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Christine Stroble
Shaping Young Minds to Overcome Life Challenges
Keynote speaker, author, and educator.
Get in touch ⟩Inspiring Students to Lead a Purposeful Life
Dr. Chris Maria (Christine M. Stroble, Ph.D.) is an author and keynote speaker in the Upstate of South Carolina. She delivers engaging and meaningful presentations in high schools, colleges, universities, and community organizations, Inspiring Young Minds to Overcome Life Challenges and Lead a Purposeful Life.
Dr. Chris Maria is a former public-school English teacher and college professor. She received her Ph.D. from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research area focuses on improving education for pregnant and parenting students. She is the author of Helping Teen Moms Graduate: Strategies for Families, Schools, and Community Organizations (Feb 15, 2023), and her upcoming inspirational memoir is Daughter of a Teen Mom: A Daughter's Journey to Understand Her Mother's Story (Forthcoming 2024).
"There is not one book in this bookstore that addresses that issue (Helping Teen Moms Graduate)"
--- Manager, Barnes & Noble
Until now. . .
Helping Teen Moms Graduate is a much-needed resource for schools, families, and community organizations that support pregnant and parenting students as they strive to complete their education.
The U.S. high school graduation rate is surpassing 84% and hitting record highs, year after year, but this same progress does not ring true for a certain student population: teen moms or pregnant and parenting students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by age 22.
It's tempting to overlook this group because teen pregnancy rates are at a historic low; but the problem is hardly solved. The CDC reported in 2021, the number of live births to mothers aged 15-19 was 146,973.
We must support these students, as they strive to complete their education, and with less access to abortion, this teen birth rate among mothers 15-19 could potentially increase, creating a greater need for Helping Teen Moms Graduate: Strategies for Families, Schools, and Organizations.
Founder- Teen Moms Anonymous
Dr. Chris Maria is the founder of Teen Moms Anonymous. Teen Moms Anonymous is a community-based support group program for teen moms who are trauma survivors.
Their mission is to help teen moms who are trauma survivors heal from trauma, so they can attach and support the healthy emotional development of their children.
Participation is open to both teen girls 15-19 who are currently pregnant and parenting (with written consent from a parent or guardian) and adult women who were teen moms and are still living with unresolved trauma.
"There is not one book in this bookstore that addresses that issue (Helping Teen Moms Graduate)" - Manager, Barnes & Noble
Until now. . .
Helping Teen Moms Graduate:
Strategies for Families, Schools, and Community Organizations
Title IX is a federal law that prohibits federally funded educational institutions-- from elementary to university level-- from discriminating against students or employees based on sex. Title IX is best known for its application to female athletes, but Title IX also applies to pregnant and parenting students. It prohibits discrimination against them and protects their right to an education equal to their peers.
Yet, fifty years after the passage of Title IX, 50% of pregnant and parenting students do not complete high school. This is largely because educational barriers push pregnant and parenting students out of school, and schools directly violate Title IX.
What if those educational barriers exist at your school? What if your school is in direct violation of this federal law? Wouldn't you want to know? Helping Teen Moms Graduate will help ensure your school is in compliance and help you learn practical strategies to decrease the 50% high school pushout rate for this student population.