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Report from the conference "Keeping the Door Open – Support to Young People Leaving Care" October 7th and 8th 2009, DRAFT Vilnius Welcoming remarks: H.E. Donatas Jankauskas, Minister of Social Security and Labour, Lithua- nia opened the conference. In his welcome speech the Minister thanked and welcomed the organisers and the participants. The minister stressed that the issue of aftercare support is important in our soci- ety. In order to reform the practices and legislation around children in alternative care, the Lithuanian ministry has adopted a strategy aiming at reducing the number of children in resi- dential care seeking to promote foster care placement and providing foster families with extra support. Also, social benefits for children have recently been increased. The minister Jankauskas concluded by saying that he hopes that this conference would lead to further cooperation and sharing of good practices. Plenary presentations: From Care to Adulthood: Messages from International Research for Policy and Prac- tice, Mike Stein, Professor University of York. Prof. Stein presented research from 16 countries, demonstrating a high risk of social exclusion for care-leavers. This exclusion may mean low educational attainment and participation, unemployment, unfulfilled careers, mental health problems, social isolation, homelessness and movement, getting into trouble and young unplanned parenthood. 1 The messages from research are that the transition from care should be gradual as opposed to "instant adulthood". Preparation for leaving care should include the learning of practical skills, of self- care skills and the acquisition of emotional and interpersonal as well as social skills. The journey to adulthood is lined by a number of difficult processes and cannot be decided by international standards. What is good for young care leavers in one country often cannot be applied in another. Different types of care dominate alternative care in differ- ent countries. The legislation and provisions are different; therefore a more holistic view is needed. One of the major outcomes of the presented research is the division of care-leavers into groups according to their performance. Three different outcome groups were found: 1. moving on – characterized by stability, by a satisfying career and a clear identity; 2. survivors (more disruptions) – often on the move experiencing disrupted careers. Sup- port has a great effect in their lives and means a lot to this group. 3. strugglers – the most disadvantaged group. Neglect and ill-treatment cast shadows over their lives. This group is characterised by moving from one care facility to an- other and from this sometimes back to their families. The group is entirely dependent on support. According to Prof. Stein, the best approach in supporting care leavers is a com- prehensive one, across the life course of young people including pre-care (early interventions and family support – when problems first arise), in-care (providing high quality care to com- pensate young people), leaving care (gradual and supported transitions from care) and after- care (ongoing support into adulthood). Perspectives from young people with care experience: "What works for us" Arlinda Cela, Ronald Grant, Dawn Ryan, Aurika Skeivyte Video statements from the group of young participants The young people participating in the conference presented the aspects that ac- cording to them are the most important when leaving care. The four major fields of concern presented were housing, education, employment and emotional stability. Successful integra- 2 tion in any of these fields is according to the young people impossible without financial sup- port and the support of people who can guide and give advice. The young people stressed that the institutions should be more positive towards the young people and that the young people should not be discriminated against for being in care (e.g. at schools) or for having been in care.. The major point stressed by the young people was that the best interests of care- leavers must come first; they should be placed in the centre of any support programme and of any planning. Outcomes for care leavers – what can we learn from Swedish national register studies? Bo Vinnerljung, Professor, Centre for Epidemiology & Institute for Evidence Based So- cial Practice, National Board of Health and Welfare, Stockholm, Sweden Dept of Social Work, University of Stockholm According to prof. Vinnerljung, long term outcomes for children who have grown up in foster care may vary from school/ educational problems to suicide attempts, men- tal health problems, substance abuse (illicit drugs and alcohol), serious crime, teenage parent- hood and welfare dependency. Based on ongoing research, prof. Vinnerljung presented data showing that chil- dren who grew up in foster care had high over-risks of leaving primary school without com- plete grades compared to their peers with the same IQ-level. The register studies in Sweden also show that children in foster care have proportionately less access to secondary education, have over-risks for school failure, over-risks of getting only compulsory education and much poorer chances of getting a university degree compared to their peers with the same IQ-level. Prof. Vinnerljung summarised this research by saying that children who have grown up in foster care have a dramatic over-risk for all negative outcomes. Most over-risks are reduced by half when we adjust the analyses for school failure. Adoptees do far better, even when we adjust the analyses for parental risk indicators. Children who were in alterna- tive care before their teens – but grew up in their parents' care – have lower over-risks than children who grew up in foster care. 3 Professor Vinnerljung presented experiences from a small pilot program in the city of Helsingborg in Sweden. The children included in this research had neither poor IQ, nor behaviour problems, nor did they exhibit signs of internalised problems. However, significant knowledge gaps were detected together with poor basic reading skills and poor basic numeri- cal skills. The children often changed schools. Expectations from teachers and from foster parents on these children were much lower than on their peers. In this group, 75% performed substantially below their IQ in school. The Helsingborg study shows that as the teachers and foster parents were encouraged to raise their expectations on the school performance, the group performed significantly better. The bottom line of the research is that poor school per- formance and school failure are "variable risk factors" and that these can be influenced and changed. Unfortunately there are no evaluated programmes aiming at improving school per- formance for foster children in primary school age. However, the results in Helsingborg are promising. Seminar I: Housing Right to adequate housing: facing up to the challenges Kresimir Sokolic, SOS Children's Villages International Mr Sokolic started his presentation by presenting the vision on independence and autonomy. The staff in SOS Children's Villages is aware of how important it is to invest all their energy and resources towards the ultimate goal: to guide children in care to a success- ful, self-reliant and autonomous life. He also pointed out the challenges imposed by the changes in the world, and with the difficulties resulting from these changes, particularly in CEE/CIS countries and in the Baltic States. Given all this, SOS Children's Villages strives for all children in their care to lead independent and autonomous lives. According to Mr Sokolic, the following areas of in- dependence are of central importance: establishing a profession, having and keeping a job and income, secure housing, manage social skills and life skills and acquiring emotional stability Obstacles may however arise: in order to find appropriate housing financial sup- port must be there since it is otherwise impossible for the majority of young people in 4 CEE/CIS countries and in the Baltic States. Governments as duty bearers do not always en- sure proper support to children leaving care. In order to provide successful support in housing for care-leavers, the following steps should be completed: the personal background of the child must be known and all the child's possible inheritance rights and opportunities for benefits must be analyzed and checked. Housing should be one of the development planning goals and there should be clear and transparent internal organisational policies on supporting housing Preconditions for financial support with defined responsibilities of the young person as well as of the main care givers and care organisation management should be known to everybody. The major precondition for success is that the young person should be moti- vated to participate in and to actively initiate the process of meeting her/his housing needs. However, one has to bear in mind existing obstacles: lacking or insufficient support from duty bearers, lacking initiative, active role of young person and overprotection, as well as difficul- ties to obtain funds for this purpose. Guardian institution as an instrument of developing competence and socialization in Kalinigrad. Ludmila Vasiljeva, Organisation "The Success of the Family", Kaliningrad, Russia. This program is one of the most important tools aiming at assisting orphans and children living outside of family care. It was approved by Kaliningrad Council in February 2007. The main goals of this programme are to improve the legal system in order to reduce the number of "social orphans"; to create a single system of improving the situation of children in need and to reduce the number of orphans and children living outside of parental care. The main tasks of the programme are to develop foster families; to develop the co- operation among local authorities; police and social services; to develop suitable standards; to create a database of all children without parental care; to develop a system for care-leavers adaptation; creating a positive image of a care leaver. 