The Afterschool Hours: A new Focus for America's Cities

The afterschool hours are an ideal time to reinforce children's learning gains, provide enrichment opportunities, and supplement the academic curriculum offered at school.
Children who attend an afterschool program miss fewer days of school and show better rates of homework completion and school behavior, and higher test scores, when compared with their peers.

This report looks at eight cities' efforts to address the need for afterschool activities and the tools and resources available to mayors and council members to strengthen afterschool programming. The report also identifies promising practices in municipal leadership and afterschool programming. 70+ page pdf file.

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Educating Chicago's Court-Involved Youth: Mission and Policy in Conflict

This report from Chapin Hall examines the educational options for court-involved youth in Chicago, how these options work, and the policy context within which school and students operate. One key finding is that educational options designed expressly for court-involved youth who are not incarcerated or detained are limited to transitional programs that grant neither a high school diploma nor a GED certificate. At the same time school accountability and zero-tolerance policies create incentives for schools to exclude low performing or troublesome students. 56 pages, downloadable pdf file.

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SCOOPing Trenton Kids Off the Street – Trenton, New Jersey developed SCOOP, a transportation system that helps thousands of kids participate in more than 100 activities after school and on Saturdays.

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A Road Map for Learning: Improving Educational Outcomes in Foster Care

A guide for everyone working towards successful educational outcomes for youth in foster care or out-of-home care. It provides a framework for collaboration across federal, state and local legal, educational and child welfare systems. The report defines 11 education objectives.

122 page + pdf file. The meat of the report is in pages 1-69. Sections 2 and 3 contain best practices and resource information and handouts and checklists.

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Principal Fired for Failing to Report Sex Assault Case

A high school principal in Columbus, Ohio, has been fired and three assistant principals suspended without pay because they failed to notify the police last month about accusations that a 16-year-old special education student had been sexually assaulted in the school auditorium by a group of boys, one of whom videotaped the incident.

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Findings from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study

This newly released study focused on the long-term effects of foster care on individuals who are now young adults, ages 20-33, in the areas of mental health, education and employment. The study reviewed 659 alumni of foster care, 479 of whom they interviewed.

The study found that, within the past 12 months:

More than half of study participants reported clinical levels of at least one of the following mental health problems: major depression, PTSD, social phobia, panic syndrome and drug dependence.

The rate of PTSD among this group of former foster care children is twice as high as U.S. war veterans.

Foster care alumni were more likely to receive GED diplomas than to graduate from traditional high schools. Frequent placement changes, often resulting in school transfers, are among the reasons children in foster care struggle to complete high school. Sixty-five percent of the alumni interviewed experienced seven or more placement changes while in care.

This link will take you to a downloadable pdf file of the study and to a two-page summary.

The View from the Lifeboat – A columnist for the Seattle Times reports on her experiences in foster care and how she came to be one of the 20% of foster children in the study who finished school, earns a stable, livable income and is doing well in life.

Promoting Educational Success for Young People in Foster Care - The National Foster Youth Advisory Council (NFYAC) presents a five-page plan for school success for children in foster care, with 10 recommendations.

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Bomb Threats in Schools

This COPS guide identifies a series of questions that may assist in analyzing the local problem of bomb threats in schools (k-12), review responses to the problem, and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice. Bomb threats are primarily furtive crimes, crimes that can be committed from a distance.

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San Diego’s Reading Program for Juveniles

Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes – This is a section of video clips. The Project of Hope clip features Judge James Milliken talking about the reading program he instituted to help reduce recidivism by teaching juvenile offenders to read. San Diego Insider #152 clip talks about learning disabilities and juvenile crime.

Juvenile Court Book Club, Inc – A book club implemented at four sites in San Diego. Monthly at each site 20-25 club members meet with adult volunteers to discuss a wide range of life issues. Books serve as a springboard for discussions. A donated library of age appropriate books has been created at each facility.

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thinking about Zero Tolerance

Schools Rethink Post-Columbine Discipline – A review of zero tolerance policies in the country and arguments pro and con, plus statistics, from Stateline.org

Spare the Rod – Commentary on school violence from the Christian Science Monitor.

And, if you missed it in Brevity last week, here is a link to the new study on zero tolerance mentioned in the CSM article. Education on Lockdown: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track.

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Boston Success Initiative – Transitioning Juveniles Back to the Classroom

The Boston Success Initiative is a transitional school where juveniles who are being released by DYS facilities can go to prepare for their return to public high school. It is an intermediary step that provides them with the opportunity to catch up to their peers so they won’t be so far behind when they enter a regular classroom.

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Red Lake High School Shooting Articles

Schools using many lessons of Columbine – The state of school safety around the country, post-Columbine and a reminder of how many potential incidents have been stopped.

Killings spotlight school safety – Comparison between the way the police handled the Red Lake shootings and the police response to the Columbine shootings, statistics about the rarity of violent deaths at school, improvements in school security.

School Violence: A National Health Issue – the Connect for Kids web site has posted a page of resource links and information on school safety, gun safety, and talking to children.

Jourdain’s case a rarity for federal courts – Brief article on the rare group of juveniles who are involved in the federal court system. Less than 1% of the 70,092 criminal cases prosecuted last year in federal courts were juvenile cases.

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Education on Lockdown: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track

This new report examines the effects of zero tolerance policies in the schools of the nation, the expanding role of law enforcement measures in schools, disparate impact on students of color, and how it is occurring at three locations in the country. The report is intended to “ignite a dialogue about the negative side effects of the use of law and order approaches to address typical student misbehavior, and to encourage efforts toward reform.”

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Schools Rethink post-Columbine discipline

With nearly half the states now mandating that schools expel and often call the police on students for fighting, possessing weapons of any kind, or even disrupting class, thousands of students nationwide have been kicked out of school for violating zero-tolerance policies. Mounting evidence that zero-tolerance policies adversely impact disadvantaged students and outcries over arrests of elementary students have sparked a debate over the proper balance between safety and tolerance in America’s schools. This year several lawmakers have introduced bills to roll back zero tolerance policies.

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Adolescence and the Transition to Adulthood: Rethinking Public Policy for a New Century

This report presents the proceedings of a two-day conference held in Chicago in November 2004. The conference was attended by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers and discussed current research and practice and what it suggests about how well our major social institutions have adapted to support young people as they make the transition to adulthood in the 21^st century.  19 page pdf file.

