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June 12, 2012 | The Youth Vote this November - A Force to be Reckoned With?
Come November, will the clout of the Millennial generation match its growing numbers, or will new state laws impede young people's efforts to register or cast a ballot? This week, people are talking about the youth vote, and the power of the Millennials to determine the outcome of the next Presidential election.
Is education reform working but not complete, or are we going down the wrong path altogether? Think "big picture" as you check out our new resources on education reform.
Meanwhile, sequestration cuts, student loan interest hikes, workforce investment reauthorization, juvenile justice funding, and cuts to food stamp programs are all in play in Washington. Don't wait until it's too late to sign a petition or send a letter to strengthen supports for kids and families.
And what are the consequences of not acting? Congress' inability to pass the DREAM Act means a few luck out, but for many this is the month high school graduation means facing deportation instead of a bright future.
A good infographic can tell a story more effectively than an inbox full of data. Check out the infographic in the Commonwealth Fund's health care reform report or sign up for the Nonprofit Technology Network's free webinar on visualizing data.
And speaking of pictures, a political cartoon by Nick Anderson speaks volumes about our country's failure to protect kids from abuse. Send this one to your local paper, along with a petition to Congress to improve legislation that keeps kids safe from harm.
Onward,
Jan
We heart feedback! Email jan@sparkaction.org.
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Awesome video of Mr. Rogers re-remixed-- "Garden of Your Mind" (a great message for #kids!) youtu.be/OFzXaFbxDcM
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| Quote of the Week  
"Having spent the last 11 years trying to elevate youth issues in policy, I have come to see advocacy like training for a sport. We can make progress, but we must keep at it every day. Don't let a meeting mark the beginning and end of your efforts. Invite policy makers to see your programs. Share a copy of your latest achievement or news clipping. Bring kids in to share their stories."
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| What's Moving in Washington, DC
Preserving Juvenile Justice Funding
The Coalition on Juvenile Justice has information for letters to your senators to support funding levels in S. 2323, an appropriations bill that provides federal funding for juvenile justice prevention and programs.
Hopes are higher for a compromise to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling for 7 million students next year, but it is not a done deal yet. This is one issue where Congress appears to be responding to pressure from constituents (hint, hint).
Across-the-Board Budget Cuts
Local, state and national organizations are encouraged to sign onto a letter urging Congress to avoid the across-the-board domestic spending cuts slated for January 2013 by passing a "balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to NDD (non-defense domestic) programs." Signatures are needed by June 22, 2012. The NDD Summit offers background information.
Workforce Investment Act
The House Education and Workforce Committee has approved a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization bill that advocates fear would dismantle the current youth education, employment and training system that serves over a quarter of a million youth, undermining decades of research-driven best practice programs. Kisha Bird at the Center for Law and Social Policy is keeping track of developments.
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| Will Youth Voices - And Votes - Matter in November? 
The Millennial Factor
As a Democratic leader, former Michigan Governor Granholm reads the demographics for the November election through a partisan lens, but her nonpartisan message is that the 2012 election is up for grabs -- if Millennials prove their potential to have more political clout than their grandparents' generation.
Dancing, Purging and Voting
In this blog post, Jennifer Wheary of Demos cites an op ed by Rock the Vote's Heather Smith that argues the obstacle to young people's political participation is not a lack of interest or motivation, but the increase in anti-voting laws that make it harder for young people to register and to cast a ballot.
Millennials, Activism and Race
Findings from the Applied Research Center's focus groups with Occupy participants and others indicate that the most significant influence for young progressives to engage in social justice work is their own personal and family experience, particularly for young people of color, but these young people have a common vision for society based on community and cooperation.
White House Council for Community Solutions: Community Solutions for Opportunity Youth
In its final June 2012 report, the Council lists community solutions and calls for a Presidential Youth Council to further inform decision makers about youth, drive cross-sector community collaborations, create shared national responsibility and accountability, and build more robust on-ramps for employment.
Foster Care Alumni Find Educational Success Through Mentoring
Through a personal story of foster care and attending college, Sara Gamez explains why programs like Renaissance Scholars, a comprehensive support program that empowers foster youth through higher education, are so important.
