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As the days get shorter, first grade teacher Esmeralda Jimnez watches the dimming afternoon sky outside her classroom window the way her pupils watch the clock at dismissal time. The studio apartment Jimnez rents for $1,783 a month, or 43 percent of her salary, is located in one of San Francisco’s sketchiest neighborhoods. Getting home involves running a gauntlet of feces-strewn sidewalks, popping crack pipes, discarded needles and menacing comments — daily irritants that become...

The only sound that could be heard in Maria Simon’s first-grade classroom one December morning was the soothing hum from a vibrating Tibetan singing bowl. Her students had gathered on a brightly colored rug at the back of the classroom, sitting with their eyes shut, their legs crossed, and their arms extended outward palms up. Each time a classmate struck the small bowl with a mallet — releasing a low sounding gong — the students breathed in. Then as the sound faded away,...

In New York, kids are fighting to stay alive; in Seattle kids are contemplating suicide. This is one way to describe the vast differences in the student populations I have spent my career working with. As a high school teacher for the past eight years, and facilitator of restorative justice (RJ) for the past three, it has been my honor to help guide and coach students through the extremely tough years of high school and adolescence. [For more of this story, written by David Levine, go...

At a warehouse near Dallas, a black Lab named Papi tugs on a rope to open a fridge and passes his trainer a plastic water bottle with his mouth. Service dogs are often trained to help veterans with physical disabilities. Now, a growing number are being trained to meet the demand from vets with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. Those dogs learn extra tricks — how to sweep a house for intruders, for example, so a veteran feels safe. [For more of this story,...

After swelling for decades, the number of Americans in prison is finally, gradually beginning to shrink. For the first time since 1978, populations in both state and federal prisons are getting smaller, the result of an overall decline in crime, an easing of the War on Drugs and reform efforts on the part of many states. But what about the racial disparity in incarceration? Is it easing, too? [For more of this story, written by Eli Hager, go...

A city in Arkansas has taken steps to address the pitfalls facing young people who age out of foster care, sometimes with a financial stipend but without the adequate supports that a traumatized, late-adolescent really needs in order to thrive.

Youth Today and the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange , both nonprofit publications,  are seeking opinion columns on two issues that affect young people: substance abuse, including prevention, addiction and recovery, and foster care. Have you or a family member been affected by or involved in either one? If so, we would love to hear from you. Here are examples of columns we have already run on substance abuse and foster care. If you are interested, email Senior Editor...

The issue of human   trafficking is one of the most unifying issues of our time. The Not in My City, Not in My State Campaign  is a multi-city movement being developed to engage local communities who want to use their time, talent and treasure to fight the issue of human trafficking. Human Trafficking negatively affects many communities and Sacramento is no exception. Community leaders and activists have come together and now Sacramento is leading the fight to combat...

Curbing school bullying has been a focal point for educators, administrators, policymakers and parents, but the answer may not lie within rules set by adults, according to new research led by Princeton University. Instead, the solution might actually be to have the students themselves, particularly those most connected to their peers, promote conflict resolution in school. A team of researchers from Princeton, Rutgers University and Yale University engaged groups of influential students in...

If you build it, they will eat it. That's the lesson from a new  study  on the effects of a controversial federal law requiring American public schools to serve healthier lunches. In contention is the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), which passed in 2010 and was implemented in 2012. HHFKA has come under fire in recent years, with  food companies  saying the rules are too strict, students complaining  that the food is too gross, and school districts...

The militia that has taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Harney County, Oregon, has been hashtagged derisively as the #yallqaeda or #VanillaISIS movement. The conceit behind these labels is that these men have resorted to terrorist measures to make a political statement. Some of the militia men are reportedly armed, have vowed to go out in a blaze of glory for their cause, and have military veterans among them to help see that through. While their tactics are...

WHEN YOU HEAD OUT to the desert, David Strayer is the kind of man you want behind the wheel. He never texts or talks on the phone while driving. He doesn’t even approve of eating in the car. A cognitive psychologist at the University of Utah who specializes in attention, Strayer knows our brains are prone to mistakes, especially when we’re multitasking and dodging distractions. Among other things, his research has shown that using a cell phone impairs most drivers as much as...