PYD Report

Great article in EdWeek comparing superficial test scores to Michelle Obama’s efforts to combat obesity.  Full article is here.  Great quote:

“We must make educational accountability a public-health and safety issue. America was successful in nearly eradicating polio not because students found immunizations (or even the later foul-tasting sugar cubes) appealing. We stopped the dread disease because it was our collective duty to do so. If my neighbor’s children were not immunized, my own children were at risk, and vice versa. In the smaller world of the 21st century, the illiteracy of my neighbor’s children, whether my neighbor is in Mississippi, California, or New York, also puts my children at risk.”

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There is an apparent level of research, interest, and funding available around adolescence; and of particular interest to this blog, we examine here that which relates to the positive development of youth.  That is to say:  that group of individuals aged 12 to 24.  For many, this is the age where the skin of childhood is slowly shed for a more refined robe of adulthood.  But is that really the case?  Or, in 20 years, will we see adolescence as the precursor only to the stage many are now calling, “emerging adulthood.”  The phenomenon, yet to hit the mainstream, suggests that the 20-something crowd is putting off much of the growth previous teenagers were painfully taking their parents through in the latter years of high school.  Put bluntly, four years of college is now leading to debt, confusion, and the lack of self-sustainability.  For now, articles such as the one in the New York Times today, will continue to push us to examine this, dare I say, emerging age group as one to be addressed.  Right now it’s a term of art in papers and articles… discussions perhaps even for a coffee date… but in 20 years will someone out there be blogging about this tumultuous time of life as we now pour over the complexities of the adolescent years?

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This week in Washington, DC, the U.S. Department of Education hosted a summit on school bullying.  Government officials met with experts from across the field and throughout the private and non-government sectors to begin the conversation around establishing a national strategy to end this pressing issue facing countless youth across the country.  For coverage on the summit, visit CBS news or CNN.  For a transcript of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s address at the summit, visit the Department of Education’s website.

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As part of events and announcements honoring the 100th anniversary of the late former President Ronald Reagan, the foundation named in his honor announced last week that it has formed a National Youth Leadership Committee.  The committee, comprised of young celebrities, brings together individuals who epitomize success and leadership in their fields.  The Foundation hopes the group will carry the torch of watching freedom live on.

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The University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education recently announced its launch of a new center, “Youth Nex.”  The center, which will be headed up by Dr. Patrick Tolan, will strive to be at the healm of research and training in areas related to youth development and the prevention of risky behaviors among adolescents.  Funded in part by Philip Morris USA, the center will put a strong emphasis on effective evaluation of existing programs while working towards developing new and innovative approaches to working in the area of youth development.  For more on the center’s beginning, visit the press release put out by UVA.

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The American Academy of Family Physicians recently published a report that positive emotions and happy moods were more closely associated with future physical health than anxiety and depression.  For a summary, visit msn.  For access to the online journal, visit here.

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Yesterday, the New York Times published an op-ed piece on recently passed legislation that mandates curriculum in Massachusetts classrooms to address bullying.  While we can all easily agree that bullying needs to be addressed with youth, the piece brings up an important question:  is it enough, or even worth it, to teach children not to bully one another?  Or do we need to go back to something far more basic:  practicing kindness at every level.  There is no way for our lawmakers to write mandates forcing us all to just get along, and so perhaps a missing piece will remain how we create a culture of putting others first and doing as we want done to us.

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What is the data telling us about teens and mobile technology?  A lot.  Since 2006, The Pew Trust has been collecting data on American teens and their mobile phone use.  No surprise here:  from late night texts, to photo exchanges, to being in the know or out of the loop, teens rely on these devices to keep pace with their peers.  Some highlights of what data has shown so far:  more than half of youth text daily, and one third of all teens text more than 100 times per day;  andtexting has surpassed face-to-face communication, phone calls, and emails as the primary form of communication about adolescents.  In addition to data sharing, The Pew Trust has provided several articles on important topics, including information about the appropriate age to begin using cell phones and other technologies.  Visit here for more.

