Administration's
'Child Welfare Program Option' Puts Children Who Have Been Abused or Neglected
at Greater Risk
According to the Center
for Law and Social Policy, the Administration's 2008 budget proposal talks
about a goal of increasing services and supports for children, but its budget
recommendations go in the opposite direction. This brief focuses on the Administration's
"Child Welfare Program Option," offering a summary of what is known
about the proposal and the concerns and questions CLASP has about the approach
suggested.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/bush_administra_7.php
Keeping
the Internet Safe for Kids: Congress Is Acting; Educators Should, Too
A Rochester Institute of Technology professor
and author of "Understanding and Managing Cybercrime,"
comments that the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators (KIDS) Act
of 2007 is definitely a step in the right direction. For example, the legislation
that will finally force sex offenders to register their e-mail and instant
message addresses with the Department of Justice's National Sex Offender Registry.
This country needs to undertake an education reform movement that implements
cyber information, ethics and safety education into K-12 curricula.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/keeping_the_int.php
Families
Forgotten: Administration's Priorities Put Child Care Low on List
According to the Center
for Law and Social Policy despite evidence that child care assistance is critical
to helping low-income families to work and to succeed financially, the President's
FY 2008 budget proposal freezes discretionary child care funding for the sixth
consecutive year.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/families_forgot_1.php
**Community Development
HUD
Approves Louisiana Plan to Boost Funding to Small Business Recovery Program
The Department of Housing
and Urban Development approved Louisiana’s request for an additional $105 million
to further assist small businesses in the States’ southern parishes to recover
from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Louisiana’s Small Firm Recovery Loan and Grant Program will provide
grants to small companies located in southern parishes that are deemed to
have a chance to continue to operate, to contribute to the local economy and
to maintain and create jobs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/hud_approves_lo_1.php
Living
in Poor Neighborhoods Raises Risks for Heart Disease and Stroke
According to a new study
from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the incidence of heart disease
and associated fatalities are higher for people who live in poor neighborhoods
vs. those who live in more affluent areas. "It's not surprising when
you think about the health behaviors related to heart disease and stroke -
physical inactivity, poor nutrition, smoking - and think about how neighborhoods
can influence these," according to one researcher.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/living_in_poor.php
**Economic Security
Engaging
Employers in Youth Workforce Development Activities
Research from Chapin Hall
finds that engaging employers in youth workforce preparation activities is
widely supported as a good practice among youth program providers and educators.
The report we explores possible disconnects between stakeholders and the effects
these disconnects may have on expanding employer involvement.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/engaging_employ.php
When
Restaurant and Hotel Workers Don't Have Paid Sick Days, It Hurts Us All
According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, the mean hourly earnings of full-time waiters and waitresses
are the lowest of 427 ranked occupations. Also among the 25 lowest-ranked
occupations are food preparers, bartenders, and cooks. While these wages
do not include possible income from tips, full-time work at these wages leaves
these workers below poverty for a family of four.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/heres_a_tip_whe.php
Family
and Medical Leave Act: Response to Request for Information
This letter responds to
the Department of Labor's request for information regarding the administration
and operation of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). The Center
for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) fully supports the FMLA, which provides
critical flexibility to millions of American workers and allows them to balance
their workplace and family responsibilities. The request for information
raises concern that the Department of Labor may be considering changes to
the regulations, changes that would roll back the FMLA's protections or scale back coverage for workers' health
and family needs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/family_and_medi_1.php
Implementing
the TANF Changes in the DRA: "Win-Win" Solutions for Families and
States, Second Edition
This report from CLASP and
the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is intended to guide state administrators
and advocates as they consider implementing the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) provisions of the 2006 federal budget, called the Deficit
Reduction Act (DRA). The report discusses the legal structure of the work
participation requirements; strategies for improving and increasing engagement
in programs; strategies for increasing support for working families.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/implementing_th_1.php
**Education
Straight
Talk About a Report on Achievement at Philadelphia
Schools
A Feb. 1 report by Research
for Action and RAND examined student achievement in privately managed and district-managed
public schools in Philadelphia. Proponents and opponents of the
city's five-year-old experiment in the private management of public schools
interpreted the report very differently. Our report examined academic achievement
measured by reading and math test scores among students attending Philadelphia public schools. In fact, students at schools managed by private
operators kept pace with --- but did not exceed --- the gains of students
in the rest of the district in the past four years, when achievement levels
district-wide rose substantially.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/straight_talk_a.php
Catalyst
Magazine Targets Autonomy and Accountability in Chicago's Schools
The special edition of Catalyst
focuses on how educators - and school districts - in Chicago are coming to terms with new ways
to grant schools more independence and authority while also paying close attention
to student achievement. The issue is titled "Schools Set Free,"
and the front-page notes that "Beyond Charters,” Chicago's version of school freedom pales
in comparison to New York City's. But CPS says it is moving in that
direction. For example, schools with more authority can benefit from extra
funding and greater control over curriculum; meanwhile, they can also be graded,
based on student performance.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/catalyst_magazi.php
See
Scientists Run -- For School Board
A national science literacy
expert and Michigan State University professor is having a running clinic
at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting.
The goal is to inspire, educate and arm scientists to run for school boards.
In August, he published a survey in Science magazine that showed that about
40 percent of the American population does not believe in evolution, a figure
which is much higher than those found in similar surveys in European nations
and Japan.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/msu_expert_see.php
Beyond
NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise to Our Nations' Children
According to the Aspen Institute,
ensuring that No Child Left Behind works for all students requires more than
asking states to develop plans for assessment and accountability systems.
The implementation of NCLB has shown the need to do a better job in providing
interventions, such as public school choice and supplemental educational services
(SES or free tutoring), designed to help students in low-performing schools.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/beyond_nclb_ful.php
Statement
by Education Secretary on Aspen Institute Report on No Child Left Behind
The Aspen Institute's Commission
on No Child Left Behind report "Beyond NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise to
Our Nations' Children" released today illustrates the broad, bipartisan
commitment to improving our nation's schools that was behind the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001. The Commission's recommendations
recognize the solid foundation built by NCLB and reaffirm the law's core principles
including accountability, high standards and having all students reading and
doing math at grade level by 2014.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/statement_by_se_2.php
**Health
The
State Children's Health Insurance Program: Past, Present, and Future
The reauthorization for
the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is set to expire at
the end of fiscal year (FY) 2007. SCHIP - broadly considered a success - has
expanded health insurance for low - income children through federal - state
and public - private partnerships. This report from the Commonwealth Fund
reviews the program's history and design, describes its present challenges
and successes, assesses issues Congress is likely to consider during reauthorization,
and explores future policy options including potential changes in eligibility
and financing.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/the_state_child.php
Coverage
Patterns Among SCHIP-Eligible Children and Their
Parents
This brief from the Urban
Institute uses the 2005 Current Population Survey to examine national patterns
of coverage among families with SCHIP eligible children. Key findings are
that: close to 2 million uninsured children are eligible for SCHIP, the majority
of SCHIP enrollees could not be enrolled in an employer plan that covers their
parents, and almost 40% of SCHIP enrollees lives
with an uninsured parent.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/coverage_patter.php
Absence
of Health Insurance Coverage Costs $1.47B in Maryland
Expenditures for the uninsured
in Maryland totaled $1.47 billion in FY2002, according
to an analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health. The sum equates to $2,371 per individual without health
insurance---paid for by state and federal funds, private insurance companies,
physicians, charities and the uninsured themselves.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/absence_of_heal.php
Significant
Differences in Heart Disease Prevalence among States and U.S. Territories
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report that finds a wide range of
variation in the prevalence of coronary heart disease (a narrowing of the
arteries that feed the heart), heart attack and angina (chest pain that occurs
when the heart does not get enough blood). The report found that some states
and territories had double the prevalence of heart disease as others.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2007/02/significant_dif.php
