Human Services News

Chicago is gaining low-income households, including many large Latino households, much faster than it is gaining housing they can afford, a University of Illinois at Chicago report says.
If current trends continue through 2010, the city will see a marked increase in overcrowding, homelessness, and households burdened by rents they cannot afford, said Yittayih Zelalem, research assistant professor and co-director of UIC's Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement.

The researchers categorized households by size and income, matched them to units by size and cost, and estimated the potential mismatch between demand and supply five years from now.

"Building for the high end of the market isn't working.

High-income people don't necessarily want to buy or rent the most expensive units," said Janet Smith, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy and co-director of the Voorhees Center.

-Families increasingly are being pushed out of central neighborhoods because most new units in growing neighborhoods like the South Loop have no more than two bedrooms and are relatively expensive.

-An estimated 31,000-37,000 subsidized units could be lost as public housing is demolished and privately owned subsidized units are converted to market-rate.

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Posted by Michael at 3:37 AM

Voices of the Storm: Health Care After Katrina

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

As part of a continued commitment to help respond to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, a new video produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation focuses on individuals whose lives have been severely impacted by Katrina, six months after the hurricane.
The video explores the current status of New Orleans' health care system and the difficulties individuals are having when they try to access health services. You can also view many other Foundation resources on the topic.

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Posted by Michael at 2:30 AM

Children more at risk of attempting suicide if father is in both unskilled and stressful job

The children of men with stressful jobs, particularly jobs in which they have low control over their work and low psychological demand, are at higher risk of attempting suicide than others.
A study published today in the open access journal BMC Public Health also shows that boys are at higher risk of committing suicide if their father had a job with low psychological demand during the first 16 years of the child's life.

Ostry et al. collected data on the men's history of employment, their physical work conditions and their psychosocial work conditions -- these include the level of responsibility, the control over their everyday tasks and their time constraints, which govern the level of stress they experience in their job.

Ostry et al. obtained data on attempted and completed suicides among the children using a unique resource, the British Columbia Linked Health Database.

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Posted by Michael at 1:26 AM

America's Sleep-Deprived Teens Nodding Off at School

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

Many of the nation's adolescents are falling asleep in class, arriving late to school, feeling down and driving drowsy because of a lack of sleep that gets worse as they get older, according to a new poll released today by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).
Caffeine plays a prominent role in the life of today's adolescent.

Three-quarters of those polled drink at least one caffeinated beverage every day, and nearly one-third (31 percent) consume two or more such drinks each day.

Adolescents who drink two or more caffeinated beverages daily are more likely to get an insufficient amount of sleep on school nights and think they have a sleep problem.

Technology may also be encroaching on a good night's sleep.

-- Watching television is the most popular activity (76 percent) for adolescents in the hour before bedtime, while surfing the internet/instant-messaging (44 percent) and talking on the phone (40 percent) are close behind.

-- Boys are more likely than girls to play electronic video games (40 percent vs. 12 percent) and/or exercise (37 percent vs. 27 percent) in the hour prior to bedtime; girls are more likely than boys to talk on the phone (51 percent vs. 29 percent) and/or do homework/study (70 percent vs. 60 percent) in that time.

-- Nearly all adolescents (97 percent) have at least one electronic item -- such as a television, computer, phone or music device -- in their bedroom.

-- Adolescents with four or more such items in their bedrooms are much more likely than their peers to get an insufficient amount of sleep at night and almost twice as likely to fall asleep in school and while doing homework.

"Many teens have a technological playground in their bedrooms that offers a variety of ways to stay stimulated and delay sleep.

Dr. Mindell notes that "the poll data suggest that parents may be missing red flags that their teenager is not getting the sleep that he or she desperately needs.

Parents can play a key role in helping their adolescents develop and maintain healthy sleep habits.

In general, it is important for parents and adolescents to talk about sleep --- including the natural phase delay --- and learn more about good sleep habits in order to manage teens' busy schedules.

For more sleep tips for parents and adolescents, as well as the Summary of Findings for the 2006 Sleep in America poll, visit NSF's Web site at http://www.sleepfoundation.org.

Using the targeted random sample, quotas were established by grade and race/ethnicity, with minority respondents being over sampled to reflect equal proportions of respondents by grade, as well as the actual distribution of race/ethnicity based on the U.S. census.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving greater understanding of sleep and sleep disorders.

NSF furthers its mission through sleep-related education, research, and advocacy initiatives.

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Posted by Michael at 1:10 AM

New protests overshadow Bush defense of immigration reform

From Yahoo! News: Top Stories:

A key Senate panel endorsed a bill Monday that would allow illegal workers to obtain visas, sending the legislation to the full Senate for a likely heated debate in an election year.
The House of Representatives in December passed its own immigration bill that would make illegal entry in the United States a crime and heavily penalize employers of undocumented workers, opening the floodwaters of protest in the Hispanic community.

The House legislation triggered a huge protest in Los Angeles Saturday that drew half a million people, and protests continued Monday across the country.

"On April 8, we will hold a major assembly of organizations and coalitions that represent all immigrants to call for May 1 to be a nationwide 'Day Without Latins,' or a 'Day Without Immigrants,'" Coalition 25 president Javier Rodriguez told AFP.

There are more than 11 million undocumented workers, mostly Hispanics, in the United States.

Political Parties Pressured on Immigration AP via Yahoo!

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Posted by Michael at 12:11 AM

Protests Over Immigration Bill Continue

Tens of thousands of students walked out of school in California and other states Monday, waving flags and chanting slogans in a second week of protests against legislation to crack down on illegal immigrants.
More than 500,000 people gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, and tens of thousands rallied in Phoenix and Milwaukee last week.

Officials at Huntington Park High School locked the gates after classes started, but the students climbed over a chain-link fence and joined marchers in their heavily immigrant community.

Police went on a citywide alert, but no major confrontations reported.

Hundreds of teenagers also walked out of several high schools in Dallas and headed for a rally at a park, some carrying Mexican flags and others posters calling for Congress to recognize immigrant rights.

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Posted by Michael at 12:07 AM

Snowe Bill Provides Incentives for Small Businesses to Offer Affordable Health Insurance

U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today introduced the "Small Business Health Insurance Relief Act of 2006," (S. 2457) legislation that addresses the national health insurance ... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 12:05 AM

March 27, 2006

No Easy Solution as Texas Must Revisit School Financing

From NYT > National:

Try it in a contentious election year with statehouse leaders feuding, the governor and comptroller on opposite sides of just about everything, and a 30-day deadline, all while staring down the barrel of a gun.
That describes Texas as it faces a court-threatened shutdown of its public schools for violating constitutional limits on local property taxes.

The state's problem is that its schools, growing by up to 80,000 students a year, desperately need more money, but finding that money is nearly impossible with no state income tax and strict limits on how high property taxes can rise.

