Caring for Georgia's Unbefriended Elders

This report explores implementation issues arising out of a 2010 state law that provides legal protections for older Georgians who have not executed a valid end-of life directive and who become incompetent to give informed consent to health care providers.

Resolving Recurring Election Administration Problems in Georgia

This report identifies major recurring election problems that could interfere with the ability of eligible Georgia voters to cast a ballot during the November 2012 elections and offers suggested solutions to these problems. It sets forth practical steps that can be implemented within the existing legal framework in Georgia.

Representing Students in School Tribunals in Georgia Attorney Training Manual, Second Edition

The Young Professionals Council (YPC) of Georgia Appleseed has released this resource for attorneys to represent students in disciplinary tribunals.

Effective Student Discipline: Keeping Kids in Class: An Assessment of Georgia's Public School Disciplinary Policies, Practices and Outcomes

This project provides a comprehensive, objective assessment of public school student discipline in Georgia, and seeks to identify any changes that would benefit all of Georgia's students.

(Texas) Breaking Schools' Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students' Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement

This report describes the results of an analysis of millions of school and juvenile justice records in Texas.

When My Child is Disciplined at School: A Guide for Families

Georgia Appleseed offers this guidebook as a tool to help parents and guardians throughout our state to become informed advocates both for their children and for fair, equitably applied school discipline policies.

Cuando Mi Hijo Es Disciplinado en la Escuela

A Spanish-language version of our popular Guide

The Same Starting Line: How School Boards Can Erase the Opportunity Gap Between Poor and Middle-Class Children

This publications focuses on ensuring children have the learning-related resources to succeed academically. Includes a study on educational resource disparity in districts in five states, including Georgia. Includes a measurement tool, the Basic Resource Equity Assessment Document (READ), to ascertain the distribution of resources within districts.
Basic READ · Detailed READ · Side-by-Side READ

It Takes a Parent: Transforming Education in the Wake of the No Child Left Behind Act

This report documents an effort to combine practical, on-the-ground perspectives, based upon interviews, and on federal, state, and district policy research, with current social science research on key parental involvement issues and effective practices. Mostly, it reflects an effort to assemble and analyze what we know as a matter of practice and as a matter of research in framing an action agenda promoting more effective parental involvement practices by schools, districts, and states. Powerpoint Presentation

Unlocking Heir Property Ownership: Assessing the Impact on Low and Mid-Income Georgians and Their Communities

This report provides background on the Heir Property problem in Georgia, presents findings from thousands of hours of pro bono tax database research, and makes the case for the need for an independent heir property legal clinic.

Heir Property in Georgia Attorney Training Manual

The Young Professionals Council (YPC) of Georgia Appleseed has released Heir Property in Georgia Attorney Training Manual, the education manual for non-real estate attorneys.

2012 Supplement

Heir Property in Georgia (Second Edition)

The Young Professionals Council (YPC) of Georgia Appleseed is proud to release its new handbook, Heir Property in Georgia (Second Edition). Produced by YPC in conjunction with the UGA School of Law Cousins Public Interest Fellowship, the manual provides a concise overview of issues affecting heir property owners in Georgia.

Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Presentation

This informative presentation was developed by Georgia Appleseed to appeal to a variety of audiences. It includes information about the issue of heir property and explains the new Uniform Partitions of Heirs Property Act.

Common Wisdom: Making the Case for a New Georgia Juvenile Code

As part of JUSTGeorgia's goal to realize a new Juvenile Code and improve related social service systems, Georgia Appleseed gathered and published the "common wisdom" of more than 300 Georgians throughout the state who shared their opinions about what works and what does not within our current juvenile code.

Justice for People with Mental Illness in Georgia: A Report on Conversations with Leaders in the Field

This report was prepared with the pro bono assistance of King & Spalding, prompted this response that was delivered to lead pro bono attorney Diane M. Janulis:

"I am a parent of an adult child that has bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. For years my wife and I have voiced our concern with the lack of mental health care in Georgia and the rest of our country. We haven't given up, and we won't because of efforts like yours and your fellow attorneys at King and Spalding. I read through the report and applaud the findings. They are succinct and simply make a lot of sense. I will pass it along to members of NAMI . . . for them to refer to as they speak to influential leaders in our community."

Protecting Assets & Child Custody in the Face of Deportation

(2009), This manual guides volunteer lawyers and non-lawyer practitioners through important financial and family rights threatened by the deportation process, including final paychecks, bank accounts, car and home ownership, government benefits, child custody, and others. "Protecting Assets" provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to help immigrants protect their financial assets and family relationships.

Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement; A Legal Guide for Advocates

Revised and updated (2008), Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas contains legal and practical guidelines to combat local anti-immigrant ordinances.

Remittance Transparency: Strengthening Business, Building Community

Project Summary/Key Findings

Banking in a Global Market: A Financial Institution Guide for Offering International Remittance Services

This publication offers a step-by-step approach to establishing a remittance program that is beneficial to both consumers and the financial institutions serving them. The report describes several effective remittance programs, drawing on the experiences of financial institutions in Georgia and throughout the U.S. Executive Summary | Supplement

The Fair Exchange: Improving the Market for International Remittances

This report is a preliminary step toward launching a market-based initiative that would help consumers choose the best remittance value and differentiate between industry players. It provides an opportunity for the industry to work cooperatively with consumer organizations to achieve common goals. The next steps in the process include a limited pilot to test the disclosure in a market setting, and then expanded implementation if the pilot proves successful. These pilots should lay a solid foundation for future work establishing the Fair Exchange. Executive Summary

Creating a Fair Playing Field for Consumers: The Need for Transparency in the U.S.-Mexico Remittance Market

The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world. To provide a more complete picture of the impact of the exchange rate spread on pricing, Appleseed Centers collected and analyzed exchange rate data for wiring money from the United States to Mexico. Our study revealed that unpredictable and undisclosed rates make it extremely difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about remitting money to Mexico, and keep the market from operating efficiently for three primary reasons: lack of marketplace transparency, lack of consistent access to correct pricing information, and lack of standardized pricing disclosure practices. Our report offers three recommendations on how to best handle the problem, any one of which would build greater transparency — and consumer protection — into the remittance market.

Expanding Immigrant Access to Mainstream Financial Services

This paper aim to stimulate a discussion on how best to overcome challenges and build on successes to realize the important social and economic benefits of bringing immigrant communities into the financial mainstream. They outline positive market practices targeting Latin American immigrants and the needs, opportunities, and next steps for expanding and improving financial services for low- and moderate-income immigrant communities. For further reading, see Appleseed's Next Steps.

Banking Immigrant Communities: A Toolkit for Banks and Credit Unions

FAQ about Opening Deposit Accounts for Foreign Citizens