Child Welfare
The rocky path of privatization in Nebraska has caused its major provider to face the same problems that the state once did: overwhelming caseloads and the subsequent missed deadlines, reports Martha Stoddard of the Omaha World-Herald.
Florida child welfare boss David Wilkins wants to attract better talent to caseworker positions by offering better salaries, says Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, who agrees with Wilkins’ strategy.
Preliminary figures show that Florida welfare applicants are less likely than the average citizen to use drugs, reports Bill Kaczor of the Associated Press. About 2.5 percent of applicants have tested positive since the law took effect in July and another 2 percent declined to take the test, reports Kaczor; about 6 percent of Americans over 12 use drugs.
Education/Jobs
Patricia Johnson, the founder of a local education program in Oakland writes in the Oakland Tribune that the most frequent question she gets from her youths is, “Hey Trish, can you find me a job?” She uses this column to ask for help with that from Oakland’s small business community.
Boston Globe education blogger Jim Stergios gives Massachusetts a few suggestions on proven ways to approach dropout prevention as lawmakers ponder a plan to address the state’s struggle to reach dropouts.
Juvenile Justice
The Imperial Valley News reports on the second meeting of Attorney General Eric Holder’s Federal Reentry Council, which included mention of Second Chance Act grants for 2011.
A second recent incident at Oklahoma’s Tecumseh facility has woken up its Office of Juvenile Affairs to a serious security problem, and not a moment too soon, says the editorial board of the Oklahoman.
