JCCF NEWS SUMMARY
March 5, 2013

Reducing Youth Incarceration in the United States

 Photo Courtesy of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

 
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's first KIDS COUNT publication of 2013 finds that the youth confinement rate of America's young people is at a 35-year low. Despite the dramatic drop, the U.S. still leads the industrialized world in youth incarceration. Read more
 
To arrange an interview, please contact Sue Lin Chong, [email protected], or at (410) 223-2836. 
 
Reporters can visit the KIDS COUNT Data Center, for over a million data points relating to children and family well-being at the national, state, county, Congressional District and school district levels in most instances. Visit the KIDS COUNT Data Center.
 
Jump to:

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Shorties but Goodies
Mijo Photo Courtesy of PBS 
 
The 2nd annual  PBS Online Film Festival is on now through March 22. The festival features 25 of the best fictional and documentary short flicks of the past year. Viewers can vote for their favorites and the winner of the People's Choice will be announced in April.

Several of the mini-docs are related to children, youth and families. Check them out:

Breathe Life - a family that surfs and struggles with cystic fibrosis together. 
Brionna Williams - teenage athlete who suffers chronic asthma
Can't Hold Me Back - the son of a former gang member hopes to be the first in his family to graduate high school
Indian Summer - Indian American kids find friendship and identity at Hindu Heritage summer camp.
Mijo - A mother to a 6 year old son undergoes cancer treatment
Sin Pais - a family's emotional journey through deportation
The House I Keep - a woman's recovery from miscarriage

Let us know what you thought of these shorts by posting your comments on JCCF's Facebook page.

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NewsNEWS OF NOTE

 

The Washington Post, Lyndsey Layton | March 5

The federal sequester requires the Department of Education to slash $1.9 billion in aid to the nation's 15,000 school districts. The 1,600 schools on Indian reservations and military bases will feel an immediate impact.

 

School Shootings Have Some States Considering Arming Teachers

Stateline, Ben Wider | March 5

South Dakota is among several states considering new school safety laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings. In recent weeks, the legislature has been rattled over a bill aiming to introduce "school sentinels" who would carry guns to protect their students.

 

Video Game Invades Classroom, Scores Education Points

USA Today, Greg Toppo | March 4

The nation is not producing enough scientists, engineers and mathematicians for all the high-tech jobs expected to develop in the future. A new effort will use video games to spur students to embrace STEM careers.

 

In Doctor's Account of Scene, Boy's Blood Pooled in Street (Opinion)

The New York Times City Room, Melanie M. Canon | March 4
A family doctor happens upon the scene after a 6-year-old was struck by a turning truck.
 

Why Mississippi Preschool May Overlook Kids In Need (Audio)

Southern Education Desk/The Hechinger Report, Annie Gilbertson and Jackie Mader | March 1

Mississippi is the only state in the South that does not fund preschool. That may change this spring, but the state's neediest children are still likely to miss out on early education.

 

Largely Hidden, Dating Violence is Prevalent in Teen Relationships

WTOP 103.5 (Washington, D.C.), Paula Wolfson | March 4

As many as 1 in 3 teenagers is in a relationship domestic violence advocates would call unhealthy, but both parents and teens are largely in denial.

 

Baby Born With HIV Apparently Cured, Say Scientists

Associated Press, Lauran Neergaard | March 3

Thirty hours after birth, an infant in Mississippi was given an infusion of drugs that doctors say appears to have effectively knocked the AIDS virus out of her blood.

 

For Troubled Teenagers in New York City, a New Tack - Forced Outreach

The New York Times, Wendy Ruderman | March 3

Federal and local law enforcement authorities nationwide are embracing new initiatives to quell the cycle of gang activity and violence. The New York City Police Department stages interventions and force-feeds outreach in an effort to stop crime.

 

How Mom's Death Changed My Thinking About End-of-Life Care (Opinion)

ProPublica, Charles Ornstein | Feb. 28

Charles Ornstein has been a health-care reporter for 15 years. His experience preparing for his mother's death gives him real insight into the debate about costs and end-of-life care.

 

Photographer as Witness: A Portrait of Domestic Violence

Time, Lightbox, Sara Naomi Lewkowicz | Feb. 27

A photojournalist documents intimate partner abuse -  witnessed by children - while reporting on ex-convict stigma.

 

Trapped in the Wrong Body: Growing Up Transgender

Katie Couric | Feb. 26

Three transgender children and their parents talk about the struggle over gender identity and acceptance.

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EventsEVENTS

  
March 6, 2 p.m. ET
Education Writers Association
Covering the ins and outs of getting access, how to observe students and teachers, and tips for taking your stories to the next level. Accompanies a new EWA guide.

March 8, 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
Center for America Progress
Washington, D.C. or webcast 
A discussion on the LGBT undocumented and the unique obstacles they face in immigration detention centers and while seeking asylum . 

March 11, 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET
National Youth Media Network, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
Webinar
A discussion on emerging media arts standards with Dain Olsen, media arts chair for The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards. 

March 14, 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
American Enterprise Institute
Washington, D.C. and webcast
Which federal programs have effectively served those in need, which programs deliver the most benefit and what reforms should policymakers pursue?

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OpportunitiesOPPORTUNITIES
 
 
Deadline: March 15, 2013
Asian American Journalists Association
A six-day training camp and multicultural journalism program for high school students.
 
Deadline: April 10
The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships at USC Annenberg
Twenty journalists from around the country will be chosen for the all-expenses-paid five-day fellowship, which will explore the links between place and health. Each fellow will receive a grant of $2,000-$10,000 to support an ambitious health reporting project.  
 
Deadline: Ongoing
Poynter's News University and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center
A free, self-directed course covering the complex topic of sexual violence. 
 
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ABOUT THE JCCF NEWS SUMMARY

Mina Dixon, Editor 


The Journalism Center on Children & Families, a program of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism, is a national nonprofit organization committed to supporting media coverage of children, youth and families, particularly the disadvantaged. The JCCF News Summary helps journalists and others keep in touch with the latest news, policy analysis and research reports on critical social issues that impact families and communities. We encourage redistribution of this material with credit given to the Journalism Center on Children & Families.

Journalists are encouraged to submit their stories for consideration for publication in the JCCF News Summary and on our website. Please send story links to: [email protected]. Stories should be archived and free of access charges for at least seven days.
 
JCCF thanks The Annie E. Casey Foundation for its generous support of our work.
 
www.journalismcenter.org

 

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