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November 30, 2005Aggressive H.I.V. Monitoring Is Urged by City Health Chief
From NYT > Health: New York City's health commissioner, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, makes his argument in the current issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. Read more from this post....
New Housing Helps Bridge Generation Gap
From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.: NEW YORK If it were not for that missing link in Dorothy Jenkins's family story, she might not have ended up in this funky blue...
PolicyLink CEO to Address Louisiana Recovery Authority Board Meeting Thursday, Dec. 1; Stresses Need to Involve Evacuees, Residents In Rebuilding Plans
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, will address the December 1, 2005, board meeting of the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), in Baton Rouge. PolicyLink is the national nonprofit policy organization that works to advance equitable...
Young children getting fewer hours of sleep
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: While it has been widely reported that older children, teens and adults aren't getting enough sleep, it turns out that younger children might be sleep deprived as well. A study by researchers at Bradley Hospital...
No separate changing rooms for boys and girls in one in five primary schools
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: One in five primary schools does not provide separate changing rooms for boys and girls, reveals a survey of primary schools in a study published ahead of print in Archives of Disease in Childhood. Read...
First Lady Laura Bush Releases New Study Showing High Levels of Teen Volunteering; High Youth Volunteer Rate Linked to Teens' Ties to School, Family, Religion
From U.S. Newswire Releases: First Lady Laura Bush today joined a group of local high school students at a service- learning project to announce a new federal study that finds 55 percent of American teenagers volunteered last year -- nearly...
House Reconciliation Bill Targets Key Low-Income Programs In Ways And Means Committee's Jurisdiction
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget “reconciliation” bill (H.R. 4241) on November 17 that included a package of cuts approved by the Ways and Means Committee on October 26. The budget...
House Budget Reconciliation Bill Includes Highly Flawed TANF Provisions That Have Repeatedly Failed To Garner Support
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The budget reconciliation bill that the House passed on November 18, H.R. 4241, includes a set of controversial provisions related to the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant...
Resiliency Is Not Enough: Young Children and the Rebuilding of New Orleans
Resiliency Is Not Enough: Young Children and the Rebuilding of New Orleans The trauma and displacement of Katrina could cause lasting harm to young children, undermining their emotional security and school readiness. Poor children - especially those previously shaken by...
November 29, 2005
School programs targeting antisocial behavior also can boost test scores, grades
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: With the No Child Left Behind Act increasingly focusing schools' attention on test scores alone, programs that stress behavior, social development and commitment to school have sometimes gotten left behind. But a new study indicates...
Study searches for deadly warning signs linking domestic violence victims
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A new collaboration involving the University of Cincinnati School of Social Work, the Hamilton County Domestic Violence Death Review Panel and the Rape Crisis & Abuse Center of Hamilton County (formerly Women Helping Women) examines...
Internet Discussion Group Provides Inspiring, Supportive Oasis for People With Diabetes, Joslin Study Shows; 'Cyber-Neighborhoods' Offer People Less Threatening Way to Discuss Sensitive Concerns
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Although having diabetes can sometimes feel isolating to individuals, participation in an Internet-based discussion group offers hope, inspiration and encouragement as well as bolsters people's perceived ability to cope with diabetes, according to a new study from...
Three Museums, Three Libraries to Receive Nation's Highest Honor for Extraordinary Community Service; National Awards for Museum and Library Service Includes $10,000 and Ceremony in Nation's Capital
From U.S. Newswire Releases: Mary L. Chute, acting director of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, today announced the 2005 recipients of the National Awards for Museum and Library Service. This is the nation's highest honor for the...
Institute of Community Health's Federally Funded 'Growing Healthy' Program Unites Cambridge and Somerville, Mass., Cities, Schools, Area Farms to Battle Childhood Obesity
From Ascribe Newsfeed: The Institute for Community Health (ICH) received funding for a three-year study and outreach program to implement and evaluate a farm-to-school-to-home project that supports local agriculture and helps meet the nutritional needs of families in Cambridge and...
A Brief Guide to TANF Reauthorization Issues in 2005
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Congress has been debating reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and changes to related programs, including child care and child support, since the program first came up for renewal...