5 Housing: keeping the door open Ronald Grant, Mati Kärner, Jennifer Koehle, Slobodanka Jovanovic, Arlinda Cela. The young people were concerned that the issue of housing was so poorly seen in most countries. Having a place of your own that is decent means a lot for the self respect and dignity of a young person and this is especially true for a young person that has spent all or part of his/her childhood in care. The young people saw this as a responsibility that gov- ernments did not take on. Financial means should be earmarked in order for young people leaving care to have a place to stay. Such a place needs to respect some minimum standards. There should be standards defining what constitutes a suitable accommodation. Housing how- ever should be an opportunity, not a demand for the young person. Individual assessment of the young person's situation should be in place in order for her/him to stay on in care a bit longer if this is the best solution. No young person should be obliged to leave care if not ready to do so. There is a need for support hubs that young people that have left care could turn to for support. In conclusion the speakers considered that there is in all countries an urgent need to close the gap between regulations and laws on the one hand and practice on the other hand. All countries have ratified international conventions signing up to the fact that all citi- zens have a right to adequate housing. In practice, this is not happening for young care leav- ers. Seminar II: Emotional Stability and Social Wellbeing Europe wide implementation of the Council of Europe Recommendation Rec 2005(5) on the Rights of Children in Institutions. Bragi Gudbrandsson, Government Agency for Child Protection, Iceland. Mr Gudbrandsson presented the major aspects of the CoE Recommendation, stressing that it is a recommendation, not a convention – one cannot force governments to implement it. The recommendation however makes it possible to keep the topic alive and on 6 governments' agendas. What is lacking is monitoring - ensuring that local authorities act ac- cording to regulations. The Recommendation consists of three main parts: Basic Principles, Specific rights and - Guidelines and Quality Standards. Basic Principles include for example the fam- ily as the natural environment for the well-being of the child. Specific Rights include the child's right to human dignity and to non-degrading treatment, the right to be respected in- cluding the protection from corporal punishment and all forms of abuse; while Guide- lines/Quality Standards include that all residential institutions should be accredited and regis- tered with the competent public authorities on the basis of regulations and national minimum standards of care. Although there are often important principles incorporated in national laws on the rights of children living in residential care, more elaborated standards of care are generally lacking. Quality4Children1 standards are an excellent basis for developing national stan- dards of care monitoring. Monitoring systems are in place in most of the member States, albeit ambiguous in some cases. This is not the case with aftercare. Although the replies to the Council of Europe questionnaire recently sent out to member states, generally reflect many important provisions that aim at after-care support, it can be argued that in many member states ade- quate supportive measures based on individual plans for after-care are regrettably not in place. Evidence of the child's right to participate in developing such after-care plans is generally not to be found. Other problems in the implementation of standards include such issues as the fact that responsibilities are often ambiguous, that monitoring is lacking, that resources are limited and that there is a general need for comprehensive services. Recognising Gender Specifics when Supporting Young People Leaving Care Rasa Erentaite, Department of Psychology, Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania 1 Q4C – Quality4Children -.for details please consult www.quality4children.info/ 7 There is a need to talk about gender in relation to leaving care because of gen- dered difficulties and problems faced by care leavers; most of the risk behaviours are gen- dered. However, at the moment there is a lack of focus on gender in care and aftercare con- texts in the region. The following aftercare problems are highly gendered: early pregnancy, teenage parenthood, sexual abuse, lack of sex education, loneliness and isolation. The fact that a dis- proportionate number of care leavers end up in prostitution and that women with foster care experiences are overrepresented among human trafficking victims prove that gender issues have to be considered seriously and given more attention. Moreover, such issues as poverty, education and employment deficits, homelessness and crime can also be contextualised as gendered. Ms Erentaite continued by presenting the Working Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk mapping results from 20082. : Only a few gender-specific and gender-sensitive projects were identified in the 11 countries studied. Gender-specific projects targeted girls and young women, particularly young mothers and potential victims of trafficking. Gender-sensitive projects aimed at protecting individuals from unhealthy group pres- sure or negative biases about gender, encouraging girls and boys to try activities gen- erally considered non-traditional for their sex, teaching sex education from gender- sensitive perspective, evaluating personnel with regard to their gender sensitivity with an aim to provide training based on needs. Identifying foundations and indicators of Emotional Stability when leaving Care Jean Kennedy and Rinske Martens, IFCO & Power4Youth The foundations for emotional stability lies in continuity in people you can relate to and that care about what happens to you also when you have left the institution. People that know how to assist and support professionally are important and so are the longer relationships you form. It is important that these are not disrupted. Young people in care are individuals with 2 "Keeping the Door Open", WGCC, 2008. www.childcentre.info/keeping-the-door-open 8 different backgrounds and individual needs and this should and must be reflected in the path- way plan. There should be flexibility in the support services assessing the needs of the young person in each individual case and the continuity and availability of support persons need to be ensured. Young people leaving care should be encouraged to come out of the "comfort zone" and enter the "growth zone" in order for them to reach their full potential Support must take into account how gender influences young people's transition to in- dependence It is important to support parenting skills in foster families Life skills education is an important part of the education of a young person Workshop A: "Life Skills" Assessment of life skills and needs of adolescents on the verge of leaving out of home care. Rami Benbenishti, Bar Ilan University, Israel In Israel, where a big number of children are educated out of home, there are so- called youth villages for children that are not?? at risk. There are also special schools within the welfare system where around 10 000 young people currently live in care. Rami Benbenishti presented a research done by the Bar Ilan University on the performance of children in care and after care. The care was a positive and constructive ex- perience for most young people. Most care-leavers use very positive words to describe their memories and mentioned such things as having been well supported by staff, memories of their friends and the social life, appreciation of the informal activities, the positive social at- mosphere, taking advantage of the character building and of the educational opportunities. However, the statistics show that care-leavers' performance in military service, work and em- ployment, education and family life is worse than for children that were raised and educated at home. According to Dr Benbenishti, young people from both groups expressed better knowledge of life skills than those who was supposed to teach them expected. Young people 9 also had more clear view of their future than those who should assist them thought they did. In Dr Benbenishti's view the abilities of young people are repeatedly underestimated by those tasked to care for them. Working with families at Korzakov centre. Ganiya Zamaldinova and Nika Travnikova, Russia The mission of Korzakov centre is to prevent the phenomenon of "social or- phans". Nowadays, the centre carries out various projects of assistance to care-leavers. It has been a priority of the centre for a long time. With the help of the World Childhood Foundation, Korzakov centre assists young parents, alumni of care institutions. The main aspects of such assistance is evaluation of the young person's crisis level, her/his social competences, every-day behaviour, financial abilities and existing professional experience as well as the relationship between the parent (a care-leaver) and the child and the level of social adaptation of the parents. Korzakov centre's extensive experience allows giving several recommendations. It is of crucial importance to create structures that will assist young people after leaving care. This assistance will be easier and more welcomed if it will be done by people already known to the young person. Finally, young parents that had traumatic childhood experiences must participate in special rehabilitation programmes aiming at developing normal relationship between the young parent and the child. Life skills development program for kids in residential care using psychodrama. Evaldas Karmaza, NGO ChildHouse, Lithuania Mr Karmaza started his presentation by stressing the difference between social skills and social competence. Social skills are the specific behaviours that an individual must exhibit to perform competently on a given task, while social competence is an evaluative or summary term based on conclusions or judgments that the person has performed the task ade- quately. 