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School Based Mental Health Education Program

The Tarrant County Texas MHA is developing a mental health education curriculum based on a public health model and fully integrated into the general school curriculum. The curriculum is being piloted in six schools in the county. It is designed to supplement traditional classroom materials, rather than being taught separately. Click above to read an interview with the project’s leader.

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Fostering Education

As a group, foster kids test far behind their peers, are more likely to drop out, repeat grades, be in special-ed classes, and be suspended or expelled. Education has often been a low priority for child-welfare agencies, which have been more concerned with their children’s safety and finding them placement. Education, however, may be almost as a fundamental a goal, especially for older kids who are likely never to find a permanent home.

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High School Graduation Rates in Washington and the United States: A Long-Run View

This report from WSIPP (Washington State Institute for Public Policy) posted on their web site today, looks at high school graduation rates for the State of Washington and the United States and finds that the rate of high school graduation has been stalled for nearly 40 years. Graduation rates peaked in the mid-1960s and have remained static or trended down slightly since then. Short, two-page report, handy to download and keep in your files.

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Helping Children Cope with Violence: A School-Based Program that Works

The RAND Corporation reports on a school based program that significantly reduced symptoms of post-traumatic stress in students exposed to violence. The report says that between 20 percent and 50 percent of children in the United States are touched by violence, either as victims or, even more commonly, as witnesses. Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) was developed at RAND in close collaboration with mental health clinicians from the Los Angeles Unified School District. In ten group sessions inner-city school children are trained in:

• relaxation,

• dealing with negative thoughts,

• solving real-life problems,

• approaching anxiety-provoking situations, and

• coping with the violent event through talking, drawing pictures, and writing.

Much more detail available. Click on the link above.

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School Readiness: Closing Racial and Ethnic Gaps

The Spring 2005 issue of The Future of Children, the Packard Foundation online journal, addresses racial and ethnic differences in school readiness across the country. Although these gaps in educational achievement have narrowed over the past thirty years, test score disparities among American students remain significant. These gaps already exist by the time children enter kindergarten. Research suggests that what happens to children early in life has a profound impact on their later achievement. Eight articles address the size of the gap, synthesize what is known about its causes, and identify policy solutions.

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Schools Within Schools

A growing trend across the country addresses the size of American high schools and breaks them into small components to better address students’ needs. This article describes a program for high school freshmen in Maryland. In the three years the Ninth Grade Academy has been operating freshman attendance has improved, advancement to the sophomore year has risen, and class disruptions have dropped.

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NCSL Task Force on No Child Left Behind Report

The National Conference of State Legislatures released the results of a 10-month study today (2/23/2005) that identifies specific areas of the No Child Left Behind Act that need to be changed is states are to guarantee that young people will learn at their full potential. The report lists 43 specific recommendations on ways the law can be revised to improve the quality of education for all students and close the gaps in achievement that exist in schools today. Key recommendations include:

• Remove obstacles that stifle state innovations and undermine state programs that were proving to work before passage of the act. Federal waivers should be granted and publicized for innovative programs.

• Fully fund the act and provide states the financial flexibility to meet its goals. The federal government funds less than 8 percent of the nation's education activity. In addition, states ask for a Government Accountability Office review to determine the act's costs and whether it violates the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act.

• Remove the one-size-fits-all method that measures student performance and encourage more sophisticated and accurate systems that gauge the growth of individual students and not just groups of students. States believe the 100-percent proficiency goal is not statistically achievable and that struggling schools need the opportunity to address problems before losing parts of their student populations.

• Recognize that some schools face special challenges, including adequately teaching students with disabilities and English language learners. The law also needs to recognize the differences among rural, suburban, and urban schools. 

The final draft of the report is available for download in the right hand column on this page.

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Education Issue Brief – Improving Special Education for Children with Disabilities in Foster Care

Children in foster care can suffer in all kinds of ways. Their success in school is no exception. As a result of experiences both prior to and during foster care, children are at high risk for educational failure. From this report: A recent Washington State study found that a youth’s foster care status alone is associated with a 7-8 percentile-point gap in standardized test scores. Overall, they score 16-20 points lower on standardized achievement tests than other children. 24 page pdf file.

Educating Children in Foster Care - From the National Conference of State Legislatures, another article on the same topic. A brief overview with some background about the academic performance of children in foster care and a description of what researchers have identified as major systemic obstacles to their academic success. 10 pages.

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Education for Homeless Children

The Christian Science Monitor is publishing a series of articles on the educational needs of homeless children and approaches schools are taking to aid homeless students. A three part series.

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Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2004

This new report provides data on crime that occurs in school and on the way to and from school, drawing on a range of research including the National Crime Victimization Survey and the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Available only online at the link above.

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Street Soldiers Inc.

Street Soldiers Inc. is a gang and drug prevention program in Phoenix, Arizona. Street Soldiers offer one-on-one counseling to students identified as at-risk by elementary school principals and school psychologists. They educate students about the high cost of joining a gang: dropping out of school, getting involved in drugs, possibly ending up in prison, or dying. 

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Head Start in Prison

In Pontiac, Mich., children and teachers are brought into the county jail to participate in a rare Head Start program with their mothers, who are inmates. Besides education, the goal is to maintain the bond between mother and child and to give the moms an incentive to turn their lives around. Observers have noticed changes in both the children and their mothers since the program started.

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Beyond Zero Tolerance in Indiana

Many Indiana schools no longer suspend and expel students for a first offense. Anti-bullying efforts and conflict resolution replace the zero tolerance policies that arose after school shootings in the 1990s. The new approach was spurred by pressure to improve graduation rates and to steer children away from the juvenile justice system. With a statewide focus on school accountability, high academic standards and college attendance, school principals now groom students for good grades and graduation.

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BUFY (Boston Urban Youth Foundation) Educational Initiative

With three program components, BUYF’s Educational Initiative has succeeded in substantially reducing truancy rates for its population of African-American and Latino students and supporting them throughout their school years.

• School Success is an integrated in-school/after school year round initiative that helps chronically truant youth in grades six through eight improve school attendance and performance.
• College Vision motivates, mobilizes and equips low-income minority youth in grades nine through 12 to gain entry to college. The program continues to support and track these students to help them attain a degree.
• Academic Enrichment Center builds the academic skills of students in grades six through 12.

Another program, Watcha Looking For?, focuses on developing faith, identity and leadership with opportunities for learning through service projects.

