New Haven Independent

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | June 13, 2008 10:26 AM

It's tough to weigh in when there is no data at all provided in this article. How many teen mothers are we talking about? 5, 50, or 500?

In any event, the public schools are the logical place to offer pregnancy prevention education. I don't know to what extent NHPS provides drug/pregnancy prevention classes these days, but if the magnitude of the problem is really widespread there should be intensive prevention education from K through 12.

Does anyone know if the schools are tackling this issue?

Posted by: True New Havener | June 13, 2008 11:19 AM

Fix the Schools,

I don't know the answer to that question but here are some basic facts which make this article no less troubling.

Teen pregnancy in New Haven and nationwide has been on the decline for the last decade. We have fortunately seen significant reductions.

However, these reductions have stopped and most experts believe there has been a leveling off or possibly an uptick.

So what is interesting about this article is that despite this overall reduction, shelter providers are now seeing an increase. This means either (1) the uptick experts feel may be happening nationally, is happening here. Or, (2) the services that historically have facilitated these girls not becoming homeless are not functioning.

By this I mean that your focus on the schools is a generally a good one but that what the shelter providers are seeing reflects a more fundamental change that is the result of something breaking down which either reflects more girls getting pregnant (after dramatic declines over the last decade) or more girls not having the resources to stay at home for some reason after getting pregnant.

So the solutions to this problem are probably not actually school related unless New Haven just stopped doing something that it has been doing for the last decade.

There is disagreement as to why there were these declines though all legitimate experts are clear that it was not abstinence education (studies have shown that kids in these programs are more likely to get pregnant). Though there is an emerging thought that it is because of cultural changes which have increased options for girls. I don't want to more fully describe what studies have shown since this is a family website.

Posted by: Gary Doyens | June 13, 2008 11:22 AM

Mayor DeStefano sent me a letter telling me how grateful I should be for my 14.6% property tax increase and pointing out how the city budget is not just a collection of numbers - it's a reflection of our values, which really means, his values.

DeStefano cut $500K from the homeless shelters, but kept $500K in an airport that is going nowhere, not ever. Never.

Those are his values. Call him, or better yet, visit his office. Believe me, he has the money and you can hang your coat in his new armoire.

Posted by: Cheri | June 13, 2008 11:38 AM

Here's an idea: The city (and suburbs, for that matter)should advocate giving teen women free birth control...not just condoms, mind, as they clearly are not using them enough to stop pregnancy, but they can get a shot of birth control known as "depo provera"...it would cost less than having to put more unsuitable mothers on welfare, it will cost less than having to support their unwanted, unplanned for children, which will help to stop the unraveling of our society. When these young men and women have jobs, some sort of future, then they can think about having healthy, loved children.

Posted by: new havener | June 13, 2008 1:21 PM

I don't understand again.....babies having babies.....homeless teens pregant..looking for shelter......are these homeless teens and there family already on the system....section8 ..food stamps monies...etc.....they want to repeat to stay on the system......they need to stay in school.....get jobs...yes mcdonalds ..burger king wal-mart.....they look for easy way out..how many of theses teens have good cloths and go clubing on weekends....give me a break...

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | June 13, 2008 5:14 PM

If a child spends 10 hours of their waking day in a good school environment from K through 12, and there is explicit and strong messaging and teaching about the perils of getting pregnant as an unwed teen, I guarantee you that there would be far fewer homeless unwed mothers. That's what education is ALL ABOUT. Young girls who understand that they have great options in life won't get pregnant as often as we are seeing!

We aren't thinking imaginatively enough about what GREAT SCHOOLS should look like. All we can see are the politics that keep us shackled to the current institutions of failure. Without destructive union influence, a patronage administrative system, and piss poor leadership around this issue, we could have fine schools! How about vouchers for parochial and private schools, expanding high performing charter schools, and aggressive performance management in the district.

You do sound like a True New Havener - someone who is so beaten down with low expecations that you can't even imagine anything better! Of course our schools are a big answer to this problem - just not as presently structured!

Posted by: kris | June 13, 2008 8:03 PM

Cheri and newhavener...I am with you guys.Where are these teen girls parents?Let them take care of their kids and grandkids.If you are a teenager and you are pregnant looking for a shelter...the first place you should stop is an abortion clinic or at least plan on putting the baby up for adoption.I swear if there were no such thing as welfare these girls wouldnt risk getting pregnant.They arent afraid of how they will support the kid cause they wont have to,WE WILL.By the way if these girls are under 18 arent their parents still responsible for them?Why do we need to feel bad for them and shelter them when their own families wont even help them.Ya know the old saying "you made your bed..now lay in it!"As for the teen boys,lets face it,they are homeless for a reason and I bet its because they dont want to live by the rules of their parents house.They should all get JOBS...Pregant or not you can still work,maybe if you worked enough you wouldnt have the energy to come home and have sex and wind up pregnant.This is 2008 kids,just take a look around new haven and that should be birth control enough.

Posted by: Fedupwithliberals | June 14, 2008 9:09 AM

Please take the schools and social programs out of this equation once and for all! The trillions that have been spent towards Great Society projects over the past 40 years have just made the country worse off than before. Stop looking to government to solve all your problems. End welfare as we know it. If people fail, they become examples to the next generation. Stop enabling an underclass to subsist for generations on the public dole! You don't want to freeze in the winter? Here's a novel idea... move down south where it's warm! Problems with teen pregnancy? Let unwed mothers struggle so that they teach their children to not make the same mistakes they did in life.

God, it makes my blood boil to see how we tolerate and normalize poor lifestyle choices that are destuctive to self and society. Taking the family out of this equation just makes matters worse. Time to go back to the future!