10 These skills and competences can be crucial when coping with conflict. They might affect the way a child responds to teasing or name calling by ignoring, changing the subject, or using some other constructive means. The same is relevant to the way a child re- sponds to physical assault, he can leave the situation, call for help or use some other construc- tive method. Other reactions may vary from walking away from a peer when angry thus avoiding hitting him/her or refusing the request of another politely and express anger with nonaggressive words rather than physical action or aggressive words and constructively han- dle criticism or punishment perceived as undeserved. Psychodrama is very useful in channelling these skills and simulating conflict situations without entering into one. Psychodrama is a therapeutic discipline which uses ac- tion methods, sociometry, role play and group dynamics to facilitate constructive change in the lives of the participants. Psychodramatists provide services to diverse groups from chil- dren to the elderly, and from the chronically mentally ill to those seeking understanding and learning in their work settings. Workshop B: "Transition from care to adulthood" New Aftercare Projects - an introduction to one of the government implemented pro- grammes in the initiative "Equal Opportunities". Helle Staermose, Denmark Ms Staermose started by presenting the background of the initiative. Several re- search studies point to the fact, that young people leaving care do worse later on in life com- pared to other groups. According to Ms Staermose, the young people leaving care are charac- terised by having problems with lack of education, with weak links to the labour market, with difficulties in finding appropriate housing, with fragile social network, a lack of contact with family and experiencing social problems. The purpose of the initiative "Equal Opportunities" is to try to find new ways of meeting the special needs of the young people either by developing new methods or by offer- ing all of the young people in a certain municipality leaving care some kind of ordinary after- care as already known in the Danish legislation. 11 The presentation was followed by a discussion on how to integrate the young people's families and other, relevant networks in the aftercare and how to ensure that every young person in need of continuing help will be offered appropriate support when leaving care. Support and assistance to children and young people previously placed in care. Annika Öquist and Katarina Munier, Swedish Board of Health and Social Welfare. Sweden The main purpose of a well planned and well functioning transition and after- care is to reduce the risk of children and young people to require care and to make it easier for young people to integrate into society equally to other children and young people. The provi- sion presented includes children and young people aged 0-20 years, previously placed in ei- ther residential care or in foster care. Ms Öquist and Ms Munier presented the guidance published by The National Board of Health and Welfare, the purpose of which is to support the social welfare services in their work with children and young people that were previously placed in care. The guidance clarifies that already during the placement in care, it is essential to make preparations for the situation of the child or young person after the placement. It is emphasised that existing rela- tionships should not broken when the placement ends. To implement different measures in the biological family home in order to support children and parents to reunite is also stressed. For young people over 18 years of age the work should be directed more to- wards preparing the young person for an independent life. The social welfare committee might be required to assist the young person to personal housing and to look over the em- ployment and financial situation of the young person. Of course, it will be necessary to follow the development in the future in order to follow the situation for children and young people and to see if some kind of support should be provided. 12 Development of Social Apartments for Adolescents 14-18 years old in St. Petersburg. Liubov Smykalo and Svetlana Suvorova, NGO-Doctors to Children, St Petersburg. Rus- sia Social apartment for adolescents is an alternative form of residential care aimed at preparing young people for independent life while avoiding negative experiences which may occur in the regular residential care institutions. The limited number of young people living in such provides an environment as close to a real family as possible. This form of residential care, though highly acclaimed around the world, is still new in Russia. This alternative accommodation prepares a child for independence. The aim of this project is psycho-social rehabilitation and adaptation of young people in need, including youth without parental care. These social apartments offer a secure place for temporary accommodation together with preparations for independence and future educa- tion or / and employment. A special individual programme is designed for every young per- son, allowing for individual support both psychological and social. Studies show that such adaptation to independence leads to better results than life in the institution. Workshop C: "Psychosocial Support" Providing children with special needs with therapy and sexual education, based on the experiences of Tartu Child Support Centre. Lemme Haldre and Merike Petersoo, Tartu Child Support Centre. Estonia Ms Haldre and Ms Petersoo made their presentation about the joint study of Ministry of Social Affairs, Tartu University, and Tartu Child Support Centre, which made evident that the residents of children's homes, special schools, and shelters are more at risk of being abused and have more experiences of having been sexually abused than the students of regular schools. Children with special needs tend to have inadequate supporting relationships either because of their physical indications or traits of thinking, and as a result may not ac- quire essential social skills. Because of missing social skills, lack of information and personal traits these children with special needs are at higher risk of becoming victims of sexual abuse. 13 According to the data of Tartu Child Support Centre these children have greater risk also to become offenders. The greatest risk groups are the inhabitants of residential care institutions. The second half of the presentation focused on treatment techniques and basic methods, used to help these children in Tartu Child Support Centre with the emphasis on chil- dren in residential care. The possibilities of using support persons as in project "Big Brother, Big Sister" were discussed and different other methods of support persons were introduced. Young people's transition from care to adulthood: Experiences, challenges and re- sources. Rima Breidokiene, Atzigreik i vaikus. Lithuania International and Lithuanian research show, that young people in care have a high risk of social exclusion and poorer life chances. They are more likely to have lower edu- cational qualifications, more likely to be homeless and unemployed, more likely to be charac- terized by behavioural and mental health problems. Young people leaving care is an ex- tremely vulnerable group in Lithuania. Many young people experience problems like social isolation, failures to adapt in schools, traumatic experiences of being separated from birth families and problematic relationships with family members, mental health problems when in care. Very often they have to cope with other major changes in their life while leaving care, for ex., leaving school and finding their place of further education, leaving children's home and finding a new place to live. Leaving care is a decisive and final event and there is no pos- sibility to return for the majority of young people leaving care institutions. One of the variables, predicting the successful outcomes of leaving care, is the quality of preparation for independent living and for skills of independent life. Children's home "Atsigręžk į vaikus" has worked in children's social care sphere more than 13 years and has implemented a number of initiatives to improve chances for young people leaving care. During the presentation the presenters briefly reviewed the experience of the children's home "Atsigręžk į vaikus" in developing new activities to smooth and improve the transition of children in care into independent life, like pathway plans, peer mentoring and other actions. 