Early Head Start Participants, Programs, Families, and Staff
in 2006
This
fact sheet reviews the 2006 Program Information Reports (PIR) data for the
Early Head Start program, which serves children under age 3 and pregnant women.
In 2006, Early Head Start continued to provide vital services to a diverse
group of low-income children and families, most of which included at least
one working parent.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/early-head-star.php
Head Start Participants, Programs, Families, and Staff in
2006
This
fact sheet reviews the 2006 Program Information Report (PIR) data for all
Head Start programs, including preschool, Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal
Head Start, and American Indian and Alaskan Native programs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/head-start-part.php
Children's Savings Accounts: Why Design Matters
One
way to achieve an ownership society is to endow all children with savings
accounts starting at birth. This report shows that specific design features
of a children's savings account program will impact the distribution of wealth.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/childrens-savin.php
Stress during childhood increases the risk of allergies
Moving
house or the separation of parents can significantly increase the risk of
children developing allergies later on.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/stress-during-c.php
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Study finds quality of California preschools falls
short
Researchers
found that more than half of the state's preschoolers attend center-based
early care and education programs, but the quality of those preschools is
mixed. http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/study-finds-qua.php
Children Frequently Utilize Technology to Prey on Friends
and Classmates Online
There's
a new cyber enemy for parents to worry about - and it's not the stereotypical
middle-aged stranger that has long been feared. This new threat lurks not
only in cyberspace but in the school yard, the classroom and, at times, the
home.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/startling-new-r.php
**Civic Engagement - Philanthropy
Alliance for Children and
Families Receives $50,000 Grant to Support Civic Engagement Efforts
The
Alliance for Children and
Families, Milwaukee, has begun a project
to help further develop the capacity of human service agencies through civic
engagement practices. The grant strengthens the Alliance's efforts to provide
members with training, tools, and resources for building effective community
coalitions that advocate for meaningful social change.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/alliance-for-ch-2.php
U.S. Department of
Education Awards $1.4 Million to Help Students Develop Strong Character and
Good Citizenship
Schools
in Kansas, Florida and New York will share $1.4
million in grants designed to help them implement programs that teach the
principles of character development and the responsibilities of citizenship
to their students, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/us-department-o-8.php
The James Irvine Foundation Announces $22 Million in New
Grants to Expand 'Multiple Pathways' Programs for College Students, Spur Innovations
in Art Making, Support Community Foundation Growth
Irvine
Foundation has approved 34 grants totaling nearly $22 million in support of
the Foundation's mission of expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate
in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/the-james-irvin-1.php
**Community Development
LSU professor dissects patterns of violence in rural communities
Rural
areas traditionally known for high rates of violent crime include Mississippi's Delta Region,
parts of Appalachia and Louisiana's Florida parishes. "Perhaps
not surprisingly, places that have high levels of rental occupancy and a transient
citizen base are more likely to experience increased violent crime than a
community with high home ownership and a stable population base."
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/lsu-professor-d.php
The Challenges of Prisoner Reentry: Facts and Figures
This
fact sheet points out the main challenges former jail and prison inmates have
in returning to society. The consequences of their employment problems and
recidivism are experienced not just by the former inmates but also by their
families, which are predominantly low-income and include over 3 million children.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/the-challenges-1.php
Financial Help among Family and Friends in Vulnerable Neighborhoods:
Part 1: Who Gives?
Financial
assistance from family and friends is an important resource for lower-income
families dealing with difficult economic circumstances. This fact sheet examines
what percent of respondents in low-income neighborhoods gave financial help,
either to family and friends or to other people they live with, in the last
12 months.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/financial-help-1.php
Financial Help among Family and Friends in Vulnerable Neighborhoods
: Part 2: Who Receives?
In the
second fact sheet the Urban Institute examines what percent of respondents
in low-income neighborhoods received financial help in the last 12 months
from families and friends or from other people they live with.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/financial-help.php
FHA REACHING OUT TO 675,000 AT-RISK HOMEOWNERS IN SECOND
PHASE OF DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGN
HUD's
Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is mailing hundreds of thousands of letters
to homeowners at risk of losing their homes through foreclosure and urging
them to consider a safer, more affordable alternative to the high-cost mortgages
they are currently paying.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/fha-reaching-ou.php
STATEMENT BY HUD SECRETARY STEVE PRESTON ON THE HOPE NOW
ALLIANCE'S NEW MORTGAGE
ASSISTANCE GUIDELINES
U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary released the following
statement today regarding the HOPE NOW Alliance's adoption of
new guidelines to help homeowners more quickly obtain the assistance they
need to avoid foreclosure.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/statement-by-hu-1.php
BUSH ADMINISTRATION RENEWS EFFORT TO ADDRESS RISKY LOANS
ON GOVERNMENT-BACKED MORTGAGES
The
Bush Administration renewed its efforts to address risky government-backed
seller-funded downpayment assistance loans that
are significantly more likely to lead to foreclosure.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/bush-administra-3.php
**Economic Security
Why Not a "Super Simple" Saving Plan for the United States?
This
paper from the Urban Institute suggests that it is possible to create a "Super
Simple" saving plan that would provide a basic, low-cost, easily administrable
plan with the potential to increase significantly the retirement assets available
to moderate- and middle-income individuals.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/why-not-a-super.php
Rice U study finds that consumers may fare better with peer-to-peer
online lending Web sites
A new
study shows that online peer-to-peer lending Web sites may be more attractive
to Americans than traditional financial institutions. The study also found
that decisions made by lenders about whom to give loans to are much less likely
to be influenced by race or gender.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/rice-u-study-fi.php
Do Welfare and IDA Program Policies Affect Asset Holdings?
