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Critical Issues Children Face in the 2000’s. Deborah Crockett Fayette County Board of Education Fayetteville, Georgia. Ongoing Issues. A child is abused every 11 seconds. One half million children are in foster care. One child born without health insurance every minute.
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Critical Issues Children Face in the 2000’s Deborah Crockett Fayette County Board of Education Fayetteville, Georgia
Ongoing Issues • A child is abused every 11 seconds. • One half million children are in foster care. • One child born without health insurance every minute. • 7 ½ million children are home daily without adequate supervision.
Ongoing Issues • Millions of children lack safe, affordable, quality child care and early childhood education while their parents work. • Millions of children start school not ready to learn. • 12 million children are poor, hungry, and/or homeless.
Critical Issues: Poverty • 37% of children live in low income families. • 80% of poor children live in working households. • 6% of children live in extreme poverty. • Poverty is highest for African-Americans and Latinos.
Critical Issue: Violence • Homicide is the second leading cause of death for all 15-24 year olds, most killed with handguns. • Homicide leading cause of death for African-Americans. Second leading cause for Hispanics. • 800,000 children were victims of child abuse nationwide. (reported)
Critical Issues: Bullying and Harassment • One of every seven children reports being bullied in school. • In the average classroom, 3 children are either victims or bullies. • 78% of children in a CFC survey report being bullied in the past month. • One third of victims indicate plans for retaliation.
Critical Issues: Teen Pregnancy/Sexual Behavior • Births to girls in 15-19 age group have declined in the past decade. • 70% of teens report first sexual encounter at night (6 to 10pm). • 56% of teens reported having first sexual encounter in their or partner’s home. • Sexually transmitted diseases are increasing in the 15-19 age group.
Critical Issue: Alcohol and Drug Abuse • 50% of teen motor vehicle accidents involve alcohol and/or drugs. • 30% of adolescent suicides are associated with alcohol and/or drugs. • Children and adolescents who abuse alcohol and drugs engage in risk taking behaviors. • The younger the age of initial alcohol use, greater chance for adult substance abuse.
Critical Issue: Mental Health Services • 12% of school age youth complete suicide. • Greatest suicide increase, African-American males. • Native Americans, 64% of suicides were males in the 15-24 age group. • Suicide among young children while rare is increasing in the 10-14 age group.
Critical Issue: Mental Health Services • Three million teenagers struggle with depression. • Only 36% of youth at risk for suicide received mental health services in 2001. • School based programs are needed to increase opportunities for treatment.
Critical Issue: Mental Health Services • According to the 2000 Surgeon General’s Report, there are serious concerns about diagnosis and treatment of emotional/behavioral difficulties in children.
Diversity and Tolerance • African-Americans (12.3%) and Hispanics (12.5) are the largest ethnic groups. • Hate crimes based on race continue to be the highest reported (54.5%), with religion second (17.9%). • Hate crimes based on sexual orientation have increased. • Children still do not know how to interact with others, do not cross “cultural borders.”
Critical Issue: Education • Large scale assessments are becoming one of the major accountability measures for students, teachers, and schools. • Public school choice for parents in low performing schools. • Charter schools on the increase with federal support.
Critical Issue: Education • Strong emphasis on reading in early grades. • All LEP students are to be tested in English after three years in US schools. • Most states have adopted “social promotion” legislation for students who do not meet state/federal benchmarks.
Critical Issue: Technology • Whites and Asians are more likely to have home access to computers than African-Americans and Hispanics. • Home internet use is twice the rate for Asians and Whites than for African-Americans and Hispanics. • 73% of suburban, 61% rural, and 53% of central city children have internet/computer access.
Role of School Psychology • Increased planning, collaboration, and program implementation across disciplines and agencies. • New political collaboration with with state agencies especially those that affect children and their issues. • Advocate for school psychology and children by getting politically involved. Run for public office at local, state, and national levels.
Role of School Psychology • Training programs should continue to use technology and school systems to retool veteran school psychologist. • Systemic changes in delivery of school psychological services so that children and families will have access to our services day and evening, e.g., staggered work hours.
Role of School Psychologist • The power of one. • Cross “cultural borders”. Differences are not deficits. • Maintain your diversification. • Coffee klatches are not a bad thing.
Deborah Crockett FCBOE Fayetteville, GA preznasp@aol.com 770-460-3990, x159