FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 5, 2009
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Melissa Meighen, 312-516-5551
Report Reveals Illinois Children Face Complex Learning Challenges
Illinois Kids Count 2009 examines key data and illuminates key issues
CHICAGO – Educational disparities persist across Illinois, particularly with respect to school resources and student achievements. These contribute to the substantial, complex challenges the state faces in educating the current and next generation of students, according to the Illinois Kids Count 2009 data book released today by Voices for Illinois Children.
This year’s report, “Education for the 21st Century,” highlights three major challenges that state and local policymakers must address as they formulate education policy to prepare all students for the 21st century:
1. The changing composition of student enrollment throughout the state, which means educating increasing numbers of students with limited English proficiency and increasing numbers of students from low-income families;
2. Great inequities in resources, both financial and professional, between property-wealthy and property-poor districts; and
3. Notable disparities in student outcomes, including test scores and graduation rates.
“As a state, we’ve made significant progress in some important areas such as early childhood education,” said Jerry Stermer, president of Voices for Illinois Children. “However, we face considerable challenges to ensure that all students leave school with the knowledge and skills necessary to go to college or to enter the workforce. Educational disparities are widespread in Illinois. In particular, funding disparities between school districts remain a major impediment to the education of all our children. Student success should not depend on a zip code.”
Illinois Kids Count is widely regarded as the most thorough yearly examination of children’s lives in the state. It publishes the best available data to measure the educational, social, economic and physical well-being of Illinois children. The report can be read in its entirety at www.voices4kids.org.
The report presents and analyzes many indicators that relate to student success, including demographics and a range of statistics related to health, early childhood education, test scores and graduation rates, teacher credentials, education funding, and family and community data.
Key Findings
Notable findings within these areas include the following:
Changing composition of student enrollment:
· Latinos have accounted for 80 percent of the growth in public school enrollment over the past two decades.
· There are school districts with high concentrations of low-income students in every region of the state.
Great inequities in resources:
· There are huge investment gaps among school districts, with combined state and local funding of education varying from less than $7,500 per student to more than $20,000 per student.
· The number of children on the waiting list for public preschool programs has grown 60 percent since 2003. Nearly 17,500 children were on the waiting list in 2008.
Notable disparities in student achievement:
· Less than half of all Illinois 8th-grade students were considered “proficient” in math, reading and writing on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
· High school graduation rates are about 93 percent among Whites and Asians, but only about 75 percent among Blacks and Latinos. School districts with the lowest graduation rates (below 75 percent) are located in nearly every region of the state.
· Only 20 percent of Illinois students are considered college-ready, based on the ACT test, which assesses high school students’ ability to complete college-level work.
“We, as a state, must take a broad, comprehensive approach to address these challenges and to ensure that every child has a fair chance at success,” Stermer said. “Effective education investments provide Illinois with a substantial return, including greater future economic growth, a more informed and engaged citizenry and reduced costs in areas such as remedial education, health care and crime.”
Solutions
Kids Count also includes essays by prominent academics and education leaders that assess policies and propose solutions, including:
· Recognizing and investing in supports for the “whole child.” From birth through postsecondary education, the educational continuum must address cognitive, social-emotional, and physical health.
· Supporting families and communities as key partners in children’s educational success. Families and communities should provide safe, nurturing and encouraging environments—from nutritious foods to enriching after-school activities—that help children and teens develop thinking and social skills.
· Advancing a more equitable solution for how Illinois funds education. Fiscal resources alone do not determine the quality of public schools, but educational opportunities in our state are too dependent on the property wealth of local school districts.
“The information in Kids Count issues a compelling challenge: 21st century preparedness calls for an education that starts early and is comprehensive, high-quality and collaborative,” Stermer said. “The data provide a framework and an opportunity to understand and prioritize the issues, because we all have a responsibility to ensure that all children, regardless of their families’ economic situations, are prepared for school, work and life.”