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The Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools at the U.S. Department of ED has just released the funding announcement for the $27.5 million school climate grants.    Only states are eligible to apply for the 5 to 7 awards.  Complete announcement is found here.  Deadline to apply is August 9 — giving applicants 30 days to put together a strong proposal.   For the fun of it, I cut and pasted the ‘application requirements’  into wordle.net and produced the following word cloud:

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The ‘Quote of the Week’ comes from Timothy Shriver as he testified before the HELP Committee in the  U.S. Senate earlier this week:

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Great article posted on the Brookings’ website focused on impact of federal programs for youth.    Written by Jon Baron and Isabel Sawhill, the article urges federal policy-makers to use a ‘tiered’ funding approach — with the largest grants going to expansion of the few proven interventions.  Excerpt:

The American public is increasingly concerned about the way tax dollars are being spent. But constrained opportunities for far too many of the nation’s youth are not going away. Our current arsenal of interventions for youth contains some that are not a good use of taxpayer funds and others with very high rates of return. A clear shift in direction, based on reallocating funds to strategies that work, could turn federal social programs into a much more potent force in improving the longer-term prospects for children and youth.

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HHS recently hosted a conference, “Evaluating Community-Based Risk Prevention Programs for Youth.”  While the primary audience was researchers, evaluators, and program directors from community-based abstinence education programs, the presenters came from a variety of youth-serving fields.  Plenaries and workshops covered topics from violence, gangs, mentoring, and physical and mental health.  A wealth of information and resources has been posted on this website:  http://www.abstinenceevaluation.org/tiki-index.php?page=Conferences#evaluating

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U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (chair of Senate HELP Committee) at a hearing this morning on the reauthorization of ESEA:

“We also must recognize that students don’t check their home lives at the school door each morning.  Students with unstable home lives require extra stability and support while they are at school to enable them to stay in class and keep up with their peers.  For a student, simple things like accommodations or support from a school counselor can mean the difference between the despair of falling behind and the fulfillment of meeting high expectations.”

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It’s impossible to turn on the evening news or read any paper without hearing about bullies in schools, the dangers of social networking sites, and a plethora of other risky behaviors scouring playgrounds and locker rooms.  One school in Massachusetts might have an idea:  instead of teaching the students to say no to drugs on Monday, say yes to extracurricular activities on Tuesday, no to sex on Wednesday, yes to condoms on Thursday, and think before you send texts on Friday, this school has the students, in second grade, just thinking.  In a recent article in the New York Times, the author suggests that even eight year olds are old enough to explore why and why not, feelings, and ethics.  Is there something to this?  It would be impossible to draw a conclusion from this pilot program, but it would not be impossible to deduce that perhaps parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors should spend some time exploring decision-making beyond the confines of singular topics:  alcohol, drugs, sex, friendships, and kindness.  Are the decisions individuals make within these arenas connected?  Yes.  And perhaps giving students room to explore that connectedness, and the reasons beyond them, isn’t such a bad idea.

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Today the U.S. Department of Education announced the panels of experts who be presenting at the Listening and Learning About Early Learning meetings.

Each of the four meetings will focus on one topic.  Below are dates, places, and names of panel members for the meetings, which will run from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.

Understanding Preschool – Grade 3 Structures: Friday, April 23, 2010, at the LBJ Auditorium at the Department’s headquarter building in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Building, 400 Maryland Ave. S.W., Washington, D.C.

Debbie Leong, Professor of Psychology at Metropolitan State College of Denver

Jerry Weast, Superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools

Gail Connelly, Executive Director of National Association of Elementary School Principals

Ruby Takanishi,  President of the Foundation for Child Development

Workforce and Professional Development: Monday, April 26, 2010, in the auditorium at the Center for Early Education, 3245 E. Exposition Avenue, Denver, CO

Marcy Whitebook, Director of Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Ellen Galinsky, President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute

Phil Strain, Director of the Positive Early Learning Experiences Center in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver

Sue Russell, President of the Child Care Services Association

Family Engagement: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at the Orange County Public Schools Educational Leadership Center, 445 W. Amelia Street, Orlando, FL

Don Bailey, Distinguished Fellow in Early Child Development for Response to Intervention International

Gene Garcia, Vice President for University-School Partnerships at Arizona State University

Carol Day, President of the National Black Child Development Institute

Heather Weiss, Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project and Senior Research Associate and Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Standards and Assessments: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at the Polk Bros. Lecture Hall at the Erikson Institute, 451 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL

Sam Meisels, President of the Erikson Institute

Kathy Hebbeler,  Manager of the Community Services and Strategies Program at SRI International and Director of the Early Childhood Outcomes Center

Linda Espinosa, Associate Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia

Catherine Scott-Little, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the School of Human and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Registration: To attend or speak at a meeting, you must register.  Please register at least 4 business days prior to each meeting you plan to attend.  Seating and speaker slots are limited, so registering early is important.

