CFK Weekly - April 11, 2005

Connect for Kids.org: Better Policies for Kids

April 11, 2005

Table of Contents. Click on heading to jump to that section.

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Adopting, and Adjusting
**Red Flags from Red Lake
**CFK Weekly: Tell a Friend
**CFK Field Report: Congressional Briefing on Mental Health Services and Former Foster Care Youth

ACTION CENTRAL
**National Budget Call-In Day: April 12
**Early Education News Parents Can Use
**NEA: Urge Congress to Protect Department of Defense Educators' Union Rights
**Healthy Schools and School Buildings
**National Neighborhood Day Film Contest
**Heads Up: Public IDEA meetings
**Keeping an Eye on Social Security
**National League of Cities Summit on Your City’s Families

CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH
**Children’s Mental Health: Navigating the System
**Red Lake Teen Not Alone in His Despair
**Evaluating the Risk of Suicide Screening Programs
**States Move to Limit Screening in Schools
**Serving Students with Emotional Issues
**Foster Children, PTSD and Mental Health

SUPPORTING POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
**Preventing Problems, Promoting Development, Encouraging Engagement
**Indian Child Welfare Act: Using Existing Information to Target Assistance
**Leading the Way

HEALTH AND SEXUALITY
**HHS Launches Site to Help Parents Talk to Teens about Risk Behavior
**Advocacy Groups Respond to HHS Parent Web site
**Despite Study Flaws, Medication Safely Prevents Mother-Child AIDS Transmission

KIDS & POLITICS
**CHN State-by-State Budget Fact Sheets
**Courts Say States Must Improve Services to Medicaid Children
**Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in IDEA Case

NCLB AGAIN MAKING NEWS
**Education Department Issues NCLB Rule Change

NEW EDUCATION DATA
**Beating the Odds: Rural and Urban Schools
**SchoolMatters.com

FAMILY INCOME AND SUPPORTS
**CLASP: Rethinking Welfare Rules from a Marriage-Plus Perspective
**Are Food Stamps Reaching Those in Need?

FOCUS ON THE STATES
**Spotlight on State Medicaid Programs
**State-by-State News

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Adopting, and Adjusting
Adoption is a fundamental, life-altering event for everyone involved. But many adoptive parents are still surprised to find their joy mixed with sadness and uncertainty. Ninotchka Beavers talked with some experts about what some are calling Post Adoption Depression.
http://www.connectforkids.org/articles/adopting_and_adjusting

**Red Flags from Red Lake
In this column, Connect for Kids’ senior contributing writer Caitlin Johnson reflects on what the response to the Red Lake, Minnesota school shooting tells us about what captures our attention as a nation, and why.
http://www.connectforkids.org/articles/red_flags_red_lake

**CFK Weekly: Tell a Friend
Each week, CFK sifts through an enormous amount of information so we can point child advocates, educators, parents and others to the most up-to-date news, research and advocacy information. Join the CFK Weekly community by subscribing today.
http://clients2.targetware.com/connectforkids/Welcome.phtm?SurveyId=2

**CFK Field Report: Congressional Briefing on Mental Health Services and Former Foster Care Youth
On April 6, 2005 Harvard Medical School and Casey Family Programs held a Congressional briefing on mental health services and former foster care youth to release the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study.
http://www.connectforkids.org/field_reports

ACTION CENTRAL

**National Budget Call-In Day: April 12
Concerned about the FY2006 federal budget’s impact on programs that support kids, families and communities? To contact your members of Congress, you can use the American Friends Service Committee toll-free number: 1-800-247-2971, call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or visit the following Web site, sponsored by the poverty-focused RESULTS nonprofit.
http://capwiz.com/results/callalert/index.tt?alertid=7123391

**Early Education News Parents Can Use
This Department of Education broadcast on April 19, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET, brings panel of experts together to discuss how parents can lay the foundation for reading.
http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/

**NEA: Urge Congress to Protect Department of Defense Educators' Union Rights
On April 12 and 14, Congress will hold hearings to determine the fate of the National Security Personnel System, which could strip civilian workers -- including teachers working in schools on military bases -- of their rights and protections. The effort would abolish long-standing collective bargaining rights and would expose employees to arbitrary personnel decisions. The National Education Association urges Congress to protect Department of Defense educators' union rights.
http://www.nea.org/lac/union

