| |
| ACCESS TO EDUCATION |
| |
|
Preventing Teen Dating Violence through Education ~ Approximately, 1 in 5 teenage girls has experienced physical and/or sexual violence in a dating relationship. Females ages 16-24 are the group most-highly victimized by abuse. Prevention, therefore, is key; there must be an effort to reach Louisiana youth. Louisiana Appleseed’s focus has thus been to encourage schools to teach about relationship abuse, as well as healthy relationships. Louisiana Appleseed has hosted a roundtable discussion of stakeholders and formed a task force to address prevention issues. We achieved a milestone in June 2010 when Gov. Jindal signed into law Rep. Nita Hutter’s HB 46, mandating education regarding dating violence prevention in public schools. This means that Louisiana schools will now include in their health education curriculum (grades 7-12) information about relationship abuse, including warning signs and how to seek help. We will now work with education administrators on implementation, with assistance from our task force formed in 2010.
Project Partners: Kean Miller, Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Louisiana Department of Education, Jeannine Sullivan (Appleseed Legal Fellow), Prevention Task Force Members
|
| |
|
Ensuring Education for Children Experiencing Homelessness ~ Louisiana Appleseed and its partners worked with school liaisons to identify and address the gaps that prevent homeless children from receiving an adequate education. They designed a community education piece – a bookmark for state-wide distribution – to educate students and their families about their rights under the McKinney-Vento Act, which ensures that children are not inadvertently excluded from the school system. The bookmark is available in both English and Spanish.
Project Partners: Judge Jay Zainey’s HELP Program, UNITY New Orleans, Ozanam Inn, Cowen Institute, Barrasso Usdin, Louisiana Department of Education, Orleans Parish School Board
|
| |
Increasing Latino Access to Community Colleges ~ Despite the labor shortage in Louisiana, many new and returning residents lack the job skills and career counseling necessary to attain the most desirable jobs. The community college system is a vital part of developing a strong, stable and well-trained working and middle class – those who lack access to it are missing out on a powerful wealth-generating tool. While there are programs available to members of the Latino community, they go largely unused due to the difficulty many Louisiana community colleges have effectively recruiting and educating the Latino community about these programs.
At the request of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), Louisiana Appleseed is working with school leaders to identify and implement programs aimed at attracting a larger number of Latino students and develop a strategic plan for outreach, program design and appeal. The administration at LCTCS has made this project a top priority.
Project partners: Louisiana Community and Technical College System, Ford Foundation, University of Virginia School of Law and Stone Pigman |
| |
|
Ensuring Equitable Funding for Special Needs Children ~ Comprehensive and coordinated special education remains a major problem across public schools in Louisiana. One issue arises due to the fact that special education money in some districts is allotted at the district level instead of following students to the schools they attend, resulting in inconsistent support for schools serving students with multiple types of disabilities. Money is not allocated based on student needs and the neediest students do not receive the services the funding is intended to provide.
Louisiana Appleseed and the Louisiana Bar Foundation have recruited volunteer attorneys to: (1) research Louisiana Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formulas and school budgets; (2) understand current policies across the state; and (3) develop policy recommendations to promote equitable distribution of funds. Appleseed, along with its community partners from the Cowen Institute and Loyola Law School, will then advocate at the state and district level to see that special needs children are not overlooked in Louisiana’s school funding. Results will include public awareness of this issue and an allocation system that does not negatively impact those students with the most special needs.
Project partners: Cowen Institute, Louisiana Bar Foundation, Loyola School of Law
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|