Announcements

In this blog post, Cyekeia Lee, director of higher education initiatives at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, shares strategies for youth-serving professionals who are helping homeless students navigate the scholarship application process. Homeless students can face many obstacles when seeking scholarship funding (e.g., having a GED instead of a high school diploma, getting parental permission, lacking a GPA, and having incomplete transcripts). Learn more.

After completing 10 months of intensive service to disaster survivors, including those from Hurricane Sandy and the Oklahoma tornados, 141 FEMA Corps members based at the Sacramento AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps campus were honored at graduation ceremonies. A partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and AmeriCorps, FEMA Corps engages young people ages 18–24 in disaster response and recovery projects, thereby enhancing our nation’s response to disasters while expanding career opportunities for these young adults. Learn more.

ED is accepting applications for summer 2015 internships. Interns will have opportunities to explore such fields as education policy, education law, business and finance, research and analysis, intergovernmental relations and public affairs, and traditional and digital communications — all while learning about the role that federal government plays in education. Learn more.

The Federal Registry for Educational Excellence compiles digital teaching and learning resources created and maintained by the federal government and public and private organizations. Learn more.

NIDA has released new step-by-step guides both for those seeking help to overcome drug addiction and their loved ones. The guides are presented in a simple Q&A format with accompanying videos and are customized into four categories: (1) teens seeking help, (2) adults seeking help, (3) parents/guardians seeking help for their teen/young adult child, and (4) those trying to help an adult loved one. Learn more.

Sol Flores (founding executive director of La Casa Norte in Chicago) and Margaret Mitchell (president and CEO of YWCA Greater Cleveland) share tips for how runaway and homeless youth programs can adopt a “housing-first” approach that emphasizes stable, permanent housing as a primary strategy for ending homelessness. Learn more.

This fact sheet illustrates the steps that the Obama administration and its federal partners are taking to support foster youth. These efforts include ensuring access to healthy meals, protecting the welfare of Native youth, building financial security, keeping young people out of the justice system, creating paths to employment, supporting educational success, and developing public service and private investment opportunities. Learn more.

ED encourages all college students to fill out the FAFSA. This blog post outlines the reasons why and provides links to resources that can help students understand their financial aid options. Learn more.

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month is a time to spread awareness of the risks, and strengthening efforts to prevent drugged driving. This blog post highlights the potential fatal outcomes of drugged driving and highlights the efforts of individuals, communities, and states to work toward improving safety. Learn more.

This blog post outlines the issues discussed at a recent meeting that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan held with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander education stakeholders. At the meeting, attendees requested a clear statement that Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) are indeed in the same class of institutions as Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions under the Higher Education Act (HEA). In response to these concerns, the Department updated its website, recommending listing AANAPISIs along with the other classes of schools delineated under HEA. Learn more.  

This report introduces the Children and Youth Task Force in Disasters model, which promotes the effective coordination of the diverse systems and agencies that serve children and youth following a disaster. This model has been implemented in the wake of multiple recent disasters, including the Joplin, Missouri, tornado and Hurricane Sandy. It provides recommendations to states, tribes, territories, and communities about launching their own task forces and describes how the Administration for Children and Families can provide support. Learn more (PDF, 14 pages).  

This article highlights the work of Tulane’s Drop-In Clinic, which provides free medical care to teens in New Orleans. It shares some of the best practices that have helped the clinic successfully reduce barriers and connect youth to care. Learn more.

Liz Marks shares how her accident from texting while driving changed her life. Learn more.

This blog entry outlines the four things recent graduates should do as they prepare to make their first student loan payment: get organized, contact the loan servicer, estimate monthly payments, and select a repayment plan. Learn more.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway has developed two new Logic Model Builders, Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and Family Support Programs and Postadoption Services Programs. These Logic Model Builders can help programs define their goals, outcomes, and indicators of success and select appropriate evaluation instruments. Learn more.

In a new video, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the integration of multiple online tools to expand the reach of the AMBER Alert early warning system of urgent child abduction cases. Facebook will send targeted AMBER alerts to users in certain search areas, and Bing will allow users to access alerts through its online broadcast tools. Learn more.

”Coverage of Behavioral Services for Youth with Substance Use Disorders,” (PDF, 16 pages) aims to help states (a) design a benefit that will meet the needs of youth with substance use disorders and their families and (b) comply with their obligations under Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment requirements. This guidance is based on research and results of a SAMHSA-supported technical expert panel. Learn more (PDF, 16 pages).

CDC offers many opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain experience in the field of public health. Opportunities for summer internships and year-long fellowships for 2015 are now available. Learn more.

”Child Maltreatment, 2013” (PDF, 250 pages) is the 24th edition of the annual report on child abuse and neglect data collected through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. According to the report, from 2009 to 2013, overall rates of victimization declined from 9.3 to 9.1 per 1,000 children in the population. Learn more (PDF, 250 pages).

To gather public feedback about the Administration’s plan to address rising college costs, the Department of Education hosted three public forums across the country and will hold the final forum at Louisiana State University on November 21. Learn more about the forums and President Obama’s agenda to address the cost of higher education.