Annie E. Casey Foundation
@annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social
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Building a brighter future for children, families and communities.
https://www.aecf.org/
High-quality early education is strongly linked to later academic success and positive health outcomes, yet barriers like affordability and availability have put child care out of reach for the families of more than half of the 3 and 4-year-olds across the country.
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Why Preschool Enrollment Matters: Access and Equity for Young Children
Explore preschool enrollment in the U.S., why early education matters, and how gaps in access and equity affect young children’s learning and development.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/low-preschool-enrollment-rates-threaten-to-worsen-student-achievement
about 1 hour ago
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Youth in foster care are more than twice as likely as other young people to experience a non-fatal drug overdose.
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Study: Foster Youth Have Higher Rates of Non-fatal Overdoses
Foster youth are more than twice as likely to suffer a non-fatal drug overdose, a new study based on millions of insurance claims has found.
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/foster-youth-have-higher-rates-of-drug-overdoses-study-finds/271204
about 5 hours ago
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The economic background of the student bodies of “highly selective” colleges still heavily favors wealthier students. Since 2019, selective colleges have seen a bigger increase in the number of students coming from the highest-income areas than from the lowest-income areas.
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Are America’s top colleges letting in more students from low-income backgrounds?
Some press releases have touted major progress, but in aggregate there hasn’t been much change.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/10/top-universities-still-have-little-economic-diversity-and-few-low-income-students/
3 days ago
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20% of youth and young adults in New Mexico are not in school or employed — the highest of any U.S. state. The Northern New Mexico Youth Fund aims to engage these youth by helping them access career and technical education as well as work-based learning opportunities.
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Career Pathways Expand for Northern New Mexico Youth Through New Collaborative Fund
Northern New Mexico youth gain greater access to career training, paid experience and industry credentials through a new fund. Learn how it works.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/career-pathways-expand-for-northern-new-mexico-youth-through-new-collaborative-fund
3 days ago
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It’s become easier to get accepted into college over the past decade, with the median college acceptance rate 7.6% higher in 2022 than in 2012.
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As enrollment falls, getting into college is getting easier
Except at the most selective institutions, the odds of getting into college have been going up.
https://hechingerreport.org/getting-in-is-getting-easier/
4 days ago
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“It is incredibly troubling to learn that these children are not receiving the care and attention they need. [Mentally ill] children need counseling and treatment to help them address their struggles and grow into healthy, functioning members of society.”
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Report: Children With Mental Health Needs Often Locked Up
Kids are being locked up in detention centers solely because of their mental health challenges, a new bipartisan congressional report found.
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/bipartisan-report-raises-alarm-over-widespread-incarceration-of-children-with-mental-health-needs/271027
4 days ago
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Despite the barriers young people in foster care often experience around finding and keeping jobs, new data from
@childtrends.bsky.social
shows that nearly 60% of foster youth were employed at the age of 21.
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Foster Youth Employment at Age 21 Recovers From Pandemic-era Dip - Child Trends
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/foster-youth-employment-age-21
5 days ago
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“We’re struggling with kids being able to talk to each other and talk to adults in a respectful manner, and say, ‘I need a new pencil. That’s why I’m angry.’ It’s a lack of understanding how to interact with others.”
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Teachers facing more problems with disruptive students
Teachers, districts and states are taking multiple approaches to curb what elementary teachers say is a trend of increasingly severe behavior problems in their classrooms.
https://hechingerreport.org/biting-kicking-teachers-classroom-misbehavior/
5 days ago
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Nearly 4.7 million children — 6% of kids in the U.S. — did not have health insurance in 2024.
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Rate of Uninsured Kids Increased Nationwide and in 29 States in 2024
New Census data show the share of uninsured children rose in 2024, reversing recent gains as pandemic-era coverage protections expired.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/health-insurance-2021
6 days ago
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“If at night you look out your window and there’s still the blur of police lights and sirens, are you having a good night’s sleep? When they get [to] school and someone says... ‘Why you not paying attention?’, do you think the child could [say], ‘Hey... it was a shooting on my block last night?’"
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Trauma-informed school model creates culture of safety on 5 Philadelphia campuses
When children show up at school hungry, exhausted, or distracted by trouble at home, staff at certain Philadelphia schools are trained to give them special attention and offer them a calm space.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia/2026/02/11/trauma-model-imparts-calm-spaces-to-help-kids-cope-in-school/
6 days ago
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“School [mental health] support was always important to us, but it became more of a priority to the state after Covid. And a lot of our growth has come by having the students drive the program, because ultimately they know the needs of the community.”
