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CFK ArticlesPreserving public space for compelling stories of work that makes a difference: local action, community interventions, youth activism and emerging trends and policies that matter to children and families. Inspiration, action and results. More.
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Get the scoop in the 2008 contest and listen to a special CFK podcast with Bryan Doerries, program director of Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, which administers the Scholastic Art and Writing Award, and two of the high school students who took top honors in photography.
Hampton, Virginia, a 400-year old city once dubbed “Crabtown” for its abundant seafood, has an exciting new natural resource: youth as change agents. In April 2007, 40 community leaders from coast to coast gathered there for an “Innovations Site Visit” to learn more about the city’s award-winning, holistic model for youth civic engagement.
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—she shares her vision with Claus von Zastrow in this Public School Insights interview (with audio).
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.
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 recruiting and enrolling youth ages 9 to 14 for its school-year program. What works best? The Youth Development Institute shares some of the secrets of success.
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 recruiting and enrolling youth ages 9 to 14 for its school-year program. What works best? The Youth Development Institute shares some of the secrets of success.
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.
At the end of 2008, child advocates across the country quietly cheered some successes in Congress—including significant reform to the child welfare system—while raising concerns about a setback that may leave many homeless children without services they need.
Texas graduation rates haven't improved much in over 20 years. In fact, the 2008 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.
Fourteen years ago, an abandoned air force base was transformed into a vibrant intergenerational community, Hope Meadows, to help move children from foster care to adoption and turn seniors into active givers of supports and services. Now, as sites across the country replicate their approach, Hope Meadows is adapting to the new challenges that come with long-term success.
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Karen Pittman's monthly Youth Today columns are geared for professionals but useful to any concerned adult. (
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