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December 27, 2007New Future for SEE JANE Children's Media Program As Independent Non-Profit OrganizationOSCAR-winning actress and producer Geena Davis and the charitable organization Dads & Daughters (DADs) today formally announced the transition of the SEE JANE program from the Minnesota-based DADs to a new life as an independent, Los Angeles-based nonprofit. In order to have more direct influence in Hollywood, See Jane will now be part of Community Partners, the Los Angeles incubator for growing nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for building communities. Davis and DADs have previously been engaged in litigation over See Jane. Davis has recently withdrawn that litigation and retracted all claims against DADs as well as its President Joe Kelly and former Executive Director Nancy Gruver. See Jane works with the entertainment industry to dramatically increase the percentage of female characters and reduce gender stereotyping in media for children 11 and under. Davis conceived of See Jane in 2003 as an initiative that would address the huge imbalance between male and female characters as well as the prevalence of gender stereotypes in gender media. She partnered with the national nonprofit Dads & Daughters, where, in 2004, the See Jane program was created. Current DADs Executive Director Julian Palmer said, "DADs will always be incredibly grateful to Geena for her partnership in the See Jane program at Dads & Daughters." Headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, DADs is home of the periodical Daughters For Parents of Girls, and innovative resources to strengthen father-daughter relationships. We're happy to share the good news that the lawsuit has been resolved. Girls need their parents more than ever to guide them through the complexities of growing up. Posted by Michael at 1:04 PM | TrackBack December 24, 2007A Toll of Poverty and Neglect in Kentucky's TeethFrom New York Times: Dr. Smith, who runs a free dental clinic at a high school in one of Kentucky’s poorest counties, has a rare window on a state with the highest proportion of adults under 65 without teeth, where about half the population does not have dental insurance. He struggles to counter the effects of the drastic shortage of dentists in rural areas and oral hygiene habits that have been slow to change. Kentucky is among the worst states nationally in the proportion of low-income residents served by free or subsidized dental clinics, and less than a fourth of the state's dentists regularly take Medicaid, according to 2005 federal data. The state dental director, Dr. Julie Watts McKee, said that last year, Medicaid reimbursement for children's dental services was raised by about 30 percent. But even with this increase, which was paid for by cutting orthodontic benefits, reimbursement fees remain about 50 percent below market rate, said Dr. Ken Rich, the state's dental director for Medicaid. He sells a pair of dentures for $400 that many dentists sell for more than $1,200. "Bootleggers exist here for a reason," Mr. Anderson said. While Kentucky may have some of the worse oral health problems in the nation, it is by no means alone. Residents in neighboring states across the region suffer similar dental problems for many of the same reasons --- inadequate access to dental care or the inability to pay for a dentist, widespread use of chewing tobacco and a pervasive assumption that losing teeth is simply part of growing old. West Virginia, for example, which has the highest proportion of people over 65 without teeth, also has one of the lowest percentages of adults who visit the dentist at least once a year.
Posted by Michael at 5:51 AM | TrackBack December 21, 2007CBPP analysis of HUD funding bill for 2008Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: This week, Congress approved an omnibus funding bill for FY 2008 that included funding for HUD affordable housing and community development programs. Here is a preliminary assessment of the HUD provisions of H.R. 2764, the "omnibus" appropriations act for FY 2008, which includes funding for programs administered by HUD and every other federal agency outside of Defense. Additional funding reductions were made in the two largest housing block grant programs, HOME and the Community Development Block Grant program, and in the HOPE VI program, in comparison to the original conference bill. Like the conference bill, the omnibus bases most agencies' 2008 renewal funding on their actual leasing and costs during federal fiscal year 2007 (with adjustments for costs associated with the Family Self Sufficiency program, new tenant-protection vouchers, and commitments of project-based vouchers). Generally, this policy appears to reflect an underlying judgment that it is better to reduce large, unusable voucher funding reserve balances --- and thereby to retain funding for voucher renewals, the first incremental vouchers in six years, and key investments in public housing, project-based Section 8 renewals, and other HUD programs --- than to enable agencies to maintain these balances for possible use in future years. Under the new bill language, if an agency has balances of unused funds from prior years that it could not use in 2008 to lease additional authorized vouchers (because the agency's renewal funding allocation plus available reserve funds would exceed the amount needed to lease 100 percent of its authorized vouchers), then its 2008 renewal funding will be reduced by an amount equal to such "unusable" reserve funds that exceed 7 percent of its 2007 renewal funding allocation. Posted by Michael at 11:02 AM | TrackBack December 20, 2007Baltimore City's High School Reform InitiativeFrom Urban Institute: This report presents findings from the first detailed study of Baltimore's 5 year high school reform. Using administrative data, Urban Institute researchers found that test scores and attendance rates were higher for students in Baltimore's innovation high schools than in the city's comprehensive or newly formed neighborhood high schools. Students in innovation and neighborhood schools also showed more stability in their enrollment than their counterparts in comprehensive schools. These findings remained after controlling for students' backgrounds and previous achievements even though students at innovation schools were more academically advantaged than their peers in other schools prior to entering high school. Posted by Michael at 6:52 PM | TrackBack Education Department Awards Over $52 Million to 21 States in School Improvement GrantsFrom Education Newsfeed: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced over $52 million to 21 States, the first of $125 million in School Improvement Grants to help turn around low-performing schools. The grants will help States take a greater role in developing and delivering comprehensive leadership and technical assistance to help reform schools and districts