National Dropout Numbers: Three Million or 11 Million? It Depends on Whom You Ask

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High school dropouts have been a national concern for decades and there have been lots of studies on why teens drop out and how to keep them in school. Now, researchers are debating how many teens have actually dropped out and the numbers vary wildly, from 3 million to a whopping 11 million teens. As JJIE.org reported last month, the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics released a report in December documenting that about 3 million 16 to 24-year-olds were not in high school and did not have a high school diploma. The Center did not include dropouts with a GED or dropouts who were institutionalized. Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies used the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and estimates a much higher number: 6.2 million.

Kids Who Abuse Drugs Are More Likely to Commit Serious Crimes

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Most young people who land in juvenile court have been using drugs, which may shed light on why some kids commit moreserious crimes and continue getting into trouble. Kids involved in criminal activity are much more likely than other juvenile offenders to abuse drugs and alcohol, according to a study commissioned by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The Pathways to Desistance study, called Substance Use and Delinquent Behavior Among Serious Adolescent Offenders, looked at more than 1,300 young offenders over 7 years. The study shows kids involved with drugs need income and they have trouble coping and making decisions. They get into trouble and fail to take responsibility for their actions.

Evidence Based Manuals for Treating Teen Substance Abuse

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Kids are abusing pot more than they ever have before, as JJIE.org reported last week. If you’re looking for some tips on helping kids get over what may be an addiction, look no further. Chestnut Health Systems has provided several tested, evidence-based clinical protocols for treating kids who smoke a lot of pot. Here are some of the titles:

Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Cannabis Users
Family Support Network for Adolescent Cannabis Users
The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach for Adolescent Cannabis Users

Download them all for free by clicking here.

Protecting Undocumented Children from Abuse and Neglect

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There's some new research about how to better protect undocumented children in the child welfare system. It comes out of Texas where less than one percent of children in state care last year were undocumented, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s report called Undocumented and Abused. Eighty-five percent of those children were Hispanic. The report maintains that a blanket policy to send them all home is not the answer. It goes on to explain in detail how a child can get special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS).

New Interactive Mapping Tool Shows Who Your Neighbors Are

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If you’re looking for something to think about over the holidays, this could be it. The New York Times has used Census Bureau data to map out the distribution of racial and ethnic groups across the country. You can literally put in your zip code and see the breakdown in your town. You can even scroll your mouse over different areas to see detailed percentages. This could be useful to schools, police departments, juvenile courts and those who may be interested in the disproportionate minority contact problem facing the nation.

Kids Join Gangs for Protection, Respect & Friends, Report Says

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There's some new nationwide research on why kids are involved in gangs and how to stop them from joining up. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention released its December 2010 report called Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs.

The report highlights why kids join gangs and how communities can best combat gang activity. The OJJDP found that not all strategies work. But, here are a few that do:

Parent and family involvement
Training teachers and parents to manage unruly young people
Providing education that teaches kids interpersonal skills

For some insight on how to rescue a teenager from a gang, check out the column from Sedgrid Lewis in Ideas and Opinions at JJIE.org.

Teen Unemployment At An All Time High

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Teen unemployment has never been worse. This year with only 1 in 6 high school kids have been able to find and hold a job. Black and Asian teens have had the hardest time getting jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is bad news for teens who may decide not to go to college or who need to support themselves while getting a higher education. Youth Today writes about the problem, urging state and national workforce development agencies to pay special attention to the teen unemployment problem.

Clayton Faith Forum to Keep Kids Out of Trouble

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Churches and faith-based groups will get together to January to map out anti-gang and youth violence strategies. Several Clayton County public service agencies, leaders of churches and faith based groups are collaborating on January 22 to hold the 2011 Clayton County Community Faith Forum. The forum will teach churches and parents how to keep kids out of trouble. Here are details:

Date: January 22, 2011

Time: 10am – 1pm

Location: Morrow Center

1180 Southlake Circle, Suite 100

Morrow, Georgia 30260

To check out the flyer, click here.

Southern Poverty Law Center Sues Birmingham Schools for Using Mace on Children

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Teens in Birmingham, Ala. schools have been routinely sprayed with mace and pepper spray as punishment for minor offenses. The Southern Poverty Law Center has now filed a federal class action lawsuit against the Birmingham City School District on behalf of students who've had chemicals used on them. “We must ask ourselves, what kind of school system allows armed officers to come in and use mace on its children,” said Ebony Glenn Howard, lead attorney on the case for the Center. Hundreds of students were arrested in the Birmingham City Schools last year for minor offenses that could have been taken care of in the principal’s office, according to the Center.

Teen Murder Suicide Leaves Macon Community Baffled

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Families are struggling to figure out what happened to cause 19-year-old Vonn Gibbons to kill his 7-year-old son and then turn the gun on himself Saturday night. The murder suicide occurred at Gibbons home in Macon, Ga at 12:22 a.m., according to police. Authorities determined that Gibbons shot his son in the head and shot himself in the chest, but have not yet determined why Gibbons committed the acts. Gibbons’ neighbor Darnell Cummings saw a cream colored car that may have been leaving the Gibbon’s home between 12:20 and 12:30 a.m Sunday morning, the Macon Telegraph reports. Cummings noticed the car because she witnessed two young men beating Gibbons in his front yard a few weeks earlier.