14 The children's home "Atsigręžk į vaikus" has prepared a method and a set of practical recommendations on the implementation of training of independent life skills for children in care. The method is designed for staff of children's institutions, care takers and all specialists working with children in care. The method is based on the principles of differentia- tion, context, complexity, comprehensiveness and orientation towards the child's interests and needs. The method is geared towards training skills in five main life domains: everyday life, social communication, education and employment, self-care, accommodation and money management. The presenters demonstrated the main ingredients of the method. They also reviewed the re- sults of research made in 2007. The preparation for independent life of more than 180 young people, living in the different Lithuanian children's care institutions, was assessed. The results of the research were discussed in the context of other similar national and foreign research; also the links between the findings of the research and the proposed Seminar III: Education. Aftercare in Norway – What recent research tells us. Anne Solberg, NOVA, Norwegian Institute for Social Research. Norway The object of the research presented by Ms Solberg was to elicit research-based knowledge about how the Child Welfare Services conduct their aftercare work. It was done with the help of new data and reanalyzes of existing data. During her presentation Ms Solberg presented the following outcomes: Youth transitioning from care experience an accelerated and compressed transition to adulthood compared to youth in general Even though several young people do well as grown ups, far too many have troubled lives as adults. Good aftercare services must be multidimensional and consist of pack- ages of different services Services should include financial support, a place to live, it should stimulate educa- tional attainment and employment, practical and emotional support, contribute to con- tinuity and stability and strengthen the young person's social network 15 Services should be well planned. Planning should start early and be well organised. It is important to ensure participation from young people themselves Prolonging time in care increases the odds for a positive outcome In the course of her presentation Ms Solberg presented the outcomes of the research according to different perspectives analysed in the research: After care seen from the young peoples point of view, How after care is conducted by the Child Welfare Services, After care services offered by the residential units and The role of foster parents in the aftercare process. Education: why it is important in leaving care Pavlina Ficuova, Agne Masiukaite, Slobodanka Jovanovic According to the speakers, preparation to independent life gives them better em- ployment opportunities and prepares them for participation in the development of their com- munities. The problems they meet on the way range from financial problems (care leavers do not have the same rights to financial support in all countries and universities and training colleges are sometimes expensive to attend) to discrimination during education. The latter is due to their background in alternative care. Other challenges include housing problems during education again due to the lack of funds and support and the lack of guidance and advice from people that could help during education. The changes proposed by the young people were to improve the financial sup- port and housing support during education. Improved regulation/legislation is of crucial im- portance to achieve this, along with monitoring of the effective implementation. Young people also stressed the importance of non-discrimination since past his- tory of education during time in care may be less good, and being judged because of having been in care. The presenters concluded by calling on governmental and non-governmental organisations to use their power to make a difference for young people. 16 Seminar IV: Employment Empowering children - finding work after care. Pille Vaiksaar, Viljandi Centre of Social and Child Care. Estonia According to Ms Vaiksaar, there are not many special projects for children leav- ing care and for aftercare in Estonia. System is mainly built on the support and services pro- vided by the state and municipalities. Substitute homes and care in the family should prepare the young persons for independent life. Municipality has a duty to provide a young person with help and assistance when leaving care and provide housing Before a child is placed in care (foster family, custody or substitute home) the care plan should be prepared by the local municipality together with the child. However, in reality today - municipalities don't take enough initiative in planning the child's adulthood before the child leaves the institution. Municipality often doesn't have a flat for a care leaver and cannot help the young person to find a job. The substitute home often have better contact with the youngster leaving care than do the municipality, they provide direct material support for care leavers like providing them with elementary things (furniture, clothes, dishes) and sometimes also help with trans- port and provide direct assistance to the young person and in some cases this assistance might last for years. Conclusions: The best way to help the child is to get her/him used to work from the early age. Some children leaving care can find a job themselves; however, many children need support in finding a job and in keeping it. Employment Mathew Marshman With relation to employment topic, the main points of the presentation of young people were the following: o The State should provide adequate training (including how to write Curriculum Vitae, application letter, develop interview skills) 17 o Young people in care applying for a vacancy should not be discriminated by employ- ers on the grounds of social status, gender, race, historical background. o The employers should be subsidised by the government (State) in order to provide va- cancies to young people living in care and thus aiding them by creating opportunities, stability, financial independence and building self-confidence o Young people in care should receive a positive support (such as motivation and en- couragement) from the caregivers o Young people leaving care should receive support from the state regarding their career (advices as to direction/ development/ improvement of their strengths such as educa- tion and creativity). Workshop D: "The right to education" Education Kristina Veispale, State Inspectorate for the Protection of Children's Rights in Latvia. Latvia Education is one of the most important issues in preparing young people leaving institu- tional care. There are two aspects that should be considered: official educational system and devel- oping social skills of the care leavers. According to Ms Veispale, it is utterly important to provide good conditions and support for children to learn. Ms Veispale continued her presentation by introducing the research based on a question- naire sent out by State Inspectorate for protection of children's rights in 2008 in which 520 children who live in out of family care institutions aged from 7 -19 answered questions about motivation to learn and problems occurring in the learning process. Questionnaire showed that youngsters do not always understand how important education is, but also answers showed that there are a lot more obstacles making the situation difficult for children who live in out of family care institution: To avoid a situation where young people are unprepared for leaving the institution there is a neces- sity to appoint a person of trust for the young person in out of family care institution, to set up a rehabilitation and care plan where all goals are included and where needs and difficulties that can 18 occur are considered and of course where education is planned for. Ms Veispale specified that both an educational programme in out of family care institution before young person leaves care is needed and a good general education for a child should be provided both in the last phases in the institution and after having left care. Overall education is one of the important qualities of life to get success, therefore this qual- ity giving support for young people in education process and also teaching life skills has to be given special attention. The status of alumni of educational residential care settings in Israel. Rami Benbenishti, Bar Ilan University. Israel. Ph.D, Louis and Gaby Weisfeld School of Social Work,Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel and Anat Zeira, Ph.D The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Mt Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel Dr Benbenishti presented a study, which aimed at listening to the voice of alumni, and which could provide some recommendations to the staff. According to him, pro- viding support before independence, providing tools, and help in education are of vital impor- tance. Staff should stay connected to their alumni after they have left care and initiate meet- ings and develop follow-up arrangements. As a conclusion of the situation in Israel, Dr Benbenishti stated that overall situation is good. Most care-leavers have housing, job, good family relations. Of course, some are still more vulnerable than the others, especially new immigrants and among these espe- cially Ethiopian immigrants. Workshop E: "Models of support" Preparing for independence Leena Masing, Talllinn Children's home. Estonia Tallinn Children's home is the biggest social care institution in Estonia. Its main goal is to assist children and young people in out of family care. It has 11 centres (in 6 Tallinn districts). The main tendency in Estonia is moving to family type care with 6-8 children and 19 some social workers in each, some of these with only 2 social workers, like in SOS Children's Villages and some with as many as 7 workers. The latter usually for institutions where newly born are living and/ or children with some form of disability. These "families" have their own budget – they get the money for clothing, medicine, etc'. Therefore, this system means that the task of the educator is similar to parental tasks. A new programme is launched, where young people after school or even after more advanced education live with each other with only limited assistance from social work- ers. This is called the "Youth House" – programme implemented in 4 different places in Esto- nia. Young people live in a house and their conditions are very close to independent ones – they need to pay for everything and they take care of themselves and the apartment. In two locations the care leavers in the "Youth House" is completely independent, no social workers are employed, and in two other locations social workers assist since the young people living there have a more difficult transition. The main goals of "youth house" programme is to consult young people in their everyday routine, their hobbies and free time, education, employment and to assist them in keeping in touch with social services and other important support agencies. Self-support (independency) peculiarities among teenagers living in different social en- vironments. Ms Diana Reklaitiene, Lithuania Ms Reklaitiene presented a study, the aim of which was to analyse self-support (independency) peculiarities among the teenagers who live in foster homes and their peers living in families. The conclusions of the study are that children brought up at foster homes are better able to carry out