The court gave the state until June 1 to come up with a financing plan that would lower the taxes to discretionary levels or face an end to state financing that would shut the schools.

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Posted by Michael at 11:32 PM

Advocates Brief Community with Detailed Analysis of District's Soon-to-Be-Released Budget

What's in the 2007 Budget for Children and Youth? Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:12 PM

March 23, 2006

Parent and Community Involvement Expert Judges National Awards Contest

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

Arnold Fege, director of public engagement and national constituency building for the Public Education Network in Washington, D.C., served as a judge for the American School Board Journal's Magna Awards 2006 contest.
Fege is a nationally recognized expert on parent and community involvement in public school reform.

The judges selected 15 winners and six honorable mention awards from almost 350 applicants in the 12th annual contest.

The 2006 winners are highlighted in a special supplement to the April issue of ASBJ and will be formally recognized on Monday, April 10, at the School Leaders Luncheon at The Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, Ill.

The luncheon is part of National School Boards Association's 66th annual conference scheduled for April 8-11 in Chicago.

The Magna Awards, presented with the support of Sodexho School Services, recognize districts across the country for outstanding programs that advance student learning and encourage community involvement in schools.

American School Board Journal initiated the Magna Awards in 1995 to recognize school boards for taking bold and innovative steps to improve their educational programs.

American School Board Journal (www.asbj.com) is the award-winning, editorially independent education magazine of NSBA.

Founded in 1891, ASBJ covers a broad range of topics pertinent to school governance and management, policy making, student achievement, and the art of school leadership.

Sodexho USA (www.sodexhoUSA.com) is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States, with $6.3 billion in annual revenue and more than 110,000 employees.

Sodexho USA offers innovative outsourcing solutions in food service, housekeeping, grounds keeping, plant operations and maintenance, asset management, and laundry services to more than 6,000 corporations, health care, long-term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, military, and remote sites in North America.

Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., Sodexho USA proudly serves as the official food service provider for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Public Education Network (www.PublicEducation.org) is a national association of local education funds and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country.Our network of local education funds (LEFs) operates in 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, serving 11.5 million students -- that's 22 percent of America's public school population -- in 18,000 schools in more than 1,600 school districts in low-income areas.

AScribe Newswire distributes news from nonprofit and public sector organizations.

We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations.

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Posted by Michael at 11:40 PM

Immigration Debate Is Shaped by '08 Election

President Bush's effort to secure lawful employment opportunities for illegal immigrants is evolving into an early battle of the 2008 presidential campaign, as his would-be White House successors jockey for position ahead of next week's immigration showdown in the Senate.
Bush called on Congress yesterday to tone down the increasingly sharp and divisive rhetoric over immigration, as he renewed his push for a guest-worker plan that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to continue working in the United States.

The Key Races Map provides Washington Post analysis and candidate profiles for the most important races of Campaign 2006.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), whom Bush helped elect as party leader, is threatening to bring a new immigration bill to the Senate floor early next week.

John McCain (Ariz.), a rival of Frist's for the Republican nomination, is promoting Bush's call for tougher border security and the guest-worker program as he embraces the president to shore up his standing with Republican leaders.

Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) had vowed to write a bipartisan proposal that would bridge conservative demands for much tougher border enforcement with calls from both parties for a guest-worker program to meet the demand for unskilled labor and to address the 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

The visas would last for up to six years under the leading Senate proposals, but senators are divided over whether workers would have to return to their home countries for a year before qualifying for a renewal.

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Posted by Michael at 11:32 PM

Simple checklists could improve child protection

Simple checklists and structured forms could help healthcare professionals pick up child abuse more effectively, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
A spate of child deaths as a result of abuse in the UK has pointed to the repeated failures of child protection.

The authors evaluated 21 research papers on child protection training for healthcare professionals and the procedures for managing cases of abuse, published between1994 and 2005.

From the evidence presented, the authors conclude that structured forms and checklists help healthcare professionals to record child protection issues more effectively and help raise awareness.

Certain types of training seemed to improved knowledge and attitudes and boosted the speed of response to child protection concerns, many of the studies describing innovative approaches to training were of poor quality, say the authors.

By and large, the effectiveness or otherwise of these programmes had not been thoroughly evaluated, and it was impossible to know of their impact on referral rates to child protection agencies or on the numbers of children known to have been abused.

"Formal evaluation of a variety of models for the delivery of this training is urgently needed," conclude the authors.

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Posted by Michael at 11:29 PM

Caring emotions may overcome drug addictions in new parent therapy program

An article published in the latest issue of Family Relations describes a new therapy program for women with young children and substance abuse problems.
The MTP aids mothers to recognize their own, and subsequently their child's, emotional cues aiming to improve the emotional quality of the mother-child relationship and decrease the mother's preoccupation with drugs.

Continued drug abuse can "hijack" this value system and may create competition between caring for children and using drugs.

"We expect that, if this intervention helps mothers become more emotionally 'in sync' with their children, it will improve the emotional quality of their relationship and possibly 'reset' the focus of the reward system" they state.

In the pilot study, MTP demonstrated preliminary promise in helping substance abusing mothers recognize their own and their children's emotional states.

Since 1951, Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies has covered areas of critical importance to family professionals.

Blackwell Publishing is the world's leading society publisher, partnering with 665 academic and professional societies.

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Posted by Michael at 11:24 PM

Participation in TANF Work Activities in 2004

2006_SOS_Report.pdf (application/pdf Object)

The fiscal year 2006 federal budget requires states to meet revised federal work participation rate requirements for their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs-including a 50 percent work participation rate for all families, and a separately calculated 90 percent participation rate for two-parent families.
This brief outlines the extent to which certain activities can count toward the federal participation rates, and examines states' current participation levels in different work activities. An (attached chart) shows federal participation levels by component activities for each state.

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Posted by Michael at 11:20 PM

A Profile of Food and Nutrition Programs Across the States

Food stamps are a critical support for millions of low-income people but should be reaching millions more.

Individuals and families -- both unemployed people and low-income working people and their families -- need a set of key public supports: Medicaid and SCHIP health insurance, child care help, the benefits of the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit, and nutrition programs like food stamps, WIC, school meals and others.

The federal government's child nutrition programs -- School Lunch, School Breakfast, Summer Food, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and WIC --provide healthy and nutritious food to pregnant women, infants and toddlers in their homes, to preschoolers in child care, to children living in shelters, and to school-aged children during the school day, in the morning before school, in afterschool programs, and over holidays and vacations.

For many children these programs provide more than half of the nutrition they receive each weekday.

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 improved the Summer Food Service Program by expanding this pilot and making it permanent.

The state data pages also list each state's summer nutrition participation rate --children in summer nutrition as a percent of children receiving free or reduced price lunch during the school year -- and the state's rank on this measure.