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Toward Safe and Orderly Schools – The National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools

This NIJ Research in Brief reports on research that finds that nearly all U.S. public schools are using a variety of delinquency prevention programs and disciplinary practices. Although many programs were judged potentially effective, nearly half failed to meet the study’s criteria for quality. A school’s organizational capacity – staff morale and stability and a history of implementing programs predicted the extent of program use and student participation. 15 page pdf file.

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Students Take Adderall to Boost Test Scores

Adderall, a drug prescribed for ADHD, is being used by high school and college students to boost their ability to take tests. They describe the effects as increasing their ability to stay sharp and alert and increasing their ability to concentrate. Even students who don’t want to use the drug feel they have to in order to compete effectively in the classroom.

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In China – Research Shows China’s Juvenile Delinquents Have Bad School Experiences

. A Chinese researcher has found poor grades and other unpleasant experiences at school are, for many minor offenders, a starting point on the road toward delinquency. A study that tracked more than 2,000 juvenile delinquents across China found 74.2% of young offenders had quit primary or junior high school before they became involved in various crimes. Guan Ying, the researcher, said the children are often regarded as outcasts at school and are constantly reproached and punished at home.

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Overcoming Barriers to School Reentry

For youth leaving custody return to school is integral to successful reentry into the community. New York City Dept. of Education data indicate that more than two-thirds of high school-age offenders do not return to school on release. This fact sheet profiles New York City’s CASES programs for returning juveniles – the School Connection Center and Community Prep High School.

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Exceptional Returns: Economic, Fiscal, and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Development

The Economic Policy Institute has just released this new report on the youngest and most vulnerable children in the United States. Nearly one in five children underage six lives in poverty, and the number is rising. A strong consensus among the experts who have studied high-quality early childhood development programs is that these programs have substantial payoffs. The study demonstrates, for the first time, that providing all 20% of the nation’s three- and four-year-old children who live in poverty with a high-quality ECD program would have a substantial payoff for governments and taxpayers in the future.  

The link above is to a brief summary of the report. Click here for the full 44 page pdf file.

Related Information:

Oklahoma’s Pre-Kindergarten Statewide Program - The state of Oklahoma is the top state in the county in the percentage of four-year-old children attending quality public preschool programs. It is one of only two states offering voluntary, universal access to four-year-old education programs. This link takes you to a fact sheet on Oklahoma’s pre-kindergarten program.

High/Scope Perry Preschool Program – The High/Scope Perry Preschool study is a study of the effects of a high-quality preschool program for children born in poverty in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It has followed the lives of 123 students assigned to the preschool program throughout their lives, at ages three to 11, and at 14, 15, 19, 27, and most recently as they reached ages 39 to 41. The study has found evidence of subsequent educational success, economic success, and reduced number of criminal arrests throughout the lives of the program’s graduates. The results add up to a large return on public investment.

COPAA – Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates

COPAA is an organization of attorneys, advocates, and parents established to improve the quality and quantity of legal assistance to parents of children with disabilities. The site includes resources, email discussion lists, tools and information of effective advocacy, conference and training, and special education policy and implementation.

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New GAO Report – Special Education: Improved Timeliness and Better Use of Enforcement Actions Could Strengthen Education’s Monitoring System

The GAO recommends that the Dept. of Education develop additional guidance for collecting data on key outcome measures in special education in the states. To strengthen enforcement of IDEA, the GAO recommends that Education improve its response times throughout the monitoring process and that it impose realistic timeframes and firm deadlines for remedying findings of noncompliance in the states. Full report is 40+ pages. A single page summarizing the report is on page 2.

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Teen Threatens Revenge on the Internet

A Michigan youth is accused of threatening a Columbine-style rampage in a series of cyber rants sent to a teenage girl in Washington State. The girl took the threats seriously and kept hard copies of their internet exchanges. The boy’s father has been charged with five felonies including concealing stolen firearms. Prosecutors say he was helping his son hide the cache of weapons police found the family’s home.

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Experience Corps

Experience Corps members act as tutors, mentors, homework helpers, and activity leaders in after-school programs. The organization has published a tool kit to help engage older adults in after-school programs. The kit includes actual sample materials from four Experience Corps after-school projects in Boston, Washington DC, Kansas City, and San Francisco and is downloadable at the site.

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Southern Juvenile Defender Center

What a find! The Southern Juvenile Defender Center is a program of the Emory University School of Law. What drew me originally was a new report issued by the center, From Classrooms to Courtrooms: Zero Tolerance Unveiled. This paper reviews the history and interpretation of zero tolerance laws both nationally and in Georgia. Includes recommendations to lesson negative effects.

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Prekindergarten: Four Selected States Expanded Access by Relying on Schools and Existing Providers of Early Education and Care to Provide Services

The GAO examined the growing interest in prekindergarten programs because of the growing concern about children’s readiness for school and subsequent achievement and new research on brain development. 38 pages. Pdf file.

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Breaking the Silence  - Education About Mental Illness

Educational materials for use in upper elementary, middle school, and high schools that teach about the nature of mental illness, its treatability, and overcoming the stigma that surrounds mental illness. A Tool Kit and a training manual along with lesson plans, games and posters are all available at this site. The Tool Kit is complete with talking points, references and ideas.

 Breaking the Silence teaches students:

• That mental illness is caused by biology, and is not a character flaw
• The warning signs for mental illness
• That mental illness has never been more treatable
• How to overcome the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

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Call for Increased Funding for Pre-Kindergarten Classes

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids released the results of a poll today (Aug. 11) of kindergarten teachers that finds that children who have not had access to pre-kindergarten programs are substantially less prepared to succeed in school than those who did. Eighty-six percent of the teachers said poorly prepared students in the classroom negatively affect the progress of all children, even the best prepared. At the same site, law enforcement leaders in Maine, Ohio, Tennessee and Oregon report that high quality pre-kindergarten works to prepare kids to success in school and keeps them from becoming criminals.

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Mary Kay Letourneau released today

Mary Kay Letourneau, the grade school teacher convicted in 1997 for having sex with a sixth-grade pupil, was released from prison early today and her now 21-year-old former lover plans to challenge a court order that bars her from contacting him. The two had two children who are being raised by the young man’s mother.

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SEED, a Charter boarding school in Washington, D.C.

SEED is a boarding school based on the idea of taking kids out of living and learning environments that are failing them and giving them the skills they need will produce able adults. The Class of 2004 is the first graduating class of the school. 21 of the original 40 SEED members of the Class of 04 will graduate from high school this year and all 21 of them are going to college.