daily domestic chores than those brought up in families. They also claim that they would be able to find housing independently, and that they already have some professional skills. Children brought up in their biological families are better able to use do- mestic appliances, better take care of their hygiene and looks; they also claim they are more aware of various addictions. They also can use computer better than those brought up in foster homes, are better able to find information about professional training and other studying pos- sibilities. They also know better how to use bank services and take care of their income. Chil- 20 dren from both groups claimed that the main obstacle of being independent is that their par- ents or foster carers tend to make everything for them. Children brought up in families are more orientated towards studying for a de- gree as they believe that this is a key of success for the future independent life. When choos- ing a profession, children from foster homes think that the most important is that the profes- sion should help to find a job easily and that this job should be well paid. Those brought up in families however think that it is most important that they should enjoy their job and secondly that their occupation should be highly valued in society. There were no significant differences between the groups in assessing family values. Children from foster homes indicated that when choosing a partner, their occupation, educa- tion, income and means of support are important. Children from foster homes have a more developed inferiority complex and more often have interpersonal relationship problems than those brought up in families. Workshop F: "Support programmes" Ponimanie NGO supporting children leaving care. Mr. Andrey Makhanko, NGO Ponimanie, Belarus Mr Makhanko spoke about a longitudinal study of socialization of youth that left residential institutions in 2002. The participants in the study (n=23) are the same that have participated in a year-long life-skills training held by INGO "Ponimanie" in Druya orphanage in 2002. During 2002-2008 the team of "Ponimanie" provided participants with guidance and observed their achievements and issues. The study is specific and gives an appropriate picture of the common level of socialization for young people leaving residential institutions for orphans having spent 5 or more years there. Conclusions of the study are the following: One third of the participants only demonstrate good rate of socialization 6 years after leaving residential facility for orphans compared to 80% showing good socialization in "family children". This allows us to conclude 21 that governmental policy of deinstitutionalisation of orphaned children is the correct way but it needs a significant strengthening in the years 2011-15. International cooperation – an essential factor supporting young people leaving institu- tions. Asgeir Frankmo, Norwegian Peoples' aide, Fagertun. Norway According to Mr Frankmo, Fagertun Norwegian People's Aid Hybelhus has had an extensive international activity through almost 15 years and the organisation is a key con- tributor to humanitarian aid and solidarity work across many continents. The organisation's principles in relation to international aid and cooperation made the care facility, Fagertun Norsk Folkehjelp focus on international work also for young people in care. Through contacts with Utana region in Lithuania a special programme aiming at friendship building and friend- ship cooperation has continued, predominantly through joint summer projects. The Norwe- gian institution has seen this as specifically valuable in an aftercare perspective since interna- tional efforts constitute an extremely important contribution to the socialisation of young peo- ple. Aftercare and international cooperation is a determining factor for older youth in child wel- fare. Accountability and empowerment of youth in an international perspective is crucial. Concluding, Mr Frankmo emphasised that Aftercare and international cooperation is and should be an integral part and a deter- mining factor for older youth in child welfare. Public sector has an important role to play and is highly important in our development work especially with older youth, including the public sector in Lithuania Academic and ideological background theories for our project must be made visible to the young people involved Applied methodology for collaborative projects is one part of the socialisation process Accountability and empowerment of youth in an international perspective adds to the integration on a national level Norwegian People's Aid believes that the implementation of the principles of interna- tional work in an after-care perspective adds to the value of the work For staff the professional development of after-care methods in an international project perspective is also beneficial. 22 Care leavers' integration programme. (CLIP) Sharing ISS Switzerland's experiences in Bulgaria. Rolf Widmer, Switzerland. Mr Widmer made his presentation about CLIP project (2003-2007) that aimed at working with children living in social institutions during the crucial phase of transition be- tween residential care and independent life. Indeed, institutionalised children in Bulgaria have to leave residential care when they reach the age of 18, whether they are prepared or not. Therefore, the primary objective of the project has been to soften this rupture and accompany the youngsters on their path to become independent. The initial needs assessment emphasised that the children were lacking prepara- tion and accompaniment, had no social network outside their institution, could not find places to live and were not able to integrate in the labour market. In accordance to those needs, the project intended to work directly with the children on three main topics: preparation, accom- paniment and integration. A second axis of intervention concerned the work in cooperation with all the professionals and local authorities involved in the child care and social system. Acknowledg- ing the fact that the social and professional reintegration of the children must be the responsi- bility of the society as a whole, CLIP built a model of professional's training based on three main pillars: the individual care of young people and the development of their personal skills, the development of trust relationships, the development of genuine prospects for their future. The main aspect of CLIP's model of intervention is the individual approach adopted towards each child. The objectives of each institutional placement must be defined by establishing an individual reintegration plan and by monitoring it regularly. An appropriate accompaniment and a follow up of each child in the after-care must be assured. Special focus must be placed on promoting the child's participation to define its needs, options and perspec- tive. Promoting the link with the child's family whenever possible is also of great importance. 23 Final Plenary Conclusions from the chair. At the invitation of the Lithuanian Minister of Social Security and Labour, Mr Donatas Jankauskas on behalf of the Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk, EGCC, within the Council of the Baltic Sea States and in cooperation with the Council of Europe, SOS Children's Villages international and UNICEF, young people, experts, research- ers and practitioners from public agencies, ministries, NGOs and International Organisations gathered in Vilnius on the 7th and 8th of October 2009 to share knowledge and expertise on how to improve the support to young people leaving care. The chair of the closing session, Mr Bertil Mahs, Chairperson of the EGCC, closed the conference and summarised the recommendations on the four themes of the confer- ence. He started by speaking about the mapping report: "Keeping the Door Open" which was published early 2009 and that this conference is one further step in promoting the rights of young people leaving care. The partners involved in the planning of the conference, the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk, the Council of Europe, SOS Children's Villages International and UNICEF all wish to thank the experts and participants for their input and devotion showed during the conference. The young people's active participation in the presentations, discussions and con- clusions has been vital and a special thank you goes to them for taking the time to participate. This conference has been organised around four themes: emotional stability and social wellbeing; education; employment and housing. Therefore the conclusions from the conference are organised around these 4 themes as well: Emotional stability and social wellbeing Young people in care are individuals with different background and individual needs and this should and must be reflected in the pathway plan There should be flexibility in the support services assessing the needs of the young person in each individual case 24 Continuity and availability of support persons need to be ensured Life skills education is an important part of the education of a young person Young people leaving care should be encouraged to come out of the "comfort zone" and enter the "growth zone" in order for them to reach their full potential Support must take into account how gender influences young people's transition to in- dependence It is important to support parenting skills in foster families Education Good education is one of the main indicators for reaching one's life goals and this is especially true for young people with care experiences More focus must be given to education for children and young people while in care Each child in care needs an individual plan regarding education to be able to make the best of her/his talents Education should be an integral part of the pathway plan Care workers and foster parents tend to have low expectations regarding achievements in the education system and these tend to de-motivate the young person The young person should be motivated to study in order to raise her/his self esteem and increase his/her employment perspectives Education