These one-page documents can help to inform advocates and policymakers candidates about what we are expecting our elected officials to do to improve the educational success of Michigan young people. More Issue Primers are available in the Issues for Michigan's Children section of our Library.

More budget resources are available in the Budget Basics section of out Library.

It has been two years since the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (H.R. 6307) was signed into law. The law was enacted as a response to the number of foster youth in Michigan, and across the country, who lack permanent homes, experience negative health outcomes, and drop out of school - issues that harm their prospects to transition successfully into adulthood. See how Michigan is doing on implementation.

Trends illustrate the need for increased attention to programs that serve young people who may need more time or different paths to graduate.

This article, co-authored with the Michigan Departments of Education and Community Health, appeared in the MASA Leader (the newsletter of the Michigan Association of School Administrators) on pages 8-9, and illustrates the important role of collaboration in promoting educational success.

Read the Op-ed article by Jack Kresnak and William Mayes, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators as published in the Detroit Free Press that outlines the strategy that Michigan needs to promote educational success from cradle to career. This op-ed also ran in the Lansing State Journal. More of Michigan's Children in the media is available in our News section.

On March 14, 2010, the Communities Collaborating to Reconnect Youth (CCRY) Network, an initiative led by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), held a Capitol Hill briefing, "Recommitting to Our Nation's Youth: Building on the Legacy of Youth Opportunity." Jack Kresnak, Michigan's Children President and CEO, shared the struggles Michigan youths face with education, employment and poverty. Kresnak stressed the urgency and need to invest resources in our youths. This report was released at this briefing and provides data on the consequences of not educating our young people and shows that Michigan is uniquely positioned to address the dropout issue.

The Kids Count in Michigan 2009 Data Book, a product of the collaborative partnership between Michigan's Children and the League for Human Services, was released Jan. 12, 2010 with some good and bad news about the state's dropout crisis. Michigan's Children took a series of actions utilizing the messages of the Data Book and will assist communities in doing the same.