Friday, July 23^rd

National Parental Involvement Standards

Federal Title I legislation defines parent involvement as: The participation of parents in regular, two-way, meaningful communication involving students' academic learning and other school activities. The involvement includes ensuring that parents play an integral role in assisting their child's learning; that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education at school; that parents are full partners in their child's education and are included, as appropriate, in decisionmaking and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.

The Six Slices of Parent Involvement were adopted by Project Appleseed in 1996 from the framework developed by Dr. Joyce L. Epstein, director of the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The Center's mission is research, evaluation, policy analysis and dissemination in order to produce new and useful knowledge about how families, schools, and communities influence student motivation, learning, and development. Read More

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MTV's If You Really Knew Me

Now that MTV's cinematic, not-really-reality-show "The Hills" is over and its counterpart "The City" is on hiatus, the network is making an interesting move by filling the time slot with real kids with real problems.

We can confidently say that this series will not be ending with a long shot of a studio backlot.

"If You Really Knew Me" is a show about Challenge Day, a revealing high school program in which leaders visit schools and try to demolish the social boundaries, emotional walls, and inevitable cliques so that high school students ultimately feel less alone and more understood. Read More

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Program to Turn Youth from Truants to Teachers

Gov. Schwarzenegger has given the green light to an SF State led program designed to divert local youth from gangs to green jobs and careers in education.

The "SF STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Teacher Pathway Project," targets young adults from 17 to 24 who are currently engaging in gang activity, are former gang members or are at risk of gang involvement.

SF State, City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and several San Francisco public agencies and nonprofit organizations will contribute educational, job placement, youth counseling, vocational training and other services to the project. Program leaders aim to offer students a compelling alternative to gangs by providing concrete career paths that can lead to viable careers in teaching or green industries. Read More

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Program Redirects Youth to Work Force

Excel Academy Seeks Grant to Continue Mission of Preparing Those at Risk for Jobs

Nothing stops a bullet like a job, or so Homeboy Industries of Southern California says. Beverly Ward, gang intervention coordinator at Wicomico Partnerships for Families and Children, said the slogan is the basis of programs like Excel Academy, Salisbury's attempt to redirect at-risk youths to the work force. Ward helped bring Excel Academy to Salisbury last year with a grant from Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski's office.

To continue its mission, Salisbury's program needs to secure a grant from the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention through Wicomico County public schools. Read More

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Texas Awards $3.1 Million For Border Gang Prevention

Governor Rick Perry has awarded more than $3.1 million in grants to nine programs to expand juvenile gang prevention efforts along the Texas-Mexico border.

These grants are administered by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division.

"Gangs are a threat to Texas communities, especially along the border, where drug cartels often use these young Texans to commit serious crimes, including human smuggling, robbery, assault, auto theft, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud, home invasions, identity theft, murder and weapons trafficking," Gov. Perry said. "These funds will help these communities administer programs to keep young Texans out of the grips of these ruthless gangs, help them achieve a brighter future and protect our state." Read More

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City Youth Gain 400 Jobs for Summer

Opportunities Hope to Stem Wave of Violence

Boston officials, hoping to stem a wave of early-summer violence, announced more than 400 new summer jobs and new summer school programs for at-risk youth.

Private foundations and nonprofits donated $635,000 to the city to hire 423 additional individuals ages 14 to 24 in three city neighborhoods that have recently faced violent involving young people: Franklin Field, Grove Hall, and the Bowdoin-Geneva area, which includes Four Corners in Dorchester, officials said. Read More

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