efforts for young people in care must be improved Financial measures need to be in place for care leavers so that they can access higher education Employment Improved quality of care impacts on the chances of care leavers to find jobs Important to recognise the link between education and finding and keeping employ- ment Housing Transition period can be supported by institutions setting up houses where young peo- ple can stay after 18 years of age 25 The transition period to independent life may be long Funding for housing assistance should be in governments' budgets Minimum standards for adequate accommodation should be set up Housing is an important part in the success and motivation of the young person as it is one of the main areas of autonomy and independence Stable housing should be seen as one important right for young people Should be supported but NGOs should be careful not to take over responsibility of duty bearers Housing is or should be an integral part of the pathway plan Throughout the discussions and the presentations at the conference a recurring theme was the need for recognition and support by decision makers and responsible authori- ties for professionals supporting young people. In conclusion, the chair recognised all the expertise, dedication and hard work that had been demonstrated in the presentations. These concluding remarks he also encour- aged all to take back to their ministries, agencies and organisations in order for the rights of young people leaving care to stay on the agenda. 26 Plenary presentations: A "Perfect Cake": Slobodanka Jovanovic, Jennifer Koehle, Natavan Nikolayeva, Agne Masiukaite Introducing the final comments the speakers spoke from the concept or "The perfect cake". Something we can all agree is the best but where we are not sure how to get there. With every cake there is a recipe and there is some people who can actually put the ingredients together. Just having a vision about the result is not enough, there is a need for an understanding which ingredients to use and the stages in which to add these to the bowl. The presenters then took the audience through the preparations of this "Perfect Cake": Conferences like this one are good because we can see that someone cares about us – that changes can go in a better direction – this makes us HAPPY We need Psychological support - someone who cares about our emotional situation We need Leaving Care Programme - to have a GOOD LIFE We need Longer support - for care leavers We need to feel independent, need to learn independence, this is our new beginning. Who can support us? o Brother o Support person o Psychologist o Social worker o Anybody willing to support us o Friends o Mother o Foster mother The ingredients of good support measures, what are they? 27 People who understand and treat us well. People who know how to help us – professionals Persons of trust for longer periods. Money Information about housing, education, employment, money Training to be independent Psychological support available until we are stabilised A home Who makes this "Perfect Cake"? Foster parents Support person Psychologist Schools Adviser But most of all – young people themselves Start to make the "perfect leaving care cake" at different age for each young person And remember to recognise in each individual the evolving changes Each young person matters: putting standards into practice Richard Pichler, Secretary General, SOS Children's Villages International Mr Pichler opened his final speech by suggesting the participants to draw a pic- ture of a world where this conference would not be necessary. A world where young people leaving care and transitioning into adulthood are well prepared and receive the support they need, feel welcome and encouraged by the community. Mr Pichler himself left the care of an SOS family, and he got all the support needed and was well prepared to lead an independent life as adult. However, too often still, 28 we can find young people at the other end of the scenario – young people leaving care who are left out of society and do not receive the proper support. This would not happen in a nor- mal family. Therefore, according to Mr. Pichler, it is absolutely necessary to cooperate in this issue, and he sees all the participants of this conference as the first key ingredient to achieve a world fit for young people leaving care. Together, we have more legitimacy to act than one alone could ever have. Mr Pichler proceeded and thanked the Lithuanian government,Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Council of Europe, the representatives of civil society organisations and academic institutions and other participants and the young people themselves. 29
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New and Published Books
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Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum
4th Edition
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Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum is an invaluable guide for all involved in curriculum matters. Now fully updated, this revised and enlarged fourth edition provides not only a solid grounding in the subject but also covers the latest trends and issues affecting the field. Written in...
Published December 5th 2008 by Routledge
Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum
3rd Edition
Series: Teachers' Library
Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum is an invaluable guide for all involved in curriculum matters. Now fully updated, this revised and enlarged fourth edition provides not only a solid grounding in the subject but also covers the latest trends and issues affecting the field. Written in...
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Teachers as Researchers
Qualitative Inquiry as a Path to Empowerment, 2nd Edition
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This book urges teachers - as both producers and consumers of knowledge - to engage in the debate about educational research by undertaking meaningful research themsleves. Teachers are now being encouraged to carry out research in order to improve their effectiveness in the classroom, but this book...
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Fundamentals of Educational Research
2nd Edition
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Fundamentals of Educational Research succeeds in cutting through the complexities of research to give the novice reader a sound basis to define, develop, and conduct study, while providing insights for even the accomplished reader.This best-selling book is of value to all social researchers,...
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Students as Researchers
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This book focuses directly on student empowerment through meaningful research. It fills a specific gap in educational literature by making explicit the relationship between teaching method, classroom practice, and the production of knowledge. Drawing on the best of theoretical innovations over the...
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Subject Knowledge
Readings For The Study Of School Subjects
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School knowledge has been a subject for historians, notably in the field of history of education. concentrating on the educational aspects of particular historical periods, however, links with contemporary education have often remained undeveloped.; This text attempts to account for the growth of...
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On Writing Qualitative Research
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This text is both about writing up qualitative research and is itself a qualitative study. The written reflections of students on the writing process and the interpretations and presentations of their findings provide a base of data which the authors have, in turn, analyzed and incorporated into...
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Studying School Subjects
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Participatory Evaluation In Education
Studies Of Evaluation Use And Organizational Learning
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"It's happening ... not sure where," Ladesich says. "But we will do a 'secret' show and a BIG KC show." Asked if what prompted the reunion was the fact that he'd been playing some acoustic shows lately, Ladesich replied that was part of it. Mostly, though?
"I needed a dose of rock and roll."
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Superior PreferenceRich Luminous Conditioner Colorant
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See all my reviews
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2005 Ft. Lauderdale FL. (FUN) Signature Sale #360
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Majestic Gem Proof 1864 Coronet Gold Eagle1864 $10 PR65 PCGS. An extraordinary Gem proof example of this date that displays rich orange-gold fields with boldly frosted devices. This green insert generation PCGS holder predated their use of the Cameo or Deep Cameo designation, and this coin would certainly warrant one or the other as the frost on the devices is more than adequate. Furthermore, this a stunning Gem coin, with nearly perfect fields and devices. This particular coin is identifiable by a lint mark before Liberty's nose in the field and another just above before her eye. A third short lint mark connects the 86 of the date. The reverse is identifiable by a minor flake before T(EN) near the base, a faint copper speck above (U)N and another copper speck in the dentils above (ST)A. A regal coin that will certainly enhance even the finest cabinet, and is undoubtedly a contender for the Finest Known of this date.
Of the original issue of 50 pieces coined, of which perhaps one half survive, this has to be one of the most exceptional pieces. The combined NGC and PCGS population reports tally (including the plain, Cameo and Deep/Ultra Cameo coins) a small cluster of seven pieces graded this high, with none seen finer including any of the proof permutations.
