Changing schools can be challenging. There are new  rules , new  teachers , new  campuses , and  most  of  all  new  friends .

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This story was produced by Philly Youth Radio, a project started in response to bullying and violence in Philadelphia schools.

By Shayla Torres

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Violence can be found in something as simple as a No. 2 pencil.

I was called down to the peer-mediation room, where we peer-mediators step in to resolve fights between fellow students. The room had one table in the center, surrounded by four chairs. I sat at the middle of the table and wondered who’d be walking through those doors. And what problem would escort them in.

The door opened with a creek. I stood up - all 4’11’’ of me and saw one girl as big as a line backer, with her white button up shirt torn a bit and scratches ripped across her face. She was brought in by Rico, our school police officer, who left after placing her at one end of the table.

Then a skinny girl walked in, who was at least 5’9’’. Her braids had been yanked out of her head, left and right. Bruises claimed random spaces of her body and her left cheek was puffed up, as if her molars had been pulled out. I could easily see that she had lost the battle. I was kind of relieved when my co-mediator, Christian appeared, because I was no longer alone with them.

I asked my first question: “So girls, why are we here today?” They answered almost in unison: “She stole my pencil.” At that moment, Christian and I looked at each other. “Really, a pencil?” For twenty minutes, they unloaded their rage. I thought we would never get to the root of anything. Then, in the middle of their sage, I imagined:

“Ding Ding Ding. Let’s get ready to rumble! Welcome to Math Class 208, where the classroom champions match up for the fight of the semester! We have the Linebacker pacing on one end of the ring and her opponent standing calm, but assertive. The Line backer strikes first, snatching the pencil from her skinny opponent- who’s a fighter and holds her ground. But the fight gets out of control! The thin one is finally knocked out, unconscious! Ding Ding Ding.”

Over the past couple weeks we’ve covered the UC tuition hikes and the Atlanta teacher cheating scandal. It may be summer, but school is definitely still on the minds of many Americans. A study released this week brings more bad news—the Council of State Governments Justice Center released “Breaking Schools’ Rules,” a report that tracked one million 7th graders in Texas over six years, paying close attention to disciplinary action throughout the state.

President Obama has made it clear over and over again that education is extremely important to him, so it is not a surprise that he’s challenging public schools in his 2011 Commencement Challenge to demonstrate how their school best prepares their students for college and a career.

This friendly challenge consists of submitting essay questions and statistical information that shows, “how schools are promoting college and career readiness for all students while establishing a culture of student success and academic excellence.”

Schools need to submitt their applications by March 11 at 11:59 pm EST.

The National Education Policy Center (NEPC) just released a study about the harmful effects of advertising in schools. Schools are reportedly the dominant advertising locations in 2010.  The report, called, "Effectively Embedded: The Thirteenth Annual Report on Schoolhouse Commercializing Trends: 2009 - 2010, states that due to the recession, schools and school districts have welcomed company sponsorships as a way of raising money.  School and district administrators did not, however, take into account the "collateral damage" from embedded advertising. 

So what is embedded advertising?  This is when companies make their brand or products "unavoidable." These are just a few ways that companies have increased their presence on school campuses: sponsoring school contests, making exclusive agreements with school districts to only sell their products, organizing fundraising efforts, and creating curriculum.  The report used BP as an example, which has created curriculum materials to promote the company's "green" credentials. 

According to the NEPC, adolescents are at a developmental stage that makes them more susceptible to embedded advertising that targets their identity formation and self image. This advertising makes teenagers want more, eat more, and base their self-worth on the consumer products they own. In addition, the more time and energy that young people devote to consuming, the less time they devote to other things, such as family, friends, and creative thinking. Consumerism can stunt the development of other interests, according to the study, and this can be more detrimental to people of a young age who are in the process of creating an identity.  

Check out the full report for more details here.

Youth Radio has been following the story of the Atlanta Public Schools facing loss of accredidation. They system's accredidation status is in jeopardy because of a leadership battle plaguing the school board.

Our partner station WABE 90.1 FM in Atlanta interviewed students from Grady High School about their concerns regarding this process and fears of voided diplomas.  Below are two links where you can hear student voices on the issue: 

Part 1

Part 2

Last week, Youth Radio Atlanta commentator Mason Gepp had this to say about what loss of accredidation may mean for him and other students. 

After a cheating scandal shook my school system, it seems its leaders have been unable to reconcile differences about the distribution of power. This bickering could end up affecting tens of thousands of innocent students just like me. Our diplomas could be worthless pending a final review from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Without their accreditation, colleges would likely not consider my application. And I can forget about getting any scholarship money - even the Georgia Hope Scholarship.

 The following originally aired on KCBS.

By Maya Cueva

I know it sounds cliché, but as a senior in high school, all I can think about are college applications.

For most of my peers, senior year is all about getting into that perfect school—but for me, it’s a little different: I don’t have a dream school. In fact, I don’t have any idea where I want to go to college.

A lot of applications ask “why apply here?” And my gut reaction is “umm I have no clue.”

