Human Services News

September 27, 2007

Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Progress Report: Chartpack

From The Commonwealth Fund:

In the first in-depth look at seniors' experiences with Medicare's prescription drug benefit, a new survey finds that the majority of seniors who lacked drug coverage in 2005---before the establishment of the benefit---obtained it in 2006.

Even with Part D coverage, however, many seniors reported relatively high out-of-pocket spending in 2006.

The survey, which included self-reported responses from more than 16,000 noninstitutionalized seniors, was conducted in the fall of 2006 by Tufts-New England Medical Center with support from the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund.

Findings were published in an Aug. 21 Health Affairs Web Exclusive article, "Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Progress Report: Findings from a 2006 National Survey of Seniors."

According to the survey, about 50 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries have drug coverage under Part D, another 31 percent under employer-sponsored plans, and 3 percent through the VA.

Not surprisingly, seniors without any coverage reported using significantly fewer medications but had higher rates of out-of-pocket spending and "cost-related nonadherence" (forgoing or delaying filling or refilling prescriptions) than seniors either in Part D plans or with other sources of coverage.

Among seniors with coverage, those in Part D plans had higher rates of drug out-of-pocket spending in excess of $300 per month than those in employer plans or with other sources of coverage, despite taking a similar or smaller number of medications.

Rates of cost-related nonadherence among Part D enrollees were about twice as high as they were for seniors with employer plans or VA benefits.

Low-income assistance under Part D is widely viewed as a great benefit to seniors with limited income and assets.

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Program Provides Blueprint for Recruiting Minorities to Science and Engineering

From National Science Foundation:

The Model Institutions for Excellence Program (MIE) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed a body of work over the past 11 years demonstrating successful strategies for recruiting underrepresented minority students to science and engineering fields and supporting their successful completion of science degrees.

Their collective results show that underrepresented minority students' enrolling in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) coursework increased at a higher rate than total STEM enrollment.

"We now have the institutional answer to the question of how to recruit these students, support their needs, provide curriculum and institutional support and help them plan for their post-undergraduate lives."

Among the keys to the MIE program's success are helping to bridge the transition from high school to college through training of elementary, middle school and high school teachers and offering summer orientation programs.

Finally, students receive assistance for the future, whether it encompasses graduate study or career, through help with the graduate school admissions process, information on trends in STEM fields, and job placement services.

"IHEP is making a pilot effort to replicate what the MIEs have done, using the MIEs as consultants and learning from their experience," says Jamie P. Merisotis, IHEP president.

MIE also funded the creation of the Science Diversity Center (http://sciencediversitycenter.org/), The center is a Web-based comprehensive one-stop STEM educational resource tool designed to help federal agencies that fund STEM education initiatives share timely program and project information in a user-friendly format with students and others; share information on strategies that address the nation's STEM workforce needs, and foster increased participation in STEM fields by individuals from groups currently underrepresented in STEM.

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$17.2 Million Awarded in Grants to Help Hispanic-Serving Institutions

From Education Newsfeed:

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the award of 30 new grants totaling $17.2 million to benefit colleges and other postsecondary schools that enroll a high percentage of Hispanic students.

"Thanks to No Child Left Behind, the achievement gap is closing for Hispanic students and academic progress is on the rise," Spellings said.

"At the higher education level it's a different story where Hispanic students still lag behind their peers in earning a post-secondary credential.

Grants are awarded under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions program to expand educational opportunities and improve the educational attainment of Hispanic students.

The purpose of the grants is to improve the academic quality, institutional stability, management, and fiscal capabilities of eligible institutions.

An Individual Development Grant is awarded to a single, eligible institution.

A Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) is defined as a non-profit institution that has at least 25 percent Hispanic full-time equivalent enrollment.

Individual Development Grants AZ --- Coolidge, Pinal County Community College, $574,871.

CA --- San Bernardino, California State University of San Bernardino, $499,994.

CA --- Valley Glen, Los Angeles Valley College, $570,693.

FL --- North Miami Beach, Nova Southeastern University---North Miami Beach Campus, $564,700.

KS --- Dodge City, Dodge City Community College, $572,585.

KS --- Garden City, Garden City Community College, $574,922.

PR --- San Juan, Escuela de Artes Plasticas de Puerto Rico, $489,540.

TX --- Harlingen, Texas State Technical College---Harlingen, $417,690.

WA --- Yakima, Yakima Valley Community College, $575,000.

Cooperative Development Grants CA --- Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Pierce College, $712,999.

TX --- Laredo, Laredo Community College, $713,000.