House Budget Reconciliation Bill Includes Highly Flawed TANF Provisions That Have Repeatedly Failed To Garner Support
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The budget reconciliation bill that the House passed on November 18, H.R. 4241, includes a set of controversial provisions related to the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant...
World AIDS Day 2005 Resources from the Kaiser Family Foundation
From The Kaiser Family Foundation: This year, the theme of World AIDS Day on December 1, is “Keep the Promise,” which seeks to focus public attention of fulfilling commitments in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In recognition of World AIDS Day,...
Poor health, poverty and minority status are major factors in depression
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Preliminary results from the STAR-D project, one of the nation's largest studies of depression, show that chronic depressive episodes are common and are associated with poorer physical health, lower quality of life, socioeconomic disadvantage and...
Future of Nation's Largest HIV/AIDS Program Will Highlight Town Hall Meeting on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day
From Ascribe Newsfeed: The Ryan White ACTION Campaign - a coalition of four national HIV/AIDS organizations - will join more than a dozen Middle Tennessee organizations in hosting a World AIDS Day "Town Hall Meeting" at 11:00 pm - 1:00...
Sen. Ted Kennedy Blasts Politicians for Lagging on Social Justice Issues
From Ascribe Newsfeed: In an address at Wheaton College today, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) criticized political leaders in Massachusetts and Washington for not working hard enough to improve access to education and healthcare and to eradicate poverty and injustice....
November 28, 2005
Family habits set drinking path
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Teenagers are more likely to develop drinking problems if their mothers are depressed and drink regularly. The findings come from University of Queensland researchers who tracked alcohol related disorders of children through adulthood as part...
National snapshot of children's development
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Nearly a quarter of Australian children could be developmentally at risk, according to the findings of the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI), a national research project that measures children's developmental progress as they enter school....
Balance Is Key to Meaningful Holidays With Children, Says Director of University of New Hampshire's Child Study and Development Center
From Ascribe Newsfeed: For families of preschool age children, the holiday gauntlet that now runs from Halloween through New Year's Day can bring great joy - and enormous stress, brought on by too many toys, too much candy, more parties...
November 27, 2005
Secretary Spellings Spoke at a Luncheon Recognizing the 30th Anniversary of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
From Education Newsfeed: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today addressed a luncheon in Washington recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Following are her prepared remarks: Thank you. It's an honor to be here today on the...
Secretary Spellings Announces Growth Model Pilot, Addresses Chief State School Officers' Annual Policy Forum in Richmond
From Education Newsfeed: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced a pilot program where interested and qualified states can submit proposals for developing growth models that follow the bright-line principles of No Child Left Behind. As part of the...
President Bush's Flu Plan Repeats Katrina Flaw, Says National Medical Association
From U.S. Newswire Releases: President Bush's $7.1 billion plan for preparing the nation for a flu pandemic reproduces "the same fundamental flaw" that led to the neglectful federal response to Hurricane Katrina, Sandra Gadson, M.D., president of the National Medical...
November 23, 2005
An Introduction to TANF
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a block grant created by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, as part of a federal effort to "end welfare as we...
Study Finds U.S. Math Students Consistently Behind Their Peers Around the World; Findings Challenge Conventional Wisdom About U.S. Math Success in Early Grades
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Despite a widely held belief that U.S. students do well in mathematics in grade school but decline precipitously in high school, a new study comparing the math skills of students in industrialized nations finds that U.S. students...
Top Texas Court Voids School Financing System
From NYT > National: Texas school districts illegally use property taxes to pay for public education, and the state must find a new way to finance schools by June 1 or classrooms will not open for the fall term, the...
November 22, 2005
PCMA: House Government Reform Committee Minority Analysis ofMedicare Drug Benefit Savings 'Flawed & Misleading'
From U.S. Newswire Releases: Refuting a new Medicare drug benefit analysis released today by the minority staff of the House Government Reform Committee, seniors enrolling in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit are seeing substantial discounts -- an average of...
14 States Win $52.8 Million in Grants for Longitudinal Data Systems
From Education Newsfeed: The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences has awarded a total of $52.8 million in grants to 14 state education departments for the design and implementation of statewide longitudinal data systems. Read more from this...
