Start Strong Innovations — A Photo Gallery

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Eleven Start Strong community projects have been up and running now for nearly two years. At a May 3-4 meeting in Atlanta, members got to share with each other the most innovative and effective programs they’ve come up with to help middle school students learn about healthy relationships and how to avoid potentially violent ones. We wrote about that meeting and the Start Strong national initiative on May 6.  

But here’s a look at six innovative programs, all developed at the local level, that we found particularly interesting.  

Keep It Strong song and dance

“Middle school teens love interaction, as well as entertainment, but they also value learning from older teens,” writes Jacqueline Davis of Start Strong Atlanta.

The Educational Cost of Illegal and Undocumented Students.

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The State Board of Education will be required to show the amount of money it spends to educate illegal and undocumented students each year if HB 296 passes. Required information would include, teacher student ratio, the number of students who are illegal or undocumented in each school district and expenditure per-illegal or undocumented student per year. The cost will then be factored into the state budget before it’s presented to the State House and Senate appropriations committees. The same requirements would also extend to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities. Legal analysts point out that the constitutionality of the bill may be called in question due to a Supreme Court Ruling in 1982.

Jail for Parents who Skip Meetings?

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Parents who fail to attend at least one student teacher conference a year could wind up in jail for up to 3 days if a Detroit prosecutor gets her way.  The idea behind this proposal is to make parents accountable for their child’s education, and keep kids in school and out of trouble.  The idea is meeting strong opposition. One local politician recommends spending the money to teach parenting skills instead. A parent points out that if parents are in jail, their children may get into trouble at home alone.   The debate on this issue is so hot, 100 people have posted their comments at the Detroit Free Press website.