The following News is provided through the National Alliance for Children and Families and is meant to inform the constituency of the Alliance for Children and Families about a cross-section of news reports from a variety of media resources. The news does not necessarily reflect San Mar's or the Alliance's mission, vision, priorities, or policies.

Research shows girls now outnumber boys in alcohol use. In a shift since 2002, girls now outnumber boys in using alcohol. The group Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, for example, cites 2002 research showing 38.5% of ninth grade girls reported drinking in the past month, versus 34% of boys. Some 21% of girls and 19% of boys reported binge drinking. Until that year, girls had reported consuming alcohol at rates less than or nearly equal to boys.

The number of children in foster care is declining. The number of American children in foster care steadily rose through most of the 1990’s, peaking in 1999 at 570,000 and declining since then to 534,000 in 2002.

Bullying continues to be a problem. Five years after social outcasts made tragic history at Colorado’s Columbine High School, experts estimate there are about 3.7 million bullies- defined as children who regularly verbally taunt or physically torment others – in 6th to 10th graders; and some research suggests that up to 20% of their victims suffer long-term effects, from falling grades to suicidal thoughts to violence. Two-thirds of school shooters in the past 15 years saw themselves as bullied, according to a 2002 study by the Secret Service. And bullies themselves often get in trouble with the law.