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Students become lifeline for peers facing suspensions, mental health struggles
Antioch High School is home to one of the state's most extensive peer-to-peer support programs.
https://edsource.org/2026/mental-health-peer-counseling/750829
7 days ago
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Fourth grade marks a critical transition period in children’s education, when understanding the fundamentals of reading starts to become important to a child’s learning across all subjects.
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Continued Decline in Fourth Grade Reading Scores: 7 in 10 Below Proficient in 2024
During the pandemic, fourth grade reading proficiency scores worsened for much of the country. Take a closer look at the data in 2022.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/fourth-grade-reading-proficiency-2022
7 days ago
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“Adolescents naturally develop a delayed circadian rhythm, meaning they want to sleep later and wake later... Teens might compensate with [extra sleep on weekends], which can look inconsistent, but really reflects their attempts to cope with a schedule that doesn’t match their biological clock.”
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Attention, Parents of Bedrotters: Sleeping in Is Actually Good for Teens’ Mental Health
The weekend lie-in may reduce their risk of depression by 41%.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/a70269624/teen-mental-health-weekend-sleep/
10 days ago
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Women who have access to prenatal have better health outcomes for themselves and their babies.
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New State Paid Leave Policies Grant Parents Access to Critical Prenatal Care - Child Trends
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/paid-leave-access-critical-prenatal-care
10 days ago
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“There’s this focus on K-3 without a lot of resources dedicated to helping the kids in secondary school that fell through the cracks. Starting early makes [sense] in a lot of ways, but there's also all these kids in the school system that didn’t benefit from that and do need intervention as well.”
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Schools Overhauled Reading Programs. Older Students Are Being Left Behind. - EdSurge News
Almost every state has overhauled elementary school reading programs. But one group of students is getting left behind.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2026-01-23-schools-overhauled-reading-programs-older-students-are-being-left-behind
11 days ago
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reposted by
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Child Trends
11 days ago
Our latest blog—based on a decade of work funded by the
@annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social
—explores how positive youth development principles apply in workforce development settings for young adults.
www.childtrends.org/publications...
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Leveraging Positive Youth Development to Build and Sustain a Young Adult Workforce - Child Trends
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/leveraging-positive-youth-development-young-adult-workforce
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Young children from the poorest families in the U.S. are on average 20% less likely to be on-track for kindergarten when compared to children from the wealthiest families.
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Kindergarten readiness varies widely by income, new data shows
There’s a roughly 20 percent difference in kids’ readiness for school when comparing reports from the poorest families and the wealthiest.
https://hechingerreport.org/kindergarten-readiness-low-income-data/
11 days ago
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“Every hour a child spends watching a show or an app comes at the expense of time spent doing something else — being physically active, being cared for and played with by a loved one. There are developmental costs associated with that. [Kids] that age need laps, not apps, to develop appropriately.”
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When It Comes to Screen Time, Expert Guidance and Family Realities Diverge
Experts have long recommended infants and toddlers under age 2 avoid digital media use altogether. Most are still getting it anyway.
https://www.the74million.org/zero2eight/when-it-comes-to-screen-time-expert-guidance-and-family-realities-diverge/
12 days ago
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The teen birth rate in the U.S. has decreased notably over the past two decades.
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Teen Birth Rates and Educational Outcomes
Explore U.S. birth rate trends through a variety of lenses and read about efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and support young parents. Learn more.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/teen-birth-rates-and-educational-outcomes
12 days ago
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“Too many families are struggling financially to cover basic necessities. We found that the most common indicator of energy insecurity – reported by over 20% of surveyed parents – was cutting expenses for other needs, such as rent, food, medicine, or transportation, to pay their energy bill.”
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50% of Chicago Parents Report Challenges Paying for Heat in the Winter | Newswise
In what may be one of the coldest winters in decades, 50% of Chicago parents faced difficulties paying their energy bill within the past year, according to the new Voices of Child Health Report from A...
https://www.newswise.com/articles/50-of-chicago-parents-report-challenges-paying-for-heat-in-the-winter
13 days ago
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Two-thirds of youth who were in foster care at the age of 17 were in a stable housing situation through the age of 21, which is welcome news given the high rates of foster youth experiencing homelessness.