Troubled Teen Trades Violence for Camera
A young woman in South LA is working with a professional documentary filmmaker to produce thoughtful and honest interviews with former teen offenders about their lives. |
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| What's Working -- Good News in Hard Times
Health Coverage Increases for Millions of Young People, But Some Must Wait until 2014
The new health care law has helped some 6.6 million young adults access health coverage, but many more will need the help of provisions yet to come in 2014, assuming the law remains intact. The Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Tracking Survey of Young Adults, 2011 found that nearly two of every five young adults still lack health insurance, causing financial hardship or delayed medical care for many.
Pathways into Leadership: A Study of YouthBuild Graduates
Given a chance -- like the YouthBuild program -- young people can not only get back on track, they can become leaders in their communities, such as public officials, youth workers, church leaders, or teachers. Check out CIRCLE's study on YouthBuild graduates.
Insuring America's Children: Applying Advocacy Skills in Tumultuous Times
 Despite a severe economic downturn, continued erosion of private insurance, and intense debate over national health reform, states have been able to secure significant gains in health coverage for children, with the help of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation's Insuring America's Children project. Mathematica reports.
After-School Data: What Cities Need to Know
How can cities use data? Let us count the ways: for accountability, to map needs and supply, to improve programs and advocacy, or to strengthen networks and data-sharing. These tip sheets from the Wallace Foundation can help make your local data count. |
| Filling the Gaps in Education Reform
Blueprints for Education Reform: Have You Analyzed the Architects' Vision?
Education reform blueprints have become trendy, but UCLA policy analysts say most are missing a key ingredient: a well-developed vision or detailed and comprehensive plan for directly addressing learning barriers and engaging disconnected students.
Increasing the Effectiveness & Efficiency of Existing Public Investments in Early Childhood Education
Building on the progress made under the Obama and Bush administrations, the Center on American Progress identifies remaining challenges and needed reforms to improve consistency and coherence among federally funded early childhood programs.
Bridging the Divide between College and Career Readiness
Citing the opportunity offered by the common core standards movement to rethink the role of literacy and mathematics within career and technical education, Achieve offers a blueprint for strengthening collaboration between this community and state education leaders.
Preparing High School Students for College
 This National Center for Postsecondary Research analysis of college readiness partnership programs in Texas suggests that successful programs should address commonly encountered challenges -- like student recruitment and program sustainability -- early in the planning stages. Choosing interventions that show the greatest promise in a given context and matching students to the interventions that best meet their needs are also key to improving outcomes.
City Year Launches Ten-Year Strategy To Build The Nation's Urban Graduation Pipeline
Here's the goal: ensure that 80 percent of the students in the schools City Year serves reach 10th grade on track and on time (a key indicator for on-time graduation). Here's the focus: target 3rd through 9th grade students who need help the most, offering multiple, consecutive years of interventions and supports.
Freedom to Succeed: How Using School Choice Can Help Narrow the Achievement Gap
Whether to focus on improving all schools or to focus on moving children out of low-performing schools is a fundamental debate. Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation argues for improving education by expanding school choice and identifies systems, like Arizona, that use innovative funding mechanisms beyond vouchers for non-public school alternatives.
The State of Education 2012
The annual National Center on Education Statistics report covers three key areas: participation in education, elementary and secondary education and outcomes, and postsecondary education and outcomes. |
| Webinars
June 14: 1,000 Words-Visualizing Your Data
Nonprofit Technology Network
June 14: Toward Healthy Food and Farms: How Science-Based Policies in the 2012 Farm Bill Can Transform Agriculture
Union of Concerned Scientists
June 21: Teen Pregnancy and Early Parenting: How Funders and Nonprofits Are Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Young Adults and Their Families
Youth Transitions Funders Group
This webinar at 3:30pm ET will take an in-depth look at how pregnant teens and young parents can be connected to their communities for better long-term success. RSVP to Lisa McGill by Monday, June 18, at 4pm ET. |
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Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
SparkAction and the Forum for Youth Investment
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