# # #
Voices for Illinois Children champions the full development of every child in Illinois to assure the future well-being of everyone in the state. We work with families, communities and policymakers on all issues to help children grow up healthy, happy, safe, loved, and well educated.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, December 29, 2008
New Study: Father engagement vital to children’s wellbeing
December 15th, 2008 by Robert फ्रैंकलिन"Children with fathers are less likely to commit crimes or engage in aggressive behavior, are less likely to become homeless later in life, have significantly higher IQs, have fewer psychological problems, are less likely to use tobacco, and have better relationships and educational outcomes than are their fatherless counterparts."
Hard on the heels of government studies of teen violence in Ontario and Massachusetts that paid little heed to the importance of fathers in the lives of their children comes a systematic study of the scientific literature to date. And surprise of surprises, it shows what we already know – that father engagement is vital to children’s wellbeing.
The study is an analysis of scientific literature performed in 2003 and updated in 2007 by social scientists from Sweden and Australia. Their findings were published in the journal Acta Paediatrica of June, 2008. The link is here.
It reviews longitudinal studies comprising over 22,000 datasets and finds that children who live with fathers who are actively engaged in their lives and care tend to do better than those without.
Specifically, children with fathers are less likely to commit crimes or engage in aggressive behavior, are less likely to become homeless later in life, have significantly higher IQs, have fewer psychological problems, are less likely to use tobacco, and have better relationships and educational outcomes than are their fatherless counterparts.
Eighteen of the studies controlled for SES (socio-economic status), so the findings do not merely reflect the better outcomes of more privileged children.
As the authors state, “father engagement positively affects the social behavioural, psychological and cognitive outcomes of children.”
Someone should let lawmakers, courts and the media in on the secret.
But, as the authors also add with typical scientific understatement, “unfortunately, current institutional policies in most countries do not support the increased involvement of fathers in child rearing.”
The systematic separation and exclusion of fathers from the lives of their children is one of the great scandals of our time. Someday we will look back on the present and shake our heads in disbelief at current policies that are bad for fathers, bad for children, bad for mothers, and bad for society.
Long-term scientific studies like this one tell us a truth that will over time displace the fictions we’ve been living with for so long.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Ever heard of the "ripple effect"? Drop a single stone in a pond and it makes ripples far beyond the spot it landed. Tell one person your story, and see the difference it makes for others, whether you ever know them or not. You can cause change through the simple act of sharing.
If you want to be a part of our documentary, which we hope to freely share with community groups, churches, policy makers and educators -- let us know! We will send you a brief list of questions to think about, and you can tape yourself and send it to us. We'll try to tell as many stories as we can through our project -- make your voice heard -- Let Me Parent!
Watch the first few minutes of our project here:
If you want to be a part of our documentary, which we hope to freely share with community groups, churches, policy makers and educators -- let us know! We will send you a brief list of questions to think about, and you can tape yourself and send it to us. We'll try to tell as many stories as we can through our project -- make your voice heard -- Let Me Parent!
Watch the first few minutes of our project here:
Meet the Inspiration for Let Me Parent! and Watch the Video
Let Me Parent! is now collecting stories of non-custodial fathers who want to share your experiences about fatherhood, your desires to be in the lives of your children, the obstacles you face and the ways you are overcoming.
If you are a dad and you have a story to tell, send us a message here by posting a comment and we'll contact you about participation in our project! Every story matters, especially if you face intimidation by the legal system.
If you are behind on child support and think that you can't see your kids -- read our blog, search the web, and start learning the truth! You CAN be a father to your children.
Let Me Parent! is simply a small group of friends and family who wanted to be united with our children and step-children. We were kept away from the kids we love and we started this site to support ourselves and other. We want to see children united with their parents, and we are actively working to address the issues that destroy relationships between parents and kids. We know first hand -- we are living it. We hope you will add your voice to this blog, and we'll keep posting articles and sites that can be helpful to you, as often as we can.
If you are a dad and you have a story to tell, send us a message here by posting a comment and we'll contact you about participation in our project! Every story matters, especially if you face intimidation by the legal system.