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Sex Abuse in Schools is Common

A new report to Congress, required under the No Child Left Behind law, analyzes research about sexual misconduct in school. The report estimates that more than 4.5 million children endure inappropriate comments, physical abuse, and other misbehavior by school employees. Misconduct is defined in the report as physical, verbal or visual behavior, from sexually related jokes or pictures of sex to fondling of breasts and forced sex.  

Research on the subject by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Foundation is considered to be the most accurate estimate of misconduct. AAUW finds nearly 9.6% of students have been sexually harassed or abused by workers during their school lives. Click here to view a list of AAUW research reports.

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YouthBuild USA.

YouthBuild USA is a national nonprofit organization that supports a nationwide network of 200 YouthBuild programs. In YouthBuild programs, unemployed and undereducated young people ages 16-24 work toward their GED or high school diploma while learning construction skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people.

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A Place to Grow: Evaluation of the New York City Beacon Schools

Beacons are community centers located in public school buildings and offering a range of activities and services to participants of all ages, before and after school, in the evenings, and on weekends. Findings in this evaluation indicate that the majority of young people were taking advantage of the activities offered at the Beacon and believed they were developing new competencies because of their participation at the center. The link above is to the summary report, a 14 page pdf  file.

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High schools nationwide paring down

This article from Education Week reports on the national strategy for reforming secondary education by downsizing public schools to combat high dropout rates and low levels of student achievement. Since 2000 the foundation started by Bill Gates and his wife has pumped nearly $650 million into efforts to establish small high schools that embody a set of attributes it believes are conducive to high achievement. The process, it turns out, is difficult to do well.

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NPR Audio Report on Security Guards in Schools  (scroll down about 2/3s of the page)

NPR reported Tuesday, June 15  on a NCAAP suit against a school district in the suburbs of Seattle for allegedly using excessive force on students as young as 10 and targeting minorities disproportionately. The story examines the increasing presence of security officers on school campuses, how they are trained, and the potential for racial bias.

New York Times Online Teachers Guides for Anti-Drug Education

The New York Times makes available online curricula for drug education in school. They are fully downloadable The  curricula are:

• Media Literacy for Drug prevention  - for middle school educators

• Focus on  Marijuana – middle and high school educators

• Early Action Against Teen Drug Use – for high school educators

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The Muskogee Public School District in Oklahoma is required to change its dress code to allow exceptions for religious reasons according to a settlement announced by the Oklahoma Justice Department. Nashala Hearn had been suspended twice by the district for wearing a head scarf, or hijab, to class.

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New Schools Cater to Immigrants

• School discipline reaching courts – This article is similar to one that appeared in the New York Times about four months ago about the juvenile court in Toledo, Ohio . An increasing number of children are being arrested and charged with school misconduct offenses.

   

• Cheating is Rampant – The Denver Post reports on cheating in school, in business, at the Denver PD, at the Air Force Academy, and throughout society.

   

• Teaching Interrupted: Do Discipline Policies in Today’s Public Schools Foster the Common Good? -  Teachers say today’s classroom environment is disrespectful, distracting and disheartening enough to drive many of them away from the classroom. This report by the Public Agenda says that the cumulative problem of routine unruly behavior is undermining academic achievement.

   

• Attending Kindergarten and Already Behind:  A Statistical Portrait of Vulnerable Young Children – This Child Trends Research Brief looks at:

   

• Health – about 31% of all kindergarten students were either overweight, behind in motor skills development, or in fair or poor health or had a disability.

   

• Cognitive achievement – About 20% of all kindergartners were behind in multiple areas of their educational achievement according to standardized test scores and/or teacher ratings.

   

• Social and emotional development – About 31% were behind in several behaviors or social skills, according to their parents and/or their teachers.

   

• About 5% of kindergartners lagged in all three areas. ++++++++++Arizona Teacher Gets Restraining Order Against Student

   

   

  The teacher, Elizabeth Anne Moore, is a high school reading teacher in Phoenix who requested and got a restraining order against a student’s abusive behavior. She told the judge that she was tired of being humiliated by the foulmouthed student and that it has been degrading to endure the student’s vulgar language on an almost-daily basis. The order bars the male student, a 15 year-old sophomore, from having any contact with Moore either on or off campus. The judge also presented Moore with a special cell phone that can be used to make a 911 emergency call should any problems arise. 

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  School Achievement Increases as Suspensions Decrease

   

  A new report highlights that school achievement can be increased dramatically without resorting to out-of-school suspensions. A new case study focusing on the Northern Elementary School in Lexington , Ky. finds that fair and reasonable discipline is maintained in an environment where all children can learn. 70% of the school population is low-income students. From the report:

   

  • Over a four-year period the number of students reading at grade level increased from 15% to 81% in 2003.

     

  • The number of incidents leading to suspensions declined almost 60% over three years.

     

  • The number of children suspended from school dropped 56% from 2000-2001 to 2001-2002.

     

  Northern Lights: Success in Student Achievement and School Discipline at Northern Elementary School is available online to read/download at the Building Blocks for Youth web site. 14 page pdf file.

   

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  Saving Small Town Schools with Charter School Funding

   

  This article describes how one small town in Oregon saved its school by turning it into a charter school, bringing in federal charter school money. Paisley , Ore. , pop.250, 80 students, now believes it can keep the school going even when the federal funds run out. Communities in Colorado , Wyoming and Utah also have used charter school funding to keep their schools alive.

   

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  A Gift Within Reach

   

  In 1990 the Detroit Free Press decided to use the proceeds from the sale of books and posters to purchase scholarships for a class of preschoolers at Krolik Elementary School in Detroit . Each of 20 preschool students received a Michigan Education Trust contract for $4,600.

   

  Of the 20 students, four have dropped out of high school, five students are a year or more behind in school, one could not be located, and three have lost relatives to violence. Eight students are graduating this year and are academically eligible to attend college. Of those, three have been accepted to college.  

   

  This article interviews each of these students, looking back over their lives so far, and listening to their hopes for the future.

   

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  Columbine’s Five Year Anniversary

   

  April 20 marked the five year anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in suburban Denver , Colorado . National School Safety and Security Services reports in the CSM that violent deaths occurring on or near school property, at school-sponsored events, or on trips to or from school or school-sponsored events have increased from 16 in 2002-2003 to 43 thus far in 2003-2004. 