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College Admission Process Gets More 'Up Close and Personal' for Students and Families

From National Association for College Admission Counseling:

Students and families will encounter a college admission process that offers more opportunity for personalized communication than in any previous year, according to a report released by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).

The increasing number of applications students submit may contribute to a more complicated admission environment, including increased uncertainty for colleges about who will attend if accepted, more admission strategies aimed at identifying students likely to attend and greater attention to factors like a student's interest in attending a particular college.

- Grades in college preparatory courses, strength of high school curriculum, standardized admission test scores, and overall grade point averages continue to be the top factors considered by colleges in the admission decision.

Information about purchasing the full report is available online at www.nacacnet.org.

Earlier in the year, NACAC released a supplemental report entitled, Balancing Acts: How School Counselors View Risks and Opportunities of Student Loans.

Scandals in the student loan and financial aid communities have further reduced the "reliable" sources for counselors as they advise students on ways to finance their postsecondary education.

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U.S. Department of Education Has Awarded More Than $3.5 Million to Charter School Developers Across the Country

From Education Newsfeed:

The U.S. Department of Education awarded more than $3.5 million to 22 grantees across the country to help plan, design and create new charter schools and to increase the school choices that parents have to provide their children, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.

"By acting as laboratories for best practices, charter schools are helping to break apart the myth that some children can't learn, changing attitudes about education and getting great results for students," Secretary Spellings said.

Charter schools are growing at an annual rate of 10 percent.

The Department's program is the most prevalent source of start-up funding for charter schools, with nearly two-thirds having received Charter School Program (CSP) funds during their start-up phase.

The CSP has received more than $1.9 billion from Congress since first being appropriated in 1995, and the department provides some $250 million a year to help sustain and expand charter schools across the nation.

Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by parents, educators, community leaders, education entrepreneurs and others with a contract, or charter, from a public agency, such as a local or state education agency or an institution of higher education.

Charter schools are operated free-of-charge to parents and are open to all students.

These schools provide parents with enhanced educational choices within the public school system.

Exempt from many statutory and regulatory requirements, charter schools receive increased flexibility in exchange for increased accountability for improving academic achievement.

The first U.S. public charter school opened in 1992.

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Changes in College Admission Process May Strain Already Strained High School Counseling Capacity

From National Association for College Admission Counseling:

The Association released the fifth annual State of College Admission report during its annual national conference in Austin, Texas.

The Association also released "Balancing Acts: How School Counselors View Risks and Opportunities of Student Loans" in the spring of 2007.

The increasing number of applications students submit may contribute to a more complicated admission environment, including increased uncertainty for colleges about who will attend if accepted, more admission strategies aimed at identifying students likely to attend, and greater attention to factors like a student's interest in attending a college in the admission decision.

Information about purchasing the full report is available online at http://www.nacacnet.org/.

Earlier in the year, NACAC released a supplemental report entitled, Balancing Acts: How School Counselors View Risks and Opportunities of Student Loans.

Scandals in the student loan and financial aid communities have further reduced the 'reliable' sources for counselors as they advise students on ways to finance their postsecondary education.

The report noted widespread concern among counselors about student debt, some significant challenges in advising students and parents about loans, and generally positive views of how student loans can expand educational opportunities mixed with worries about the risks loans pose for low-income and less academically prepared students.

AScribe transmits news releases directly to newsroom computer systems and desktops of major media organizations via a supremely trusted channel - The Associated Press.

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Education Department Awards $100 Million in Magnet School Grants

From Education Newsfeed:

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the award of $100 million in Magnet School grants to 41 school districts in 17 states.

The awards will help school districts create more school choices for parents, bring diverse groups of children together and help create innovative educational programs.

The grants range in size from less than $1 million to more than $3 million.

"When parents have options it empowers them with the ability to decide what's best for their children," Spellings said.

"These grants will help create innovative educational programs for students and increase options for parents."

The funds awarded today will help school districts establish new magnet schools or expand existing magnet programs that are part of a school district's court-ordered or federally approved voluntary desegregation plan.

The grants ensure that all students in magnet schools programs have equitable access to high-quality education that enables them to succeed academically and continue with post-secondary education or productive employment.

The Magnet Schools Assistance Program is authorized under Title V, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Act, as amended in 1994 and is administered by the Office of Innovation and Improvement.

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Increase in Applications, Stable Overall Acceptance Rates, Increasing Complexity Define College Admission Landscape in 2007

From Ascribe Newsfeed:

As the number of high school students grows, so, too, does the number of applications they are submitting to the nation's four-year colleges and universities, according to the 2007 State of College Admission report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The association released the fifth annual report during its annual national conference in Austin, Texas. Read more from this post.