Posted by: True New Havener | June 15, 2008 9:13 AM

Gee Fix the Schools --

I don't remember insulting you or disagreeing with you.

Instead I gave you some facts that explained that any increase in teen pregnancy is a big deal because the US and New Haven have seen significant decreases over the last decade.

Then I said that if the shelter providers are seeing more teenage pregnant girls at their doors this may be a problem representative of a collapse of some piece of the safety net which it would be worth figuring out.

You somehow turn this into me being a beaten down New Havener. You don't know me and have no idea what my experiences have been. So grow up.

Too often your posts degenerate into absurdist name-calling which means that your points are lost. Everyone, even those who agree with you, who does not see the world through your single-minded lens is some kind of idiot.

Here is another fact -- the decline in teen pregnancy over the last decade has been most dramatic among young people of color and of low income. How does that comport with your understanding of the world? There are more facts then those you understand and solving problems requires more than one magnifying glass.

But we definitely need better schools for our children.

Again -- take a lesson from school and grow up.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | June 16, 2008 9:03 AM

True NH,

My bad. Just frustrated that posters (not necessarily you) seem to accept that factors such as length of school day, or teacher quality, or inept principals are a set fixed constraints, and that it will be impossible to change these things.

I do believe that if we had good schools in New Haven that we would also not have the level of the social problems that we have as well. But your knowledge around this issue seems to be much more informed than mine. And yes, I believe that education = freedom + power and so I am pretty single-minded about the issue, perhaps to compensate for the lack of public outrage around the issue. Anyway, didn't mean to sling it at you. FTS

Posted by: lets get real | June 16, 2008 10:20 AM

Kris and the New Havener--

Are the two of you serious? You should really re-read your post before clicking send and double check your level of ignorance. We can take small pieces from different areas to place the blame - schools and home. Some of you say abortion, bet they got money for clubs, where are the parents, let them learn the hard way, they do it because they rely on the state. Ok so, all this means they should still be homeless in the street?

First you have to understand that a majority of these kids that are homeless or pregnant are products of their environment and simply repeating their family cycle. If they dont have any positive influence in their life, it becomes difficult to break the cycle - its the only cycle they ever seen or know. And where are the parents u ask? out in the street on drugs or something, obviously not being productive parents or we wouldnt see their kids looking for shelter. The mention of statistics - who gives a rat azz what they claim is happening. Theres a decline, i would like to see how these numbers are generated because theres is an increase nationally from what i see. I agree they should get jobs and hold them selves accountable for changing their situation. Some have jobs, but who can live off Mcdonalds, burger king - sheesh people can barely live off $35,000 a yr in this city..if the mayor keeps raising taxes i will be knocking on a shelter door!!

Posted by: MORRIS COVE MF | June 16, 2008 11:53 AM

FIX THE SCHOOLS - it's not the schools job alone to promote not getting pregnant...it's the parents. How many of the pregnant teens have received a good, solid education that includes talking about sex and teen pregnancy, only to go home to single mothers and fathers who have several children from multiple partners? Schools can only do so much...the onus is on the families. That being said, cutting the budget is wrong, as these are delicate people in a difficult situation, and $4000 armoires and $500,000 airport slush funds can wait when we have real human beings lives at stake.

Posted by: lets get real | June 16, 2008 4:50 PM

I totally agree with your entire post. We just have to remember when we talk about these kids parents playing a role in educating them on pregnancy this is what i mean when we have to remember the population we are talking about. Half of the parents of these kids need the same educating as adults! The parents have multiple kids and are not solid parents to lead their child in the right direction

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | June 16, 2008 6:46 PM

Lets Get Real has it right. We may WANT and encourage parents to take responsibility but is that realistic? Lots of New Haven parents themselves have had little education, and have suffered from generational poverty. Encourage the victims - but do not blame them.

We can whine all we want about personal responsibility, and guess what? It won't change anything. Has it ever?

So Morris Cove MF, this is why I say that our society has no choice but to REINVENT our school system so that it can be the great equalizer. If we can do this at scale, we have a chance at breaking the cycle of poverty and all of the resulting symptoms that are so costly to all of us.

If you think that fixing the schools will be next to impossible then I ask you what is the alternative? Legislating good parenting? More social programs? More preaching and condemnation? None of these things work.

The good news is that we have some great examples now of public schools that ARE working to close the gap. We need more of these great school environments. Education is the only sustainable solution to poverty.

Here is a promising story about some political progress on this front.

www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-06-11-race-equality_N.htm

Posted by: MORRIS COVE MF | June 17, 2008 9:12 AM

FIX THE SCHOOLS - I like your idea of reinventing the school system. But remember, even if kids are in school more hours a week than they are with their parents, family still has the greatest influence over who you are, who you will become, not your teachers. I would support and work for anything to help these kids, but I don't know how you can teach someone to go against everything they've seen and learned at home.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | June 17, 2008 1:59 PM

Morris Cove MF and others,

There are always a few parents who don't seem to care about what happens to their kids. But most parents do care - deeply.

However lots of parents who DO care, don't always know how to do what is best! It is within this group of parents and families where excellent schools can have a HUGE impact. There are schools that have actually helped caring parents do whatever they are capable of doing to support their kids education. Whether it is making sure that their child gets to the bus on time EVERY day, or by creating a quiet place for self study or reading at night, or turning off the tv, there are all sorts of ways that every parent can help their kids.

But when the folks who are supposed to understand all of this, the educators, are not willing to put for the the effort (in consistently high numbers across the district)to reach out to those parents and guardians and attempt to build a supportive environment at home, it will not happen on it's own. Then the blame game starts and we get nowhere.

If you really want to support and help kids in these situations, go to the ConnCAN website and sign up. Great schools for all!