   

  Here are two news reports about it:

   

  • Five years after Columbine, the insecurity lingers – Christian Science Monitor

     

  • School Violence rises again – Rocky Mountain News

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  JJEEP: Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program

   

  If you have anything to do with education in juvenile facilities, looking over this site is a must. JJEEP staff members were presenters at the conference in Las Vegas last week. The organization is dedicated to improving educational services in Florida ’s juvenile justice facilities. Lots of good things to look at this site. You can take a virtual tour of JJEEP then look over the technical assistance resources. I downloaded one on entry and exit assessments in juvenile justice facilities and Chapter 7 of the 1999 Annual Report to the Florida Department of Education on best practices in juvenile justice education.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Drugs and Violence at School

   

  • This week a 4 year old Head Start student brought $7,500 in crack cocaine to school in his backpack, showing it to other students, and telling them it was flour.

     

  • A 5-year-old boy took a bag of marijuana to school this week and was sprinkling it over a friend’s lasagna like oregano when a monitor intervened.

     

  • A teenager was arrested with 20 homemade bombs and a rifle in the packing lot of his high school. His car was found to contain several rounds of ammunition, small bottles of propane and rigged containers of a petroleum-based propellant.

     

     

  ++++++++++

   

  Safety in Smaller Numbers

   

  Researchers say that size of schools is associated with violence in schools. Mike Klonsky of the University of Illinois at Chicago has written a book on the subject that will come out in the fall. In Safety in (Smaller) Numbers Klonsky found that schools of 1,000 students had more than 10 times the number of reported violent incidents.

   

  Smaller schools foster a sense of community and prevent school violence. In small schools students don’t slip through the cracks. Researchers recommend that elementary schools should hold about 400 students, middle and high schools should be built for 400 to 800 students.

   

  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg agrees. He and NYC Chancellor Joel Klein announced in a recent news conference that 60 small secondary schools will open in the city next year. There will be 41 high schools, 4 traditional middle schools and 15 schools based on the sixth through 12^th grade model. Three of the schools will be single-sex; four will cater to students who are behind in their credits. Each school will ultimately have about 500 students.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  School Associated Violent Deaths

   

  This report from the National School Safety Center covers all reported school associated violent deaths from 1992 to the present. This report has very limited text. It consists almost solely of names, schools, and other statistics. Includes three pages of graphs and charts.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  After School Programs for Older Teens

   

  Forum Focus, the newsletter of the Forum for Youth Investment, addresses the issue of after school programming for high school teens in its February 2004 issue. The newsletter says a nationally representative survey of teens found that more than two-thirds of the teens surveyed would likely participate in academic enrichment, leadership and community service programs after school if such programs were available. This issue documents a range of promising developments for afterschool learning opportunities for older teens.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Promising Practices for School-Based Gang Prevention and Intervention – March 9-10, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Eastern Kentucky University violence Prevention Project will host this conference. Topics include gang proliferation and prevalence; risk factors for membership; females and gangs; gang signs, symbols, and behaviors; gangs and delinquency; urban, suburban, and rural gangs; and gang research.  Details at http://www.vpp.eku.edu or all 850-626-1346. Space limited. Call early.

   

  ++++++++++

  Educating Children in Foster Care

   

  At the National Conference of State Legislatures web site you can read and/or download this monograph discussing the problems of school attendance for children in foster care. According to the article a number of studies have confirmed that foster children perform significantly worse in school than do children in the general population. The causes of poor school performance for foster care children are varied and include a history of abuse and neglect, changes in placement, state problems of responsibility and accountability for foster children, and lack of coordination.

  At the web site you can read and/or download this monograph discussing the According to the article a number of . The causes of Fixing High Schools

   

  This series from The Oregonian looks at the successes and failures of schools in Oregon. You may recall that Oregon closed its schools early about a year ago because the state had run out of funds to keep them open. Among the data The Oregonian found, are these :

   

  • Of those who graduated from Oregon high schools, half fail to meet 10^th grade math and reading standards. Only half of graduates go to college, putting Oregon 41^st for college continuation among states in 2000, down from 19^th six years ago.

     

  • High schools struggle to educate growing numbers of poor and minority students.

     

  • High schools don’t work for teachers. Most teachers work in isolation, loaded down by the assembly-line structure with too many students. Some are teaching more than 200 students, with class sizes surpassing 40.

     

  From the lead article in the series:

   

  “High schools are under more pressure to reform than ever. Government, businesses and parents expect high schools to do what they have never done: prepare every teenager for college or career training. Yet, in Oregon and nationwide, 25 percent to 30 percent of students who enter high school do not earn a diploma.”  Brevity readers who are educators are going to find this series gratifying to read.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Zero Tolerance

   

  AAP Policy Statement in Opposition to Zero Tolerance - The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a policy statement on out-of-school suspension and expulsion, particularly on zero tolerance policies. From the statement abstract:

   

  “Suspension and expulsion may exacerbate academic deterioration, and when students are provided with no immediate educational alternative, student alienation, delinquency, crime, and substance abuse may ensue.” 

   

  An in depth background statement accompanies the policy statement and could be a useful document to have around.

   

  Report Finds No Support for Zero Tolerance – A report from Indiana University on the use of zero tolerance in school discipline finds no credible evidence that removing students from school has made a contribution to school safety. The report includes some interesting findings:

   

  • Suspension and expulsion are not reserved for serious misbehavior, and in fact are often used in response to minor misbehavior or attendance-related issues.

     

  • Minority students, especially African-American students, are consistently overexposed to suspension and expulsion, despite a lack of evidence t hat those students act out more.

     

  • Zero tolerance is used so inconsistently across schools and school districts that some researchers have concluded that students wishing to lower their chances of being suspended should change schools rather than change their behavior.

     

  • High rates of recidivism suggest that zero tolerance is not effective in changing student behavior.

     

  • The use of zero tolerance may increase school dropout. For example, students who have been suspended are more likely to drop out by 10^th grade.  

     

  ++++++++++ 

   

  Walking Tall on Hallway Beat

   

  Interview with a New York police officer assigned to Jane Addams High School in the Bronx. Officer Kenan Sheppard is one of many New York City police officers stationed in public schools. He talks about the unique nature of a policeman’s job in a school setting.

   

  NYTimes articles are available free online for 7 days from the date of publication and thereafter are available for a fee.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  More Kids Come to Court for School-Based Offenses

   

  An article in the New York Times discusses a new trend that lands unruly school children in court. Experts say the growing criminalization of student misbehavior can be traced to the broad zero-tolerance policies stand and districts began enacting in the mid-1990’s.