Precisely how Philadelphia Mint polished the dies remains a mystery. The fields were imparted with a most curious texture which is highly reflective. The most accurate way to describe the result is to compare the fields to an orange peeling that has been polished to perfect reflectivity. A strong loupe will detect the textured evidence, but to the unaided eye the fields appear to be simply mirrorlike and perfectly reflective. We also note that several of the obverse stars appear to be doubled, caused by either the extremely high pressures used to strike these coins or the multiple strikings required to bring up the devices to the medallic like proportions seen on this specimen. One other tiny feature deserves attention here, it is the tip end of the curl which covers the upper portion of Liberty's ear, note how this curl has been brought up by the strike, and this curl feature is never seen on business strikes.
These proofs were struck on February 11 of that year. Remember that our nation was in the depths of a terrible civil war, and no clear winner had been decided. Years into the conflict and the horrific death toll continued to climb with each battle or news from soldiers involved. People were more interested in surviving, and hoping friends and loved ones would return, and priorities were as far from collecting coins as one can imagine. Somehow this particular coin has survived to come down to future numismatists, in pristine condition and without a sign of its true age. Proof gold is truly the king's caviar of American numismatics.
From The Gold Rush Collection.(#8800) (Registry values: P5) (NGC ID# 28F2, PCGS# 8800)
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Ikea has cheap frames.....
Printable View
Ikea has cheap frames.....
I checked them out online.. I only found nice small frames or large 'poster' frames. The poster frames are cheaply made and have no matting.
Perhaps I missed something though.
I just bought a batch of frames from American Frame. I've used their products for years and have been very happy with both the products and the service they provide.
16x20 aluminum sectional frames, with standard plexiglass glazing, are $17.34 plus shipping. I provide my own matt and mount boards.
I use American Frame also for the standard Neilsen sectional aluminum frame. They do offer a free custom cut window mat with each frame.
For glass, you can order a box of Tru Vue premium clear from your glass store/framing store. The glass is clean and doesn't require washing. Also is cheap, about $60 for 23 sheets of 16x20, if I remember correctly.
What is inexpensive in your mind?
Here is a place I use:
They custom make frames for me.
Here is another:
Cheap/Expensive, either, your client sees everyday. What is the message you want to convey with your art?
Check out: http://www.aswexpress.com/Default.aspx the Ambiance Gallery Deep Wood Frames
They do not come with mats (I cut my own), but if you are looking for pre-cut mats, those are available from a lot of places separately. ASW has sales constantly that you can be notified about by email. I buy in their Box of 4
package that is less expensive in the first place, and is discounted even more during sales. I've had to buy up to 20 frames at a time for shows, so I've been very very careful about prices. These are not heirloom frames you might want for your own living room (though I have them in mine), but they're fine for gallery exhibits, and as basic framing for sales. The glazing is very thin plexi, and very vulnerable to scratches, but with careful handling, you can save a great deal with these materials and still mount a fine looking photograph.
If you are near an IKEA, they have some simple black or white wood frames, including pre-cut mat and glass, at very low prices.
The IKEAs here have simple inexpensive frames, but the mats aren't necessarily useful.
The larger mats are cut to fit either 8.5"x11" photos, or a larger size which is either digitally oriented, or a European size, or something else I don't recognize. They are either too wide or too long to use with 11"x14" photos.


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Target to Cut Thousands of Jobs Over Next 2 Years: CEO
Target's CEO said Tuesday that the huge American retailer plans to cut several thousand jobs over the next two years... Read »
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Connected to the future
Most students like Gerardo Lopez — Latinos and blacks from low-income and working-class families — enroll in community college, take a few remedial courses and drop out. They've been told they should go to college, but nobody's told them what level of academic skills are necessary to pass college-level courses.
Many think any major will qualify them for a good job. They don't know how the system works.
"Gerardo Lopez is preparing to turn his dreams into reality," I write on Open Standard.
"Hands-on" learning opportunities drew Lopez, a Honduran immigrant, to the engineering academy at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School in San Francisco. "As a kid, I loved to make little cars, bringing parts together to make something come alive," he says.
But he didn't know engineering was a possible career. His father is a hotel janitor; his mother is a housewife.
Now a senior, he spends two days a week as an "extern" at an architectural firm. Lopez hopes to major in mechanical engineering – or perhaps architecture – at a University of California campus or Stanford. If he hadn't signed up for the engineering academy, "I wouldn't have known what I wanted to do with my life," he said.
Burton offers "career academies" in engineering, health sciences and information technology, all high-demand fields. Students take college-prep and career-prep courses together, visit workplaces, do job shadows and compete for summer internships.
"Employers say they can't find the skilled workers they need," Education Secretary Arne Duncan told business and education leaders at Burton High last week. But CEOs aren't talking to superintendents. "There's a total disconnect.
Thirty-five percent of Burton High graduates enroll in four-year universities, said Principal Bill Kappenhagen. Another 43 percent go to community college and 22 percent go straight to the workforce. The six-year graduation rate is high – 90 percent – for the four-year students, he said. But only 10 percent of those who go to City College of San Francisco graduate in six years.
What's going wrong for the community college contingent? Some get bogged down in remedial courses or overwhelmed by work and job responsibilities. I'd guess many more would succeed if they aimed for a technical certificate or two-year vocational degree rather than taking general education courses.
"We've done a poor job of informing young people and their parents about the great jobs out there," said Duncan. "It doesn't have to be a college degree. There are six- or eight-week training programs that lead to great opportunities."
Tech credentials pay for low-income students
Vocational certificates and associate degrees in health, transportation, construction, manufacturing and security lead to relatively high pay for disadvantaged students and low-scoring high-schoolers in Florida, concludes a new Calder working paper.
Low achievement in high school accounts for much of disadvantaged students' problems in postsecondary programs and in the workforce, the study found.
Earnings for disadvantaged kids are hampered by low completion rates in postsecondary programs, poor college performance, and their selection of low-earning fields. . . . Many disadvantaged (and other) students choose general humanities programs at the AA (and even the Bachelor's or BA) level with low completion rates and low compensation afterwards.
Even those with weak academic records can do well if they pursue a technical certificate or degree program, researchers found. Those with vocational certificates earn 30 percent more than high school-only workers and those with associate degrees in technical fields earn 35 to 40 percent more.
Promoting high-potential career pathways and offering high-quality apprenticeships could help disadvantaged students move up.
Colorado OKs 4-year degrees at 2-year colleges
Colorado community colleges will offer bachelor of applied science degrees in career and technical fields.Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation that makes Colorado the 22nd state to expand community colleges' role.
Applied science includes fields such as dental hygiene, culinary arts, respiratory therapy and water quality management.
Community colleges will not be allowed to offer bachelor's degrees that compete with state universities in their area.
Higher ed pays — for technical grads
Higher Education Pays: But a Lot More for Some Graduates Than for Others concludes a Lumina-funded report by Dr. Mark Schneider, the president of College Measures. "What you study matters more than where you study," says Schneider, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Learning technical and occupational skills pays off, even for graduates of low-prestige colleges and universities. A music, photography or creative writing graduate from a prestige university will struggle.
Schneider analyzed first-year earnings of graduates of two-year and four-year colleges in Arkansas, Colorado, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Some short-term credentials, including occupational associate's degrees and certificates, are worth as much or more than bachelor's degrees, the study found. For example, Texans with technical associate's degrees averaged more than $11,000 more than four-year graduates in their first year in the workforce.