**Healthy Schools and School Buildings
As many as half of all students in the nation's 120,000 schools may attend school in buildings that undermine health and learning. On April 18 the School Building Association kicks off School Building Week—giving parents, students and educators a time to focus on the impact of school building environments on children's health and test scores.
http://sbw.cefpi.org/

**National Neighborhood Day Film Contest
What does your neighborhood mean to you? The National Neighborhood Day organization invites professional and first-time filmmakers to submit a 5-minute or shorter film for consideration in the adult, youth or special jury prize categories. The deadline for entries is June 1, 2005.
http://www.neighborhoodday.org

**Keeping an Eye on Social Security
On April 19th, people will gather across the country for a National Civic Dialogue on Social Security organized by Wellstone Action. You can sign up to host a discussion group or simply attend one to discuss and learn about the issues being debated related to the program and President Bush's proposal to overhaul it.
http://www.wellstone.org/network/issue_page.aspx?catID=1770

**National League of Cities Summit on Your City’s Families
The National Summit on Your City's Families will be held in San Antonio, Texas from Sept 25 to 28, 2005. Early bird fees are available only until April 15.
http://www.nlc.org/IYEF/your_city_s_families_conference/

**Children’s Mental Health: Navigating the System
What’s it like to raise a child with mental illness, and what supports exist for parents and caretakers? During a live Carter Center Web cast on April 14, 2005, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., medical experts and parents will describe the strategies, supports and interventions available, and the experiences that turned them into to advocates. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will make the opening remarks. Submit questions in advance by e-mailing to: carterweb@emory.edu.
http://www.cartercenter.org/doc2055.htm

**Red Lake Teen Not Alone in His Despair
The recent murders at Red Lake Indian Reservation highlights the problems faced by many American Indian teenagers. A Minnesota state survey conducted last year of 56 ninth-graders on the Red Lake Reservation showed that 81 percent of the girls and 43 percent of the boys had considered suicide. The Chicago Sun Times has the story.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-shoot27.html

**Evaluating the Risk of Suicide Screening Programs
Asking high school students if they have ever tried or thought about suicide does not appear to put them at risk of doing so, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/293/13/1635

**States Move to Limit Screening in Schools
The National Mental Health Association says several states are moving to prohibit mental health screening in schools and limit the ability of school personnel to make recommendations or discuss behavioral health issues with parents. Alaska, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont have all seen legislation introduced. Here’s what the Association has to say.
http://www.nmha.org/

**Serving Students with Emotional Issues
Teacher and behaviorist Mary Beth Hewitt says schools can do more to meet the challenge of inclusion for students with emotional disabilities -- including training staff and providing specific supports.
http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/InclusionOfEBD.html

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a series of training packages for a Mental Health Friendly Classroom.
http://allmentalhealth.samhsa.gov/school_modules.html

**Foster Children, PTSD and Mental Health
Former foster children are twice as likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as Iraq war veterans. That’s one of several stark findings of the Northwest Foster Care Alumni study by Harvard, the University of Washington, the University of Michigan, and the Casey Family Programs. More than 20 percent of adults formerly in foster care are doing well -- but most, however, face major challenges in the areas of mental health, education, and employment. One-third is living at or below the poverty level, and nearly a quarter experienced homelessness some time after leaving foster care. Changes in foster care services can help.
http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/NorthwestAlumniStudy.htm

SUPPORTING POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

**Preventing Problems, Promoting Development, Encouraging Engagement
Over the past 20 years, there has been a shift in how researchers, policymakers, and practitioners think about youth development and what works. This updated Forum for Youth Investment paper examines this issue, and includes ideas about young people as participants and change makers — ideas that constitute the next, more powerful iteration of the youth development approach.
http://forumflash.c.topica.com/maadnkQabfN70beMTmyeafpKXx/

**Indian Child Welfare Act: Using Existing Information to Target Assistance
In 1960s and 1970s, American Indian children were roughly six times more likely to be placed in foster care than other children, and were often placed in non-American Indian homes or institutions. The 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was designed to protect American Indian families and give tribes a role in making child welfare decisions. A new Government Accountability Office survey of four states found no consistent pattern in how long children subject to ICWA remained in foster care – but did find that in 2003, these children were somewhat less likely to be reunified or adopted when leaving care and somewhat more likely to leave through a guardianship arrangement. The GAO recommends that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families consider using ICWA compliance information available through its existing child welfare oversight activities to target assistance to states. HHS disagreed with the recommendation.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-290

