Milwaukee teen birthrate drops 50% in 7 years after city efforts, By Karen Herzog, October 23, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Milwaukee’s teen birthrate has dropped by 50% over the past seven years — surpassing by three years and 4 percentage points a goal set by one of the most ambitious teen pregnancy prevention initiatives in the nation, city officials announced Wednesday. The 2012 teen birthrate marks a historic low for the city: 25.76 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17, down 50% from seven years prior, when the rate was 52 births per 1,000 females in that age group. The initiative grew out of concerns that children born to teen mothers are more likely to become teen parents themselves and are more likely to drop out of school, tap into public assistance or go to jail. The city and a group of community partners set a goal in 2008 to reduce Milwaukee’s teen births by 46% over 10 years (2006-’15), to 30 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty