During his visit to Baltimore yesterday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a gift of $5 million to the Open Society Institute-Baltimore for its Accelerated Pathways Initiative. This five-year initiative will create rigorous, supportive and accelerated high school options in Baltimore that will significantly increase graduation rates and post-secondary success, particularly for the city’s African-American […]
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Legal representation at an accused’s first appearance following arrest
Monday, April 09, 2012Editor’s note: In conjunction with OSI-Baltimore’s upcoming forum series, The Burden of Bail, Audacious Ideas is pleased to feature a month-long blog series about pre-trial detention and bail reform. Over the next month, four experts will talk about what can be done to make our pre-trial justice system fair and efficient.
You probably thought that in 2012, Maryland indigent defendants would be guaranteed counsel when their liberty is first at stake. Not so.
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A stain that never goes away
Monday, April 02, 2012According to the Just Kids Report, each year Maryland charges 1,250 youth as adults with little concern or attention to the stain this places on the life of a young person. Youth charged as adults are forced to carry the burden of a felony for the rest of their lives.
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Skateboarding for Success
Monday, March 26, 2012Meet Daniel Oliver. Daniel is 17 years old, he grew up in Baltimore City attending public schools, and he is presently a junior at Baltimore City College. Danny is a skateboarder and this is what skateboarding means to him: “Ever since I started skateboarding around the age of 7, I’ve seen the world in an entirely different light.”
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Supporting teen dads—what have we got to lose?
Monday, March 19, 2012Teen parents are a much maligned group. We often blame them for their “choice” of becoming a teen parent and then for all of the untoward outcomes that can follow. Our blame, however, is short sighted and wrongly placed. Why some teens become parents is a complicated issue with social inequality and poverty at the heart of the matter.
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If kids count, why not get them out of harm’s way?
Monday, March 12, 2012The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kid’s Count numbers are out, and once again they expose the hidden shame of the wealthiest state in the world’s richest nation. Maryland ranks only 23rd in child wellbeing, far behind similar affluent East Coast states like Massachusetts (3rd), New Jersey (5th), Connecticut (6th) and our neighbor and business rival, Virginia (14th). With the nation’s best schools, second lowest child poverty rate, and the lowest rate of black children in poverty, why does Maryland rank so low?
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Keeping homeless kids in school
Monday, March 05, 2012Kids aren’t homeowners, but they have paid an unforgiving price throughout the housing industry collapse. They have lost their homes, and consequently, they have frequently had to change schools. 41% of students who have experienced a loss of housing attend two or more schools in one year while 28% attend 3 or more in that time.
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Audacious Thinking: Spring 2012
Thursday, March 01, 2012In this issue of Audacious Thinking, OSI-Baltimore announces a new initiative to expand the school day. The issue also features the work of an alliance of OSI-Baltimore grantees who are working to stop the construction of a new jail for youth charged as adults…
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The power of music to build communities
Monday, February 27, 2012Leonard Bernstein was a thinker, teacher, author, television star, provocateur, humanitarian and he was my hero. As with all true mentors, Bernstein taught me much more than a craft. He showed me the enormous power of music and how important it is to share it with as much of humanity as is possible.
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Take the politics out of parole
Monday, February 13, 2012Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the Maryland Parole Commission’s responsibilities is deciding whether someone serving a parole -eligible life sentence should be allowed to return to the community.
