A report released by a children's advocacy group shows that opportunities for young people vary widely between cities and towns across the state.
The findings show that poor young people living in segregated cities struggle more often with being suspended, dropping out of school, or being arrested. The rate of teen births among these kids is also higher.
But researchers from Connecticut Voices for Children also found some surprising connections.
"The more adults there are who have bachelor's degrees in a community, the fewer teen pregnancies we'll see -- even given constant levels of poverty," said Lauren Ruth, a youth policy fellow who co-authored the report. She said there's a few possible reasons why this might be happening.
"One is, more potential role models. One is possibly different norms within communities. One is maybe more interaction with adults on a regular basis."
Here's a portion from the study:
The one thing that separates cities, according to the study, is the level of collaboration. New Haven, for example, has seen a decline in drop-out rates and suspensions, which has been attributed to the city's mayor, police chief, and school officials coming together to fix the problem.
"They sat down, and they said, "This is a problem, and we're going to hammer out a coordinated way to deal with this problem, and a consistent philosophy across our departments.'" Ruth said. "That approach really seems to be a promising method of tackling problems in communities."
The study also found other correlations. Like high school dropouts are more likely to have a job if the homeownership rate is high in their town. Ruth said that it's hard to pin down why, but it could have something to do with access to resources that help with job placement. And families that rent tend to move more often, which can also make a job hunt difficult.
The General Assembly is considering a bill that would help coordinate various diversionary programs across the state. These programs seek to identify struggling students early, and offer supports to help get them back on the right track.
