1 out of 4 Children Involved in a Divorce
Undergoes Parental Alienation Syndrome
In the 1980's, PAS was defined by scientist Richard
Gardner of Columbia
University.
Men are usually the target parent, since in most cases the mother has custody
of the child. "The so-called alienating parent is the one who has custody
and uses it to brainwash the child, turning him or her against the alienated
parent." As pointed out by the group of researchers of the University of
Granada, there
are many other factors which influence PAS apart from the unacceptable attitude
of the custodial parent, such as children's psychological vulnerability, the
character and behavior of parents, dynamics among brothers, or the existing
conflicts between the two divorced parents.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/1-out-of-4-chil.php
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Low-Income US Children Less Likely to Have Access to Qualified Teachers
Children from low-income families in the United States
do not have the same access to qualified teachers as do wealthier students,
according to a University
of Missouri
study. Compared to 46 countries, the United States
had the fourth largest opportunity gap, the difference between students of
high and low socioeconomic status in their access to qualified teachers.
Comparing eighth grade math teachers from around the world, the study defined
highly qualified teachers as ones who have full certification, a degree in
math or math education and at least three years of teaching experience.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/lowincome-us-ch.php
2008 National Parent Leadership Month
to Observe the Anniversary Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
A hush fell over the room when Jolly K. testified before
Congress about her abusive behavior toward her child and how she successfully
turned her life around through Parents Anonymous. She was considered by leading
experts as the single most effective witness because her personal story humanized
the problem of child maltreatment by focusing on effective prevention programs.
This courageous testimony in 1973 ensured the passage of the first federal
legislation to focus on prevention: The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment
Act of 1974 (CAPTA).
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/parents-anonymo.php
**Civic Engagement
Pizza Hut Airs First Presidential Get-Out-
the-Vote Ad Aimed at Youth
Pizza Hut is airing a new ad encouraging young Americans
to get involved in the political process by voting for the next U.S. President.
Pizza Hut is the first company in this Presidential election to remind Americans
to vote with the tagline, "It's your choice." The company's first
political ad, which debuted during the Iowa Caucuses and featured snippets
of each of the Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates appearing
on a debate stage together to address concerns about the economy. It was
the first time a company had used actual Presidential candidate snippets in
a commercial ad, and was well-received by youth on blogs
and social media sites.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/video-from-medi.php
**Community Development
ZERODIVIDE Raises $1,000,000 for Technology
Programs in Underserved California Communities
AT&T is presenting its $1 million grant at an event
attended by representatives from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, the California
Public Utilities Commission and the San Francisco Mayor's office. As a foundation,
ZeroDivide provides more than just funding; through community,
philanthropic and corporate partnerships, the organization helps nonprofits
find new revenue sources to become more self-sustaining. Whether the divides
are social, economic, political or cultural, technology can help overcome
these divides. By redefining the role of philanthropy, the foundation bridges
the digital divide, reshaping communities and moving toward a ZeroDivide.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/media-event-zer.php
**Economic Security
Warnings of Steep Increase in Black
Unemployment
The Economic Policy Institute warned that a national
economic recession will result in disproportionately high unemployment rates
for African Americans unless Congress enacts an emergency program to reduce
joblessness and restore working people's purchasing power. "When white
America
is in recession, black America
is in an economic depression," declared Algernon Austin, director of
EPI's Race, Ethnicity and the Economy program. "The
black unemployment rate is typically about double the white unemployment rate,
and in the last two recessions, it rose faster than the overall unemployment
rate.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/warnings-of-ste.php
Teen Pregnancy and Poverty: 30-Year-Study
Confirms That Living in Economically-Depressed Neighborhoods, Not Teen Motherhood,
Perpetuates Poverty
For the past 15 years, political pundits have been telling
us a dark fairy tale about American teens, blaming America's
high poverty rates on the actions of teenage girls who have babies out of
wedlock. But a new longitudinal study by Frank Furstenberg (University of
Pennsylvania)
shows that fairy tales have no place in the realm of policy-making. His data
reveal that teen childbearing is not the reason that many Americans have been
trapped in poverty over the past three decades.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/teen-pregnancy.php
U.S. Department of Labor Announces $1.25 Million to North Carolina to Help Trade-Affected Workers Pay for Health Insurance
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a $1,250,000
National Emergency Grant to the state of North Carolina
to help provide assistance in paying health insurance premiums to approximately
1,800 dislocated workers who are eligible for the Health Coverage Tax Credit.
The assistance is available through the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
Reform Act of 2002. "This $1.25 million grant will help provide health
care coverage for these workers as they transition to new careers," said
the U.S. Secretary of Labor
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/us-department-o-6.php
**Education
Education Politics - What's Fear Got
to Do with It?
The education world is under more scrutiny than ever
before. Reports, political platforms, test result comparisons, and various
articles in newspapers and magazines all criticize a field that just a generation
or so ago was considered an unabashed American success. Educators, students
and parents each experience significant fear as it relates to the education
system, fearing such things as job loss, testing, bullying, or poor educational
quality. The current special issue of Educational Policy, named the Politics
of Education Association Yearbook, explores the use of fear in the politics
of education and its impact.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/whats-fear-got.php
What Role Do Teachers Play in America's Educational Crisis?
What role do teachers play in America's
educational crisis? A special issue of Public Finance Review, published by
SAGE, examines those questions, addressing one critical dimension of the debates
about educational quality and equity, namely, the role of teachers, focusing
especially on the hiring and retention of qualified teachers -- even in disadvantaged
districts. Publishing these articles is the end result of papers presented
at "The Teacher Quality and Teacher Retention Conference," held
at the Maxwell School at Syracuse
University
in May 2005.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/what-role-do-te.php
Campaign for High School Equity Urges
Senate to Hold Schools Accountable for Increasing Graduation Rates
The Campaign for High School Equity, the only coalition
of leading civil rights groups to focus on high school education reform, today
urged policymakers to ensure productive futures for all students by holding
school systems accountable for getting students successfully to graduation.
One third of American students -- about 1.2 million each year -- leave high
school without a diploma, and graduation rates for poor and minority students
are even lower. At a congressional briefing today, speakers discussed the
significant need to include meaningful graduation rates in federal school
accountability requirements and outlined the personal and societal costs associated
with high school dropout rates, especially among poor and minority students.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/campaign-for-hi.php
Project to Develop and Sustain New
Methods To Improve Undergraduate Education
The Teagle Foundation and
The Spencer Foundation announced a funding commitment of $1,493,920 for a
program based at Duke University in
support of efforts to systematically strengthen undergraduate education at
major research universities. When the project is completed, it will offer
valuable new insights into best pedagogical practices and help spark new interest
in the scholarship of teaching and learning. From the first, the Foundations
have been dedicated to the belief that research is necessary to improvement
in education.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/project-to-deve.php
**Health
Language Barriers in Health Care
Approximately 47 million people in the United States
speak a language other than English at home, and more than 21 million have
problems speaking or understanding English, according to the 2000 census.
When seeking health care, patients with limited English proficiency (LEP)
often have worse access to care and lower satisfaction levels compared with
English speakers. A special supplementary issue of the Journal of General
Internal Medicine (Nov. 2007), which includes three Commonwealth Fund supported
articles, examines language barriers in health care.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/language-barrie.php
**Seniors
Piper Trust Focuses on Maricopa Model
for Living Last Third of Life
The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust has awarded grants
that will move Maricopa County closer
to creating a model for living the last third of life. Grants totaling $3.7
million will go to promote civic engagement among older adults, enhance resources
for children, build important skills at local nonprofit organizations and
support new construction, among other efforts. The new $250,000 grant will
help determine how to link together the work of now many Maricopa
County
agencies interested in engaging older adults in paid or volunteer service
to the community.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/piper-trust-foc.php
American Dental Association Honored
for Older Adults Oral Health Program
The Associations Advance America Awards program has
named the American Dental Association (ADA) to its 2008 Honor Roll, a national
awards competition for innovative projects sponsored by the American Society
of Association Executives & The Center for Association
Leadership, Washington, D.C. It
focuses on improving and maintaining good oral health for older adults throughout
their lives. The oral health initiative includes providing older adults,
their families, caregivers and dental professionals with education and other
free resources to increase the awareness of and need for better oral health.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/american-dental-2.php
Less Education May lead to Delayed
Awareness of Alzheimer's Onset
A review of epidemiological data has found evidence
that people who spend fewer years in school may experience a slight but statistically
significant delay in the realization that they're having cognitive problems
that could be Alzheimer's disease. Washington University researchers
found patients with more years of education were likely to be diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease earlier. This suggested to the researchers that those
with lower education levels may be slower to notice the early signs of disease,
only going to see a specialist after their symptoms become impossible to ignore.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/less-education.php
**Substance Abuse
ACTION Campaign to Combat Substance
Abuse Meets Initial Goal to Enlist 500 Agencies Nationwide
In the four short months since its launch in October
2007, the University of Wisconsin-Madison-based ACTION Campaign to combat
substance abuse has already met its initial goal to enlist 500 agencies nationwide.
Among the partners are the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's
(SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the Legal ACTION Center, the Network
for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx),
the National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH), and the National
Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC). Previous research
completed by NIATx suggests that one small improvement in each of the 500
agencies is expected to make a difference in the lives of 55,000 people affected
by substance abuse.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/01/action-campaign.php