The Food Research and Action Center gratefully acknowledges the following funders whose major support in 2005-2006 has helped to make possible our work on expanding and improving nutrition programs.

The Food Research and Action Center is the leading national organization working for more effective public and private policies to eradicate domestic hunger and under-nutrition.

Posted by Michael at 4:09 PM

March 22, 2006

March TV Show Spotlights Efforts to Help At-Risk Students Lead Safe, Productive Lives

Providing America's at-risk youth with the tools, resources, community support and role models necessary to grow into healthy, productive adults is the topic of Tuesday's monthly TV show, "Education News Parents Can Use," produced by the U.S. Department of Education.
Tuesday's program, entitled "Helping America's Youth: Engaging At-Risk Students," will feature a special videotaped welcome from Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, along with a taped excerpt from First Lady Laura Bush on her commitment to helping all children---particularly those who are most at-risk---lead healthy and productive lives.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Kuzmich will discuss President and Mrs. Bush's "Helping America's Youth" initiative that aids children and teenagers by encouraging action in three key areas: family, school, and community.

A profile of the "Good Behavior Game," a classroom management strategy used in Baltimore City Schools for more than 20 years to control aggressive classroom behavior and provide youth with the tools to become better students.

Among the organizations: Big Brothers, Big Sisters; Boys and Girls Club of America; and the Computer Assisted Debate Project.

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Posted by Michael at 10:01 PM

$30 Million in Striving Readers Grants Awarded to Help Struggling Readers

A total of $30 million has been awarded for the 2006-07 school year to support the implementation of eight Striving Readers programs across the country.
Over five years, these eight recipients will receive a combined total of over $142 million.

"Reading is the foundation of all learning, a key factor in earning a high school diploma and a ticket to success in the 21st century," said Secretary Spellings.

"The Striving Readers grants help more students get the skills they need to succeed in college and the workforce and in life."

The programs focus on middle and high schools that have significant numbers of struggling readers and are striving to meet No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress requirements in reading.

They include a range of research-based adolescent literacy projects serving diverse populations.

Each program includes a rigorous evaluation conducted by independent researchers.

Include each of the three following components in their program: (1) school-level strategies; (2) intensive, targeted intervention for struggling readers; and (3) a project evaluation conducted by an independent evaluator that includes a rigorous experimental research-based evaluation of the intervention.

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Posted by Michael at 9:52 PM

New Jersey Organizes Community Shopping Day to Fight Underage Drinking

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of New Jersey (NCADD-NJ) and Macy's department store teamed up to organize the Community Shopping Day to be held on Tuesday, April 2.
The all day event will raise funds for community causes, primarily the NCADD Sobering Facts Campaign, which combats underage use of alcohol, the number one drug of choice for New Jersey youth.

At the upcoming event, shoppers can purchase a $10 entrance ticket that includes a chance to win a gift card, a ballot for the prize drawing and an all-day savings pass worth a 15 to 20 percent discount.

Of the first 1000 shoppers to enter Macy's, one will receive a $500 gift card to the store, and the rest receive $10 gift cards.

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Posted by Michael at 9:26 PM

Department of Labor Announces Competition for $4 Million in Funding for Grassroots Organizations

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) today announced a $4 million grant competition for faith-based and community organizations to help hard-to-serve populations prepare for and succeed in employment opportunities.
"Faith-based and community organizations provide a vital complement to the employment and training resources available through local One-Stop Career Centers," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco.

Services funded by the grants will focus on individuals who face significant hurdles to employment, including welfare recipients, high school dropouts and ex-offenders.

"Government can always do better for people in need when we enlist every willing partner," said Director of the Labor Department's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Jedd Medefind.

ETA expects to award between 60 and 70 grants through this $4 million competition, amounting to four times the funding given in 2005.

The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office.

DOL is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations.

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Posted by Michael at 9:20 PM

How are States Using Community-Based Child Care to Provide Pre-k? State-by-State Summaries

In 2004, CLASP surveyed states with mixed-delivery pre-kindergarten programs to understand the policy choices, opportunities, and challenges of including community-based child care providers in their pre-k programs.
For more information, please see All Together Now: State Experiences in using Community-Based Child Care to Provide Pre-Kindergarten, a report with national findings, and the accompanying policy brief that summarizes the findings.

This work is made possible by the generous support of the Joyce Foundation.

Below are individual detailed descriptions of each of the 28 states' responses to the CLASP survey on the state policies used to integrate pre-kindergarten into community-based child care settings.

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Posted by Michael at 9:18 PM

March 20, 2006

Inhalant Abuse More Common Among White Youth

Kids from white, well-off families are more likely to abuse inhalants than poorer kids or those from other ethnic groups. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:25 PM

Latino Elected Officials From Seven States to Gather in Phoenix for Three-Day Seminar on Creating Vibrant Communities

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the leading organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, will convene over 45 municipal and county officials from across the Southwest to learn and share model initiatives and best practices on sustainability.
The NALEO Policy Institute on Sustainable Communities is a three-day professional development seminar for Latino elected officials designed to enhance participants' knowledge on issues including neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, economic development, and the environment.

Local elected officials in attendance will include: State Representative Steve Gallardo, Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers, Globe City Councilmember Fernando Shipley, and Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.

For a complete agenda with speakers, please contact Erica Bernal at ebernal@naleo.org.

The NALEO Educational Fund is the leading nonprofit organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.

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Posted by Michael at 11:13 PM

As Tobacco Companies Shift Marketing, Prevention Groups Struggle

Tobacco companies have become more low-key with their marketing, presenting a less-visible target for prevention groups, the New York Times reported March 10.
Barred from many traditional advertising venues, tobacco firms have turned to grassroots and other alternative marketing schemes that have proven to be quite effective.

Philip Morris, for example, has eschewed magazine and print ads for direct mail, coupons, and promotions sent to a database of smokers.

U.S. cigarette sales have hit a 55-year low, but tobacco company profits remain strong.

Funding for the American Legacy Foundation, established as part of the 1998 nationwide tobacco settlement, has tapered off; the group is now operating on income from investing half of its original endowment.

"It truly is a David versus Goliath scenario," said Joseph Martyak, the foundation's executive vice president for marketing, communications and policy.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 11:07 PM

United Kingdom Looks to USA for Assistance in Helping Runaway, Homeless Youth in England; NRS Meets With Member of UK Parliament

A delegation from the United Kingdom visited the Chicago-based National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) today to further learn about the United States' systematic approach to helping youth remain safe and off the streets.
Paul Burstow, member of United Kingdom Parliament, representatives from the UK's The Children's Society, and UK law enforcement officials were among the seven member delegation who are on a fact-finding visit as part of The Children's Society's national Safe & Sound campaign to help runaway children in England.

Today's meeting served as an opportunity for the delegation to tap into NRS' 35 years of experience in helping runaway and homeless youth.