If you are behind on child support and think that you can't see your kids -- read our blog, search the web, and start learning the truth! You CAN be a father to your children.
Let Me Parent! is simply a small group of friends and family who wanted to be united with our children and step-children. We were kept away from the kids we love and we started this site to support ourselves and other. We want to see children united with their parents, and we are actively working to address the issues that destroy relationships between parents and kids. We know first hand -- we are living it. We hope you will add your voice to this blog, and we'll keep posting articles and sites that can be helpful to you, as often as we can.
National Fatherhood Initiative's Ad Campaign Insults African American Fathers
Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Glenn Sacks and Reginald Brass
Reposted from www.glennsacks.com
"Easter Bunny. Tooth Fairy. Daddy. Eventually kids stop believing in things they don't see."
"Each Night Millions of Kids Go To Sleep Starving. For Attention from Their Dads."
"Dear Daddy, My Mommy Can't Be My Daddy Too."
Bus stop ads with pictures of small African American children delivering these biting messages to their absent fathers can be seen all over Los Angeles County. They are part of a nationwide campaign to reduce fatherlessness in the African-American community. The campaign is sponsored by the National Fatherhood Initiative, an influential Maryland-based nonprofit organization which has had ties with both the Clinton and Bush administrations.
While the NFI's goal is laudable, fathers bear only part of the responsibility for black fatherlessness. Among the major factors the NFI campaign completely ignores is the fact that mothers often drive fathers out of their children's lives.
According to the Children's Rights Council, a Washington-based advocacy group, more than five million American children each year have their access to their noncustodial parents interfered with or blocked by custodial parents.
While child support orders are often enforced with great zeal, courts are slow to take effective measures to enforce visitation orders. It is difficult for low-income men to afford attorneys to fight for enforcement, particularly since they are already struggling with stiff child support obligations. As a result, many African-American men have become what prominent divorce researcher Sanford Braver calls "fathers without children."
Another problem for fathers is that domestic violence restraining order policies, which were set up to help genuinely abused women, are instead often used as weapons in custody battles. According to family law attorney Lisa Scott of the civil rights group Taking Action Against Bias in the System, most courts grant restraining orders to practically any woman who applies, and domestic violence accusations are very effective at depriving fathers of custody and visitation rights after divorce. She says:
"Most restraining orders do not even involve an allegation of physical violence. For most judges, the woman saying she 'feels afraid' of her husband is enough. Men have no way to defend themselves against these accusations. How do you argue against a feeling?"
James, a young African-American father in Los Angeles, was recently served with a restraining order in an attempt to drive him out of his three year-old daughter's life. James had been his little girl's primary caregiver for the first two and a half years of her life. He says:
"The charges in the order are completely false. I've seen many friends and acquaintances get hit by these restraining orders. They tell me that they never hit her, never touched her, never threatened her, and I used to say to myself 'yeah, right.' Now I see what's really happening."
Another major problem for California fathers is move-aways. Until last month's California Supreme Court decision in the LaMusga move-away case, custodial mothers had wide latitude to move their children hundreds or thousands of miles away from the children's fathers. Low-income fathers' child support obligations often chain them to their jobs while they are powerless to prevent their children from being moved far away from them. Because salaries, the cost of living, and child support obligations are high in California, custodial mothers frequently move to other states where the support paid by the father under California guidelines provides a better standard of living.
Many African-American fathers see the NFI's bus stop campaign as a slap in the face. Richard, a Los Angeles father of two, says:
"I did the best I could as a father, but the moment I wasn't convenient anymore I was gone. The courts didn't care about my kids having time with me, all they cared about was my money, and I don't even have much. Every time I see one of those 'Dear Daddy' posters at the bus stop I think 'what do you mean 'Dear Daddy?' Don't you mean 'Dear Mommy?' You tell daddy to be daddy, why don't you tell mommy to let daddy be daddy?'"
This column first appeared in the Daily Breeze [Los Angeles] (5/25/04).
Glenn Sacks is a men's and fathers' issues columnist and a talk show host on KMPC AM 1540 in Los Angeles. His columns have appeared in dozens of America's largest newspapers.