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Two Thirds of Foster Youth Remain Stably Housed Through Age 21 - Child Trends
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/foster-youth-stably-housed-through-age-21
13 days ago
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“[English-learners] may very well need opportunities to have really good, targeted English language instruction in a more sheltered environment. But they also need and deserve opportunities to be fully integrated with non-English learners in their regular academic coursework.”
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What New Research Reveals About Grouping English Learners Together
New research cautions districts from defaulting to grouping all English learners together.
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-new-research-reveals-about-grouping-english-learners-together/2026/01
17 days ago
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The Foundation is proud to have invested $3 million in the New Mexico nonprofit Homewise, which is working to increase homeownership amongst low and moderate income families in the state by offering services such as financial coaching, access to realtors and down payment assistance.
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Increasing Affordable Homeownership in New Mexico
The nonprofit Homewise is working to promote affordable homeownership in New Mexico. Learn how.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/increasing-affordable-homeownership-in-new-mexico
17 days ago
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“For most parents, these pressures are deeply intertwined. Caregiving affects finances. Finances affect work. And when work and money feel unstable, mental health is often the first thing to suffer.”
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Parents Are Drowning in Child Care Costs—and It’s Breaking Their Mental Health
A new Care.com report shows that parents are still feeling the squeeze of child care, and it's having a devastating effect on their mental health.
https://www.parents.com/child-care-costs-2026-11895213
18 days ago
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Pediatric residents at a Seattle hospital developed an afterschool program where rural middle school students learn about their mental and physical health — meeting the dual goals of sharing important health information with middle schoolers and providing parents with afterschool child care.
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Pediatricians Bring Health Education to Rural Teens and Tweens
An ingenious after-school health education program, funded by an AAP grant, meets middle-schoolers where they are.
https://www.aap.org/en/ways-to-give/our-impact/out-of-the-clinic-and-into-the-field-pediatricians-bring-health-education-to-rural-teens-and-tweens/
18 days ago
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reposted by
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Child Trends
19 days ago
Our new analysis of federal data shows that 2/3 of foster youth remain stably housed through age 21. Research shows that young people transitioning out of foster care are best positioned to achieve their goals when they have a foundation of stable housing.
www.childtrends.org/publications...
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Two Thirds of Foster Youth Remain Stably Housed Through Age 21 - Child Trends
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/foster-youth-stably-housed-through-age-21
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A recently renovated Georgia apartment complex will provide current and former foster youth aged 18 to 21 with free and safe housing as they transition to adulthood. Residents will also work with coaches to learn life skills like cooking and to develop education and career plans for their future.
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Renovated Housing Opens for Transition-Age GA Foster Youth
A Georgia nonprofit has unveiled its transformation of an apartment complex designed to help foster youth transition into adulthood.
https://imprintnews.org/foster-care/where-i-felt-loved-renovated-housing-complex-supports-georgia-foster-youth-transitioning-to-independence/270632
19 days ago
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“If a kid doesn't get [an] education because they're being impacted by how sick they are, then, whenever they grow up, their job prospects don't amount to something that's more fruitful for them. It's really this domino effect that plays out through their whole life.”
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Latino children represent two-thirds of Texas’ 1.1 million uninsured kids, new report finds
A majority of Texas' uninsured children are Latino, according to new analysis from the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. The report also found most uninsured children a...
https://www.keranews.org/health-wellness/2026-02-05/latino-texas-uninsured-children-report-unidosus
19 days ago
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“There’s this mysterious handoff that happens, when there’s a bunch of students who [are accepted but] still haven’t decided whether they’re coming to your college, and the only answer that you have for them is, ‘We’ve already admitted you. Go talk to your academic adviser.’”
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College admissions offices take on a new role: Coaxing accepted students to show up
As enrollment falls and Americans increasingly question the returns on a college education, once intimidating admissions offices are getting involved in making sure accepted students have what they ne...
https://hechingerreport.org/college-admissions-office-new-role-accepted-students/
20 days ago
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Approximately 6% of children in the U.S. lacked health insurance in 2024 — the highest rate of uninsured children that the country has seen in a decade.