   

  Judge James Ray, administrative judge for the Lucas County, Ohio juvenile court and president of NCJFCJ, and Dan Pompa, Lucas County court administrator and former executive director of NJCSA*, are quoted in the article.  In it Judge Ray sympathizes with school officials, but does not consider juvenile court as the appropriate place to solve adolescent problems.

   

   Arrests in Lucas Countyin the past year include two middle school boys who turned off the lights in the girl’s bathroom and an 11-year-old girl who was arrested for “hiding out in the school and not going to class,” according to the police report.

   

   *NJCSA –
  National Juvenile Court
  Services Association, an organization for juvenile court administrators for which NCJFCJ provides support.

   

  ++++++++++

  Violent Kindergarteners

   

  This article from TIME Magazine online deals with a new and growing trend, the violence of very young children in the classroom.  Neither teachers, administrators or school systems are prepared to deal with five and six year olds like the 6-year-old girl who screamed, knocked over her desk, then crawled under the teacher’s desk, kicking it and dumping out the contents of the drawers. Next she stood up and began hurling books at her terrified classmates who were ushered from the room to safety. 

  Neither she nor the other kids described in this article are considered emotionally disturbed. Many experts believe they are witnessing the result of a number of social trends all coming together:

  • parents working long hours,
  • kids spending more time in day care,
  • rising academic pressure in the early grades,
  • exposure to violence in the media, and
  • everyone in the family too tired to have the kind of relationships that build social skills.

     

  ++++++++++

  Teen Athletes Use of Steroids

  In an article in the New York Times on the use of steroids by teen athletes looks at one young Texas baseball player’s suicide following his withdrawal from steroids and his father’s attempts to bring attention to the subject of steroid abuse in high school, which has thus far been largely unexamined as it applies to high school athletes.

  ++++++++++

  Reforming School Cultures with Restorative Practices

   

  Using restorative practices educators approach poor student behavior with more than traditional punishment. Students must meet with those they’ve wronged, explore what happened, and make necessary amends. This can happen in groups as small as three and as large as an entire class. Parents can be involved, and sometimes writing is used as a first step in getting students to think about their actions.

   

  Read about how restorative practices are applied in schools in this Philadelphia Inquirer article.

   

  Read SaferSanerSchools: Transforming School Culture with Restorative Practices

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Ghosts of Columbine

   

  This Newsweek article can be read online at MSNBC. It includes a link to videotape footage of Eric and Dylan shooting the weapons they used in the Columbine massacre five years ago and interviews with a number of students, teachers and others as Columbine High School returns to normality.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  18 Violent Deaths in Schools since mid-August

   

  Fatal shootings, stabbings and other attacks threatens to make the 2003-2004 school year one of the deadliest in years. These 18 deaths are already more than reported in either of the previous two years. Young people are dying at the hands of classmates, parents, and strangers.

   

  ++++++++++

  In Their Own Words

   

  “Kids don’t just wake up one day and say, I’m going to be bad.”

   

  “You hear about violence everywhere – on the news, the radio. You can’t really run from violence – it will always catch you.”

   

  “Drugs are not in one place. They’re everywhere.”

   

  “Adults don’t talk to us enough.”

   

  “When I go to the movies, I can’t tell you how many people I see die. You get so you don’t think it matters anymore.”

   

  The Attorney General of the State of Maryland , in a series of forums held in every county of Maryland , asked the children of the state about what is right and what is wrong in their lives. What they had to say is very good: pithy, to the point, wonderfully frank, and although sometimes despairing, mostly positive.

   

  The report is organized in sections, Bullying and Discrimination; Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Abuse; After School and Evenings; Media Violence and the Internet; and Counselors, Parents and Mentors. Each begins with student comments followed by what the research says and ending with recommendations. Altogether, a fine document and worth your time to look over at least the executive summary.  

   

  ++++++++++

   

   

  From the Courthouse to the Schoolhouse: Making Successful Transitions

   

  This is not a brand new OJJDP bulletin, but it is one with valuable information in it. This bulletin looks at promising and effective programs and strategies to reach at-risk youth who are truant, dropouts, afraid to attend school, suspended or expelled, or in need of help to reintegrate into mainstream schools from juvenile detention and correctional settings. 16 pages, downloadable.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  • Students Reported and Adults Listened to Them – School Shooting Attempt Averted in Georgia

     

  • A 14 year old boy was arrested after police said he had planned a Columbine-style massacre at Lovejoy High School in Atlanta , Georgia . The good news is that students at Lovejoy told school officials that he tried to recruit them to take part in a plan to “make history by turning Lovejoy into another Columbine.”  The rest of the good news is that school officials listened. In many previous school shootings, students knew beforehand, sometimes weeks before the shootings, and either did not tell an adult or, if they did tell an adult, they were ignored.

     

  ++++++++++

  Small Schools are Safer Schools

   

  A new study released by the state of New Jersey finds that high schools with 1,500 or more students have greater incidence of violence and absenteeism and poorer test scores compared to smaller schools. The report, School Size, Violence, Achievement and Cost, is available on the internet. It is 150+ pages in length. The executive summary is about 15 pages and will give you a good synopsis of the report.

   

  The Gates Foundation is actively promoting the small school model and advocates converting existing large, factory-like schools with thousands of students into smaller public schools where students have closer contact with teachers and each other. Often this means simply subdividing big high schools into smaller, more personal units of 200-300 students and teachers who come to know each of them. It recently announced a $50+ million grant to New York City schools. Read Creating “Small High Schools.”

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Homeless Education and Transitional Services Articles

   

  The Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) website has these articles available for download at the site:

   

  Improving Transitional Services for Young People with Mental Health Disorders- How state systems of mental health and special education can better prepare vulnerable young people for adulthood. Also available on the same page, links to a series of resources.

   

  Educating Homeless Children – How state homeless education coordinators work with EDC to translate federal law into effective practices. The article addresses stigma and isolation, meeting the needs of the whole child, flexible enrollment policies, community outreach.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  School Violence Numbers: The Reported and the Unreported

   

  This article from the Philadelphia Inquirer was an eye-opener. The Philadelphia School District saw a 41% increase in reported assaults, weapons offenses, and other serious incidents on and around its campuses in the last school year. Most of the increase was attributed to a new policy that required principals to report all incidents or risk losing their jobs. One wonders how this would apply nationally. See survey finding #3 below.  

   

  ++++++++++

   

  National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) 2003 Survey Results

   

  Significant findings from the survey of 728 school resource officers conducted at the 2003 annual NASRO conference:

   

  • School safety threats continue to persist from both within, and outside of, our nation’s schools.