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Study on Joint Attention Has Implications for Understanding Autism

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

This capability involves social cognition (the cognitive processes involved in social interaction) and makes a significant contribution to the foundations for language development, as well as social competence.

Joint attention is vital to social competence at all ages: Children and adults that are unable to follow engage and react to joint attention may forever be impaired in their capacity for relatedness and relationships.

In fact, clinical research indicates that autism is characterized by chronic, pronounced impairments in initiating joint attention.

In other words, autistics show a lack of spontaneous sharing experiences with others.

Mundy also points out that individual differences in joint attention are related to the intensity of social symptoms, responsiveness to interventions, and long-term social outcomes in children with autism.

The concept of joint attention is a bit more complicated than just following others' gaze; it requires the integration of several networks in the brain.

Even though it is a vital skill, scientists know surprisingly little about the development of joint attention.

The second type involves paying attention to the self and is regulated by a different network of neurons.

Interestingly, communication between brain regions, especially those implicated in initiating joint attention, is one of the main cognitive impairments of autism.

Current Directions in Psychological Science publishes concise reviews on the latest advances in theory and research spanning all of scientific psychology and its applications.

For a copy of the article "Attention, Joint Attention, and Social Cognition" and access to other Current Directions in Psychological Science research findings, please contact Catherine West at 202-783-2077 or cwest@psychologicalscience.org.

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Whither Employer-Based Health Insurance? The Current and Future Role of U.S. Companies in the Provision and Financing of Health Insurance

From The Commonwealth Fund:

With the 2008 presidential election on the horizon, health care reform has jumped to the top of the nation's domestic policy priorities. This issue brief examines the central importance of employer coverage in our health system, and why it is imperative that employers join individuals, government, and other stakeholders in designing and contributing to a more equitable, rational, and high performing health care system. Click here to view a webcast from an event on business and national health care reform. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:57 PM | TrackBack

Mayor Bloomberg, Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Bruno Announce 'What If New York City...' Competition to Design Urban Housing for Use After a Disaster; 10 Competition Winners Will Receive $10,000 to Further Develop Projects

From Ascribe Newsfeed:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno today launched the "What If New York City..." housing design competition, which seeks innovative approaches to sheltering victims in the aftermath of a disaster. If a catastrophe impacted New York City, thousands of residents would be displaced from their homes. Because fully rebuilding communities could take several years, so the competition seeks designs for the provisional housing that could be used in the interim. The competition scenario focuses on a fictional neighborhood called Prospect Shore that has just been hit by a Category 3 hurricane, leaving 38,000 families without housing. Entrants are asked to design a provisional housing plan for the community that could be used by emergency planners in real life. The judging criteria recognize that traditional post-disaster housing, such as mobile homes, is not suitable for New York City's high population density and concentrated infrastructure. The competition is being sponsored by OEM, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Architecture for Humanity - New York. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:56 PM | TrackBack

Black Caribbeans Do Better in America than in England

From University of Michigan:

Black Caribbeans living in America enjoy better health, higher incomes and less discrimination at work than both their English counterparts and black Americans, according to the first international comparative study of these populations.

The study, published this month online in the journal Sociology of Health and Illness, was led by sociologist James Nazroo of the University of Manchester, U.K., and social psychologist James Jackson, director of the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR).

For the study, Nazroo, Jackson and colleagues compared survey data from national probability samples of five groups: Black, Caribbean and white Americans, and white and Caribbean English.

The surveys were independent, but similarly designed, allowing researchers to sort out how differences in health were affected by economic and cultural factors, and by migration experiences.

They found that Caribbeans in the United States were more than twice as likely as Caribbeans in England to say their health was good.

In addition, Caribbean Americans reported less discrimination at work than their English counterparts, although levels of experienced racial abuse were similar in the two countries.

In contrast to the findings for Caribbean Americans, other black Americans fare just as badly as English Caribbeans in terms of health, wealth and racism.

ISR conducts some of the most widely-cited studies in the nation, including the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, the American National Election Studies, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Health and Retirement Study, and the National Survey of Black Americans.

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When wage rates grow unequally

From Economic Policy Institute:

The economic stress on middle-class families has been driven by a general stagnation of inflation-adjusted wages for most workers over the last 25 years, largely as a result of inequality in the rate of wage and salary growth. Check out this week's Snapshot to see who won and lost as a result of this uneven growth. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:51 PM | TrackBack

AARP Asks Texas Governor to Urge President Bush to Sign Children's Insurance Bill

From AARP:

AARP-Texas asked Gov. Rick Perry today to weigh in on behalf of the uninsured children of Texas and urge President Bush to sign a bill passed by the House yesterday and expected to be passed by the Senate which reauthorizes and strengthens the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

A copy of a letter to the Governor is attached.