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Uninsured Children in America
About 6% of U.S. kids lack health insurance. Explore uninsured rates and trends why health care coverage matters for kids and families.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/uninsured-children-in-america
20 days ago
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On the days when freezing weather or snowy conditions force K–12 schools into a snow day, many child care providers brave the elements to keep their centers open. Without their efforts, many essential workers with young kids wouldn't be able to get to their jobs amidst bad weather.
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How child care centers stay open during the worst of Michigan's winter
Michigan's weather has meant snow days for kids across the state. As K-12 classrooms close, many child care providers stay open for families who need them.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/02/02/child-care-michigan-school-snow-day-closures/88361769007/
21 days ago
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Children who have high blood lead levels by the age of 8 are significantly more likely to report mental health challenges and depression symptoms by the time they turn 12 years old.
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Lead Exposure Later in Childhood Harms Mental Health
Both cumulative lead exposure over time and lead exposure at age 8 are associated with an increased risk for depression at age 12.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/lead-exposure-even-later-childhood-affects-later-mental-2026a10003mr
21 days ago
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Many educators who are in favor of cell phone restrictions for students in the classroom say that they still need access to their own cell phones, as they’re expected to use their phones for work administration tasks such as taking attendance and to communicate with parents.
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Teachers Like Cellphone Bans—But Not for Themselves
Teachers say they need to use their phones for their work, but some administrators want rules in place.
https://www.edweek.org/technology/teachers-like-cellphone-bans-but-not-for-themselves/2026/01
21 days ago
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reposted by
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Child Trends
24 days ago
Hearing directly from young workers about their wants and needs can help companies attract, retain, and support a stronger future workforce. Our research brief for the
@annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social
's Generation Work initiative provides lots of valuable ideas.
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Lessons From Generation Work on Centering Young Adult Worker Voice in Employer Engagement - Child Trends
Increasingly, workforce development practitioners seek to elevate the voices of young adult workers as a means to partner with employers on improving workplace practices. Hearing directly from young…
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/generation-work-centering-young-adult-worker-voice-employer-engagement
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Young working adults are less happy than they were in the past. One possible reason? The decrease in job satisfaction in workers under the age of 25, many of whom report struggling with job stability and making ends meet.
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Young, employed — and unhappy
Mysterious spike in misery among 18-22 year-old workers
https://hechingerreport.org/young-adult-misery/
24 days ago
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Exalt, a New York City-based nonprofit working to reduce recidivism rates for court-involved teens through ongoing mentorship and paid internship opportunities, will be expanding outside of the city for the first time by establishing a new program upstate in Syracuse.
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Syracuse Youth Offered Path Away From Criminal Justice System
A New York City nonprofit that aims to reduce recidivism for court-involved teens will open its program to 10 young people in Syracuse.
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/syracuse-youth-offered-new-pathway-away-from-the-criminal-justice-system/270572
24 days ago
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The typical K–12 teacher works 54 hours a week. More than half of those hours are spent on non-teaching tasks, which traditionally include attending meetings and grading homework, but more recently have also expanded to helping students manage their mental health and troubleshooting tech issues.
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Teachers Say They Keep Getting New Duties. What Are They?
Educators say there are too many additional responsibilities that are now part of their jobs.
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-say-they-keep-getting-new-duties-what-are-they/2026/01
25 days ago
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Nearly 9 in 10 high school and college students say that they use AI technology for school.
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Confusing school AI policies leave families guessing
Is using ChatGPT cheating — or learning about the future? It's not always clear.
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/29/school-ai-policies-chatgpt
25 days ago
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“There’s just such deep loss of familiarity... [and] easy access to family and community and culture [when entering foster care]. Being separated from siblings just compounds that trauma — and then it also impacts the nature of that sibling relationship for a long time, sometimes for a lifetime.”
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How One MN County is Working to Keep Siblings Together
Hennepin County’s rate of keeping sibling groups together in foster care — 86% as of August — soars above national averages.
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/how-the-largest-minnesota-county-is-working-to-keep-siblings-in-foster-care-together/270445
26 days ago
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The Foundation has launched a new suite of tools to help local youth justice systems across the country assess their performance and identify actionable changes that can help strengthen both policy and practice.
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A New Path Forward: Ten Ways to Transform Youth Justice
Transform youth justice with a new tool that helps communities assess their systems, strengthen practice and improve outcomes for young people.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/a-new-path-forward-ten-ways-to-transform-youth-justice
27 days ago
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“Educators do not want to suspend and expel students. It’s something they are resorting to because they have found there aren’t enough resources to accommodate their students’ needs in the classroom environment.”