This
brief from the Urban Institute presents an empirical analysis of how asset
tests affect families’ asset holdings. The findings suggest that more lenient
asset tests and more generous IDA program rules can lead families to increase
their asset holdings. http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/do-welfare-and.php
Welfare Rules Databook: State TANF Policies as of July 2006
The
Welfare Rules Databook provides tables containing key Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF) policies for each state as of July 2006, as well
as longitudinal tables describing selected state policies from 1996 through
2006.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/welfare-rules-d-2.php
Welfare Time Limits
One
of the most controversial features of the 1990s welfare reforms was the imposition
of time limits on benefit receipt. This comprehensive review, written by The
Lewin Group and MDRC, includes analyses of administrative
data reported by states to the federal government, visits to several states,
and a literature review.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/welfare-time-li.php
Portraits of the Assets and Liabilities of Low-Income Families
Nearly
one quarter of low-income families do not have a checking or savings account,
more than one-third do not own cars, 60 percent do not own a home, and 90
percent have no retirement account.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/portraits-of-th.php
Income inequality continues staggering 25-year growth trend
The
ratio of the wage income of the top 1% of earners to that of the bottom 90%
more than doubled between 1979 and 2006, increasing from a ratio of 9.4-to-1
to 19.9-to-1.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/income-inequali-1.php
U.S. Mayors Economic
Report Reveals Sluggish Economic and Job Growth in 2008-09
A new
economic report released during the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting
in Miami reveals that U.S. economic growth
for 2008 has weakened considerably, while unemployment and consumer prices
have risen sharply.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/us-mayors-econo.php
**Education
Attitude determines student success in rural schools
While
most of the country focuses on ACT scores, student-teacher ratio and rigorous
curriculum to increase student success, it may be the commitment to excellence
that determines student achievement in rural schools.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/attitude-determ.php
Report Reaffirms Academic Gains for DC Opportunity Scholarship Participants
While
the report found no statistically significant difference in test scores overall
between students who were offered a scholarship and students who were not
offered a scholarship, achievement trends are moving in the right direction.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/report-reaffirm.php
RAND Study Shows Creative Collaborative Approaches Work to
Maintain, Extend Arts Education in Six U.S. Urban Areas
Amid
cutbacks in school arts education funding, public and private organizations
in six urban regions have collaborated to expand access to arts learning for
children in and outside of public school.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/rand-study-show.php
Season-Ending TV Show to Spotlight Youth Volunteer Service
and Its Impact on Developing Active and Responsible Citizens
The
U.S. Department of Education's monthly TV show, "Education News Parents
Can Use," concludes its 2007-08 season by examining how student service
activities and volunteer efforts build good character, inspire civic responsibility
and promote academic learning.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/seasonending-tv.php
States Chosen to Work with National Technical Assistance Center to Implement and
Scale-Up Evidence-Based Practices
The
U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
announced that its national technical assistance center has selected six states
with which it will work to expand promising, evidence-based practices for
K-12 students.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/states-chosen-t-1.php
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Joins Former
Governor Jeb Bush for National Summit on Education Reform
The
U.S. Secretary of Education delivered the keynote address at Excellence in
Action: A National Summit on Education Reform. Our job is to make sure improving
our schools remains a top priority for the next administration and beyond.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/us-secretary-of-11.php
**Health
People with lower incomes, lower education levels have higher
death rates
Mayo
Clinic researchers present new data suggesting that people with lower incomes
and education levels are more likely to die after heart attack than more affluent,
educated people.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/people-with-low.php
Plight of the Uninsured
A June
12, 2008 New York Times editorial focused on a Commonwealth Fund study published
in Health Affairs that found an estimated 25 million adults in the United
States are underinsured. Also see a NewsHour analysis on the study, featuring an interview with
lead author Cathy Schoen.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/plight-of-the-u.php
HHS Takes Action to Help Medicare Beneficiaries and Providers
in Iowa and Indiana
HHS
Secretary declared a public health emergency in the flood-stricken states
of Iowa and Indiana.
The action gives HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS)
Medicare beneficiaries and their health care providers
greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/hhs-takes-actio.php
30 Applicants for Electronic Health Record Demonstration
Project
HHS
Secretary Mike Leavitt today applauded the more than 30 communities that have
applied for a new demonstration project that will provide Medicare incentive
payments to primary care physician practices that use certified electronic
health records (EHR) to improve the quality of patient care.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/30-applicants-f.php
HHS Secretary Announces 12 Communities Selected to Advance
Use of Electronic Health Records in First Ever National Demonstration
HHS
Secretary Mike Leavitt today named 12 communities that will participate in
a national Medicare demonstration project that provides incentive payments
to physicians for using certified electronic health records (EHR) to improve
the quality of patient care.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/hhs-secretary-a.php
**Substance Abuse
Positive school environments can help reduce student smoking
New
research published in the open access journal BMC Public Health reveals that
teachers who succeed in creating a positive environment in school may be responsible
for their pupils staying smoke-free.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/positive-school.php
Claims linking health problems and the strength of cannabis
may be exaggerated
Claims
that a large increase in the strength of cannabis over the last decade is
driving the occurrence of mental health and other problems for users are not
borne out by a study of the worldwide literature.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/2008/06/claims-linking.php