that aren't making adequate yearly progress (AYP). "No Child Left Behind shines a spotlight on schools and holds them accountable for results. School Improvement Grants support the steps States and school districts are taking to improve standards and outcomes in low-performing schools so that our nation's students can succeed in classroom and beyond," said Secretary Spellings. Under No Child Left Behind, a school is considered in need of improvement if it fails to make AYP for at least two consecutive years. As a result of increased accountability, the number of schools identified for improvement is rising, and the trend demonstrates the growing demand for more comprehensive improvement measures so States and schools can work to address problems before facing restructuring. School Improvement Grants are part of the national effort to bring about educational reform and assist States in fulfilling their responsibility for improving schools, while also providing significant support for school district efforts to ensure that no child is left behind and that all students are reading and doing math on grade-level by 2014. The allocation of funds is based on the Title I allocation for each state. Additional information on School Improvement Grants is available online at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/ stateletters/schimpfundappl.pdf. Posted by Michael at 6:44 PM | TrackBack Future Jobs Much Like Current JobsFrom Economic Policy Institute: There are many claims that the skills and education of the workforce are not sufficient to meet the needs of the jobs of the future. The projected occupational structure in 2016 dictates that 28.7% of employees have a college degree or more at that time, a rise of just 1 percentage point over the next 10 years (see Chart). Given that 30% of the workforce already has a college degree or more and that education levels will continue to increase, it does not seem that there is any gross inadequacy of workforce education, to say the least, relative to the jobs being created. On the other hand, there are clear issues of a lack of opportunity of lower- and middle-income students having access to and completing a college education. Posted by Michael at 6:43 PM | TrackBack Strengthening State Adult Education Policies for Low-Skilled WorkersFrom Center for Law and Social Policy: This brief, prepared for the Working Poor Families Project(WPFP), provides an overview of state adult education policies and programs and recommends ways they can be strengthened to provide better job advancement opportunities for lower-skilled adults and older youth. The poor state of the Nation's literacy has dire consequences for the long-term strength of the U.S. economy and society as a estimated $60 billion loss in productivity. Adults with less than a high school diploma earn 25 percent less over their lifetimes than high school graduates and 86 percent less than those with a college degree. Most of these adults only qualify for low-wage work. More than one in seven adults (some 25 million) between the ages of 18-64 have not finished high school or obtained a GED. In addition, some 17.5 million adults do not speak English well.5 However, the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) suggests that our basic skills and English language pro-NAAL found that over 90 million people have limited prose and quantitative skills, which enables them to perform only simple everyday literacy activities. WPFP encourages states to focus on adult education policies and programs, which are typically supported through state and federal resources. Only 30 percent of enrolled adult education students with a goal of transition to postsecondary education or training did so after exiting the program. As low as this number is, it greatly overstates the number of students who transition because it is based on the number of students who express postsecondary education as a goal of their studies; not the total number of students enrolling in adult education. With many states facing greater demand for literacy services than available resources can offer, states need to explore ways to increase funding. This is particularly true in states with an increasing limited English population, where ESL is the fastestgrowing portion of adult education programs. States should also consider increasing access to basic skills and literacy instruction in the workplace. Posted by Michael at 6:42 PM | TrackBack Improving Access to Child Care and Early Education for Immigrant Families: A State Policy ChecklistFrom Center for Law and Social Policy: State policies can promote, or impede, access to high-quality child care and early education for immigrant families. CLASP has created a technical assistance tool for states that lists recommended policies that states can implement to address immigrant access to high-quality child care and early education programs. Policymakers will want to evaluate the current set of policies they have in place that support these recommended courses of action as well as to plan for future policy changes and improvements. Posted by Michael at 6:41 PM | TrackBack Selected State and Local Policies to Support Immigrant and Limited English Proficient (LEP) Early Care and Education Providers.From Center for Law and Social Policy: As the young child population is growing in diversity, the early childhood field is facing a shortage of bilingual and bicultural providers. One way to increase the supply of qualified, bilingual and culturally competent early care and education providers is to assist providers from immigrant communities to gain the skills to become licensed child care providers, as well as to provide supports to immigrant providers in order to retain them in the early childhood field and to encourage further professionalization and credentialing. CLASP has created a checklist of selected policies that support immigrant providers, particularly those with limited English proficiency. This tool offers strategies and examples for improving policies in the areas of language access, training and professional development.
