state of opportunity

National Foster Care Week: what happens to kids that age out of foster care?

Kimberly Springer — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:26:00 +0000

We've already acknowledged the proliferation of different days and weeks, whether by official proclamation or organizational mandate, declared for raising awareness of various social issues. But let's talk about just one more: National Foster Care Month.

There are now more ways than ever to share your story with us

Jennifer Guerra — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:44:25 +0000

We got a lot of response from yesterday's piece about an after-school music program for disadvantaged youth in Grand Rapids.

But here's a little secret: That story came to us pretty much 'as is' - meaning Casey Stratton reported and produced the whole audio piece and sent it in to us. We tweaked it a bit here and there to fit our style, and voila! Stratton and company made their radio debut.

If you build a youth music program, they will come

Jennifer Guerra — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Every once and a while, our State of Opportunity team receives a story pitch from someone in the community who's trying to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged youth. This is one of those stories. It’s a piece about boys, girls, and the universal language of music.

Why aren't Buena Vista's kids in school yet?

Sarah Alvarez — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:12:05 +0000

This post has been updated to reflect new developments:

Tuesday, 2:07 p.m.

What's a more convincing basis for funding early childhood education: fear or societal benefits?

Kimberly Springer — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:28:18 +0000

Infographics are the "Public Service Announcement" of our digital era: informative, easily digested, and memorable. Proponents of early childhood education haven't been left behind in using infographics to visualize stats that affirm the benefit of preschool to kids and society as a whole. But there are also some provocative scare tactics out there.

So, which is more effective? Helpful, contextualizing data or eye-catching, mildly disturbing imagery showing our future without preschool education?

How to get people off state assistance: "Just giving someone a job doesn't solve their problems."

Dustin Dwyer — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:33:00 +0000

In 1998, Amy Valderas was a single mom with three kids, all under the age of seven. She stayed at home. She had no work experience. She lived with her sister.

So she goes into a Department of Human Services office (which was at that time called the Family Independence Agency), to apply for cash assistance. And, in the lobby of the office, there’s a man who says he’s from Cascade Engineering, a manufacturing company in Grand Rapids.

He asks Valderas if she wants a job.

"And I was very hesitant at first," she says. "Because I was always with my kids, and I was worried about transportation, daycare, all kinds of stuff, you know."

But the man is very convincing, and Valderas decides to try it out. Before long, she’s working 12 hour shifts. She’s working weekends. She thinks about quitting.

"Because the work is so difficult," she says. "I’d never worked before, and then the long hours. So, I didn’t think I’d be here."

Mixed Messages on Teachers Appreciation Day

Sarah Alvarez — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:38:34 +0000

So, is it Teacher Appreciation Day or Teacher Appreciation Week? And is it a national "holiday" or not?

I can't say definitively, but it looks like both of these are just traditions kept alive by teachers unions and parent groups.

TED Talks to focus on education issues

Jennifer Guerra — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:35:53 +0000

What are you doing Tuesday night?

If you're like me, you'll be checking out the new, one-hour TED Talk special on education, featuring Harlem Children's Zone founder Geoffrey Canada, Bill Gates and some of the country's leading education experts and thinkers. The promo video says students will also get up on stage and share their thoughts.

Southeast Michigan Screening of American Winter

Kimberly Springer — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:32:00 +0000

The gap watch continues: US is 34th of 35 developed nations in child well-being

Kimberly Springer — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:25:00 +0000

Initially, it was darkly funny and absurd: "What's up with all the 'gaps'?," we asked ourselves. Discipline gap. Gender gap. Achievement gap. And now the United Nations Children's Fund is reporting that the US is at the almost-bottom of their index for relative child poverty rates: a child poverty gap.