The delegation is learning how we successfully link youth to those resources and how government funding and private donations enable NRS to help millions of youth each year in the U.S."

The National Runaway Switchboard serves as the federally- designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth.

NRS provides crisis intervention, referrals to local resources, and education and prevention services to youth, families and community members throughout the country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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Posted by Michael at 10:49 PM

The Minority Wealth Gap

From Economic Policy Institute:

Recently released data from the Federal Reserve provide a stark reminder of the extent of racial and ethnic economic gaps in our economy, particularly regarding wealth.
The Fed's Survey of Consumer Finances allows us to compare both income and net worth (assets minus debts) between white (non-Hispanic) and non-white families (the sample sizes are too small to break non-whites into component groups).

The data in the report reveal that in 2004, minority incomes were about 56% that of whites.

However, a far larger gap exists when we compare net worth: minorities' net worth was about 27% of whites, about half the size of the income ratio.

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Posted by Michael at 10:17 AM

How are States Using Community-Based Child Care to Provide Pre-k? State-by-State Summaries.

In 2004, CLASP surveyed states with mixed-delivery pre-kindergarten programs to understand the policy choices, opportunities, and challenges of including community-based child care providers in their pre-k programs.
As states continue to expand public pre-k initiatives, many are using community-based settings-including centers, family child care, and Head Start-to serve children.

Each state has made a series of policy choices that can impact the degree to which community-based providers can participate. These state-by-state summaries provide a detailed look at states' decisions to promote a mixed-delivery model for pre-k services.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:20 AM

March 19, 2006

Alcohol-branded merchandise associated with early teen drinking

Young adolescents who own t-shirts, hats and other merchandise with an alcohol brand name on it are more likely to begin drinking than kids who do not own these items, according to a study by Dartmouth Medical School researchers published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
"This study is a first look at the association between alcohol-branded merchandise and initiation of alcohol use in teens," said Dr. Auden McClure, clinical instructor in pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School and lead author of the study.

"Our research found that students who owned an alcohol-branded item were significantly more likely to have initiated alcohol use than students who did not own one," she said.

From that group, students who said they had not used alcohol were followed up 1 to 2 years later with a phone interview that asked about their drinking, that of their peers, and whether they owned alcohol-branded merchandise (such as a t-shirt or a hat with an alcohol name on it).

The study concluded that even after controlling for other risk factors for drinking, students who owned alcohol-branded merchandise were 1.5 times more likely to initiate drinking than students who did not.

McClure notes that the results of this study are limited by the fact that the adolescents were from one region of the country, that several other risk factors such as parent drinking and access to alcohol were not examined, and that, because ownership of alcohol branded merchandise was not determined prior to the assessment of alcohol use, causality could not be established.

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Posted by Michael at 9:24 PM

Teacher Preparation Initiative

LOS ANGELES, March 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Education Department at Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles, was recently selected to team up with Microsoft Corp. and take on a leadership role in a new project designed to enhance teacher preparation programs nationwide.
Improving the effectiveness of K-12 school teachers is an urgent task.

The CIC program is one component of a major initiative of the Microsoft Corporation, known as Partners in Learning, which is collaborating with governments and educational institutions to improve K-12 education around the globe.

The U.S. Partners in Learning initiative is a five-year, $35 million effort that includes several state-level initiatives, the development of high quality materials at the national level, and the diffusion of effective practices to other settings.

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Posted by Michael at 9:21 PM

Newark Public Schools to Receive $14 Million for Striving Readers Grant to Help Struggling Readers

Newark Public Schools will receive a $14 million Striving Readers grant over five years to improve the literacy skills of struggling adolescent readers, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.
Secretary Spellings joined First Lady Laura Bush for the announcement made at an event at Avon Avenue Elementary School in Newark, NJ.

"Reading is the foundation of all learning, a key factor in earning a high school diploma and a ticket to success in the 21st century," said Secretary Spellings.

Newark Public Schools will focus on students in grades 6-8 at schools with at least 75 percent of students on free and reduced price lunch and identified as in need of improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Newark Public Schools will partner with the National Urban Alliance and the New Jersey City University to improve literacy across the curriculum in middle and high schools.

Each program includes a rigorous evaluation conducted by independent researchers.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:53 PM

No-smoking rules not common enough for asthmatic children

Urban children with persistent asthma living in homes with smokers are 10 times less likely to be protected by a smoking ban in the home and car than asthmatic children living with no smokers, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:15 PM

Grieving parents at increased suicide risk

Parents who have cared for a dying child at home may be at higher risk of suicide after the child dies, by overdosing on the powerful painkillers used to ease the child's condition, say two papers in this week's BMJ. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:11 PM

Analysis of Fiscal Year 2004 TANF and MOE Spending by States

by Mark Greenberg and Elisa Minoff. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published data concerning use of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and state maintenance of effort (MOE) funds in FY 2004. This set of state-by-state charts shows how each state used its TANF and MOE funds in FY 2004. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:07 PM

From the Beginning: Early Head Start Children, Families, Staff, and Programs in 2004

From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.:

This policy brief profiles the Early Head Start program-which serves low-income children under age 3, pregnant women, and their families with comprehensive early education and support services-using the latest data from the Program Information Reports that all Head Start grantees must submit to the U.S. Department of Health.
Major changes in 2004 included more children with access to a continuous source of dental care and fewer families receiving TANF benefits. The proportion of home visitors and teachers with degrees also increased, although teacher salaries remained stagnant. (Head Start Policy Brief No. 7.) 8 pages.

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Posted by Michael at 8:05 PM

Killing in Texas Spotlights Attacks on Social Workers

From NYT > National:

Threats are a daily part of the job for caseworkers who investigate accusations of child abuse and neglect and often remove children from their homes.
A study released last week by the National Association of Social Workers found that 55 percent of 5,000 licensed social workers surveyed said they faced safety issues on the job.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:04 PM

Where Did All the Children Go?

SAN FRANCISCO -- Monica Burton did not want to leave San Francisco. Born and raised in the city and a train driver for the Muni transit system for the past 16 years, she loves her home town, volunteers in its women's jail and prays weekly at her church in the Hunter's Point section along the San... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:03 PM

March 16, 2006

Problems Start Early in the Diets of Infants and Toddlers

Feeding Infants and Toddlers

With childhood obesity reaching epidemic proportions, knowing more about infants' and toddlers' eating habits can help parents, health care professionals, and nutritionists address this issue more effectively.

Mathematica's Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS), conducted in 2002 and sponsored by the Gerber Products Company, is a treasure trove of information about the diets of more than 3,000 infants and toddlers.

Initial findings released in late 2003 showed that infants and toddlers were consuming too many calories and eating inappropriate foods as young as four to six months.

Detailed findings were published in a January 2006 supplement to The Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA).

Fruit and vegetable intakes do not meet recommendations.