**Leading the Way
Last summer Connect for Kids’ Robert Capriccioso highlighted the National Indian Youth Leadership project. By developing programs for youth grounded in American Indian tribal cultures, the New Mexico-based organization is helping cultivate a new generation of strong leaders.
http://www.connectforkids.org/articles/leading_the_way

**HHS Launches Site to Help Parents Talk to Teens about Risk Behavior
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new Web site designed to equip parents to talk with their teens about sex and relationships, while encouraging them to remain abstinent from unhealthy behaviors.
http://www.4parents.gov

**Advocacy Groups Respond to HHS Parent Website
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Michael Leavitt, 145 advocacy and public health organizations expressed "dismay" that the recently launched government Web site that encourages parents to talk to their children about sexuality contains fear-based and inaccurate information. The Sexuality Education and Information Council of the United States (SEICUS) has also created a companion site to help parents voice their concerns about 4parents.gov.
http://www.siecus.org/

**Despite Study Flaws, Medication Safely Prevents Mother-Child AIDS Transmission
A Ugandan drug trial's findings that the AIDS medication nevirapine is effective and safe in preventing HIV transmission from mother to unborn child during birth were well-supported, according to new report from the Institute of Medicine. The report determined that policymakers and scientists can rely on the resulting data and conclusions, despite some flaws in record keeping and procedural issues.
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309096510?OpenDocument

KIDS & POLITICS

**CHN State-by-State Budget Fact Sheets
There’s heavy rhetoric on each side -- but what does the federal budget really mean for low-income families and children in your state? The Coalition on Human Needs has created 50 state fact sheets using data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (Scroll down for each state.)
http://www.chn.org/dia/organizations/chn/pdf/CongressionalBudget-StateFactSheets040105.pdf

**Courts Say States Must Improve Services to Medicaid Children
Federal courts have ruled that Medicaid children are not receiving federally mandated screening and medical care in Oklahoma and Cook County, Illinois. The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools has a report.
http://www.healthinschools.org/ejournal/2005/apr1.htm

**Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in IDEA Case
Next fall, the Supreme Court will decide on one of the most contentious issues in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In Weast v. Schaffer, parents are suing the Montgomery County, Maryland, school system over an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) prepared for a student with learning disabilities. At issue is whether parents or school systems must assume the burden of proof -- often a costly endeavor -- in hearings when parents dispute an IEP. The National School Boards Association offers details.
http://www.nsba.org/site/doc_sbn.asp?TRACKID=&VID=55&CID=682&DID=35517

NCLB AGAIN MAKING NEWS

**Education Department Issues NCLB Rule Change
The U.S. Education Department announced a change to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that gives states additional flexibility if they can demonstrate that they are raising student achievement and closing achievement gaps. Under the new guidelines, states can modify the way they test students with milder cognitive disabilities. For example, more special education students will be allowed to take alternative assessments, instead of the standard statewide tests.
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/04/04072005.html

The National Education Association applauds the move, calling it a common sense improvement.
http://www.nea.org/newsreleases/2005/nr050407.html

Other organizations say less, not more, flexibility is critical to NCLB’s success. A report from the Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force on K-12 Education will be released on April 21 ("Within Our Reach: How America Can Educate Every Child"). According to the report's editor, John Chubb, the Task Force will recommend less state flexibility and variance in NCLB compliance.
http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/koret/default.htm

NEW EDUCATION DATA

**Beating the Odds: Rural and Urban Schools
The fifth annual Council of the Great City Schools' annual Beating the Odds report compared 2002, 2003, and 2004 test scores in urban districts from 38 states – and found improvements in both fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math. In fourth-grade reading, 51 percent of urban school students scored at or above proficient level, a 7.9 percentage point increase from 2002. Fourth-graders scoring at or above proficient level in math went from 44.1 percent to 55.3 percent, an 11.2 percent increase from 2002. When it came to achievement gaps, 63.8 percent of all grades tested narrowed the gap between white and black students in reading, and 57.5 percent closed the gap in math. Similarly, 53.2 percent of all grades narrowed the size of the gap between white and Hispanic students in reading, and 54.7 percent in math. The findings are preliminary.
http://www.cgcs.org/pdfs/BTOVFINALFULLCOPY3.30.05.pdf