Posted by Michael at 6:21 PM | TrackBack Exposure to Terrorist Attacks Increases Mental Health Problems in ChildrenFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A new report published in Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice reveals that children exposed to terrorist attacks show elevated symptoms of mental health problems, including post traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and general anxiety disorder. Statistically speaking, it is unlikely that the majority of youth will ever experience direct exposure to a terrorist attack. Following a terrorist attack, however, youth are exposed to a substantial amount of attack-related media coverage. Within this present climate of heightened awareness about terrorism, many children are exposed to what the authors termed "second-hand terrorism," in which media disproportionately focus on the possibility of being a direct victim of future terrorism. Technological advances provide a stage from which terrorist acts can reach a truly vast audience, and news networks further afford unprecedented coverage of terrorism on a global scale. "Researching youth in the aftermath of terrorist attacks, as well as youth exposed to media presentations about terrorism, is critical to inform service delivery and public policy, and to ensure that the mental health needs of youth are afforded ample resources," the authors note. Posted by Michael at 6:20 PM | TrackBack In Pursuit of Assistance, Children With Disabilities Face Complex, Fragmented Service SystemFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: In their new book "Meeting the Needs of Children with Disabilities," researchers Laudan Y. Aron and Pamela J. Loprest detail the challenges facing children with disabilities and their parents when these families try to navigate the multiple, complex public service systems intended to meet their multifaceted needs. The authors underscore that while not a homogeneous group, children with disabilities are more likely than other children to live in poverty, live with only one parent, have parents who are in poor health or unemployed. Aron and Loprest cite statistics showing that over the last 14 years, the risk for disability has remained fairly constant for children at or above the poverty level, but has risen dramatically for poorer children (from 7.8 percent in 1983 to 11.1 percent in 1996). Thus, many children with disabilities and their families struggle with problems more complex than the disability alone. For example, special education services are often less effective if a child lacks needed medical services or is hungry. Aron and Loprest write, "Programs and government systems tend to think narrowly about the specific area of need they focus on, while these children's and families' needs are broad." Systems vary in terms of application processes, eligibility standards, and breadth of services, and there are numerous barriers to access. The researchers note very little coordination of services among the top three federal programs for children with disabilities: Medicaid, special education, and Supplemental Security Income. AScribe Newswire distributes news from nonprofit and public sector organizations. Posted by Michael at 6:19 PM | TrackBack Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?National Institute of Justice: It is estimated that 10–15 percent of children living on the streets in the This report explores research into the organization of the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), the effects of CSEC on victims, and what measures are being taken and can be taken in the future to prevent its occurrence. The research found that CSEC takes place at three levels: local exploitation by one or a few individuals, small regional networks involving multiple adults and children, and large national or international sex crime networks where children are traded and sold as commodities. Current U.S. outreach programs discussed include the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Cyber-Tipline and the FBI's Innocent Images National Initiative, which targets crimes conducted via the Internet. On an international level, the United States participates in World Congresses on CSEC and supports United Nations programs that attack CSEC on the global stage. Areas for future action include keeping pace with new technologies (such as those that create "virtual" images of children in pornographic situations), educating potential victims about the tactics used by recruiters, educating the public about the great harm caused by CSEC, improving parental supervision of vulnerable children, and improving the roles of women and children in societies where they are treated as sex objects. Posted by Michael at 12:48 PM | TrackBack Childhood Exposure to Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Negatively affects Verbal AbilityFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Childhood exposure to severely disadvantaged communities is linked to decreased verbal ability later in childhood, a lasting negative effect that continues even after moving out of the neighborhood, according to research that will be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Living in "concentrated disadvantage" decreases later verbal test scores by about four IQ points, which is roughly equivalent to missing a year of school. The study was led by Robert Sampson, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, with Patrick Sharkey of New York University and Stephen Raudenbush of the University of Chicago. "For children, living in disadvantaged neighborhoods appears to contribute to a detrimental effect on trajectories of verbal ability. This negative impact on verbal ability persisted even after a child had moved from a disadvantaged to a non-disadvantaged neighborhood. The short-term negative impact of living in a segregated disadvantaged neighborhood includes increased exposure to violence and reduced access to safe public places for play. However, in addition to the immediate negative influences, children are exposed over time to specific kinds of social interactions that may contribute to a lasting effect on verbal development. To look beyond just economic situation, and define a neighborhood as one of "concentrated disadvantage," Sampson and colleagues examined the presence of six social factors in the lives of the children: welfare receipt, poverty, unemployment, female-headed households, segregation, and the number of children per household. Not only do these circumstances have a lasting impact on a child's language skills, it's not easily remedied by taking the child out of the neighborhood. Posted by Michael at 3:01 AM | TrackBack Some Temper Tantrum Styles may be Associated with Clinical Problems in Preschool ChildrenFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Temper tantrums are common among preschool children 3 to 6 years of age. Although these tantrums can range in duration and intensity, many parents often worry whether tantrums are also symptoms of more serious problems. A study published in the January issue of The Journal of Pediatrics suggests that certain types of tantrums may indicate serious emotional or behavioral disorders. Dr. Andy Belden and colleagues from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identified and characterized tantrum behaviors by studying 279 parent-child pairs. The researchers compared the tantrums of children previously diagnosed with depression and/or disruptive disorders, such as ADHD, with those of healthy children. They found that healthy children were less aggressive and, generally, had shorter tantrums. The first tantrum style was found most often in children with depression, and should be considered very serious. The authors note that tantrums are commonly caused by hunger, fatigue, or illness, and are often considered normal among preschool children. However, Dr. Belden suggests that "preschoolers who consistently exhibit the behaviors outlined may be in need of a referral to a mental health professional for further evaluation." This research may serve as a guideline for parents and caregivers to determine when assistance is needed for their child's tantrums. The study is reported in "Temper Tantrums in Healthy Versus Depressed and Disruptive Preschoolers: Defining Tantrum Behaviors Associated with Clinical Problems" by Andy C. Belden, PhD, Nicole Renick Thompson, PhD, and Joan L. Luby, MD. Posted by Michael at 12:58 AM | TrackBack Immigrant Children are at Increased Risk of Lead PoisoningFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: The new study of children tested for lead poisoning in 2002, published online in the American Journal of Public Health this month, found that children who had lived abroad within the previous six months were 11 times as likely as U.S.