The Obama administrations new strategy to fight the spread of violent radical groups in the United States relies, in part, on educators, but the eight-page document released last week is short on details, said lawmakers who have been urging the government to develop a plan to combat the homegrown terror threat. The document, which followed two years of high-level meetings, emphasizes the value of after-school programs to connect with teenagers, but it is based mostly on initiatives already under way. Denis McDonough, President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said truancy was one warning sign.
A version of this article appeared in the August 10, 2011 edition of Education Week as Schools Part of Anti-Terrorism Plan