     

  • School-based police officers reported that significant gaps continue to exist in their schools’ emergency preparedness planning and in training for terrorism and other crisis situations.

     

  • Crimes occurring on school campuses nationwide are underreported to law enforcement and the current federal No Child Left Behind Act requirement for states to define “persistently dangerous” school will lead to further underreporting of school crime. The vast majority of respondents also believe that Congress should enact a federal mandatory K-12 school crime reporting law. (This is particularly interesting in light of the article above about the Philadelphia School District crime reporting requirement.)

     

  • A significant percentage of School Resource Officers reported budget cuts for school safety funding in their local school districts, inadequacies in federal school safety funding, and the need for an “Education Homeland Security Act” to fund school terrorism training, improve security and crisis planning, and support SRO programs.

     

  Read more about the survey results at the link above. ++++++++++

   

  After-School Programs

   

   

  Fight Crime: Invest in Kids has released a new survey on the number one concern of working moms – their kids’ safety in the after-school hours. Concern over their children’s safety after school even outranked concerns over the quality of their children’s education or education funding. Key results of the poll:

   

  • When asked to name their top concern as kids head back to school, nearly six out of ten working mothers listed crime, violence, or risky behavior like drugs, alcohol and sex.

     

  • Despite public focus on school shootings and other violence during the school day, nearly nine out of ten working mothers said they are most concerned about their children’s safety during the after-school hours.

     

  • When asked which strategy would be more effective in reducing school and youth violence, seven out of ten mothers chose investments in after-school programs over investments in security measures like metal detectors and surveillance cameras.

     

  The poll of 1,000 working mothers with school-age children was conducted August 7-11.

   

  Here’s a link to After School Programs conducted by a number of national organizations.

   

  And, from the Dallas , Tex. Camp Fire USA web site, a list of reasons why after school programs are needed.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Community Outreach Through Police in Schools

   

   

  This OVC (Office for Victims of Crime) Bulletin reports on a short-term, prevention-oriented, school-based group intervention that brings together community police officers and child clinicians as group coleaders to provide weekly sessions for middle school students at risk of being exposed to violence in the community. It consists of 10 50-minute weekly sessions. Preliminary evaluation results of the program show both a serious need for intervention in this middle school population and some promising outcomes of the intervention.

  ++++++++++

  Critical Hours: Afterschool Programs and Educational Success

   

  The Nellie Mae Education Foundation has released this report that pays special attention to the effects of afterschool programs on the academic achievement and overall development of middle school students. Afterschool programs can not only keep young people safe and out of trouble, but also help them develop interests and skills that stay with them throughout their lives. At this site you can read or download the full report (about 30 pages), an executive summary or a fact sheet.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Ohio Appalachian Center for High Education

   

   

  OACHE has received the Harvard Award for Government Innovation. OACHE is a consortium of ten public colleges in the 29 counties of Appalachian Ohio with the mission of increasing the level of educational attainment of residents of the region. The mission is based on a study of the region, Appalachian Access and Success, which found that low self-esteem, poverty and a lack of information are among the strongest barriers to college participation.

   

  Many college access programs focus on providing scholarships and information, which are useful only to those students who already see college as a possibility. Access Projects succeed because they help students realize they can go to college. 

   

  ++++++++++

  Seattle High School Will Start Later in the Morning

  Nathan Hale High School in Seattle will join thirty-eight school districts in 18 states that have changed their start times to later in the morning, according to the National Sleep Foundation, and another 108 districts are considering the switch. 

  Researchers say teens' sleep schedules are different. After age 14 about 98 percent of adolescents have a chemical tendency to get sleepy around 11 p.m. and wake up around 8 or 8:15 a.m., as levels of the neurotransmitter melatonin fall. For adults, their equivalent of an early-start school day would be a meeting at 4 or 5 a.m. 

  The decision in Seattle was inspired by research in Minneapolis where schools changed their start times in the fall of 1997. 

  ++++++++++

  Technical Assistance Guidebooks for Schools – The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), with support from OJJDP, has developed a set of eight guidebooks for school districts to use to develop a comprehensive strategy to create a safe learning environment. They are:

   

  • Creating Schoolwide Prevention and Intervention Strategies

     

  • School Policies and Legal Issues Supporting Safe Schools

     

  • Implementing Ongoing Staff Development to Enhance Safe Schools

     

  • Ensuring Quality school Facilities and Security Technologies

     

  • Fostering School-Law Enforcement partnerships

     

  • Instituting School-Based Links with Mental Health and Social Service Agencies

     

  • Fostering School, Family and Community Involvement

     

  • Acquiring and Utilizing Resources to Enhance and Sustain a Safe Learning Environment.

     

  Available online at OJJDP or, to obtain a free CD containing all eight guides call NWREL toll free at 800-268-2275.

   

  ++++++++++

   

  Safe Harbor: A School-Based Victim Assistance/Violence Prevention Program

   

   

  The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) latest bulletin profiles Safe Harbor, a victim assistance and violence prevention program developed by Safe Horizon in New York City. The Safe Harbor Program has been replicated in ten school sites around the country and evaluated over four years. At this web location you can read and download the OVC Bulletin on the subject and review associated information of interest.

   

  The Safe Harbor Program has five components:

   

  • A victim assistance/violence prevention curriculum of 10 core lessons;

     

  • Individual and group counseling for victimized youth;

     

  • Parent involvement and staff training enhancing students’ relationships with adults in their lives;

     

  • Structured group activities that include focused group discussion and skill-building sessions to promote peer relationships; and

     

  • A schoolwide antiviolence campaign that aims to build a cohesive school culture of nonviolence. 

  ++++++++++

  At the Adolescent & School Health web site:

   

  • Federal Activities Addressing Violence in Schools – An inventory of federal activities addressing violence in schools. Includes information on research, applications, programs, resource development.

     

  • Resource and Technical Assistance Centers - Links to providers of information, training and technical assistance for violence prevention programs. 

  ++++++++++

  Evaluation of After-school Programs in Schools

   

  A study conducted for the U.S. Department of Education to examine the characteristics and outcomes of typical after-school programs in elementary and middle schools shows that “while 21^st-Century after-school centers changed where and with whom student spent some of their after-school time and increased parental involvement, they had limited influence on academic performance, no influence on feelings of safety or on the number of “latchkey” children and some negative influences on behavior.”  Other findings:

   

  • Attendance in the programs was low, averaging less than two days a week.