Glenn can be reached via his website, at www.GlennSacks.com or by email at Glenn@GlennSacks.com.
Reginald Brass is the founder and president of My Child Says Daddy, a Los Angeles-based organization which helps African-American fathers stay involved in their children's lives. They can be reached through their website at MyChildSaysDaddy.org
Listen to related His Side radio shows:
National Fatherhood Initiative Attacks Black Fathers (4/25/04)
The Crucible of the Unwed Father (1/11/04)
By Glenn Sacks and Reginald Brass
Reposted from www.glennsacks.com
"Easter Bunny. Tooth Fairy. Daddy. Eventually kids stop believing in things they don't see."
"Each Night Millions of Kids Go To Sleep Starving. For Attention from Their Dads."
"Dear Daddy, My Mommy Can't Be My Daddy Too."
Bus stop ads with pictures of small African American children delivering these biting messages to their absent fathers can be seen all over Los Angeles County. They are part of a nationwide campaign to reduce fatherlessness in the African-American community. The campaign is sponsored by the National Fatherhood Initiative, an influential Maryland-based nonprofit organization which has had ties with both the Clinton and Bush administrations.
While the NFI's goal is laudable, fathers bear only part of the responsibility for black fatherlessness. Among the major factors the NFI campaign completely ignores is the fact that mothers often drive fathers out of their children's lives.
According to the Children's Rights Council, a Washington-based advocacy group, more than five million American children each year have their access to their noncustodial parents interfered with or blocked by custodial parents.
While child support orders are often enforced with great zeal, courts are slow to take effective measures to enforce visitation orders. It is difficult for low-income men to afford attorneys to fight for enforcement, particularly since they are already struggling with stiff child support obligations. As a result, many African-American men have become what prominent divorce researcher Sanford Braver calls "fathers without children."
Another problem for fathers is that domestic violence restraining order policies, which were set up to help genuinely abused women, are instead often used as weapons in custody battles. According to family law attorney Lisa Scott of the civil rights group Taking Action Against Bias in the System, most courts grant restraining orders to practically any woman who applies, and domestic violence accusations are very effective at depriving fathers of custody and visitation rights after divorce. She says:
"Most restraining orders do not even involve an allegation of physical violence. For most judges, the woman saying she 'feels afraid' of her husband is enough. Men have no way to defend themselves against these accusations. How do you argue against a feeling?"
James, a young African-American father in Los Angeles, was recently served with a restraining order in an attempt to drive him out of his three year-old daughter's life. James had been his little girl's primary caregiver for the first two and a half years of her life. He says:
"The charges in the order are completely false. I've seen many friends and acquaintances get hit by these restraining orders. They tell me that they never hit her, never touched her, never threatened her, and I used to say to myself 'yeah, right.' Now I see what's really happening."
Another major problem for California fathers is move-aways. Until last month's California Supreme Court decision in the LaMusga move-away case, custodial mothers had wide latitude to move their children hundreds or thousands of miles away from the children's fathers. Low-income fathers' child support obligations often chain them to their jobs while they are powerless to prevent their children from being moved far away from them. Because salaries, the cost of living, and child support obligations are high in California, custodial mothers frequently move to other states where the support paid by the father under California guidelines provides a better standard of living.
Many African-American fathers see the NFI's bus stop campaign as a slap in the face. Richard, a Los Angeles father of two, says:
"I did the best I could as a father, but the moment I wasn't convenient anymore I was gone. The courts didn't care about my kids having time with me, all they cared about was my money, and I don't even have much. Every time I see one of those 'Dear Daddy' posters at the bus stop I think 'what do you mean 'Dear Daddy?' Don't you mean 'Dear Mommy?' You tell daddy to be daddy, why don't you tell mommy to let daddy be daddy?'"
This column first appeared in the Daily Breeze [Los Angeles] (5/25/04).
Glenn Sacks is a men's and fathers' issues columnist and a talk show host on KMPC AM 1540 in Los Angeles. His columns have appeared in dozens of America's largest newspapers.
