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No Child Left Inside (NCLI)

Nada Djordjevich — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:26:44 +0000

Will NCLB go Green? Many of us grew up with high quality environmental education programs, but those programs are at risk from state and federal budget cuts and from the ways in which No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has been interpreted. With the pending re-authorization of NCLB, a coalition of environmental educators, business leaders, and congressman have added language to NCLB to both preserve and enhance environmental education and access. The NCLI legislation includes funding to train teachers to deliver environmental education and utilize the local environment as an extension of the classroom; creates incentives for states to develop Environmental Literacy Plans; encourages school systems to make time and resources available for environmental education and to integrate environmental education across core subject areas. For some the increase in children’s ”nature deficit disorder,” a phrase made popular by Richard Louv’s 2005 book is sufficient to warrant increased environmental access and curriculum. For others, the studies of cross-over benefits of environmental education for improving critical thinking, motivation, and subject area performance indicate that environmental education may be an important and overlooked way to diminish the achievement gap. With this legislation pending, we suggest you visit the NCLI coalition site to learn more.

What are the Biggest Needs of Oakland Youth?

Brightstar Ohlson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:45:01 +0000

The Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) provides 2.5% of the City of Oakland general fund to fund services for children and youth throughout the City of Oakland. OFCY is in the process of developing a strategic plan to guide funding priorities for the next three years and has contracted with Gibson & Associates to facilitate the process. We are currently conducting community outreach and engagement to hear from Oakland about what young people need. We will be hosting a series of community forums, focus groups, and key informant interviews with young people, parents, providers, and other community stakeholders.

We want to know what you think. What do you think the greatest needs of young people in Oakland are? What are the opportunities that OFCY should explore for improving the lives of young people in Oakland?

“Need Aware” College Admissions Policies

Nada Djordjevich — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:39:59 +0000

With the college acceptance season in high gear, here is some food for thought. According to Measuring Up, a report card produced by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, in 2006 every state had improved with regard to the percent of youth academically prepared for college. However there have not been equal gains in attendance at four-year colleges, and unfortunately, “Family income remains the best predictor of who will go to college and what college they will attend.” In 2006, 43 states “flunked” the college affordability, which measures access to college by family income and includes tuition costs minus grants (excluding athletic scholarships) for two and four year colleges as well as private institutions and professional schools. And unfortunately, college affordability rates will likely decline as more private colleges institute “need aware” policies. As a recent New York Times article, “Paying in Full as the Ticket Into Colleges” (March 31) indicated, many colleges are looking more favorably at students from families in higher income brackets. The methods that they are using to evaluate students for admission include not only whether they’re applying for financial aid, but income predictions based on zip codes and parents’ background. The dean of admissions and financial aid at Lawrence University in Wisconsin describes wealthier students in this way: “They shine a little brighter.” We only hope this won’t be the case for long.

Stimulus Grants Available at Grants Info Center

Brightstar Ohlson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:35:56 +0000

There are millions of dollars of stimulus money available to local governments in the form of competitive and non-competitive grants. Visit the Grants Info Center for information about funding opportunities.

One grant currently available to local governments is the JAG/Byrne Grant. JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

The Impact of Smoking in Films

Brightstar Ohlson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:24:26 +0000

Did you know that smoking in movies has been consistently identified by the CDC as a major factor in teen smoking? Read about it here.

Youth Advocates from Breathe CA, a member of the Tobacco Education Coalition in San Mateo County, persuaded the County Board of Supervisors to pass a smoke free movies resolution after presenting their work to educate young people about the harms of tobacco use in film. A unanimous vote resulted in the passing of a resolution in support of an “R” rating for films that depict tobacco use.