Please go here for complete information on registration, webinar attendance, submission of written comments, and special accommodations and assistance to individuals with disabilities.

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In a world where kids are often shuffled from soccer practice to ballet rehearsal to club meetings and everything else, we often overlook the purpose of it all.  Sure.  The old “college admissions essay” is important.  But is something missing?  Last week, the New York Times ran a story that it might not just be about learning to throw a ball or act in the lead role of the schoo play.  What might really drive success later in life is whether youth are getting the skills out of these experiences… Perseverance.  Determination.  Down-right hard work.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics reminded policymakers and parents alike of the need today to revisit the short-term and long-term effects of underage drinking.  In a world where parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors are attempting to help youth make positive choices and not bully each other on facebook or text their friends while they’re driving, here is a reminder of a problem that will never go away.  With increasing chances that youth who begin experimenting with alcohol early are more likely to take on other risky behaviors, here’s a policy challenge that we shouldnt lose sight of.  For the complete statement, visit here.

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In fiscal year (FY) 2010 appropriations, Congress funded the President’s proposed new community Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative. Of the funds made available, not less than $75 million is for funding the replication of programs that have been proven effective through rigorous evaluation and not less than $25 million is for funding demonstration programs to develop and test additional models and innovative strategies.

Last week, the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) at the U.S. Dept. of HHS released the funding announcement for the first $75 million of this initiative  for the purpose of “replicating evidence-based programs that have been proven through rigorous evaluation to reduce teenage pregnancy, behavioral risks underlying teenage pregnancy, or other associated risk factors.”   The list of 29 programs that meet this criteria are found here.  It’s important to note that the funding announcement specifically includes youth development programs as eligible for funding.  The announcement states:

Programs eligible for funding under this announcement must either be: (1) curriculum-based interventions that seek to educate young people on issues such as responsible behavior, relationships, and pregnancy prevention, or (2) youth development programs that seek to reduce teenage pregnancy and a variety of risky behaviors through a broad range of approaches. Youth development program usually incorporate multiple components, such as service learning, academic support, or opportunities to participate in sports or the arts. They also collaborate with multiple networks and/or provide youth with development-focused activities.

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The Obama Administration’s recently released Blueprint for Reform outlines the president’s plan to reform the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).   I have a particular interest in the ‘Successful, Safe and Healthy Students’ (SSHS) program included on page 33 of the Blueprint.   Under the proposal, grantees will use SSHS funds to carry out strategies designed to improve school safety, improve students’ physical and mental health, as well as strengthen family and community engagement in order to ensure a supportive and positive learning environment.

I humbly recommend several key characteristics that will be essential to the success of the SSHS initiative:

Data-Driven:  School climate can be measured with the same scientific rigor used to measure academic achievement. A local school climate initiative is not a single program, but a coordinated, data-driven community effort. SSHS must require grantees to use methods of evaluation that will provide high-quality data and performance feedback and permit assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes.

Flexible:  There are numerous existing assessments, frameworks, curriculum and strategies that are shown to be effective at measuring and improving school climate.  SSHS must provide schools with the flexibility to support and expand existing work and build upon the experiences, values and priorities of the local community.

Student-Driven: SSHS must be committed to the essential role that students play in the improvement process. Through student surveys and input, schools can identify problem areas and promote concrete changes in curriculum and instruction, cocurricular programs, support services, and community partnerships that are essential to great teaching and learning. I am aware of no other federal government program that puts young people in such a critical position at the center of the decision-making process.

Public Disclosure:  SSHS must require schools to publicly disclose the results of their climate assessment.  This will be extremely powerful and present an opportunity to help raise awareness and mobilize the community in support of school success.

Targeted Resources:  SSHS must ensure that limited resources are targeted at the neediest schools.  This will ensure that schools will report their data honestly and identify areas that need improvement.  This will also ensure that grants will not be awarded based on which school has the best grant writer.