On behalf of our 2.3 million AARP members in Texas, I am asking for your support in calling on President Bush to sign the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansion bill.

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the nation.

Twenty-two percent of children in Texas lack health insurance, compared to 12 percent of uninsured children nationally.

Many of these uninsured children live in families with low-wage working parents who are either not offered health insurance through their job, or who cannot afford the coverage they are offered.

The SCHIP program is crucial: it provides crucial health care coverage to those children in financially strapped families, and it brings millions of federal dollars into the Texas economy.

During the 80th Texas Legislative Session, our legislators listened to the voices of their constituents and worked across party lines to restore 2003 budget cuts to the CHIP program.

The people of Texas have spoken, and they are clearly demanding that the children of Texas have access to health insurance.

It is our hope that, with your support, President Bush will place the needs of children above partisan politics and take the steps necessary to reauthorize and strengthen the SCHIP program.

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Posted by Michael at 2:50 PM | TrackBack

R rating might be unlikely to affect teens exposure to smoking in movies

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

Several recent research studies published in the US have determined that young adolescents who see smoking scenes in movies are more likely to smoke. To combat smoking among youth, public health groups have called for restricted ratings for movies that depict smoking. A new study from New Zealand, however, calls that strategy into question, noting that the R rating may not have the intended effect of putting such movies 'out of reach' of children. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 2:49 PM | TrackBack

CBO Estimates Show SCHIP Agreement Would Provide Health Insurance to 3.8 Million Uninsured Children

From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

New Congressional Budget Office estimates show that by 2012, a total of 3.8 million children who otherwise would be uninsured would have health care coverage under the bipartisan agreement reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) developed by House and Senate negotiators.

CBO consequently estimates that a total of about 3.2 million of these 3.8 million children --- or 84 percent of them --- are children who have incomes below the current eligibility limits that states have set.

Key elements of the bipartisan agreement would extend the SCHIP program for five years and raise SCHIP funding levels both to enable states to sustain existing children's enrollment and to cover more low-income children.

The agreement also would provide financial incentives to states to enroll more uninsured children who are already eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP.

According to CBO, the various provisions to maintain and expand children's health coverage would cost $34.9 billion over five years, with these costs fully offset by an increase in federal tobacco taxes.

In fact, the CBO estimates show the bill would reduce the deficit by $1.4 billion over the next five years.

The agreement would provide significantly larger financial incentives to states to enroll poor and near-poor uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid than to enroll uninsured children who are eligible for SCHIP (and whose incomes, while generally low, are higher than those of children eligible for Medicaid).

A crowd-out effect of about one-third is regarded by many experts as modest.

For example, in describing the crowd-out levels under the House-passed bill, which also had a crowd-out effect of about one-third, CBO director Peter Orszag has stated that he "has not seen another plan that adds 5 million kids to SCHIP with a 33 percent crowd-out rate.

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September 24, 2007

The Skid Row Collaborative 2003-2007 : Process Evaluation

From Urban Institute:

The Skid Row Collaborative (SRC) is one of 11 projects funded in fall 2003 under the Chronic Homelessness Initiative (CHI) in fall 2003 to demonstrate the feasibility of moving chronically homeless disabled people directly into housing and helping them retain housing with health, mental health, substance abuse, and other supportive services.

Most of the 11 projects have had that time extended into the projects' fourth year because slow start-ups resulted in funds remaining to be spent at the end of the three-year grant period.

In addition to the demonstration's goals for the outcomes of individuals served, the CHI was also intended to bring local public agencies into the business of ending chronic homelessness by making them parties to each local demonstration.

The hope was that the demonstrations would stimulate system change in the direction of commitments to create and maintain permanent supportive housing programs, which need the resources of a variety of public agencies to operate at maximum effectiveness.

Federal funding for all project components except housing subsidies (through HUD's Shelter Plus Care program) received less federal money each year as the CHI grant progressed, until all funding ceased at the end of the grant period.

In not being able to secure support for its continuation from most of the public agencies that were partners to the demonstration, the SRC is in very good company.

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Posted by Michael at 9:07 PM | TrackBack

HHS Provides $98 Million in Access to Recovery Grants

From HHS News and Events:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced $98 million in new Access to Recovery (ATR) grants to provide people seeking drug and alcohol treatment with vouchers allowing them a greater range of choice in selecting the services most appropriate for their needs.

To date, more than 170,000 people with substance abuse problems have received treatment and/or recovery support services through the first round of ATR grants awarded in August 2004, exceeding the three-year target of 125,000 people.