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Informal Classroom Discipline Is Hard to Track, Raising Big Equity Concerns
Without adequate support, teachers might resort to these tactics to circumvent prohibitions on suspensions.
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/informal-classroom-discipline-is-hard-to-track-raising-big-equity-concerns/2026/01
27 days ago
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In the U.S., women earn 40% more doctoral degrees and nearly twice as many master’s degrees as men — a trend that’s been witnessed across not just graduate schools, but also professional degree programs such as law school and medical school.
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As men stop going to college, women have now overtaken them in graduate and professional degrees
Women have outdistanced men in graduate and professional programs as male college-going rates continue to decline, with implications for the economy and even marriage and birth rates.
https://hechingerreport.org/women-far-outnumber-men-in-law-school-med-school-vet-school-and-other-professional-programs/
28 days ago
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“The stricter the policy, the happier the teacher and the less likely students are to be using their phones when they aren’t supposed to. We’re also finding that focus on academics is higher in schools that do not permit students to keep their phones nearby… in their backpacks or back pockets.”
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Study: 98% of Teens Attend Schools Limiting Cellphones, but Most Still Use Them
University of Southern California survey finds students spend an average of 1.5 hours using the phone in school every day, despite the consequences.
https://www.the74million.org/article/study-98-of-teens-have-school-cellphone-bans-but-majority-dont-follow-them/
28 days ago
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“When kids have safe places to play, learn and connect offline, screens stop filling that gap. We need to make sure kids are getting the fundamentals — sleep, nutrition, exercise and communication with their parents. If those pieces are in place, screens don’t have the same power.”
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New report says screen time limits for children are no longer enough
Children are growing up in an increasingly digital world that affects sleep, learning and mental health, making screen-time limits alone no longer enough
https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-report-screen-time-limits-children-longer/story?id=129368332
about 1 month ago
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The families of one-third of the infants and toddlers in the U.S. struggled to make ends meet in 2024 due to the rising prices of diapers and formula, maternal mental health challenges and the exorbitant cost of child care.
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Infants and toddlers are a growing group among homeless children
Between 2021 and 2023, the number of homeless infants and toddlers increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Experts worry that official statistics have not captured the true number.
https://hechingerreport.org/homelessness-is-rising-fast-among-a-surprising-group-infants-and-toddlers/
about 1 month ago
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“[Librarians are] not just checking books in and out. They’re teaching your kids about media literacy, safety online, how to vet an article for truthfulness.”
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Less than 15% of NYC schools have a librarian. Is your child’s school one of them?
Advocates say librarians are essential for students, but NYC schools don’t have enough librarians.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026/01/09/school-library-data-shows-lack-of-school-librarians/
about 1 month ago
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Although reports of child abuse and neglect decreased slightly in 2024, the number of reports made each year remains significantly higher than it was a decade ago.
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Maltreatment Reports, Victims and Fatalities All Down in 2024
An annual federal report on abuse and neglect shows a continued decline in confirmed victims, while reports also dropped slightly
https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/maltreatment-reports-victims-and-fatalities-all-down-in-2024/270409
about 1 month ago
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“In this period when a young child’s brain is in a rapid period of development, poverty is an impediment to that development. It increases the risk of behavioral and emotional challenges both at home and in school.” — Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs with the Foundation
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With the Child Poverty Rate Expected to Climb, New Efforts Emerge to Respond
States, philanthropic organizations and advocacy groups mobilize to address child poverty.
https://www.the74million.org/zero2eight/with-the-child-poverty-rate-expected-to-climb-new-efforts-emerge-to-respond/
about 1 month ago
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Using the Functional Family Therapy model with foster families and the children in their care is associated with safer living environments for kids in foster care and increased placement stability. Register for our February webinar to learn more.
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Register Now: Webinar on Functional Family Therapy in Foster Care
A new webinar introduces attendees to the Functional Family Therapy model and how it can improve foster care experience. Register for the session.
https://www.aecf.org/blog/register-now-webinar-on-functional-family-therapy-in-foster-care
about 1 month ago
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“When kids use generative AI that tells them what the answer is… they are not thinking for themselves. ...They're not learning to understand what makes a good argument. They're not learning about different perspectives in the world because they're actually not engaging in the material.”
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The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5674741/ai-schools-education
about 1 month ago
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