**SchoolMatters.com
This new National Education Data Partnership site provides in-depth, highly searchable information on public schools, school districts, and state education agencies. In addition to student achievement information and demographic and financial data, the site also includes tools and objective analyses that provide education leaders with the information they need to make better-informed decisions about schools and school systems.
http://www.schoolmatters.com

FAMILY INCOME AND SUPPORTS

**CLASP: Rethinking Welfare Rules from a Marriage-Plus Perspective
This policy brief describes some of the research addressing the effects of the different welfare policies over the years on family formation decisions. The brief concludes with some suggested policies that would neither discourage marriage nor disadvantage children being raised in single-parent families.
http://www.clasp.org/publications/marriage_brief6.pdf

**Are Food Stamps Reaching Those in Need?
Across the country, just over half (54 percent) of eligible people received food stamp benefits in 2002 – but rates among states vary widely, according to a new brief from Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/redirect_pubsdb.asp?strSite=pdfs/fns02rates.pdf

FOCUS ON THE STATES

**Spotlight on State Medicaid Programs
The Kaiser Network’s Daily Health Policy reports highlight news coverage of state Medicaid developments.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=29206

**State-by-State News

California
The new Los Angeles Universal Preschool Program is a countywide program that will enroll 70 percent of Los Angeles 4-year-olds in preschool programs, regardless of income, over the next 10 years. The program is a result of a state ballot initiative that adds a 50-cents-a-pack tax on cigarettes to pay for early childhood development, health and education programs.
http://first5.org/

Colorado
A Colorado bill that would replace the 10th-grade assessment tests with the pre-ACT, sometimes called the PLAN test, won initial House approval. The bill's sponsor said the pre-ACT would get students thinking about college and give them a better idea of how they stack up against students from around the nation.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/legislature/article/0%2C1299%2CDRMN_37_3678206%2C00.html

Florida
Florida’s State Board of Education has approved child performance standards, early learning standards, curricula standards and emergent literacy course standards for its voluntary universal pre-K program.
http://www.myfloridaeducation.com/earlylearning.

Hawaii
The National Economic Development and Law Center and Good Beginnings Alliance released The Economic Impact of the Early Care and Education Industry in Hawaii.
http://www.nedlc.org

Massachusetts
Faced with an aging corps of educators, a high burnout rate for new teachers, and erratic offerings in schools of education, the Boston School Department is taking bold steps to train and certify its own teachers through the Boston Teacher Residency program.
http://www.bpe.org/btr/index.html

Missouri
The state government is now considering substantial cuts in its Medicaid program, including the deepest cuts to low-income working parent's eligibility in the nation. This CBPP analysis demonstrates that, contrary to some claims, Missouri's Medicaid program is smaller than that in the majority of states and is relatively efficient and that the cuts will significantly increase the number of uninsured in Missouri and harm the state's economy and employment.
http://www.cbpp.org/4-4-05health.htm

New York
Advocates for Children of New York has released "Project Achieve: A Model Project Providing Education Advocacy for Children in the Child Welfare System," documenting an extraordinary success rate in removing barriers to education for children in foster care.
http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/

North Carolina
The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce and the Durham’s Partnership for Children have joined together to establish a program that would allow high quality child care centers to join the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce. Child care businesses with 5 and 4 stars will be able to join the chamber of commerce, which helps businesses to expand and improve, at a one-year discounted rate. If successful, the program could be replicated across the state.
http://www.dpfc.net/

Tennessee
The Tennessee Home Education Association is backing legislation that would allow home-schooled students and those in small private schools to play high school sports and participate in such extracurricular activities as art, drama and music in public schools. Opponents point out that families voluntarily choose to take their children out of public schools and away from those opportunities.
http://tennessean.com/education/archives/05/03/67794851.shtml?Element_ID=67794851

Utah
Despite more than a year of working with the U.S. government, the relationship Utah education officials have with their federal counterparts remains frosty over the state's plans to measure student performance and define qualified teachers under No Child Left Behind. In a recent letter, the U.S. Department of Education said a state that does not implement a standards-and-assessment system by the 2005-06 school year could lose its funding, be forced into a statutory agreement that requires compliance within three years or receive mandatory oversight status.
http://www.ecs.org/00CL6276

Next week, we’ll begin featuring funding opportunities, and continue to track federal budgets and pending legislation. In the meantime, keep up the good work, everyone!
Caitlin

Caitlin Johnson, Sr. Writer, and the Connect for Kids team