It gives them broader treatment options, the ability to choose the treatment they believe will help them succeed, and greater access to recovery support services,'' said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt.

ATR is expanding treatment capacity and consumer choice in 18 states, five tribal organizations, and the District of Columbia.

The Alaska Southcentral Foundation, California Rural Indian Health Board, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc., Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the District of Columbia also are receiving awards.

"Access to Recovery programs provide vital help to those trying to get a new start in life," said Jay Hein, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) administers the grant program within HHS.

In their applications, grantees delineated a process for screening and determining appropriate services for the individual client.

Clients will be assessed, given a voucher for identified services, and provided with a list of appropriate service providers from which to choose.

Continuation of these awards is subject to availability of funds and progress achieved by the awardees.

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Posted by Michael at 9:06 PM | TrackBack

Letter to the Chronicle of Higher Education: Upward Bound study

From Urban Institute Latest ReportsSearch:

The presidents of three research organizations, including the Urban Institute, dispel misinformation about the methodology to be used in a study of the Upward Bound program. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:01 PM | TrackBack

Online Bibliography Marks 50th Anniversary of Little Rock Crisis; 1,500 Books and Journals From Scholarly Publishers Offer Knowledge, Insight on Race Relations in the U.S.

From Books for Understanding:

Fifty years after the Little Rock Schools Crisis brought the conflicts over desegregation to a head, the case of the "Jena 6" in Louisiana is a troubling reminder of how racism still affects the relations between black and white Americans.

Through Books for Understanding (http://www.booksforunderstanding.org), an extensive bibliography on the history of race relations in the United States is available freely online, to provide students, journalists, and concerned citizens with the knowledge of the wider context of events in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, and Jena, Louisiana, today.

The Books for Understanding bibliography "In Black and White: Race Relations in the United States," has been fully revised and updated since its original compilation in 2002.

It now comprises nearly 1,500 book and journal titles from 72 of the nation's finest scholarly publishers.

In 2002, Senator Trent Lott's praise of Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat presidential bid inspired the publication of the bibliography.

The updated and revised edition marks the anniversary of the desegregation crisis of the Little Rock schools; the bibliography's relevance as an educational resource for current events is saddening.

Books for Understanding is an easy-to-use, free online resource for anyone looking for in-depth information, research, and expertise on the news of the day.

Sponsored and managed by the Association of American University Presses (AAUP), Books for Understanding features subject-specific bibliographies on the critically important topics in the headlines.

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Catholic Health Association to Congress and President Bush: Uninsured Children Need Your Help Now

From Catholic Health Association:

Sister Carol Keehan, DC, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), issued the following statement.

The Catholic Health Association supports the bipartisan compromise to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and urges all members of Congress to support the legislation.

Reauthorizing SCHIP represents the most humane and pro-life opportunity Congress and the President currently have: to ensure that millions of children -- born and unborn -- receive the health care they need and deserve.

CHA calls on President Bush to reconsider his stance on the compromise SCHIP legislation.

It is still not too late for the President to change his mind and do what is right for children in this country.

That would be an enormous step backward for our nation and a retreat from our collective commitment to cover uninsured children.

When any child is allowed to go without health care, we as a nation do not meet our moral obligations or show our compassion.

It is time to break down the barriers to children's coverage and do what is right and moral for our nation's children --provide them with a healthier, brighter future.

The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), founded in 1915, supports the Catholic health ministry's pursuit of the strategic directions of mission, ethics, and advocacy.

As the nation's largest group of not-for-profit sponsors, systems, and facilities, the ministry is committed to improving the health status of communities and creating quality and compassionate health care that works for everyone.

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Posted by Michael at 8:51 PM | TrackBack

Older Blacks and Latinos Still Lag Whites in Controlling Diabetes

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

Despite decades of advances in diabetes care, African Americans and Latinos are still far less likely than whites to have their blood sugar under control, even with the help of medications, a new nationally representative study finds.

The study documents the persistence of strong racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes control, which have been observed for decades and contribute to the much greater impact of diabetes on those two ethnic groups.

The results suggest that diabetes will continue to kill and disable black and Latino adults disproportionately for decades to come.

But the study delves deeper into the reasons behind this difference in blood sugar levels, using complex statistical analysis to find factors that do -- and don't -- play a role.

For instance, diabetes control was worse among black and Latinos under age 65.

Most notably, two factors were found to account for a sizable portion of the racial and ethnic difference in glucose control: how well patients persist in taking their diabetes medicines regularly, and how they respond emotionally to having diabetes.

