CFK home December 17
Featured Articles:
December
17—You may know Dr. Susan B. Neuman as the apostate
former Bush administration official who publicly opposes
No Child Left Behind in its current form, and has made
headlines by arguing that schools alone cannot close
achievement gaps. But Neuman has received less attention
for her affirmative vision of what we can do to improve
poor students' odds dramatically—which she shares with
Claus von Zastrow in this Public
School Insights interview
(with audio). Read
more.
December
3—Concerned that young
people were increasingly disconnected
from the real (read: natural)
world, actress and teacher Barbara
Sarbin turned a county farm into
a hands-on Earth School. Here’s
a look at how she did it. Read
more.
November
19—Engaging
young teens in quality
out-of-school time
programs is no easy
feat. Cypress Hills-East
New York, a Beacon
Center located in Brooklyn,
has developed a strategy
for reaching and enrolling
youth ages 9 to 14—and
it works. So what's
the secret of their
success? The Youth
Development Institute
shares some tips. Read
more
November
5—In California,
the journey from
parent to activist
starts at home: the
Los Angeles Community
Action Network won
a citywide law to
preserve affordable
housing in residential
hotels targeted for
luxury development. Read
more.
October
22—Texas graduation
rates haven't improved
much in over 20 years.
In fact, the newest
Intercultural Development
Research Association
(IDRA) study finds
that Texas schools
lose one high school
student every four
minutes—that's one-third
of the state's students.
So what would it take
to get to a drop out
rate of zero? IDRA's
Grad4All looks at what
can work, and how adults
can get involved to
make sure more students
in Texas and across
the country graduate
on time and with the
skills they need to
succeed. Read
more.
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December
17 issueAs we approach the holidays
and the end of 2008, you certainly don't need us to recap the list
of woes and worries facing our nationinstead, we'd like to send
'08 out with a bit of cheer and optimism.
That's not as hard as it sounds because many in the child and youth
field are turning hopeful eyes toward the new administration and offering
recommendations for specific steps to improve the lives of children and
youth, even in these tight times. We've got a round-up of several transition
ideas.
There's also some powerful calls to action on behalf of families and
ideas for including children and youth in the economic recoverywith
the underlying message that yes we can ensure access to quality after-school
programs and child care for families. We can preserve critical social
services, even in the face of state budget cuts.
We at CFK congratulate all of you for the work you do to foster the
well-being of children and youth and we join you in looking toward (and
acting for) the future! Read
the last Update of 2008.
Karen Pittman's Youth Today Column

To say that young people should be ready for college,
work and life often provokes public criticism. People question
if college is for every young person. But, Karen Pittman
challenges leaders to "... stay with [all young people]
to ensure that they complete some form of post-secondary
credential—academic or technical."
Karen suggests must-read resources from nonprofits, business
leaders and youth themselves for those people who question
the important of college. She answers the question, "Why
should young people be credentialed by 26?" Read
Karen's column.
Recent Columns:
Hershel Sarbin, CFK/Child Advocacy 360

I’m struck by how smartly Brenda Eheart and Martha Power,
the founders of Hope Meadows intergenerational community,
have adapted to changing conditions over the years. Therein
lies a model for all of us. Read
Hershel's column.
Recent Columns:
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About CFK
Connect for Kids makes the best use of communications technologies, specifically the Internet, to give adults—parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, advocates, policymakers...
Take the Ready by 21 Challenge
The Ready by 21 Challenge isn't a program, campaign or even an initiative, but it's working hard to change the way we do business so we can improve the outcomes for youth.
So just what is Ready by 21 and how can it help youth work? Find out here.
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