Harper High School, Part One
This American Life | Feb. 15
Last year, 29 recent and students were shot at Chicago's Harper High School. This American Life explores what it is like for the community to live in the midst of all this gun violence.
Is There A Link Between Housing Policy and Violence? (Audio)
Marketplace, Sylvester Monroe | Feb. 12
High-rise housing projects are a thing of the past in Chicago. But the neighborhoods where many of the former project residents ended up often weren't much better than the projects themselves. Some say public housing policy is one of the causes of violence in some poor Chicago neighborhoods.
D.C., Advocates at Odds Over Homeless Families
The Washington Post, Annie Gowen | Feb. 11
Family homelessness in the District has persisted long after the recession ended and even as the housing market stabilizes. Advocates contend that the city has been hindering families' efforts to find relief in its overwhelming shelter system.
Our View: The Missing Piece in Education Reform? Dads (Opinion)
CNN Schools of Thought, Christopher Brown and Vincent DiCaro | Feb. 11
Dads shouldn't think that school is "mom's territory," two fatherhood advocates say. Fathers play a key role in ensuring children's educational success.
Amid Crushing Poverty and Crime, Camden Fights On
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Claudia Vargas | Feb. 10
The latest census ranks Camden as the poorest city in the nation, but 77,000 people still call the city home. Among them are parents, teachers and firefighters who have found affordable housing, and idealistic young professionals, whose presence and investment could turn the city around.
Student Arrests in Florida Alarm Justice and School Officials
Orlando Sentinel, Leslie Postal and Lauren Roth | Feb. 10
Behavior that once warranted a trip to the principal's office is now sending thousands of Florida students to jail. Although the state has eased "zero tolerance" policies, far too many kids are being arrested for "bad behavior, not criminal behavior," the secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice said.
California State University Seeks Black Students From The Pews
NPR, Kat Chow | Feb. 10
A "Super Sunday," outreach program, pioneered by California State University, sends top university officials to predominantly black churches to talk about admissions requirements and financial aid.
At Former Florida Boys' Home, Looking for Reasons - and Bodies - in the Ground
The New York Times, Lizette Alvarez | Feb. 9
Florida's Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys closed in 2011 following years of allegations of abuse, forced labor and death. Forensic anthropologists have spent the last year searching the campus grounds for answers. In 2010, The Tampa Bay Times received a Casey Medal for its series about Dozier survivors. The Reynolds Journalism Institute this week repackaged that series as a free Digital Newsbook, available here.
Expunging Juvenile Arrest Records is Not Easy in Cook County
WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, Linda Paul | Feb 4, 2013
When a kid is arrested at school, it can be difficult to get out from under an early and damaging mistake--even if the offense is comparatively minor. In Chicago, it can be surprisingly difficult to expunge juvenile records.
South Dakota Sex-Abuse Perjury Case Collapses
Indian Country Today, Stephanie Woodard | Feb. 1
Perjury-related charges against two child welfare advocates were dismissed last month. The two whistleblowers had cast an unwelcome light on South Dakota's social services, which takes Lakota children from their homes at disproportionately high rates and places them almost entirely in non-Native care.