The study is based on very recent data from the Health and Retirement Study, a decades-long national effort to assess the health of adults over age 50 through regular completion of intensive questionnaires and health examinations.

People without diabetes typically have an A1C under 6 points.

But when the researchers analyzed data from study participants who were taking medications to control their blood sugar, the difference between the mean A1C for whites and the means for the other ethnic groups was large.

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Posted by Michael at 8:44 PM | TrackBack

California Kids Lose Employment-Based Coverage

From Economic Policy Institute:

Children throughout the country have worsening access to employment-based coverage over the last few years.

Losses in employer-provided health insurance among kids have serious consequences for the children themselves, families, communities, businesses, and the public insurance system.

These facts alone make the case for the need for public intervention to fill in the gaps for children higher up the income scale.

It also underscores the fact that employers are not dropping coverage in response to public coverage expansions.

In other cases, when eligible, a child may take up public coverage, giving them important access to health care when the employment-based system left them behind.

These firms have a greater ability to attract and keep the best workers by offering generous family health benefits.

An offer of affordable, high-quality family coverage can reduce absenteeism and turnover, leading to higher productivity.

According to a survey of employees, employer-provided insurance was by far the most important factor in a worker's decision to stay in a job (Duchon et al. 2000).

This benefit is even more valuable for families and families with sick children who have an especially hard time securing adequate coverage in the private market.

Because of workers preferences, employers may find it more profitable to offer a compensation package composed of both wages and health insurance than providing wages alone (O'Brien 2003).

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Posted by Michael at 8:40 PM | TrackBack

Children of Immigrants Form Ethnic Identity at Early Age

From Brown University:

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Posted by Michael at 8:36 PM | TrackBack

School, family and community involvement are all needed to increase the activity levels of adolescen

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

Programs aimed at increasing physical activity in adolescents need to cover both school and family or community life if they are to be effective, according to a study published today on bmj.com. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:36 PM | TrackBack

Community-Based Learning Conference Set for Sept. 27-28

From Ascribe Newsfeed:

When Luis Lopez '88 M'89 became principal of his alma mater, Franklin High School in northeast Los Angeles, he was determined to reduce the high dropout rate. A math major in college, Lopez knew that passing ninth-grade algebra had become a major obstacle to student retention. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:34 PM | TrackBack

Teen Girls Report Abusive Boyfriends Try to Get Them Pregnant

From University of California Davis:

Seven years ago, Elizabeth Miller was a volunteer physician in a community-based clinic in Boston, Mass., which offered confidential services to teens.

That nagging question inspired Miller, now a pediatrician with UC Davis Children's Hospital, to dedicate her career to trying to understand the unique characteristics of adolescent partner violence.

In a new qualitative clinical study published in the September-October issue of the journal Ambulatory Pediatrics, Miller and her research colleagues report that a quarter of the teenage girls interviewed for the study -- all of whom had histories of abusive relationships -- say their partners were actively trying to get them pregnant.

The study, available online today, is the first in the general adolescent health literature to document the role of abusive partners in promoting teen pregnancy.

Miller's study is based on interviews with 61 girls from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds with a known history of intimate partner violence living in the poorest neighborhoods in Boston.

They just completed a clinic-based survey of 825 youth in the Boston area designed to address the prevalence of intimate partner violence and related behaviors among boys and girls seeking confidential care, and they are in the process of designing a national study to address these same issues.

Miller has also designed a study that would test interventions for partner violence in family planning clinics among women ages 16 to 24 years, and she is planning a study of dating violence intervention to be conducted in school-based clinics in California and Massachusetts.

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September 23, 2007

How Can We Improve Teaching and Learning in Schools?

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

Britain's biggest-ever programme of education research has found at least some of the answers, and is sharing them with every school in Britain.

Principles into Practice, a new publication from the Teaching and Learning Research Programme, will be sent out to all schools over the next few days.

It sets out the 10 principles for effective teaching and learning which the TLRP has drawn up on the basis of over 20 research projects looking at all levels of school education.

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the TLRP, said: "Effective teaching and learning enables children to perform well at school.

It also shows them how to be effective learners throughout life.

Our research projects have looked at consulting pupils to improve motivation, using assessment to support "Learning How to Learn," managing classroom groups to produce collaborative skills, structuring the curriculum to achieve intellectual challenge, using new technologies to expand understanding, and making use of knowledge from beyond school in more constructive way.

1. The TLRP (www.tlrp.org) is the UK's largest-ever research programme on education at all phases of life and the biggest research programme managed by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Of this, half comes from HEFCE and the remainder from UK governments and research councils.

TLRP welcomes media inquiries about its work via Martin Ince.

2. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues.

At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and research policy institutes.

