Child Welfare
South Dakota, and a number of other states, are not living up to federal requirements when it comes to foster care services for Native American youth, according to a three-part investigation by NPR.
A generation of Native American children are losing any connection with tribal culture through state-run foster care, reports NPR in another segment.
A Florida judge has blocked the state from proceeding with its practice of drug testing every child welfare applicant, reports Amy Pavuk of the Orlando Sentinel.
A Manhattan couple who slipped their eight children out the back of a foster care agency in Queens and absconded with them for a week pleaded guilty on Tuesday to second-degree custodial interference, reports Sarah Maslin of the New York Times.
Education/Jobs
Kevin Thompson of the Palm Beach Post profiles the local Upward bound program using the stories of students Dwayne Martin and Curtressia Hale. The program, funded by the Education Department, helps older high school students prepare for college.
The “Occupy” movement has put the sizable student debts of underemployed or underemployed college graduates front and center, report Geraldine Baum of the Los Angeles Times.
Obama’s nominee to lead the Corporation for National and Community Service, Wendy Spencer, gained a formal endorsement this week from the Student Conservation Association.
Juvenile Justice
Signs of trouble were present at a Texas juvenile detention facility long before a 14-year older died in it this month, says an editorial in the Star Telegram.
Miscellaneous
A popular statewide after-school program in New Jersey will close next week after its funding was cut out this year by Gov. Chris Christie, reports Angela Delli Santi of the Associated Press.