In fact, one-fourth to one-third of children six months of age ate no fruits or vegetables on a given day, contributing to less than adequate fiber intakes.

Analyses that looked at the relationship between portion sizes, energy density (more calories per ounce), and the number of times children had something to eat or drink over the course of the day provided suggestive evidence of energy self-regulation behaviors, especially among infants.

Infants and toddlers who ate more often during the day tended to consume smaller portions.

Communicating this finding to parents and caregivers is important, so they can be more sensitive to infants' and toddlers' cues of hunger and satiety and avoid feeding behaviors that can disrupt natural energy self-regulation and promote excessive food consumption.

A major contribution of these new analyses sheds light on Hispanic infants' and toddlers' diets.

Posted by Michael at 6:04 PM

The Effects of a Universal Preschool Program in California

RAND_RB9164.1.pdf

In a prior study, RAND researchers estimated that a high-quality, one-year, voluntary, universal preschool program in California could generate for California society $2.62 in benefits for every dollar of cost.

For each annual cohort of four-year-olds (approximately 550,000 children), the study estimated that California society would receive $2.7 billion in present-value net benefits. Benefits for each cohort of four-year-olds were also estimated in non-monetary terms.

These benefits include nearly 14,000 fewer children ever retained in grade; 9,100 fewer children ever using special education; 10,000 fewer high-school dropouts; 4,700 fewer children with a substantiated case of abuse or neglect; and 7,300 fewer children with a juvenile petition (i.e., a juvenile arrest that leads to a court filing).

Posted by Michael at 6:00 PM

Early Lessons from the Ready4Work Prisoner Reentry Initiative

Public/Private Ventures | Community | Publications

Just Out examines the early implementation of Public/Private Ventures' prisoner reentry demonstration, Ready4Work, and reports on emerging best practices in four key program areas.

While P/PV provided the basic program design to the 17 lead organizations participating in the project, each site was given creative latitude to build programs unique to their own organizations, resources, partnerships and missions.

Through this work, many innovative and promising approaches to effective prisoner reentry emerged, as did challenges for which solutions were sought. Just Out focuses of Ready4Work's 11 adult sites (the other six sites serve juvenile offenders). It offers practical advice about recruitment, case management, mentoring and employment, and documents early lessons in this growing area of study, policy and advocacy.

Posted by Michael at 5:52 PM

March 15, 2006

President's 2007 Budget Renews Same Number of Housing Vouchers Funded in 2006

President's 2007 Budget Renews Same Number of Housing Vouchers Funded in 2006, 3/13/06

The President's budget requests $15.9 billion in fiscal year 2007 for tenant-based rental assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the nation's largest low-income housing program.

Yet most local communities would face cuts due to the inefficient method that would be used to allocate funds among the more than 2,400 state and local housing agencies that administer the program.

Under this formula, the share of funding that each housing agency receives is based on the amount it was eligible to receive the previous year, adjusted by an inflation factor set by HUD.

We estimate that the budget request would underfund 70 percent of agencies in 2007, forcing them to cut the number of families they serve or reduce the average rent subsidy they provide to each family, which would raise rent burdens on needy families or have other harmful consequences.

As a result of the proposed change, communities where some units in a subsidized building are vacant at the time the subsidies are ended would permanently have fewer subsidies available to help low-income people afford housing.

Posted by Michael at 8:21 PM

March 14, 2006

Hunger in America 2006

America's Second Harvest---The Nation's Food Bank Network is a leading force in the fight against hunger and for twenty years has been a valued friend and partner, which is why we are proud to be the sponsor of the Hunger in America 2006 study.

The information will allow the America's Second Harvest Network of Member food banks and food-rescue organizations to improve their operations and distribution systems so that more food gets to more people.

The overwhelming majority of adults served by the America's Second Harvest Network are women (60%) and single parent households with children represent more than half (54.7%) of all households with children served by the Network.

Whereas female-headed households with children are more prevalent at food pantry sites, single adult males without children are more prevalent at soup kitchen sites.

Hunger in America 2006 reveals that nearly half (47%) of all food pantry recipients (typically those families with a permanent residence) reside in rural or suburban areas and 42% of all emergency food recipients reside in rural or suburban areas.

The private, local hunger-relief charities served by the America's Second Harvest Network food banks are predominantly faith-based organizations and represent the full and rich gamut of religious belief and practice in American society.

More than half (56%) of all agencies served by the food bank Network self-identify as "faithbased" or religion affiliated organizations, but of emergency feeding agencies 68% are faith-based -- 73% of all food pantries are faith-based, 65% of soup kitchens and 43% of shelters.

Posted by Michael at 11:11 AM

March 13, 2006

The Professional Development issue of The Evaluation Exchange

The Professional Development issue of The Evaluation Exchange - at the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP)

This issue of The Evaluation Exchange focuses on evaluating professional development across a range of fields, including after school and youth development, education, child care, and child welfare.

The issue features innovative methods in professional development, conceptual frameworks and practical tools for evaluating professional development, links between professional development and program quality, and the role of organizational contexts in supporting professional development and positive outcomes.

Included in the issue is a Questions & Answers feature with Thomas Guskey, who describes his five-level model for evaluating professional development.

Pathways from Workforce Development to Child Outcomes Harvard Family Research Project explores connections between workforce development and child outcomes in four human service sectors.

Evaluating the Impact of Professional Development in Eight Steps Joellen Killion from the National Staff Development Council outlines an eight-step process for measuring the impact of professional development.

Classroom Observation, Professional Development, and Teacher Quality Robert Pianta from the University of Virginia describes a classroom assessment scoring system that measures teacher--child interactions and serves as the basis for individualized professional development to strengthen teachers' classroom practice.

The Three-Step Assessment Tango: Nurturing and Measuring Learning in Online Professional Development David Eddy Spicer, Roland Stark, and Martha Stone Wiske from WIDE World describe their process of measuring learning in online professional development.

Key Strategies to Educate Public Child Welfare Workers and Improve Child Welfare Systems Joan Levy Zlotnik, Mary McCarthy, and Katharine Briar-Lawson review research and evaluation findings on public agency--university partnerships to educate public child welfare workers and the impact of such partnerships on workforce retention.

Coaching for Quality Sarah Jonas describes the Children's Aid Society's model of site-based coaching for quality after school programming and the supports they provide to build the capacity of their coaches.

It was produced by Marcella Michaud, publications/communications manager, and Carrie-Anne DeDeo, publications editor.

This periodical may not be reproduced whole or in part without written permission from the publisher.

Information on this site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from Harvard Family Research Project.

Posted by Michael at 11:28 PM

How State Earned Income Tax Credits Help Working Families Escape Poverty In 2006

A Hand Up: How State Earned Income Tax Credits Help Working Families Escape Poverty In 2006, 3/8/06

An Earned Income Tax Credit is a tax reduction and a wage supplement for low- and moderate-income working families.