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Posted by Michael at 9:00 PM | TrackBack

Statement on House/Senate Agreement on SCHIP Legislation

From Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:

The House and Senate have shown tremendous leadership in reaching an agreement on legislation reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

To safeguard the health of our kids, leaders of both parties have risen above the partisan rancor that all too often obstructs action.

Experts say that low-income children will benefit most from the agreed-upon SCHIP legislation.

Approximately 80 percent of the millions of uninsured children projected to gain coverage under the compromise have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

This legislation is good news for our nation's health care system and for parents who work hard but aren't offered insurance for their kids through their jobs, or can't afford the coverage that is offered.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country.

The Foundation is the sponsor of Cover the Uninsured, the largest mobilization in history to create awareness of the need for action on the issue of the uninsured.

As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.

For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves.

When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.

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Posted by Michael at 8:54 PM | TrackBack

APHA Urges President Bush to Reconsider Unfounded Basis for SCHIP Veto

From American Public Health Association:

"President Bush stated this week that he intends to veto pending legislation that would reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which is set to expire Sept. 30.

The bill would extend health coverage to approximately 4 million uninsured children and continue providing coverage to 6 million children.

"The American Public Health Association (APHA) strongly urges the president to reconsider and sign the SCHIP bill that is likely to be passed by the House and Senate next week.

APHA believes that the reasons the president gives for his intended veto are unfounded.

"We urge the president to consider these facts in light of his recent assertions to support a veto: -- The president asserts that since he has made his veto intention clear, Congress should pass a bill extending the program at its current funding levels until a resolution can be reached.

-- The president asserts that the House and Senate bills aim to shift focus away from low-income children by increasing eligibility for higher income children.

-- The president asserts that funding the increases in the SCHIP budget through an increase in the tobacco tax will hurt working Americans.

FACT: Research has shown that increases in the tobacco tax reduce the number of people who smoke.

Funding SCHIP through a tobacco tax increase will not only reduce existing tobacco-related health care costs, but will also deter kids from becoming smokers.

FACT: We cannot afford not to do this.

One-third of this cost is incurred by government, and the other-two thirds is borne by business and those of us who are insured.

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Posted by Michael at 8:54 PM | TrackBack

Statement by CBPP on the New Congressional SCHIP Agreement

From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

"Today's agreement would extend health coverage to several million low-income uninsured children, a major accomplishment.

Contrary to White House rhetoric, the bulk of the children who would gain coverage are poor and near-poor children who are uninsured, not middle-income children with private coverage.

"The agreement represents an accomplishment in another respect as well -- its costs over the next five years are fully paid for.

This represents a sharp change from earlier bills that the President enthusiastically supported -- from the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill to his tax cuts -- which were financed by massive amounts of deficit spending.

"We are disappointed that the package does not include the courageous Medicare reforms that the House passed, which reined in excessive payments to private insurance companies and thereby extended the program's solvency, lowered Medicare premiums for most beneficiaries, and financed needed improvements in Medicare, particularly for low-income elderly beneficiaries.

These reforms were a model of how to make tough but compassionate choices and set appropriate priorities.

The Senate needs to step up to the plate and work with the House to enact such changes later this year."

Robert Greenstein is the executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization and policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs.

It is supported primarily by foundation grants.

For additional comment, please contact the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' communications office at 202-408-1080.

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Posted by Michael at 8:53 PM | TrackBack

'Deep Concern and Disappointment' with Exclusion of Medicare from SCHIP Legislation

From American College of Physicians:

Expressions of "deep concern and disappointment about reports that the pending SCHIP reauthorization will go forward without addressing several issues that are critical to access to care for Medicare beneficiaries" were sent today to congressional leaders by the American College of Physicians (ACP).

Dr. Dale thanked House leadership for supporting enactment of the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 (CHAMP), which would re-authorize the SCHIP program and make essential improvements in Medicare.

He expressed disappointment, though, that the reported House-Senate agreement does not include relief from pending physician payment cuts and other essential Medicare improvements.

"ACP will continue to urge members of Congress and the President to agree to legislation that reauthorizes and improves coverage for children under SCHIP," Dr. Dale emphasized to all congressional leaders.

He expressed appreciation for the key Medicare provisions that were included in the House-passed CHAMP bill, but urged House leaders to continue to work toward a prompt agreement with the Senate on getting those provisions enacted and signed into law.

In the letter to Senate leaders, Dr. Dale expressed deep concern about the Senate's unwillingness to take up the Medicare provisions as part of SCHIP legislation, and similarly urged them to work with their House counterparts "to reach prompt agreement on Medicare legislation to preserve and improve access to care for America's seniors."

