On the Road to Adulthood: A Databook about Teens and Young Adults in DC

On theRoadtoAdulthoodA Dat abook aboutTeenagersandYoung AdultsintheDistrict On theRoadtoAdult hoodA Databook aboutTeenagersandYoungAdultsintheDistrictJenniferComeyEshaunaSmithPeter A.TatianPr eparedfo r TheWorldBankGroupbytheUrbanInstituteandDCAllianceof YouthAdvocates The World Bank Group Community Outreach ProgramThis databook received support from The World Bank Group’s Community Outreach Program, whichseeks to leverage local dollars and opportunities to improve outcomes for nonprofit organizations inthe metropolitan Washington area.The Community Outreach Program’s mission is to improve the quality of life of families and youth inlasting, sustainable ways in the metropolitan Washington area. Over the last decade, the CommunityOutreach Program has collaborated with the public and private sectors, as well as with nonprofits, to promote knowledge sharing among nonprofits, to ensure direct support to select nonprofits, to encourage Bank Group staff to volunteer in the community, and to promote workplace giving.Copyright © 2009. The Urban Institute. All rights reserved. Except for short quotes, no part of this re-port may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage or retrieval system, without written permissionfrom the Urban Institute. The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that ex-amines the social, economic, and governance problems facing the nation. The views expressed arethose of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. ContentsIntroduction1Organization of the Databook3Data Sources3Demographics of Teenagers and Young Adults7Teenagers7Young Adults8Teenagers and Young Adults Live in Healthy,13Stable, and Supportive FamiliesFamily Structure of Teenagers14Teenage Poverty18Family Structure of Young Adults20Young Adult Poverty21Homeless Teenagers and Young Adults21 Teenagers and Young Adults Succeed in School25Enrollment in Public and Private School27Performance of Youth in Public School28Impediments to School Performance29College Competitiveness32Graduation Rates and High School Dropouts33Continuing Education35Teenagers and Young Adults Are Healthy 39and Practice Healthy BehaviorsPhysical Health40Mental Health42Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Illicit Drugs43Sexual Activity46Teen Birth Rates48Sexually Transmitted Diseases48HIV and AIDS49Sex Education and Family Planning Clinics52Teenagers and Young Adults Are Engaged 55inMeaningful ActivitiesExtracurricular Activities56Employment and Employment Programs58Civic and Community Engagement59Juveniles Arrested and Petitioned in D.C. Superior Court60ivONTHEROADTOADULTHOOD Conclusion631. Reinstate and Fund the Mayor’s Reconnecting Disconnected 64Youth (RDY) Committee2. Reorganize the Interagency Collaboration and Services Integration65Commission (ICSIC) to Include Community Stakeholders, UsingMaryland’s Joint Committee for Children, Youth, and Families as a Model3. Establish a Cabinet-Level Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, 65and Families4. Develop Strategic Partnerships with Community-Based 66Organizations Tackling Out-of-School Time, Youth Homelessness, and Youth EmploymentAppendix. Organization Profiles69Profile 1: Asian American LEAD (AALEAD)70Profile 2: Beacon House71Profile 3: Covenant House Washington (CHW)71Profile 4: DC Alliance of Youth Advocates (DCAYA)72Profile 5: DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy 74Profile 6: DC SCORES75Profile 7: District of Columbia Primary Care Association—75Adolescent Wellness Initiative (AWI) Profile 8: Kid Power76Profile 9: Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)77Profile 10: Martha’s Table77Profile 11: Metro TeenAIDS (MTA)78Profile 12: Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY)79Profile 13: Sitar Arts Center79Profile 14: The Urban Alliance Foundation, Inc.80References81vCONTENTS AcknowledgmentsThe authors thank The World Bank Group and the Community Outreach Program for providing us with the opportunity to examine the state of teenagers and older youth in the District of Columbia andto highlight some of the nonprofit organizations serving them. In particular, we thank Vicki Betancourtand Walter D. Woods from the Community Outreach Program. Walter D. Woods was instrumental forhis many contributions to the content, organization, and accuracy of this report.We also thank the nonprofit organizations that enabled us to conduct focus groups with their teenagersand youth adults and the nonprofit organizations that submitted descriptions of the important workthat they do.About the AuthorsJennifer Comey is a research associate in the Urban Institute’s Center on Metropolitan Housing andCommunities.Eshauna Smith is executive director of DC Alliance of Youth Advocates.Peter A. Tatian is a senior research associate in the Urban Institute’s Center on Metropolitan Housingand Communities. IntroductionThe problems facing children and youth in the District of Columbiah