by Elizabeth Gibbons The U.S. Public School System's Failing Grades The last seven Secretaries of Education recently convened to assess the country’s K-12 and higher education systems to determine how schools need to adapt to prepare students for a changing world. This convening was held on the 35th anniversary of the 1983 report “A Nation at
by Elizabeth Gibbons Public Schools Over the past two weeks, teachers across the country have been walking out, striking, and demanding livable wages, better resources, and increased public school funding. The most publicized stories have come from West Virginia and Oklahoma, where protests and mass school closures have yielded positive results: a 5% pay increase
by Elizabeth Gibbons Ohio Mahoning County Children Services, in Ohio, is training its caseworkers to identify and respond to human trafficking. The training, led by Columbus police, was developed in 2003 to raise consciousness of the crimes and educate criminal justice and social service professionals, those with the most exposure to victims, in appropriate responses. Most
by Elizabeth Gibbons March For Our Lives On Saturday, March 24, one of the largest protests in American history took place outside of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Reminiscent of the students marching against the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to exclaim “Never Again”! The largest demonstration—upwards of 850,000
by Elizabeth Gibbons Elizabeth Darling Nomination President Donald Trump has nominated the president and chief executive of the Texas-based OneStar Foundation, Elizabeth Darling, to be the new commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It could take weeks or months for a nominee to be
by Elizabeth Gibbons Oklahoma In a recent State News update, we talked about Georgia’s bill to allow faith-based adoption agencies to discriminate against couples who are LGBTQ. The Oklahoma State Senate is now hearing a very similar bill. Advocates for foster youth in Oklahoma have reported that the state Senate will take up a bill
by Elizabeth Gibbons Georgia A bill in the Georgia State Legislature, which would enable foster and adoption agencies to refuse potential foster and adoptive parents on the basis of religious beliefs, is drawing national controversy over its religious and discriminatory language. The Human Rights Campaign and other groups have raised concerns that this bill will
by Elizabeth Gibbons The Florida School Shooting, Upcoming Protests, and Legislation The devastating Parkland, Florida mass shooting, like many other tragic school shootings, has rekindled the debate over gun control. As a quick recap: gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, had a history of mental health issues, and multiple calls had been made to authorities regarding his
by Elizabeth Gibbons Oregon In our Last Week In Child Welfare, February 4-11, we discussed the recent audit of Oregon’s child welfare department that showed the state had not made any significant improvements or reforms, despite the knowledge that their system was ineffective and jeopardized the health and safety of the children in their care. On
by Elizabeth Gibbons Family First Prevention Services Act The newest budget includes a (potential) gem for child welfare legislation: an attempt to help reshape the foster care system and combat the effects of the opioid epidemic. The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPA) amends the funding structure of child welfare by allowing states to use