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Posted by Michael at 8:45 PM | TrackBack

Secretary Spellings and the No Child Left Behind Bus Tour Visit Cleveland, Ohio

From Education Newsfeed:

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today kicked-off her three-day No Child Left Behind (NCLB) bus tour by meeting with students, educators and parents in Cleveland, Ohio. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:44 PM | TrackBack

Secretary Spelling Highlights New Benefits of FAFSA4caster During No Child Left Behind Bus Tour

From Education Newsfeed:

On the second day of her No Child Left Behind Bus Tour, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today visited Cincinnati's Withrow University High School to highlight the new FAFSA4caster at a town hall meeting with parents and students. Secretary Spellings underscored the importance of a post-secondary education and reinforced her commitment to greater college access, accountability and affordability. At the town hall meeting, Secretary Spellings announced new features of the FAFSA4caster that give high school students and their families additional information about the estimated federal student aid they are likely to receive when attending college. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:43 PM | TrackBack

Secretary Spellings and the No Child Left Behind Bus Tour Visit Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

From Education Newsfeed:

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today visited with military families at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as part of her No Child Left Behind Bus Tour. Secretary Spellings discussed ways the Department of Education has shown support for military families at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and throughout the world, as well as highlighted the importance of reading, math and science. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:43 PM | TrackBack

Secretary Spellings Concludes No Child Left Behind Bus Tour in Indianapolis

From Education Newsfeed:

Indianapolis - On the last stop of her three-day, four-city swing through the Midwest, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today concluded her No Child Left Behind bus tour with visits to Andrew J. Brown Academy and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Highlighting Indiana student achievement gains over the past five years, Secretary Spellings underscored that No Child Left Behind is empowering parents and delivering results-and should be reauthorized this year. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:42 PM | TrackBack

U.S. Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education Announces New Handbook for Giving Parents 0ptions

From Education Newsfeed:

U.S. Assistant Deputy Secretary Morgan Brown today announced the release of a new publication, Giving Parents Options. This new "handbook" for local and state administrators and educators provides strategies for informing parents of educational options for students and recommends effective ways to implement public school choice and supplemental educational services (SES) under No Child Left Behind. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:38 PM | TrackBack

Senate, House Announce Agreement to Renew, Improve Children's Health Insurance Program Now

From Office of the Speaker of the House:

A bipartisan coalition of Senate and House leaders today announced a bicameral agreement to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional five years.

The $35 billion agreement struck by House and Senate negotiators will bring health coverage to approximately ten million children in need preserving coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by CHIP, and reaching millions more low-income, uninsured American children in the next five years.

The agreement reauthorizes the Children's Health Insurance Program, investing an additional $35 billion over five years to strengthen CHIP's financing, increase health insurance coverage for low-income children, and improve the quality of health care children receive.

For states that have received CHIP waivers to cover childless adults, the agreement terminates those waivers after a one-year period, provides temporary Medicaid funding for already-enrolled adults, and allows states to apply for a Medicaid waiver for coverage.

The Congress agrees with the President on the importance of covering low-income children have health coverage while taking steps to address crowd-out and prioritize coverage of lower income children.

Today, they called for continued cooperation across the Congress to pass the legislation, and urged President Bush to drop his threat to veto health care coverage for approximately ten million American kids.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): "President Bush should support the bipartisan Children's Health Insurance Program legislation for 10 million reasons -- the 10 million children who will receive health care coverage should this bill become law.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.): "Right now, millions of children in America's working families can't see doctors when they should, can't get medicines when they need them, because their parents just can't afford costly private insurance.

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Posted by Michael at 8:36 PM | TrackBack

U.S. Department of Education Awards More Than $960,000 Grant to Virginia Tech

From Education Newsfeed:

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has awarded Virginia Tech a $960,685 grant to assist with ongoing recovery efforts on campus, as well as to help develop a model for assessing and responding to at-risk behaviors in a higher education setting. In April 2007, Virginia Tech, a public land-grant university in Blacksburg, Va., was victim to the most deadly campus-based shooting in U.S. history. A 23-year-old student shot and killed 32 members of the Virginia Tech community, including himself, and physically injured 27 additional people. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:35 PM | TrackBack

Insight into the struggles of children with language impairments

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

For the first time, a new study has looked into how language impairments affect a child's ability to understand and retell a script-based story. For this study, involving a University of Alberta researcher, the examiner read a script-based story (about two children who go to a restaurant with their mother) to 44 eight-year-old children with and without language impairments. The children with language impairments faired very poorly when trying to recall story details. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:31 PM | TrackBack

September 20, 2007