Certificates that require one or two years of study may raise earnings as much as an associate degree, especially a transfer-oriented degree.
In Texas, certificate holders earned almost $15,000 more on average than graduates with academic associate's degrees, but about $15,000 less than graduates with technical associate's degrees.
Not surprisingly engineering degrees have the biggest payoff, followed by nursing and other health-related fields. What is a surprise is the weak demand for biology and chemistry graduates. "The S in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is oversold," the report found.
Despite the clamoring for more students to focus on STEM, the labor market shows less demand for science skills. Employers are paying more, often far more, for graduates with degrees in technology, engineering and math. There is no evidence that Biology or Chemistry majors earn a premium wage, compared with engineers, computer/information science or math majors. The labor market returns for science are similar to those of the liberal arts, like English Language and Literature.
Women now make up a majority of biology graduates and about half of chemistry majors.
"Prospective students need sound information about where their educational choices are likely to lead" before they go into debt, the report concludes.
AAUW: Women need child care, STEM support
Affordable child care and information about high-paying technical careers would help more women earn a degree and qualify for middle-class jobs, concludes Women in Community Colleges: Access to Success, a new report by the American Association of University Women.
Some 57 percent of community college students are women, estimates the AAUW. One in four are mothers, often with work and family responsibilities.
Community colleges present an attractive option for mothers of young children, in part because they offer flexible schedules and low tuition. Unfortunately, limited access to child care disrupts the educational path of many mothers. Although more mothers enroll at community colleges than at four-year institutions, fewer than half of all community colleges offer on-campus child care, and available slots do not typically meet student demand. Student parents consistently cite child care responsibilities as a chief reason for dropping out . . .
Community colleges offer a wide range of job training, but most women choose traditionally female occupations, the report observes. While nursing pays well, women who choose early childhood education or cosmetology programs will earn much less than they could in technical fields. Only a fraction of women train to be "engineering technicians, automotive service technicians and mechanics, carpenters, and electricians." Community colleges should try to close the gender gap in STEM career preparation, the AAUW advises.
Technical certificates, degrees pay off in Texas
Texans who earn a vocational certificate often earn more than associate-degree graduates in their first year in the workforce, concludes Higher Education Pays: The Initial Earnings of Graduates of Texas Public Colleges and Universities Who Are Working in Texas. Some workers with certificates earn more than $70,000 – $30,000 more than the median for graduates with bachelor's degrees, concludes the Lumina-funded study by College Measures, a joint venture of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the Matrix Knowledge Group.
The median starting pay for criminal justice/police science certificate holders is $48,192, double the compared with $24,298 for those with an academic associate's degree. Some health-care certificates allowed graduates to earn $70,000. Other high-paying certificates included: construction engineering technology/technician, electrician, pipefitting, engineering, industrial technology, and instrumentation technician.
However, not all certificates lead to high-paying jobs. Recipients of two dozen certificate programs earned less than $13,000 in their first year on the job. Cosmetologists and nursing/patient care assistants usually earned low wages.
Technical associate's degrees pay well: The median starting salary is more than $50,000. By contrast, an academic associate degree lead to median earnings of $24,298,
First-year earnings for bachelor's degree holders range from about $25,000 (biology) to about $47,000 (accounting): The average is $39,725.
Community college graduates' first-year salaries vary from one college to another.
Academic associate's degrees range from about $10,000 (Ranger College) to more than $30,000 for graduates from the Trinity Campus of Tarrant County Junior College and from Central Texas Community College.
For graduates with technical degrees, the range is even greater, from about $20,000 for graduates of Clarendon College to more than $65,000 for graduates from seven community colleges: College of the Mainland Community College District, San Jacinto College South Campus, Tarrant County Junior College South Campus, Galveston College, El Centro College, Trinity Valley Community College and Weatherford College.
A national study and analyses in Tennessee and Virginia have found similar results: Technical certificates and associate degrees often pay better than non-technical bachelor's degrees at the start of graduates' careers.
Obama: Link high school, college, job training
High schools should put "our kids on a path to a good job," said President Obama in the State of the Union speech.
Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their high school students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community colleges, so that they're ready for a job. At schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a collaboration between New York Public Schools, the City University of New York, and IBM, students will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree in computers or engineering.
. . . Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy. We'll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math – the skills today's employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.
Many high schools offer "dual enrollment" courses that let students earn college credits — usually through a local community college — while completing high school. Moving to a German-style apprenticeship system, which explicitly prepares students for skilled jobs, not for higher education, will take a lot more than money. It will take a major attitude change from college for all to competency for all. (Competency for most?) President Obama, whose administration cut funds for career tech programs, could lead the way.
Business, political and education leaders are trying to link high schools, community colleges and employers, reports U.S. News.
Despite high unemployment, some 600,000 jobs in advanced manufacturing and other high-tech fields are unfilled for lack of qualified workers, testified Jay Timmons, CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Chicago is trying to fill the skills gap.
Five high schools in the Chicago Public Schools district, including Corliss High School, Chicago Vocational Career Academy, and Lake View High School, began offering career-training tracks in September. The vocational programs are aligned with the needs of area businesses such as IBM, Motorola, and Verizon, which each partnered with a school to design alternative curricula, according to the CPS Website.
. . . Students enrolled in the program can earn a technical certification and credit toward an associate degree from City Colleges of Chicago, along with a high school diploma.
Two-year technical pathways can lead to lucrative careers, notes U.S. News. "Electrical engineering technicians earn a median salary of about $56,000 with an associate degree, and the median pay for nuclear technicians is roughly $68,000 with an associate's, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." Radiology technicians also earn high salaries with a two-year degree.
Students opt for vocational programs
More college students are choosing vocational programs, reports CNBC.
Schools offering a more career-oriented approach to higher education continue to enjoy double-digit growth, fueled by a sluggish economic recovery, accelerated stimulus spending and a more practical student mindset.
. . . Revenue at for-profit technical and trade schools jumped nearly 11 percent over the past 12 months, after posting more than 12 percent growth the year before, according to the Sageworks financial analysis firm. Growth averaged between 6-7 percent in 2007 and 2008.
"I've seen tremendous growth in the number of students enrolling in vocational or technical colleges and for-profit institutions that specialize in convenient, practical coursework," says educational consultant Steven Roy Goodman. "The IT guy, the electrician, the people who maintain the 911 system or the electrical grid – they make more money because they have more value to society."


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Use this widget to search for Apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices to complement your nursing care. Also, if you are studying for your Nclex or nursing school exams, there are several apps that can be very helpful.
Patient, Nurse, and Technology Advocate
The Nerdy Nurse says
Sorry about that.
I believe it was a coding/scripting issue.
It appears to be working now. Thanks for letting me know.
Tina A says
Just to let you know, most of the links to the apps here are broken. I am an LPN and was just looking to check out some of the NCLEX ones as I am also working on my RN!


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Heiden is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. Its Biedermeier village around the church square is listed as a heritage site of national significance.
Around 1650 Wolfhalden and Heiden could not agree about the control over the church. This led to the creation of a church in each village in 1652, making them independent. The founder of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant spent his last years in Heiden.
A rack railway, the Rorschach-Heiden-Bahn, leads from Rorschach, 400 meters below, to Heiden.