-born children to have lead poisoning. Lead-based paint is the primary cause of lead poisoning for both U.S. and foreign-born children in New York City, but immigrant children may face additional lead threats in their home countries. Of the 800 lead poisoned children requiring home investigations in 2006, Health Department staff identified lead paint hazards in 80% of U.S. born cases but only 65% of foreign born cases. We encourage all parents, especially parents who are recent immigrants, to be sure their children are tested for lead poisoning at ages one and two, as required by law." Do not buy or use imported foods and spices, medicines, clay pots and dishes, cosmetics, and toys known to contain lead. Ask your doctor about testing older children who may be at risk for lead exposure, including exposures in other countries. Working with community organizations to increase awareness within immigrant communities Providing information to health care providers and traditional healers on lead poisoning risks and blood lead testing. Educating landlords and contractors on requirements to identify and safely correct lead-based paint hazards in homes. Posted by Michael at 12:55 AM | TrackBack Domestic Violence Identified as Stressor Associated with SmokingFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Using a large population survey in India, a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has found an association between domestic violence and adult smoking. The study appears in the December 11, 2007 issue of the journal Tobacco Control. While the harmful effects of tobacco use are well-documented, there has been little research looking at the stressors associated with tobacco use among Indians. Some 40% of Indian women report being slapped, kicked, hit or beaten during their marriages. The researchers found that, for women who had ever been married, 19% reported incidents of abuse; 85% of abused women reported abuse by their husbands. The study found that women who reported past and current abuse had 20%-40% increased odds of tobacco use compared with women reporting no abuse, even after controlling for factors such as income and education level. Another finding was that smoking risk increased for any adult in households where domestic violence was prevalent, regardless of whether they were personally a victim, a perpetrator or neither. "This is the first study to show a link between domestic violence and tobacco use in a developing country. It is a powerful piece of evidence that we found this same relationship in a place where poverty is endemic that had previously been shown only in wealthy nations," said Ackerson. "This research is important in terms of both tobacco control and the campaign against domestic violence," added Subramanian. More than 300 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 900-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Posted by Michael at 12:11 AM | TrackBack December 19, 2007Study Investigates Cannabis Use Among University StudentsFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: New information published in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research explores University students' motivations for using or not using cannabis and found various factors that might encourage use. Researchers at Griffith University in Australia administered a survey to students aged 17 to 29 asking about their beliefs about the advantages and disadvantages of using cannabis, their perceptions of what others think they should do in relation to cannabis use, and reasons that might cause them to use or not use. Compared to non-users, users believed more strongly that cannabis would help them fit in with their friends, feel relaxed, forget their worries, and enjoy themselves. The Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, launched in 1993, aims to disseminate findings of behavioral science research which have applications to current problems of society. Posted by Michael at 10:21 PM | TrackBack The James Irvine Foundation Announces $12.7 Million in New GrantsFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: The Board of Directors of The James Irvine Foundation has approved 25 grants totaling more than $12.7 million in support of the Foundation's mission of expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. (For a list of approved grants, go to http://www.irvine.org/irvine_news/press_releases/2007/12-19_grants_listing.shtml .) Of the $12.7 million, $4.4 million will fund an initiative to create partnerships between California high schools and community colleges that are focused on dual-enrollment programs as part of Irvine's Youth program. Additionally, a grant in the California Perspectives program provides $375,000 to Community Partners for efforts to engage Latino immigrants in Southern California in state and local policymaking. And a $600,000 Arts program grant will go to the Sundance Institute to support emerging independent filmmakers in new creative practices. Irvine's Youth program seeks to promote academically rigorous career and technical education in California high schools. Irvine's California Perspectives program seeks to foster dialogues between underrepresented communities and public officials and encourage higher voter participation. The organization will provide opportunities for numerous residents in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties to discuss with public officials strategies to decrease the high school dropout rates among Latino students and expand health resources available to immigrants. The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations. AScribe transmits news releases directly to newsroom computer systems and desktops of major media organizations via a supremely trusted channel - The Associated Press. Posted by Michael at 10:13 PM | TrackBack Tufts Researchers Update their Food Guide Pyramid for Older AdultsFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Tufts