States that enact EITCs can reduce child poverty, increase effective wages, and cut taxes for families struggling to make ends meet.

Most recently, Delaware and Virginia enacted new EITCs, Illinois and Oregon changed their state EITC from non-refundable to refundable, and several states, including the District of Columbia, expanded existing EITCs.

Over the last several years, several million welfare recipients have left welfare and entered the workforce; many other families have accepted the challenge of making ends meet on low-paying jobs without seeking public assistance.

A full-time job at the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour often is not sufficient to lift a family out of poverty.

State EITCs support families who enter and remain in the workforce.

Enacting a state EITC is a way to ensure that low- and moderate-income families share in the benefits of tax cuts.

This is particularly important because most state tax systems rely heavily on sales, excise, and property taxes, the burden of which falls most heavily on low- and middle-income families.

The federal EITC was established in 1975 to offset the effects of federal payroll taxes on low-income families.

If a family has no income tax liability, the family receives the entire EITC as a refund.

The annual cost of refundable state EITCs in recent years has ranged from about $17.3 million in Vermont to $591 million in New York, less than 1 percent of state tax revenue in each state.

Posted by Michael at 6:17 PM

Child-welfare study shows recovery coaches can help reunite families

On any given day, as many as 70 percent of the Illinois children in foster care are in that situation, at least in part, because their parents abuse drugs or alcohol.
Only a small percentage will ever be reunited with their parents.

A five-year study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, involving 1,300 parents of 1,900 children in foster care in Cook County, found that having such a coach does make a difference for a small but significant number of families.

The parents in the study who were assigned coaches "got into treatment more quickly, completed treatment at a higher rate, were more likely to get their children back, and were less likely to have a subsequent allegation of maltreatment," according to Joseph Ryan, the study's principal investigator.

Because fewer children spent less time in foster care, Ryan said, the intervention also saved the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services about $5.6 million over the five years of the study, conducted between April 2000 and June 2005.

He present his findings March 10 at the University of Chicago at a working symposium titled "Accepting the Challenge of Substance Use in Family Reunification," funded by DCFS and attended by its director, Bryan Samuels.

The study was done in connection with a federal waiver giving the state temporary authority to redirect child-welfare funds.

One-third of the parents in the study were randomly assigned to a control group, which had access to substance-abuse treatment but did not have recovery coaches.

"The idea is to sort of chip away at solving the problem of substance abuse in child welfare.

The study found that the existence of those co-occurring problems, along with a lack of progress within those problem areas, appear to be the two factors limiting or obstructing the reunification process, Ryan said.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 7:50 AM

A New Approach to Low-Wage Workers and Employers

From MDRC:

MDRC's Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) demonstration will test an innovative approach designed to achieve both these goals by fostering employment retention and career advancement for a broad range of low-earners, including reemployed dislocated workers (those who, because of industry restructuring, now work in significantly lower-paying jobs than they previously did).
In the demonstration's study sites, these combined strategies are being housed in "One-Stop Centers," created by the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 and used primarily to help unemployed people find jobs.

WASC is being viewed locally as a welcome opportunity to expand the mission of One-Stops to include services for incumbent (that is, currently employed) low-wage and dislocated workers and their employers, rather than focusing almost exclusively on an unemployed population seeking work.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:57 AM

March 12, 2006

Dramatic changes in US aging highlighted in new census, NIH report

The face of aging in the United States is changing dramatically -- and rapidly, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, commissioned by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
Today's older Americans are very different from their predecessors, living longer, having lower rates of disability, achieving higher levels of education and less often living in poverty.

And the baby boomers, the first of whom celebrated their 60th birthdays in 2006, promise to redefine further what it means to grow older in America.

The report, 65+ in the United States: 2005, was prepared for NIA, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to provide a picture of the health and socioeconomic status of the aging population at a critical time in the maturing of the United States.

It highlights striking shifts in aging on a population scale and also describes changes at the local and even family level, examining, for example, important changes in family structure as a result of divorce.

"The collection, analysis, and reporting of reliable data are critical to informing policy as the nation moves ahead to address the challenges and opportunities of an aging population," says NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. "This report tells us that we have made a lot of progress in improving the health and well-being of older Americans, but there is much left to do."

The United States population aged 65 and over is expected to double in size within the next 25 years.

By 2030, almost 1 out of every 5 Americans -- some 72 million people -- will be 65 years or older.

The age group 85 and older is now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population.

The health of older Americans is improving.

Still, many are disabled and suffer from chronic conditions.

The proportion with a disability fell significantly from 26.2 percent in 1982 to 19.7 percent in 1999.

But 14 million people age 65 and older reported some level of disability in Census 2000, mostly linked to a high prevalence of chronic conditions such as heart disease or arthritis.

The financial circumstances of older people have improved dramatically, although there are wide variations in income and wealth.

The proportion of people aged 65 and older in poverty decreased from 35 percent in 1959 to 10 percent in 2003, mostly attributed to the support of Social Security.

In 2000, the poorest fifth of senior households had a net worth of $3,500 ($44,346 including home equity) and the wealthiest had $328,432 ($449,800 including home equity).

Geographically, Florida (17.6 percent), Pennsylvania (15.6 percent) and West Virginia (15.3 percent) are the "oldest" states, with the highest percentages of people aged 65 and older.

gets top honors among counties, and McIntosh County, N.D. (34.2 percent) ranks second.

Higher levels of education, which are linked to better health, higher income, more wealth and a higher standard of living in retirement, will continue to increase among people 65 and older.

By 2030, an estimated 72 percent of older Americans will be non-Hispanic White, 11 percent Hispanic, 10 percent Black and 5 percent Asian.

The very current portrait presented here shows how much has changed and where trends may be headed in the future."

In addition to the data compiled by other federal agencies, including the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the report also includes statistics from the Current Population Survey; American Housing Survey; National Health Interview Survey; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; Survey of Income and Program Participation; and the Health and Retirement Study.

Average life expectancy at birth in 2000 was 76.9 years; females could expect to live an average of 5.4 years longer than men.

The United States is relatively young compared with other developed countries.

Despite its aging, the United States has a lower proportion of adults aged 65 and older than that of most countries in Western Europe.

Data comparing people aged 65 to 74 in 1988-94 and 1999-2000 show a startling rise in the percentage of people considered obese -- in men, the proportion grew from about 24 to 33 percent and in women from about 27 percent to 39 percent.

The 10 counties with the highest percentage of people age 65 and over in 2000 were: Charlotte, Fla.

In 2000, almost three-fourths of Hispanics aged 65 and up lived in California, Texas, Florida and New York, and nearly two-thirds of older Asians lived in the West.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:06 PM

Reinvigorating Computer Science Education in the U.S.

