Super Bowl Surge in Sex Trafficking? Maybe not, but issue grabs the spotlight
NBC News, Monica Alba | Jan. 30
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie indicated on Wednesday that law enforcement is taking seriously the possibility of an influx of sex trafficking at Sunday's Super Bowl, which will be held in East Rutherford, N.J. Advocates and survivors emphasize that human trafficking is a problem 365 days a year, not just on Super Bowl Sunday.
A Court's All-Hands Approach Aids Girls Most at Risk
The New York Times, Patricia Leigh Brown | Jan. 28
A unique collaboration between the judicial and social service systems in California brings an all-hands-on-deck approach to the lives of girls who have experienced or are at-risk of sex trafficking. Alameda Girls Court is part of a network of a half-dozen or so Girls Courts around the country, each with a different emphasis.
San Francisco Elementary School Uses Trauma-Informed and Restorative Practices; Suspensions drop 89%
ACEs Too High, Jane Ellen Stevens | Jan. 28
Many teachers and principals think students' bad behavior is deliberate, and that the kids can control it. At El Dorado Elementary School in San Francisco, referrals to the principal's office are down and an entire school's culture has changed after using trauma-informed practices.
Sex Trafficking Overtakes Drugs As San Diego County Gang's Top Cash Source
KPBS, Amita Sharma | Jan. 27
Rival gangs in San Diego have put aside differences over turf and drugs, and have struck up alliances to sell women and girls, some as young as 12.
Shared Parenting Could Be New Divorce Outcome
USA Today, Jonathan Ellis | Jan. 27
Shared-parenting laws call for divorcing parents to share equal custody. Lawmakers in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and elsewhere are reviewing family law in order to take into account converging gender roles and increasing support for joint physical custody.
The New Face of Food Stamps: Working-Age Americans
Associated Press, Hope Yen | Jan. 27
Working-age people now make up the majority in U.S. households that rely on food stamps, and it is increasingly common for the working poor to use food stamps to supplement low wages, says an economics professor who specializes in income inequality.
Pre-K Classes Teach Kids How to Be 'Super Friends'
The Tennessean, Tony Gonzalez | Jan. 26
Preschool teachers in Nashville are teaching social and emotional skills as a part of the "Super Friends" method. The lessons' emphasis on friendship and cooperation may help better prepare preschoolers for kindergarten.
Raised in the U.S. and Coming Out to Immigrant Parents
Mid-Missouri Public Radio, Jasmine Garsd | Jan. 24
Findings from a recent poll show a striking difference between Latinos born and raised in the U.S. and immigrants when it comes to talking openly about sexual orientation. Some immigrant parents, recalling how tough life could be for people in the LGBT communities of Latin America, fear for their children.
States Reconsider Common Core Tests
Stateline, Adrienne Lu | Jan. 24
Controversy over the Common Core has challenged some states' commitment to the standards, which aim to increase academic rigor for U.S. students. Critics have raised questions about the tests associated with the new standards.
War on Poverty: Progress and persistent inequity
Education Week, Staff | Jan. 23
A reflection on the anniversary of the War on Poverty and its impact on the lives of children, especially those living in poverty.
This Prison Wing for Mothers and Children is Heartbreaking -- But It's Better Than the Alternative
Business Insider, Erin Fuchs | Jan. 23
The Residential Parenting Program at the Washington Corrections Center for Women lets a select group of nonviolent inmates care for their infants in a separate part of the prison that resembles a dorm. A midwife and photographer who volunteers with RPP documented the lives of these young mothers.
D.C's Crack-Addicted Mothers Gave Up Everything -- Even Their Kids
WAMU, Kavitha Cardoza | Jan. 15
D.C. was plagued by the crack epidemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The drug's rapid rise destroyed families, and children of addicts struggled to thrive in difficult circumstances.