On April 28th, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the 2021 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This survey is the largest public health surveillance system in the United States, monitoring a broad range of health-related behaviors among high school students. The 2021 surveys were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and
On Friday, April 14th, the U.S. Department of Education released new guidance on the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) regarding youth who are self-supporting or at risk of homelessness. SchoolHouse Connection lauded the new guidance as a positive change and called on those assisting youth experiencing homelessness to review the guidance to
On Thursday April 6th, 2023, Secretary Miguel Cardona of the Department of Education announced a proposed rule that would update Title IX to clarify guidelines for participation in school athletics. Title IX aims to protect students in schools that receive federal funding from sex-based discrimination and ensure fairness, and this rule aims to expand upon
On Thursday, April 13, 2023, President Biden announced that hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children will be eligible for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges. This action will allow participants in the Obama-era’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to access government-funded health
On Wednesday, March 28th, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on President Biden’s FY24 Budget proposal with HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Although Chairman Jason Smith [R-MO] and Ranking Member Richard Neal [D-MA] raised diverging criticisms, there was bipartisan agreement on preventing “surprise billing,” providing Alzheimer treatments, and holding corporations accountable for migrant
On Thursday March 23, 2023, The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing titled, Breaking the System: Examining the Implications of Biden's Student Loan Policies for Students and Taxpayers. It was the first hearing led by the Subcommittee of Workforce and Higher Education in this Congress, signaling that the student loan debt
CWLA released the Summary of the President's FY2024 Budget Proposal and the FY 2024 Federal Budget Chart. Each year, CWLA compiles this targeted summary and budget chart explaining the President's budget proposal, with a particular focus on spending and legislative requests that directly impact children and families. President Biden released his FY 2024 budget on
The Urban Institute hosted a webinar on March 7, 2023, that reviewed their recent research report on Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs). The report highlights the various barriers that prevent youth in foster care from attending higher education and ultimately had a sample inclusion of over 125,000 young people (ages 16 and above) in foster
On Thursday, March 9, 2023, President Biden released his budget. It was a partial release with more details to be released this week. CWLA will have a more complete review later this week. Overall, the Administration proposes increases in the human services areas of the budget and medical services while proposing a projected reduction in
On March 8th, 2023, House Ways and Means Work & Welfare Ranking Member Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Co-chair Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) re-introduced the Foster Youth and Driving Act, legislation that would increase the economic and social independence of youth in care by helping them obtain their driver’s licenses.