Carnegie Mellon University has entered into a groundbreaking collaboration with Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) that has the potential to revolutionize and reinvigorate computer science education in the U.S., from middle school through senior high and beyond.
EA has agreed to help underwrite the development of Alice 3.0 - a popular object-oriented, Java-based computer-programming environment created by Carnegie Mellon researchers - and provide essential art assets from "The SimsT," the best selling PC videogame of all time.

"The Sims" content will transform the Alice software from a crude, 3-D programming tool into a compelling and user-friendly programming environment.

Development for Alice 3.0 will begin immediately and will span the next 18 to 24 months.

Experts say that when the transformation is complete, the new programming environment will be in position to become the national standard for teaching software programming.

"Getting the chance to use the characters and animations from 'The Sims' is like teaching at an art school and having Disney give you Mickey Mouse," said Computer Science Professor Randy Pausch, director of the Alice Project at Carnegie Mellon.

"'The Sims' is EA's crown jewel, and the fact that they are willing to use it for education shows a kind of long-term vision one rarely sees from large corporations."

"We are thrilled to have been chosen by Carnegie Mellon and we are honored to provide the school with the art and engineering assets that will help transform Alice into an entertaining and enjoyable programming tool," said Steve Seabolt, vice president of university and marketing education at EA.

"This unique alliance between academia and industry is further evidence that sharing technology is an essential step toward arming students with the tools needed to excel in computer science education and interactive entertainment," added Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon.

In combination with novel educational materials developed by computer science professors Wanda Dann of Ithaca College and Stephen Cooper of St. Joseph's University, Alice is already used at more than 60 colleges and universities to teach various introductory computer science/computer programming courses.

Individual hobbyists and enterprising game programmers may also download the software free of charge at www.alice.org, and the teaching materials free of charge at www.aliceprogramming.net.

Introductory computer programming has historically been frustrating for many students.

Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTST, EAT, EA SPORTS BIGT and POGOT.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 7:49 PM

Reducing oral health disparities: Achieving healthy people 2010 objectives

"Healthy People 2010 Oral Health and Health Communication Objectives" (HP 2010) are designed to reduce health disparities and improve quality of life for all Americans.
In a joint symposium presented today at the combined meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the American Dental Education Association, six nationally recognized scientists from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Marquette University, the Universities of Washington and Illinois, the Center for Disease Control, and the National Center for Health Statistics will evaluate the progress being made so far in achieving those objectives.

Specifically, the scientists will: (1) provide an overview of the research initiatives, progress made toward reducing oral health disparities, and the potential impact for doing so by improving oral health literacy; (2) discuss academia's responsibility for initiatives to reduce oral health disparities and increase health literacy; (3) highlight progress at the midcourse of HP 2010; and (4) discuss future directions for national surveillance.

This symposium is relevant for both the research and academic communities because of the natural intersection between research and education, and the importance of continuing to work collaboratively to reduce the burden of oral disease, especially among the most needy.

This is a summary of Sequence #99, "Reducing Oral Health Disparities: Achieving Healthy People 2010 Objectives", to be presented at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 10, 2006, in Asia 3 of the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, during the joint meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the American Dental Education Association.

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Posted by Michael at 7:14 PM

A role for dental professionals in detecting, reporting domestic violence

The impact of domestic violence has been recognized as a health care crisis by organizations all over the world.
With proper training, dental professionals have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in detecting and reporting violence against women, since dentists and dental hygienists may be the first or only health care professional to treat a domestic violence victim.

Today, during the 83rd Annual Meeting of the American Dental Education Association, a research team from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, reports on a project that examined the training needs of dental professionals and presents practical curricular materials to help them respond appropriately.

Results of a survey to Kentucky dentists revealed that few have had training in recognition of violence against women, and more than half said that they needed more training in identification and management of domestic violence victims.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 7:10 PM

'John Henryism' key to understanding coping, health outcomes in African Americans

John Henry, the figure from American folklore who worked himself to death to beat a steam engine, is a key to understanding the medical reality of African Americans in the 21st century, according to researchers from Duke University Medical Center and their colleagues.
African Americans continue to have poorer health than other groups, even though their economic situation has improved significantly, said the researchers.

'John Henryism,' is a coping style that has a clear genetic basis in African Americans and reflects clear personality traits, they reported.

The effects of John Henryism (JH) are apparent in clinical and non-clinical settings, can influence emotional reactions and may impact how African Americans function in their everyday lives, the researchers said.

Most commonly, people with JH are extremely goal-oriented but often lack the resources they need for success, such as financial or emotional support, the researchers said.

For example, when coping with a medical crisis like sickle cell anemia, African Americans may display a strong drive toward a successful health outcome but lack the support they need in their job in order to take time off from work, leading them to work during a severe pain episode even though they know their work will suffer or their pain will last longer, said the researchers.

Without adequate resources such as income, social support or psychological and medical care, a person with sickle cell disease would risk increased levels of dysfunction and pain.

The researchers quantify John Henryism using a questionnaire that reveals a 'single-minded' drive to succeed, even beyond a person's overall self-interest, which is the hallmark of JH, Edwards said.

One study, conducted at Pennsylvania State University and Johns Hopkins University, found that as much as 30 percent of active coping behavior in African Americans may be genetically-based, said the researchers.

The 70 percent of coping that is not accountable to genetics gives hope that modifying the environment and learning how to better apply coping skills may yield solutions to the challenge of reducing the health burden of disease as a function of race, said the researchers.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:55 PM

Census Report Foresees No Crisis Over Aging Generation's Health

From NYT > Health:

The economic and social impact of an aging population may be gentler than feared since fewer older people will have disabilities. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:34 PM

Drug War Success Claims Challenged

The Bush administration continues to cite successes in cutting overseas drug production and intercepting shipments bound for the U.S., but experts say illicit drugs are as available as ever on American streets. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:32 PM

National Drug Intelligence Center Releases National Drug Threat Assessment 2006

The National Drug Intelligence Center, a component of the Department of Justice, released the National Drug Threat Assessment 2006 which details national drug trafficking and abuse trends within the United States. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:30 PM

AA Attendance and Abstinence

Even those who connect with Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for a short while appear to benefit years later, though higher attendance was associated with a greater likelihood of long-term abstinence. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:28 PM

Coalition Makes Prevention an Intergenerational Effort

In addition to a parental communication network and a survey on parental attitudes toward underage drinking, the Northshire Community Coalition in Vermont held a forum uniting youth, parents and grandparents to help strengthen the community. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:22 PM

Air Force Underage Drinking Prevention Grant

States participating in the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Block Grant Program are eligible to apply for the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention's new Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Discretionary Program: Initiative To Reduce Underage Drinking grant. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 6:09 PM

Preparation needed as children enter schools already overweight

Researchers find a substantial amount of young children are entering school overweight. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 5:59 PM

Insulin levels in African American children worsen through puberty

Insulin levels in African American children worsen as they progress through puberty while those same levels don't change in their Caucasian counterparts, says new University of Alberta research that shows puberty is a key developmental period affecting diabetes risk. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 5:57 PM

'Full House' Expected at Children's Hunger Fund Benefit

200,000 Rental Units Demolished Annually, Contribute to Serious Housing Affordability Squeeze Harvard Study Asserts

A mini-reunion of the cast of 90's comedy, "Full House" is expected to attend the first Children's Champion Awards Banquet presented by Children's Hunger Fund (CHF). The benefit honors world and business leaders for their help in serving children ... Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 5:48 PM

March 9, 2006

HUD publishes Fiscal Year 2006 funding notice making $2.2 billion available through 39 individual programs

HUD News Release 06-027

WASHINGTON -- Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today unveiled HUD's Fiscal Year 2006 "SuperNOFA," a notice that officially makes available approximately $2.2 billion in grants through 39 individual programs (see below).

