April 2019

Armon Hurst, 2nd from left, first row, Teens on Target, courtesy of YouthAlive! Eighteen-year-old Armon Hurst serves as vice president of the student body at Castlemont High School in Oakland, Calif. He has a 4.0 grade point average, is an avid baseball player, and is slated to go to college next year. But until a few years ago, Hurst would find himself waking from nightmares in the middle of the night. It was difficult to concentrate at school, and he wasn’t eating well. Armon Hurst “There...

"Zero-tolerance policies require school officials to give students a specific, consistent, and harsh punishment, usually suspension or expulsion, when certain rules are broken. The punishment applies regardless of the circumstances, the reasons for the behavior (such as self-defense), or the student’s history of disciplinary problems. "Zero-tolerance policies were written into school handbooks in the 1990s, created originally to be a deterrent for bringing weapons into schools. These...

Nemia with peacock used in therapy with children. Talking with an animal is often easier than talking with an adult for a child who's experienced abuse. _________________________________________ Toni Nemia, program and clinical director for the University of San Francisco Child and Family Center's School-Based Family Counseling, says that her graduate students are often surprised to hear that ACEs science (adverse childhood experiences) has an international reach. In fact, Scotland is an...

"On Linda Cliatt-Wayman’s first day as principal at a failing high school in North Philadelphia, she was determined to lay down the law. But she soon realized the job was more complex than she thought. With palpable passion, she shares the three principles that helped her turn around three schools labeled “low-performing and persistently dangerous.” Her fearless determination to lead — and to love the students, no matter what — is a model for leaders in all fields." To see Linda...

We are in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. Nearly 1 in 3 California high schoolers reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row, so much so that they stopped doing some of their usual activities. Nearly 1 in 5 reported that they have seriously considered attempting suicide. Our kids deserve better. And we can do better. One way to help is to equip the adults that frequently interact with our kids with the knowledge needed to recognize a mental...

COOPERATION FUN BUILDS CHARACTER April 17, 2019| by Janai Mestrovich, M.S. Aka Grandma Boom A burst of sound from one foot popping a plastic packing bubble fills a gymnasium with a loud pop. Before cooperating and popping the packing bubbles together we have looked at the Cooperation poster that shows everyone focusing on the same thing. There is a feeling of equality that enhances the camaraderie of cooperation because we all know it is going to be a really fun experience working together.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to give every newborn in the state the chance to be cared for by a parent or close family member for the first six months of life. Newsom moved one step closer to that goal last week, with a legislative proposal to expand paid family leave from six to eight weeks beginning in July 2020, and to extend it to six months per child by 2021-22. The proposal is part of Newsom’s budget package, to be presented to the state Legislature in May. Paid family leave,...

Change is not easy and it takes time. It can be especially challenging when we’re working to change policies and systems that have been in place for decades. But we know change is necessary because many people in America still face discrimination, live in poverty, and do not have the basics they need to be healthy. We also know that some places are making progress to replace policies that are driving inequities with new policies that can help close health gaps. Places like Newark, N.J.,...

Marcus Alston thought he was fiddling with a bottle of his friend’s perfume when he unleashed pepper spray on the floor of his high school Spanish class. It didn’t seem serious to Alston, now a junior at Manhattan’s Pace High School, and he admitted responsibility. But officials said in a letter that Alston “was in possession of a dangerous chemical,” classified as a weapon in the discipline code. The incident last school year resulted in a month-long suspension in one of the city’s 34...

Here’s a compelling interview with David Brooks, op-ed columnist for The New York Times, introducing his latest book, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life . In the interview Brooks discusses his nonprofit, Weave: The Social Fabric Project , “a community of people who are helping each other answer this question: What can I do today and tomorrow to replace loneliness, division and distrust with relationship, community and purpose?” On the Weave website Brooks says, "We seek to learn...

Charles County Department of Social Services (CCDSS) and community partners are seeking an evidence-informed, structured training series to develop a trauma informed child welfare model of service provision. The selected trauma informed series will give public agency staff and local community partners a mutual understanding of trauma and how to meet the needs of our clientele in a more collaborative and comprehensive way. This series will also result in the development of policies and...

"People who feel called to their careers, according to these researchers, have a passion for the work, a sense of obligation or moral duty to do it, and the need to make a positive social difference. This attitude makes for incredibly valuable employees—but their passion for their work also means that they are easy to take advantage of. " "Between 40-50% of new teachers will leave the teaching profession by their fifth year of service. Teachers who leave the profession cite many different...