96 ATTACKS ON CHILDREN A DAY IN ENGLAND AND WALES
(August 23, 2008) Telegraph.co.uk
reports statistics obtained by The Sunday Telegraph show the impact of street gang culture whereas 96 children every day in England and Wales are attacked or intimidated by weapons that include shotguns, handguns, knives, knuckledusters, axes, meat hooks and even bombs.

IDENTITY THEFT ONLINE
(August 24, 2008) The Edmonton Sun reports a growing problem from people posting personal information on social networks are being used to facilitate identify theft. An Edmonton based online networking site for teens, Nextopia, to reduce the chance of identity theft offers its users basic advice such as not posting cell phone numbers, home addresses or their school name. It also has customer service agents patrol their site looking for this kind of information, with timelines given to its users to remove it or the account will be frozen.

OPINION: BETTER EDUCATION THROUGH INNOVATION
(August 31, 2008) An article featured in the Los Angeles Times calls for innovative leaders with a vision and a results driven mindset from the Department of Education to scale-up education for American students.

DESPITE SLIGHT DIP, TEEN SUICIDE RATES DISTURBINGLY HIGH
(September 3, 2008) TopNews US Edition reports The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said teen suicide rates showed a large increase during the past several years and may be linked with a decline in teen use of antidepressants, with depression the number one cause for suicides and the third biggest killer of children and adults in the age group of 10-24 years.

FEAR OF ADDICTION 'PANDEMIC' IN NEW ZEALAND
(September 5, 2008) A New Zealand news source featured a paper released by the National Committee for Addiction Treatment (NCAT) that showed shocking statistics, detailing devastation created by alcohol and drug addicts and warning of a "pandemic waiting to happen" if the country's addiction problems are not addressed.

STUDY FINDS NO LINK BETWEEN VACCINE AND AUTISM
(September 5, 2008)The Austin American Statesman, a news source out of TX, reports doctors from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe findings from rigorous new testing and research finds there is no link between the measles vaccine and autism.

TEEN GIRLS ORGANIZE TO HELP EATING DISORDERS
(September 7, 2008) Newsday.com featured a story about three teen girls who met while in recovery from anorexia, who have founded Project HEAL (Help to Eat, Accept and Live), a group committed to raising funds for others who are unable to pay for treatment of eating disorders.

HALF OF IRISH TEENS CUTTING SELF WANT TO DIE
(September 6, 2008) Herald.ie, a news source from Ireland, reports a Euro wide survey reported self cutting as the most common method of self harm among both males and females, with a high percentage of teens under the influence of alcohol and illegal drugs while doing so. The research also found that more than half of the self-harmers mentioned they wanted to die.

UK ESTABLISHES A WEBSITE FOR PARENTS OF TEENS
(September 9, 2008) Times Online, a UK news source reports a website funded by the Government allows parents to discuss their teenagers. This new site will have learning modules to help with problems such as drug/alcohol abuse and anonymous chat areas where parents can talk about what is happening at home or click on acted out storylines covering common scenarios with troubled teens.

BRITISH DICTIONARY FOR TEEN SLANG
(September 11, 2008) BBC News explains an important component to Gotateenager website is the new online dictionary which explains the latest slang from teenagers, hoping to bridge the gap between parents and teens. The website was launched in response to the thousands of calls Parentline, a 24 hour hotline, received from parents of teenagers concerned about drugs, binge-drinking, discipline problems and gang culture.

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO PAY CASH FOR GOOD GRADES
(September 11, 2008) The Chicago Sun Times reports a new program debuting this year in 20 Chicago public high schools where freshmen and sophomores can earn money for high marks, receiving half their earnings upfront and having to graduate to receive the other half. The program is funded through private donations and is intended to discourage failure during the first two years of high school when kids are most at risk of dropping out.

VIRGINIA'S PRIVATELY ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS TO TEACH DIFFICULT CHILDREN
(September 11, 2008) The Springfield Connection featured an article on The Children's Guild, a group of private schools in Maryland, working with students with emotional, behavioral and mental disabilities that find learning in public schools difficult.

CANADIAN: DON'T HIRE DROPOUTS
(September 11, 2008) The Calgary Herald, a Canadian news source, reports the Alberta Education Minister told business leaders that companies should stop hiring high school dropouts to encourage students to get their diplomas and to improve the high school completion rates.

WILDERNESS THERAPY RESULT OF BYU ALUMNUS LARRY DEAN OLSEN
(September 12, 2008) The Salt Lake Tribune featured an article on Larry Dean Olsen, a Brigham Young University undergraduate, who in 1966 was hired by the university to teach primitive survival skills to fellow students, with an end result that showed improvement in school performance and better manners at home. His work at BYU became the foundation for what is now the therapeutic industry that uses wilderness as a platform for addressing troubled teens' problems.

UTAH WILDERNESS THERAPY MORE GENTLE
(September 12, 2008) The Salt Lake Tribune reports Utah's current wilderness programs say they are focusing on a gentler, more targeted approach to working with struggling teens, as opposed to strict boot camp procedures, part of which is no longer welcoming kids with violent criminal histories or severe mental illness.

CA DROPOUTS CONTINUE TO FAIL
(September 12, 2008) The Los Angeles Times reports a statistical study made by the California Dropout Research Project, which was formed to give educators and legislators the background on the state's dropout problem, has found that a little more than half of students received a high school diploma or equivalent, but 90% of students never enrolled in college or drop out of college after they do.

UK CALLS FOR HAPPINESS LESSONS
(September 13, 2008) Guardian.co.uk reports the number of teens with depression has risen over the last 50 years, prompting "positive education" being taught and tested in schools in the UK. Students are taught how to handle day to day stress, decision making, assertiveness and how to change negative thoughts.

TELLTALE SIGNS OF TEEN MOODINESS
(September 14, 2008) SouthCoastToday.com, a news source from Massachusetts, featured an article on telltale signs parents can look for to know whether their child is just being moody or has a real problem that may be clinical.

CYBERSPACE MAGNIFIES TEEN DESPAIR
(September 15, 2008) The Omaha World Herald reports that in this age of computers, cell phones and text messaging, troubled teens go online and drift toward other teens in despair, where they "commiserate and ponder their existence," with some even visiting how-to suicide Web sites, looking for a sympathetic ear in the cyber world.

DIRECTORY OF TEXT MESSAGE SHORTHAND
(September 16, 2008) NetLingo.com is an Internet Dictionary of computer and internet text messaging commonly used wherever people get online including IM'ing, cell phones, Blackberries, in chat rooms and on blogs. These are abbreviations used by people to communicate with each other.