From the Association for Career and Technical Education, this Issue Brief provides information on how the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) can support innovation in the American workforce. Some examples of careers through STEM disciplines include: GPS Technician, Food and Drug Inspector, Computer Programmer, Logistics Analyst, among many others. Authors provide an overview on how CTE programs can provide students with information regarding STEM career pathways to help grow the STEM workforce and increase the number of students from under represented populations in this field.

From the National Center for Children in Poverty, this resource provides a comprehensive overview of adolescent substance use, which can hinder adolescent developmental growth into adulthood. Substance use in adolescence can lead to the risk of dependency and addiction, and adverse health outcomes. In 2009, 10 percent of 12 to 17 year olds were illicit drug users, and 26 percent of 16 to 17 year olds reported drinking alcohol. Authors conclude with policy recommendations for prevention and treatment programs for this population.

In September 2009, the Administration for Children and Families convened a meeting of experts to discuss subgroup analysis in child care research. The meeting consisted of presentations on innovative practices for conducting this type of research and how to interpret and use subgroup analysis in research. The three panels included: Laying out the State of the Field; Framing Questions, Design, and Analysis; and Reporting and Interpreting Subgroup Differences. Each session at the meeting was videoed, which is archived on this Web page.

The Federal Government’s CAP (Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program) has released the first series of online training modules. This first module is titled, “Increasing Federal Employment of People with Disabilities,” and discusses Executive Orders 13518 and 13548, which are focused on the Federal hiring requirements of veterans and individuals with disabilities.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) offers a variety of programs to help support low-income youth and their families to foster positive youth development and self-sufficiency in adulthood. These programs are designed to prepare at-risk youth for the labor market by promoting job skills. This report, from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, provides a synthesis of the research on at-risk youth and how they are being served by ACF and non-ACF programs to promote future self-sufficiency. Authors review the research and offer future issues to consider for serving this population.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) currently reaches 45 million people, which is an increase of 69 percent since the current economic recession began. From the Urban Institute, this fact sheet discusses how SNAP caseloads and unemployment have increased both nationally and by State. Authors provide a map of the United States, which shows the concurrent increase in SNAP and unemployment across the country.

The National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan authored this policy brief, which offers lessons learned from New York City’s conditional cash transfer program, Opportunity NYC: Family Rewards. The program was targeted to six of New York’s highest poverty neighborhoods with high rates of intergenerational poverty and offered cash assistance to reduce immediate hardship, which was conditioned on efforts to support children in school, gain family health care, and support parents’ job training and skill building. The evaluation revealed that the program had short-term positive impacts for families experiencing intergenerational poverty.

This report from the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation summarizes findings from a process and impact study of a Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs. Specifically focused on the Kern County site, impact findings are based on a two-year follow-up of youth who participated in a random assignment evaluation of the Independent Living—Employment Services Program (IL-ES). Results show few statistically significant findings between the control and the treatment group, suggesting that youth should be actively engaged in employment-based activities beyond the IL-ES program.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Workforce Investment recently released Internet Links for State and Local Employment Projections. Employment projections can be used for career counseling, employment planning, training and education programs, and other planning purposes. The report includes a table with links to each state's main page, which includes projections of labor market information (LMI). The table also provides the Internet links to data of each state's, if applicable, long-term (10-year) and short-term (2-year) industry and occupation projections. At the end of the report, responsibilities of key stakeholders are explained. Links to background of the national employment projections are also included.

According to the Census Bureau, 7.8 million children lived with at least one grandparent in 2009, a 64 percent increase since 1991. The data was collected in 2009 as part of the household relationship module of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. The Survey of Income and Program Participation is a longitudinal panel survey of demographic information, income, labor force characteristics, and program participation in the United States with supplemental topics on child well-being, child care, and household relationships. Census demographers note that the living arrangements of children in the United States is an important indicator of child well-being.