In January, HUD published the first part of this year's funding notice to give applicants a jump-start in preparing this year's applications and to promote early electronic registration.

This year's SuperNOFA will continue the Department's shift toward requiring nearly all grant applications to be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov.

Like last year, those seeking funding through HUD's Continuum of Care homeless assistance programs will not be required to submit their applications electronically.

"HUD's working overtime to make this transition to e-government as smooth as possible," said Jackson.

"We've streamlined our applications and are continuing to be responsive to our applicant community so that our partners can better access the funding they need to help people and places in need."

The electronic submission process is part of the President Bush's management agenda and will significantly increase access to funding opportunities for states, local governments and nonprofit grassroots organizations that house and serve lower income families living in their communities.

Last year, more than 5,400 applicants successfully submitted their applications electronically and it's expected even more will make the transition this year.

Like last year, HUD is encouraging applicants to begin the required registration process early.

Jackson added, "Last year taught us that you can't start the registration process too early.

We're asking new applicants to register right away and for those who've already registered to update their registration information.

HUD staff are standing by to help you through this process but the worst thing you can do is wait."

HUD is continuing to provide technical assistance and information so that every applicant can successfully meet this year's electronic submission requirements.

For example, HUD is providing an easy step-by-step registration guide for new applicants as well as for those who have previously registered.

To read the Department's step-by-step registration guide, visit HUD's website.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS.

The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws.

More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

NOTE: To view HUD's FY 2006 SuperNOFA, visit HUD's website.

Posted by Michael at 11:29 PM

Strategies for Preventing Homelessness

Homelessness prevention is an essential element of any effort to end homelessness either locally or nationwide.

To close the front door of entry into homelessness, the central challenge of prevention is targeting our efforts toward those people that will become homeless without the intervention.

The study documents these approaches in six communities with the hope that other communities might learn how to carry out similar efforts.

The study identifies elements of community homelessness prevention strategies that seem to lead to reductions in the number of people who otherwise would become homeless.

Every day in the United States, families and single adults who have never been homeless lose their housing and enter a shelter or find themselves on the streets.

Compared to poor, housed children, homeless children have worse health (more asthma, upper respiratory infections, minor skin ailments, gastrointestinal ailments, parasites, and chronic physical disorders), more developmental delays, more anxiety, depression and behavior problems, poorer school attendance and performance, and other negative conditions.

Posted by Michael at 8:43 PM

Diversity Spreads Out: Metropolitan Shifts in Hispanic, Asian, and Black Populations Since 2000

Hispanic and Asian populations are spreading out from their traditional metropolitan centers, while the shift of blacks toward the South is accelerating.

The Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas contained 23 percent of the nation's Hispanic population in 2004, down from 30 percent in 1990.

The fastest growing metro areas for each minority group in 20002004 are no longer unique, but closely parallel the fastest growing areas in the nation.

National growth centers such as Las Vegas, Atlanta, Orlando, and Phoenix are now prominent centers of minority population growth as well.

Still, Hispanics, Asians, and blacks remain more likely to reside in large metropolitan areas than the population as a whole.

Of the nation's 361 metropolitan areas, 111 registered declines in white population from 2000 to 2004, with the largest absolute losses occurring in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Minorities contributed the majority of population gains in the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan areas and central metropolitan counties from 2000 to 2004.

Minority groups remain the demographic lifeblood of inner counties in older metropolitan areas, but they are increasingly fueling growth in fast-growing outer suburban and "exurban" counties as well.

A strong multi-minority presence characterizes 18 large "melting pot" metro areas, and 27 large metro areas now have "majority minority" child populations.

Because the nation's child population is more racially diverse than its adult population, in nearly one-third of all large metro areas---including Washington, D.C., Chicago, Phoenix, and Atlanta---fewer than half of all people under age 15 are white.

Posted by Michael at 8:35 PM

200,000 Rental Units Demolished Annually, Contribute to Serious Housing Affordability Squeeze

New research on rental housing market dynamics from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies finds that while the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and other initiatives contribute over 100,000 new units of affordable rental housing each year, that is still less than the number of low-rent units disappearing.

The rental housing inventory, valued at over $2.7 trillion dollars, is big enough to support both a sizeable high-end market for luxury housing and the vast majority of the nation's lowest-income families.

Despite the continuing policy focus on the growing number of homeowners, many households have the income to purchase a home, but choose to rent because it is a lower-cost way to maintain a flexible urban lifestyle, and avoid the risk associated of investing in a potentially volatile home purchase market.

Indeed, 20 percent of renters have median annual incomes topping $60,000.

Yet, serious problems exist in the middle and lower sections of the rental market, where renters are feeling increasingly squeezed.

"Many of the nation's working poor live in older small multifamily and single-family rentals," adds Retinsas.

"But difficulty accessing the resources needed to maintain this much needed housing too often sets off a cycle of disinvestment and demolition.

The MacArthur Foundation seeks to promote the preservation of affordable rental housing across the country through a $75 million initiative to facilitate new ownership, call attention to the importance of rental housing, and stimulate new policies that preserve and expand the nation's stock of affordable rental units.

"Recent studies have found that decent, stable housing improves the ability of individuals to get and keep jobs, increases psychological and physical health, and leads to better social behavior and school achievement among children," said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton.

Posted by Michael at 8:16 PM

Key to Neighborhood Revitalization and Affordable Housing

Local Initiatives Support Corporation: Site Content: Experts Online - TOD Session 2: Key to Neighborhood Revitalization and Affordable Housing

Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Smart Growth America, and Reconnecting America present a three-part series to explore the ins and outs of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).

Households living near transit sometimes save up to $5,000 per year on transportation costs. This session will demonstrate the pivotal role of TOD in place-based economic recovery and development of mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood revitalization efforts.

Learn about policies, strategies, and tools to integrate TOD into redevelopment efforts and engaging community partners to ensure affordability, accessibility, and vibrancy.

Posted by Michael at 8:03 PM

March 8, 2006

First Academic Competitiveness Council Meeting