Glenn can be reached via his website, at www.GlennSacks.com or by email at Glenn@GlennSacks.com.
Reginald Brass is the founder and president of My Child Says Daddy, a Los Angeles-based organization which helps African-American fathers stay involved in their children's lives. They can be reached through their website at MyChildSaysDaddy.org
Listen to related His Side radio shows:
National Fatherhood Initiative Attacks Black Fathers (4/25/04)
The Crucible of the Unwed Father (1/11/04)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Let Me Parent Documentary
Here is a trailer for a documentary we're doing on African-American fatherhood...check it out!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
New Study on Benefits of Joint Custody to Children
Child Adjustment in Joint-Custody Versus Sole-Custody
Arrangements: A Meta-Analytic Review
by Robert Bauserman
AIDS Administration/Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
The author meta-analyzed studies comparing child adjustment in joint physical or joint legal custody with sole-custody settings, including comparisons with paternal custody and intact families where possible.
Children in joint physical or legal custody were better adjusted than children in sole-custody settings, but no different from those in intact families.
More positive adjustment of joint-custody children held for separate comparisons of general adjustment, family relationships, self-esteem, emotional and behavioral adjustment, and divorce-specific adjustment. Joint-custody parents reported less current and past conflict than did sole-custody parents, but this did not explain the better adjustment of joint-custody children.
The results are consistent with the hypothesis that joint custody can be advantageous for children in some cases, possibly by facilitating ongoing positive involvement with both parents.
Arrangements: A Meta-Analytic Review
by Robert Bauserman
AIDS Administration/Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
The author meta-analyzed studies comparing child adjustment in joint physical or joint legal custody with sole-custody settings, including comparisons with paternal custody and intact families where possible.
Children in joint physical or legal custody were better adjusted than children in sole-custody settings, but no different from those in intact families.
More positive adjustment of joint-custody children held for separate comparisons of general adjustment, family relationships, self-esteem, emotional and behavioral adjustment, and divorce-specific adjustment. Joint-custody parents reported less current and past conflict than did sole-custody parents, but this did not explain the better adjustment of joint-custody children.
The results are consistent with the hypothesis that joint custody can be advantageous for children in some cases, possibly by facilitating ongoing positive involvement with both parents.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Website Links and Resources for Dads
Here is a useful handbook on non-custodial parental rights in Illinois -- definitely one of the first places to start when looking for answers about your rights as the parent who doesn't have custody of your child/children: http://www.cffpp.org/legal/illinois_en.html
Additional websites focused on Dad's:
http://www.fatherhood-edu.org/
| The Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood 401 South Clinton, 3rd Floor Chicago, IL 60607 http://www.responsiblefatherhood.com/ | ||
| Father and Family Service Providers | ||
| Fatherhood Educational Institute | www.fatherhood-edu.org | (312) 795-9060 |
| Illinois Fatherhood Initiative | www.4fathers.org | (800) 996-DADS |
| Concerned Black Men of Chicago | www.cbmnational.org | (708) 829-5120 |
| Fathers Who Care | www.fatherswhocare.us | (773) 550-3556 |
| Lutheran Child and Family Services | www.lcfs.org | (708) 771-7184 |
| Voices for Illinois Children | www.voices4kids.org | (312) 456-0600 |
| Family Focus | www.family-focus.org | (312) 421-5200 |
State of Illinois Government Resources | ||
| Dept. of Public Aid - Child Support | www.state.il.us/dpa/ | (312) 793-7987 |
| Dept. Human Services | www.dhs.state.il.us | (312) 793-4131 |
| Dept. Children & Family Services | www.state.il.us/dcfs/ | (312) 808-9040 |
Additional websites focused on Dad's:
http://www.fatherhood-edu.org/
Why Blog About It?
I've started this blog to help men I know who are incredible, loving and who are no longer able to be with their children because of a breakup or divorce with their exes. I hope that there will be good information and resources that will help them find the courage to fight to be in the lives of their children, whom I know they love and miss.
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