University researchers have updated their Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults to correspond with the USDA food pyramid, now known as MyPyramid. The Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults continues to emphasize nutrient-dense food choices and the importance of fluid balance, but has added additional guidance about forms of foods that could best meet the unique needs of older adults and about the importance of regular physical activity. "Adults over the age of 70 have unique dietary needs," says first author Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts (USDA HNRCA). "Older adults tend to need fewer calories as they age because they are not as physically active as they once were and their metabolic rates slow down. Lichtenstein and colleagues were concerned about computer use among older adults and the adaptability of MyPyramid to print form. Government statistics indicate that obesity in adults 70 years and older has been increasing, physical activity is one way to avoid weight gain in later years and its adverse consequences," says Lichtenstein, also the Stanley N. Gershoff Professor at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Emphasized in the Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults are icons depicting packaged fruits and vegetables in addition to fresh examples, forms that for a number of reasons may be more appropriate for older adults. These include, for example, bags of frozen pre-cut vegetables that can be resealed or single-serve portions of canned fruit. "Fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, as well as a whole host of other nutrients. Posted by Michael at 10:12 PM | TrackBack Maternal Grandparents are More Involved in the Lives of their GrandchildrenFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A recent study shows that the amount of social interaction between extended family members depends on whether people are related through their mother or father. Thomas Pollet and colleagues at Newcastle University and the University of Antwerp, Belgium, investigated how far maternal grandparents and paternal grandparents will go to maintain face-to-face contact with their grandchildren. "Even in families where there has been divorce, we found consistent differences -- grandparents on your mother's side make the extra effort. Family members related through their mothers (matrilineal kin) are predicted to matter more than those related through their fathers (patrilineal kin). Throughout human evolution, women were always related by certain maternity, whereas men could never be wholly certain that they are the biological father. Also, maternal grandparents were always more certain than paternal grandparents that a grandchildren was related to them. Thus, maternal grandparents, especially maternal grandmothers, may go the extra mile to visit their grandchildren. For grandparents living within 19.5 miles (30 km) of their grandchildren, over 30% of the maternal grandmothers had contact daily or a few times a week. Around 25% of the maternal grandfathers had contact daily or a few times a week. In contrast, only around 15 % of the paternal grandmothers and little more than 15% of the paternal grandfathers would have contact daily or a few times a week. The research which is published in the latest edition of the journal Evolutionary Psychology, was conducted on a sample of over 800 grandparents from a representative Dutch sample (The Netherlands Kinship Panel Study -- www.nkps.nl). Posted by Michael at 10:01 PM | TrackBack December 18, 2007Young Fathers Video and Workshop GuideThis package features the award-winning Young Fathers documentary, which focuses on two young fathers, Dupree and Anthony, providing an intimate portrait of their lives, especially their relationships with their children. The film explores the challenges of early parenthood, healthy co-parenting relationships, child support and marriage issues. Anthony's and Dupree's experiences highlight the circumstances of many low-income fathers, including those who have been involved with the criminal justice system. The package also includes discussion guides and lesson plans that are appropriate for a range of different settings and audiences—in employment and reentry programs, parenting and marriage workshops, with students in the classroom, program staff and partner agencies. For more information about what the guide includes, please click here; to view sample video clips, please click here. Posted by Michael at 11:12 PM | TrackBack Four Strategies to Overcome Barriers to EmploymentFrom MDRC: In the post-welfare reform world, an important policy question has taken new prominence: how to improve employment prospects for the millions of Americans who face serious obstacles to steady work. These individuals, including long-term welfare recipients, people with disabilities, those with health or behavioral health problems, and former prisoners, often become trapped in costly public assistance and enforcement systems and find themselves living in poverty, outside the mainstream in a society that prizes work and self-sufficiency. * A comprehensive employment program for former prisoners in New York City;
* An intensive telephonic care management program for Medicaid recipients in Rhode Island who are experiencing serious depression. MDRC is leading the evaluation of these four programs, using a rigorous random assignment research design. The research team also includes the Urban Institute, the Lewin Group, Group Health Cooperative, and United Behavioral Health. This first report in the Hard-to-Employ evaluation describes the origin of the project and the rationale for the demonstration, the research design, and the four programs and the characteristics of their participants. Because the programs are so diverse, the Hard-to-Employ project can be seen as four distinct but related studies. Enrollment of the demonstration's participants was completed by December 2006. The research team is now tracking roughly 4,000 sample members, using surveys and administrative records. Over the next several years, the project will generate a wealth of data on the implementation, effects, and costs of these promising approaches. Posted by Michael at 12:13 PM | TrackBack Teachers Play Critical Role in Adolescent Health Promotion EffortsFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Teachers are among the most important influences in the lives of school-aged children, yet relatively little emphasis has been placed on examining the potential role general academic teachers may play in facilitating adolescent health promotion efforts, according to a study conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and published in the Journal of School Health. The study results indicate that teachers provide valuable information to school personnel about what health issues are important to adolescents, in particular, because they hear feedback from adolescents