The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin recently released a policy report, From Time Out to Hard Time, which examines the processing and consequences of youth in the adult criminal justice system. The report discusses current polices regarding treatment of youth offenders; the benefits of the...
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its 2009 Kids Count Data Book, which gives a state-by-state overview of child well-being. This year's edition focuses on the importance of collecting and using good data to drive advocacy efforts. As usual, Wisconsin looks pretty good compared to other states, ranking 10th overall. However,...
The federal minimum wage increases today to $7.25 per hour. The increase is expected to boost the wages of about 4.5 million workers nationally, providing an additional $1.6 billion annually in increased wages. In Wisconsin, the increase will boost the wages of an estimated 196,000 workers. Nationally, about one-fourth of the people...
We’re pleased to report that the House Education and Labor Committee yesterday approved H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The bill, which is mostly about reforming the student loan process, also includes creation of an Early Learning Challenge Fund. The vote was of 30 – 17, with only two Republicans voting to...
In March, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act (S. 678) was introduced in the U.S. Senate, with Sen. Kohl as one of its cosponsors. The Act reauthorizes the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), which was first passed in 1974 and most recently reauthorized in 2002. WCCF has produced a...
WCCF has published a new brief about the potential impact of the the Adam Walsh Act in Wisconsin. "The Adam Walsh Act and Wisconsin: One-Size-Fits-All Registration Does Not Fit Everyone" provides a brief update of the Adam Walsh Act and the SORNA guidelines that have been adopted to date, as well as some information about how those...
The cover story of this week's issue of Parade magazine focused on the need for quality child care in its Sunday issue on July 19, 2009. The article, “The New Push for Quality Child Care,” by Leslie Bennetts, explored the crunch facing families trying to afford child care and the far-reaching social and educational benefits for...
With assistance from the Office of Justice Assistance, WCCF has completed a Quarterly Detention Report, providing a brief overview of the underlying offenses, racial classifications, length of stay, age, gender, and numbers of admissions statewide to juvenile detention facilities for the first quarter of 2009. You can compare this...
The U.S. Department of Education has just released its report on racial school achievement gaps based on data from the 2007 National Assessment of Education Progress. The report shows that Wisconsin's serious achievement gap between White and African-American students persists (Hispanic student performance will be addressed in a later...
The Office of Justice Assistance is now accepting applications for $3.85 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding aimed at addressing drug and alcohol abuse, truancy and other problems in youthful offender populations. Applicants may apply for one-time grants of up to $150,000 a year for three years (maximum of $450,000...
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