My sister didn’t enjoy her freshman year of college even though she went to her top choice school. She later transferred, and now she’s much happier. Her experience made me scared to set my sights on a certain college. I don’t want to get too attached to a school, only to find out it’s not a good fit for me.

My friends try to convince themselves they have it all figured out, otherwise they feel lost. As for me, I‘m okay with not knowing exactly where I’ll end up. After all, whether I like my school or not—it’s good to know I can always change my mind.

Previously:

• Quitting Football and Falling In Love
• When Is Ambition Dangerous
• Marijuana Education

Youth in New York are stepping up and tackling big political issues.  A community organization called, “Make the Road By Walking,” runs an intense after school program for youth that are interested in local, regional, and national politics and helps them get involved in making change in their community.

Their most recent victory was saving the free student Metrocard.  Initially the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the city government, and the state government had agreed to fully fund student Metrocards.  There was a big dispute at the beginning of the year when the state pulled its funding, and the other entities wanted to follow suit, according to Jose Lopez, Lead Organizer for Make the Road New York.

Students from all over New York, led by efforts from the Urban Youth Collaborative (12 political youth organizations including Make the Road), engaged in a four to five month battle to save funding for the student metro card. They pressured city and state officials, as well as organized a student walk-out.  And they were successful.  However, they only succeeded in getting funding for one more year.  “The students felt good about their victory, and it was important to start the school year off smoothly,” said Lopez.  

“One of the most challenging parts of this campaign was deciding which actions to take when, as well as reaching out to students for participation in the student walk-out, but I do think it was a success," said Robert Moore, Youth Leader at Make the Road.

Their latest educational campaign is centered around the Student Safety Act (SSA) which stems from an act in 2000, that placed all New York City public school security guards under the jurisdiction of the New York City Police Department.  Previously, they were under the jurisdiction of school administrators. The security guards were no longer a part of the school staff, but were being trained by the NYPD.  

By: Maya Cueva

The following was broadcast on Marketplace Money on September 3, 2010

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Nessa Mahmoudi graduated from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education this spring. She was 24, just starting a career and, like everyone else in her class, facing one of the toughest job markets in memory. But Mahmoudi had a strategy.

MAHMOUDI: You know in my mindset I’m like where do they pay the least, that’s where they need me the most.

In the San Francisco bay area, that means Oakland Unified, where teachers are among the lowest paid in the area. But Oakland Unified didn’t exactly need Mahmoudi.

With 122 million dollars in budget cuts this fiscal year, dozens of tenured teachers were already being laid off. And district administrators told Mahmoudi not to bother applying.

But she ignored them.

MAHMOUDI: Though I know I don’t have a lot of space to be picky because there’s not a lot of jobs. I figure it’s best to go in with the mentality that there is something that I am looking for, and the school needs to be a fit for me and not just whatever job that pops up.

Burnout is high for new teachers, so finding the right school goes a long way towards keeping teachers happy and productive. Mahmoudi’s former professor, Ingrid Seyer-Ochi coaches students to be selective about jobs. But with less than 10 percent of her students landing jobs by graduation…

SEYER-OCHI: They feel like they’re not going to be in a position to be able to choose the kind of school they want to teach at, they’re going to have to take, in some cases, the jobs that they can get.

But Mahmoudi kept her sights set on Oakland Unified,

MAHMOUDI: Because though she’s saying don’t look, in August they’re going to need teachers, it’s just the reality, and we’re kind of just having the faith.

Mahmoudi’s faith paid off, well ahead of schedule. In July an East Oakland elementary school hired her to teach first-grade in a dual-immersion English/Spanish program. It was pretty much her dream job.

By: Rod and Rasam Aminzadeh

One of the most important issues that education is facing here in California, is Budget Cuts. Schools throu out the Bay Area are facing the possibility of being closed. California, the most-populous U.S. state, is going to lose an $18.6 billion budget through June 2011.

Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts are spread over many public programs, but the largest would eliminate the CalWORKS welfare program and do away with child care funding except for preschool and after-school programs, saving the state $1 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively.

Via The Christian Science Monitor

The upcoming cuts will affect Students. 16-year-old Karen Hu is one of those students who is going to be affected by budget cuts. She's a junior at Galileo High School. Hu says, "Learning is going to be a lot harder bacause they are going to lay off some of the teachers, classes are going to be crowded, and we are going to have less supplies to study with." Hu added, "It's not right bacause government is spending more money on wars than schools and education." Hu is trying to just make the best out of the situation, but others aren't as tough as she.

16-year-old Bao-An Voung, A junior at George Washington High School worries about how these budget cuts will affect his future. "I'm worried about cuts because it will affect my education and it will take out some after school programs that I'm interesting in," said Voung.

George Washington High School is one of the schools that won't be affected by California's budget cuts. Ms. Jackson, one of the principle's assistants at GWHS said the school is doing very well and has not been affected by the cuts. She credits the school's principle, Mrs. Lovrin for the work she has done to get the school's budget back during the summer from different divisions. George Washinton High School is looking forward to see nothing different compare to last year.