True Partnerships:  Creating a positive learning environment is not the sole responsibility of the school system.  Schools cannot do this work alone and will need to work closely and collaboratively with the entire community, including families, nonprofit organizations, and local businesses.    SSHS must require strong partnerships that include the sharing of funding and resources.

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In this recent article in Time Magazine, the referred to study examines why some adolescents may, at least appear to be, “stupid.”  So when it comes to assessing the long-term and short-term consequences of decisions, and to what extent they should take risks, youth need more than quick tips; they need their brain to develop and catch up to them before they make decisions with permanent and negative consequences.

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It is easy to consider the challenges faced by teens who want more independence, more texts and minutes in their cell plans, and their own facebook page.  An often overlooked challenge is when the youth suddenly is faced with what most would consider to be adult situations and decisions.  This article, appearing in the New York Times, begins to unravel why teens are less likely to get treatment early for diseases such as cancer and begins to provide insight into what changes doctors and hospitals might consider.

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This week, The Finance Project issued a report:  Cutting Cost, Keeping Quality: Financing Strategies for Youth-Serving Organizations in a Difficult Economy.  While to some economic activity is improving, nonprofits (including youth serving ones) are still facing financial struggles as a result of cuts in government funding and foundation grants.  The brief highlights promising practices from the field and some strategic approaches to wading through these rough waters.

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Attorney General Eric Holder had this to say at a Town Hall Meeting on Fatherhood and Youth Violence: “Family connections improve public safety, and responsible and engaged parenting improves public safety.”  Full remarks are here.

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Look beyond the basics of this article, and you’ll find an important note:  it’s important for youth to be moving not just so they’ll be physically fit, but so that they’ll be socially fit as well.  For years to come, we will see research that shows that engaged youth are more likely to be healthy youth (in more than one way).  These youth will be less likely to engage in risky behavior and more likely to graduate from college. They’ll also be more likely to enjoy that morning jog before work even when they’re 30.

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We’ve heard a lot about childhood obesity in the last year or so … and in the last month we’re hearing even more from the First Lady.  But in additon to buying less bags of chips and putting out more spreads of celery and carrot sticks after school, what are communities doing to address the problem?  A great model to check out is Common Threads; founded by Art Smith, the program brings healthy cooking and positive engagement into the lives of children in several cities across the nation.

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Press announcement that went out today from Project Cornerstone in San Jose, CA:

Project Cornerstone is pleased to announce that Representative Mike Honda of California’s 15th Congressional District has secured funding from the United States Department of Education to support a Santa Clara County-wide survey of developmental asset levels in youth in grades 4-12. During fall 2010, we plan to administer surveys to a sample of approximately 40,000 youth in schools and districts throughout Santa Clara County.

This survey will be Project Cornerstone’s third countywide effort to evaluate asset levels in Santa Clara County youth. Our first survey, administered in 1999 to 4,800 youth, generated the community interested to begin Project Cornerstone’s efforts to train and mobilize adults countywide to build asset levels and resulted in the creation of our School Partnerships program. The 2004 survey, administered to 13,700 youth total, resulted in the creation of additional community partnerships and school participation in asset-building programs. We are pleased to meet the requests of our partner schools and districts to re-administer the survey so that they can better understand the asset levels and needs of their current student populations.

The results of the survey will be valuable not only to Project Cornerstone but to all organizations that seek to support the healthy development of children and youth. By generating current data about youth in our community, we can help our partners analyze the effectiveness of their efforts and help them identify areas where there are opportunities for improvement. And, by providing current data about our youth to the community at large, we hope to renew the motivation of adults throughout the community to commit to helping every young person feel valued, respected, and known.

Special thanks to the schools and districts that are allowing us to survey their students, and especially to Representative Honda for his assistance in obtaining this funding.

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Today, First Lady Michelle Obama is launching ‘Let’s Move’, a national campaign to end childhood obesity.

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The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs, which is a collaborative effort among more than a dozen Federal agencies, has just gone live with a new (and resourceful!) website.  Visit www.findyouthinfo.gov for community mapping, updated information on positive youth development, news and funding announcements, and more.

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The budget for U.S. Dept. of Transportation includes a ’special emphasis’ on teen drivers.  As opposed to focusing solely on enforcement and more regulations, I hope DOT will also support programs that empower teens to lead safe and healthy lives.  Here is the blurb from the Obama budget that provides a few additional details:  

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