on a daily basis. "We found that teachers agreed that schools were an important venue for discussing and providing health messages," says Alwyn T. Cohall, MD, associate professor of clinical Sociomedical Sciences, director of the Harlem Health Promotion Center, and lead author. "However, they expressed concern about their ability to handle mental health, behavioral health, and reproductive health problems, and desire additional staff development workshops to address these needs." Seventy percent of teachers stated they were actively approached by students one to three times per semester or more with personal problems or health concerns. "Our study shows that relying solely on certified health education teachers to impart health messages and facilitate referrals for services would appear rather limiting given these contextual realities," noted Dr. Cohall. These schools had a cumulative enrollment of approximately 4,600 students, and an active school-based health clinic on site, providing a wide range of free physical and mental health services to students during school hours, including primary and reproductive healthcare. More than three quarters of teachers were interested in receiving staff development on problems with peers (77.5%) and emotional or mental health (77.3%). Posted by Michael at 2:58 AM | TrackBack TechSoup Receives United Way of the Bay Area Grant to Help Local Nonprofits Strengthen Technology InfrastructureFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: San Francisco technology assistance provider TechSoup (www.techsoup.org) announced it has received a grant from United Way of the Bay Area (http://www.uwba.org/), which it will use to help Bay Area nonprofits strengthen their technology infrastructure. The grant supports TechSoup's Healthy and Secure Computing Program (HSC) (www.techsoup.org/hsc), an initiative that equips small- to medium-sized nonprofits with the resources they need to build and maintain a secure technology infrastructure. "With the United Way grant, we are able to give them a solid understanding of the basic tasks required to keep systems running, reliable, and safe from viruses and other threats." Thanks to the UWBA grant, participating nonprofits will receive education about Healthy and Secure Computing best practices via free in-person training and an online webinar, expedited access to TechSoup's donated technology products through a dedicated account manager, and a voucher to apply toward hardware and software from TechSoup Stock. "United Way and TechSoup have a long history of collaborating to help nonprofits harness technology as a tool to better achieve their missions," said Allison Sparks, program officer at United Way of the Bay Area. Through its Web sites, events, and community-building initiatives, TechSoup also helps companies and foundations optimize their philanthropic impact. About 350,000 unique monthly visitors request product donations from major technology companies; read articles helping them make better technology decisions; and share their challenges and solutions with a community of peers. AScribe Newswire distributes news from nonprofit and public sector organizations. Posted by Michael at 2:09 AM | TrackBack Health Needs Higher for Kids of Abused MomsFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Children whose mothers have a history of abuse by intimate partners have higher health care needs than children whose mothers have no history of abuse, according to a study conducted at Group Health, a Seattle-based health plan. Scientists from Group Health Center for Health Studies, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC), and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute conducted the study, which appeared in the December 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics. "Children are the other victims when intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in the home," said lead author Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH. Rivara is a researcher with HIPRC and Children's. The study compared medical records and utilization data from 631 children of mothers with a history of IPV with those of 760 children whose mothers had not experienced IPV. The mothers---who participated in a randomly sampled telephone survey of Group Health female members aged 18 to 64---provided the information regarding their lifetime history with IPV. This current study is the largest ever to examine the link between mother's exposure to IPV and their children's health utilization and costs. "Intimate partner violence harms everyone in our society, and it must be viewed as not acceptable either for women or their children," he added. Health care utilization and health care costs were higher in most categories of care for children whose mother had a history of IPV, with significantly higher levels of mental health costs and services, primary care visits, primary care costs, and laboratory costs. Overall, the annual costs of health care were 11 percent higher than those for children of mothers without IPV. Posted by Michael at 2:00 AM | TrackBack Message to the Elderly: It's Never Too Late to Prevent IllnessFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A new study by a NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center physician-scientist has an important message for the elderly: It's not too late to improve your health through diet and exercise, even if you've had an unhealthy lifestyle in the past! Published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the report surveyed scientific literature and found that adults, 65 and older, can have significant health improvements with simple and realistic lifestyle changes. It found that risk can be reduced for many diseases -- including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. "I think this is an extremely important and positive message," says the paper's lead symposium editor, Dr. Richard S. Rivlin, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. Dr. Rivlin analyzed how the elderly can ward off risks to their health late in life by improving body composition -- lowering fat and boosting muscle mass. Adhering to a low-calorie and low-fat diet -- high in vegetables and fruits -- with a regular exercise plan, can help the elderly stave off the diseases of aging. Lowering high blood pressure or hypertension -- a major risk for cardiovascular disease -- through improved diet and exercise had more dramatic health benefits for the elderly than for any other age group. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. Posted by Michael at 12:28 AM | TrackBack Moderate Exercise Cuts Rate of Metabolic SyndromeFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Research from Duke University Medical Center shows that even a modest amount of brisk walking weekly is enough to trim waistlines and cut the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), an increasingly frequent condition linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. It's estimated that about a quarter of all U.S. adults have MetS, a cluster of risk factors associated with greater likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke: large waist circumference, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, low amounts of HDL, or "good" cholesterol, and high blood sugar. To be diagnosed with MetS, patients must have at least three of these five risk factors, and according to many studies, a growing number of people do. But Johanna Johnson, a clinical researcher at Duke Medical Center and the lead author of a new study examining the impact of exercise on MetS, said a person can lower risk of MetS by walking just 30 minutes a day, six days per week. The results come from a multi-year, federally funded study called STRRIDE (Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise) that examined the effects of varying amounts and intensity of exercise on 171 middle-aged, overweight men and women. "That's a significant decline in prevalence," said Johnson. "It's also encouraging news for sedentary, middle-aged adults who want to improve their health. Those who exercised the least, walking about 11 miles per week, gained significant benefit, while those who exercised the most, jogging about 17 miles per week, gained slightly more benefit in terms of lowered MetS scores. Kraus said there may be more value in doing moderate intensity exercise every day rather than more intense activity just a few days a week. Posted by Michael at 12:22 AM | TrackBack Adult ADHD Significantly Impacts on Social, Financial and Personal Aspects of LifeFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Nationally recognized Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) authority Russell Barkley, Ph.D., has embarked on a national speaking tour to discuss the symptoms of ADHD in adults and the potentially serious consequences these symptoms may have on the life of an adult living with this disorder. The purpose of this tour is to help raise awareness about the importance of identifying, diagnosing and treating adult ADHD. "This educational initiative is meant to provide information about ADHD in adults including the results of recent studies of adults with ADHD concerning their symptoms, impairments and functionality in many domains of life that support the results of previous research in this area," said Dr. Barkley author of a recently published book, ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says. Two studies, one conducted at the University of Massachusetts (the UMASS study) and one conducted at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee (the Milwaukee study), were recently published in a book by Dr. Barkley. They were both designed to observe secondary outcomes of patients living with ADHD. Observational outcomes showed that adults with ADHD, when compared to a control group, were more likely to use certain illicit drugs, engage in certain anti-social behavior, have financial problems and engage in risky sexual behavior. The most common standard treatments include educational approaches, psychological or behavioral modification, and medication. He worked in the Child Neurology Division at Milwaukee Children's Hospital and founded the Neuropsychology Service at Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Barkley also served as the Director of Psychology and as a Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Posted by Michael at 12:11 AM | TrackBack Health care savings, coverage for all could lower spending $1.5 trillion over 10 yearsFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Guaranteed health insurance for all combined with several federal policy options to achieve health care system savings could result in $1.5 trillion in reduced spending over 10 years, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report prepared by Fund staff and the Lewin Group for study by the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System. Read more from this post. Posted by Michael at 12:10 AM | TrackBack STATEMENT BY HUD SECRETARY ALPHONSO JACKSON ON PASSAGE OF FHA MODERNIZATION LEGISLATION BY THE U.S. SENATEFrom HUD Press Releases: I applaud the Senate's overwhelming passage today of an FHA Modernization bill that will provide hundreds of thousands of hard working American families a safer mortgage option -- whether they're looking to purchase a home or refinance an existing mortgage. HUD's Federal Housing Administration can provide many homeowners with a fairer, more affordable, and more sustainable alternative to costly subprime loans. I especially appreciate the bipartisan leadership of Senators Chris Dodd and Mel Martinez in our effort to reform FHA. Read more from this post. Posted by Michael at 12:06 AM | TrackBack MU study looks at social structure of prison communitiesFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: In community settings, there's always at least one person or perhaps a group of individuals who are most highly respected. Prison systems are no different; one's social status results from interpersonal dynamics. To better understand social structure in California prison communities, Brian Colwell, a researcher at the University of Missouri, recently examined peer relationships among inmates. Read more from this post. Posted by Michael at 12:05 AM | TrackBack Workplace opportunities and stresses are both increasingFrom EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Teamworking and other modern employment practices can put as much strain on a woman's family relationships as working an extra 120 hours a year, an extensive study of the British workforce funded by the Economic and Social Research Council suggests. Read more from this post. Posted by Michael at 12:03 AM | TrackBack Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2006From Center for Law and Social Policy: This fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2006. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.8 million children. While 29 states increased the number of children served, 20 states served fewer children in 2006 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families can receive assistance. Policymakers and advocates are encouraged to obtain the most recent information about their state---including data on participation, expenditures, income eligibility criteria, and provider reimbursement rates---to evaluate the full range of child care assistance policies. Posted by Michael at 12:02 AM | TrackBack Study Finds Muslim Americans Share Mainstream Views; Muslim Americans Are Affluent, Well-Educated and Engaged in the Political ProcessFrom Ascribe Newsfeed: Muslim Americans are highly involved in the political process, relatively affluent and educated, and resemble the average American in terms of party affiliation, education and family income, according to research by Jen'nan Ghazal Read, associate professor of sociology at UC Irvine. Read aims to shed light on a community that has been the subject of intense media scrutiny since 9/11, yet is still relatively unknown. In a recent survey, 66 percent of Americans said they know "very little or nothing" about Islam, and 34 percent said they have an "unfavorable opinion" of the religion. "Muslim immigrants are not any different from earlier immigrant groups who came to America - they are motivated by the same desire to integrate and achieve a better way of life," Ghazal Read said. "So what this means in terms of their political involvement is that the same things that dictate your average American's political attitudes and behaviors - socioeconomic status, marital status, race/ethnicity, age, gender and so on - dictate their attitude and behaviors." - 43 percent of Muslim Americans believe religion should influence politics, compared to 54 percent of U.S. Christians. Read draws on the only national data currently available on Muslim American political attitudes and behaviors to draw these conclusions. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,800 faculty members. AScribe Newswire distributes news from nonprofit and public sector organizations. Posted by Michael at 12:02 AM | TrackBack States continue to hemorrhage manufacturing jobsFrom Economic Policy Institute: The United States has lost nearly 3 million jobs in manufacturing, and states in the Midwest and East Coast have been hit especially hard. This week's Economic Snapshot examines the state manufacturing employment data. Read more from this post. Posted by Michael at 12:01 AM | TrackBack Increase in inequality is highest on recordFrom Economic Policy Institute: New, high-quality data from the Congressional Budget Office reveal an historical sharp increase in household income inequality over the past few years. The increase in income concentration in the 2003-05 period has been the largest on record back to 1979, and has resulted in a transfer of $400 billion dollars from households in the bottom 95% of the income scale to those in the top 5%. Read a full analysis in EPI's new Issue Brief. Read more from this post. Posted by Michael at 12:01 AM | TrackBack December 17, 2007AFJ Announces the Launch of State ResourcesWe all know how confusing federal advocacy laws for nonprofits can be, which is why at Alliance for Justice, we have traveled the country for the past ten years providing training opportunities to ensure that all 501(c) organizations (including 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) among others) act within their legal limits and are able to more aggressively and efficiently organize and advocate. Yet understanding federal law is only the beginning, the challenge of navigating state law in addition to federal rules and regulations can make grassroots organizing and advocacy feel like an impossible maze, deterring many organizations from advocating at their full potential. Our hope is that we can help you overcome the challenge these laws present with the launch of our new state law resources. Today, AFJ is proud to introduce our new web-based state law resources that will provide comprehensive guidance on several key issues and help answer questions like: * What level of lobbying triggers registration and reporting requirements in Arizona? * What is the current definition of electioneering communications in Colorado? * Can a 501(c)(4) make a contribution to a candidate in New Mexico? * When does a 501(c)(3) organization that is working to support a ballot measure have to register with the state in Wisconsin? These resources detail the state law on campaign finance and ballot measures, lobbying disclosure and voter registration issues and are currently available for: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and Virginia with more states to be added in the coming months. Alliance for Justice is pleased to inform you that these newly-released state resources will be available to nonprofit groups free of charge!* How do you access these FREE resources? Visit our State Resources page at www.afj.org/stateresources, request a password, and one will be provided via e-mail. It's as simple as that. Posted by Michael at 1:35 PM | TrackBack Grants To Aid Hundreds Of "Green" Homes In Rural AmericaFifteen local organizations in rural places around the country will create hundreds of environmentally friendly "green" homes with help from Green Fund Grants awarded by the Housing Assistance Council through the generous support of The Home Depot Foundation. The grants support green building techniques in homes specifically intended for low-income families, both buyers and renters. "The local grantees will use the funds for a variety of things, such as buying essential equipment and materials, providing green training for staff, and adding energy-saving measures to homes," explained Moises Loza, executive director of the Housing Assistance Council. "Green building and affordability for lower-income people can be compatible goals, and sometimes seemingly modest steps can be very important to make homes both kinder to the environment and healthier for their residents." Green buildings are constructed to ensure that they are healthy for their occupants, more affordable to operate and maintain, and environmentally friendly. "We are proud of our relationship with the Housing Assistance Council as it has proven to be the most effective national intermediary in helping rural practitioners stimulate creative and sustainable community impact." The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to building healthy communities by supporting the development of affordable, healthy homes for working families and by planting and preserving trees in parks, in schoolyards and along city streets. In 2007, The Home Depot Foundation committed to significantly increase its financial support in these two areas by awarding $100 million in grants over the next 10 years, which will result in the development of 100,000 affordable, healthy homes for working families and the planting and preservation of more than 3 million community trees.
Posted by Michael at 11:31 AM | TrackBack December 14, 2007Americans Urged to Fight Poverty by Joining AmeriCorps VISTAWashington D.C. -- As the holiday season brings thoughts of giving back, a new public service campaign was launched today to enlist Americans to "fight poverty with passion" by joining VISTA, the AmeriCorps program that fights poverty. It encourages Americans to dedicate a year of their lives to fight poverty by joining VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). Bilingual television PSAs and print ads drive potential recruits to visit AmeriCorps.gov or call 800-942-2677 to learn more and apply. Join VISTA and help tackle one of America's hardest problems," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps VISTA. VISTAs raise funds, recruit community volunteers, and design sustainable programs that get to the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