     

  • Programs were staffed primarily by school-day teachers.

     

  • Programs made limited efforts to form partnerships and plan for sustainability. 

  ++++++++++

  Unintended Consequences: The Impact of Zero Tolerance and Other Exclusionary Policies on Kentucky Students

   

  This report from Building Blocks for Youth was designed to answer three questions:

   

  • What is the scope of the juvenile crime problem in Kentucky’s public schools?

     

  • How have the schools reacted?

     

  • Have any groups been disproportionately affected by school discipline policies?

     

  The report presents four major findings:

   

  • Violent juvenile crime is not a serious problem in Kentucky’s public schools, and the overwhelming majority of referrals from schools to juvenile courts are for status offenses.

     

  • School officials in Kentucky use out-of-school suspension excessively.

     

  • School officials refer inappropriate matters to the courts and the referrals are beginning to overwhelm Kentucky’s juvenile and family courts.

     

  • Kentucky’s African-American youth are suspended from many schools at rates far higher than the suspension rates for Kentucky ’s white students.

     

    There are a number of downloadable resources about this report at the BBFY website:

     

    • Full report and press release

       

    • Fact sheet on Zero Tolerance

       

    • Resources to address Zero Tolerance policies

       

    • List of key studies on Zero Tolerance 

    ++++++++++

     School Violence in Lower Elementary Grades

     

    A USA TODAY article from January 12 reports on an increasing number of incidences of violence and aggression by very young children against their teachers and their classmates. What information there is on violence and very young children is sketchy. It suggests that violence by younger children is rising and that schools are cracking down on children as young as kindergarten age but no clear trend shows as yet.  For example:

    • In Philadelphia , the first part of this school year brought the suspensions of 22 kindergartners.

       

    • Minneapolis schools have suspended more than 500 kindergarteners over the past two school years for fighting, indecent exposure and “persistent lack of cooperation,” among other offenses.

    ++++++++++

    MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, 2002 (click on the survey link on the left side of the page and click again at the survey page.)

     

    This survey is the 19^th in an annual series conducted by Harris Interactive for MetLife. It explores the factors and forces at work in students’ lives that encourage or inhibit their success in and out of school. The survey clearly shows the interrelationship between the school, the community and the homes of the students in the quality of their lives. Below, the results from one section of the poll.

    Factors Associated with student success:

     

    • Students who receive higher grades are happier in school, at home and in their community.
    • Students who receive higher grades eat breakfast more frequently and are not as distracted by hunger during class. Many students do not eat breakfast regularly or have lunch periods at the right time for them.
    • Lack of sleep is associated with lack of school advancement

       

    • Participation in activities is part of students’ busy schedules, and is seen by teachers and students as important to school success.

    The survey report is 270 pages. I recommend you read pages 3-9, which will give you the major findings of the report.     

    Literature about the connection between school success, breakfast, and sleep is beginning to appear more frequently. At least one school district has changed its start time for high school students from 7:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. to reflect the sleep needs and patterns of their students. Read about it here.

     

    ++++++++++

    2002 School Resource Officer Survey

     

    The National Association of School Resource Officers conducted a survey of its members and has published survey findings and conclusions in this document,  available to read online and downloadable.

     

    Key overall findings:

     

    • 95% of school-based police officers feel that their schools are vulnerable to a terrorist attack and a substantial percent of officers (79%) do not feel that schools within their districts are adequately prepared to respond to a terrorism attack upon their schools.

       

    • The majority of School Resource Officers reported that significant gaps exist in their schools’ security, that their school crisis plans are inadequate, and that their school crisis plans are either untested or inadequately tested and exercised.

       

    • School-based officers have received limited training and minimal support from outside agencies (local, state, and federal) in preparing for a terrorist attack upon their schools.

       

    §         The vast majority of SROs also reported that their in-house school security personnel, school administrators, teachers, and support staff have received no terrorism-specific training.

     

    §         Additionally, SROs reported decreasing opportunities for their overall training, especially since 9/11, with many limitations attributed to a lack of funding.

     

    ++++++++++ 

    Center for Law and Education

     

     

    This organization addresses the legal rights and responsibilities of students and school personnel. It examines Title I, vocational education programs and school work systems, and special education with students with disabilities. CLE offers help on a wide range of interconnected issues, including:

     

    • Standards-based reform

       

    • High school restructuring (including vocational reform)

       

    • Implementation and enforcement of the rights of students with disabilities

       

    • Parent and community involvement

       

    Interested readers might want to take a look at these CLE publications:

     

    • Education Rights of Children with Disabilities ( A Revised & Updated Primer for Advocates) - a basic legal reference designed to assist parents, students, and their advocates in securing rights to quality preschool, elementary, and secondary education as guaranteed under IDEA. The cost per book is $25, which includes shipping and handling.

       

    • When Schools Criminalize Disability Education Law Strategies for Legal Advocates – Explores various legal theories and strategies for challenging inappropriate school-initiated delinquency petitions and crime reports, and addressing their aftermath. Available as a pdf or WordPerfect download at the website, chapter by chapter. Includes hypotheticals and an appendix that sets out guiding principles and criteria for school policies regarding the filing of delinquency petitions and crime reports.

       

    ++++++++++

     

    Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education

     

     

    A different look at diversity issues from the National Academy Press. This book considers what factors contribute to the disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic minority students in special education and gifted and talented programs. The book in its entirety, about 500 pages, can be read online or purchased at the site. The Executive Summary includes recommendations and is downloadable from the same page.

     

    Some statistics from the Executive Summary:

     

    • About 5 percent of Asian/PacificIslander students are identified for special education

       

    • The rate for Hispanics is 11 percent

       

    • For whites, 12 percent,

       

    • For American Indians, 13 percent

       

    • For Blacks, over 14 percent

       

    ++++++++++

     

    Twenty-five Years of Educating Children with Disabilities

     

     

    The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the Center on Education Policy reviewed data about progress in educating children with disabilities over the twenty-five years following the passage of IDEA in 1975. The report is aimed at people who may not be aware of this special area of education.  The report can be broadly summarized to say that, “by several measures, the 25-year effort to improve education for children with disabilities has been remarkably successful. By other measures, it has not gone far enough.”

     

    The report observes:

    • The goal of ensuring access to public education for students with disabilities has largely been met.
    • IDEA has been a major force behind this progress, but credit is also due to parents and educators and to a general change in people’s attitudes about children with disabilities.
    • A solid infrastructure is now in place for educating children with disabilities.