Making primary health care work: New research
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Health reform needs to be championed by health leaders, responsive to community needs and securely funded, to be sustained and benefit the health of Australians according to a new research published in the Medical Journal...
Charter schools serving more disadvantaged kids, study finds
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: America's charter schools serve a larger percentage of minority and low-income students than do the nation's traditional public schools, according to a comprehensive new study of the growing charter movement. That's partly because charters remain...
Applications for the 2006 Kaiser Media Internships in Health Reporting Now Being Accepted
From The Kaiser Family Foundation: Fifteen summer internships in print and television are available for young minority journalists interested in specializing in health reporting. The 12-week program begins in June and ends in August, and combines in-depth training in Washington,...
Congressional Budget Office Estimates Reveal Severity of Medicaid Cuts in House-Passed Reconciliation Bill
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Edwin Park Read more from this post....
SeniorNet Appoints Scott Rains Director of Programs and Services
From Ascribe Newsfeed: SeniorNet, the leading worldwide technology educator of older adults, today announced that Scott Rains, D. Min. has recently joined the SeniorNet staff as Director of Programs and Services. Dr. Rains has a strong history with non-profit organizations...
Self-Medication the Norm for Some Young Adults
From Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco News: A growing number of young Americans are self-medicating with various prescription drugs, whether or not the drugs were actually prescribed to them. Read more from this post....
Youth Drinking Worse in Europe than U.S., Study Says
From Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco News: European teenagers drink more alcohol more often than their American counterparts, and get drunk more frequently, as well, according to researchers from the PIRE Prevention Research Center. Read more from this post....
U.S. Department Of Labor Announces $500,000 Grant to Assist Hurricane Katrina Evacuees in Tennessee
From U.S. Newswire Releases: The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a grant of $500,000 to the state of Tennessee to provide employment assistance and training to evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. The funds, awarded to the Tennessee Department of Labor,...
Childcare reduces stress levels for kids with working mums
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Low job satisfaction in working mothers increases the stress levels of their children, but spending longer in childcare can help overcome these effects, new research has shown. Read more from this post....
Mother-to-child transmission of HIV
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Placental microtransfusions as measured by placental alkalinephosphatase levels in cord blood are a risk factor for mother- to-childtransmission during vaginal deliveries. Read more from this post....
High-sugar diet pushing some Latino kids toward type 2 diabetes
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Overweight Latino children who consume lots of sugar-especially in sugary drinks-show signs of beta cell decline, a precursor of type 2 diabetes. Read more from this post....
Daycare illness guidelines exist, but largely unknown
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study shows that parents, pediatricians and child care providers are equally unknowledgeable about guidelines that recommend whether children should be excluded from child care due to particular illnesses....
Center for Prevention of Childhood Obesity Funded at Cal State Fullerton
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Cal State Fullerton has received $396,800 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop an interdisciplinary center to promote obesity prevention and healthy lifestyles in children. Read more from this post....
November 21, 2005
Still Going Strong: Head Start Children, Families, Staff, and Programs in 2004
From Center for Law and Social Policy: by Katie Hamm and Danielle Ewen. As Congress considers legislation to reauthorize the federal Head Start program, this policy brief examines the latest data from the Program Information Reports that all Head Start...
New NCQA Standards Evaluate How Health Plans Measure Physician, Hospital Performance
From U.S. Newswire Releases: The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today issued draft standards for "Physician and Hospital Quality," the third content area of its voluntary "Quality Plus" program. The standards focus on how health plans measure the quality...
November 20, 2005
Elders with Alcohol Dependence Receive Less Aftercare
From Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco News: This study found that older patients with alcohol dependence are almost half as likely as middle-aged patients to receive formal or informal aftercare. Read more from this post....
Grants for Programs That Influence Youth Behaviors
From Substance Abuse Funding News: The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award a total of $8 million to build the capacity of groups that wield influence over youth behaviors, including tobacco use. Read more from this...
Department of Justice: School Violence Rate Stable; Lowest Level in a Decade
From U.S. Newswire Releases: Violent crime rates in the nation's public and private schools in 2003 remain unchanged and continued at about half those recorded in 1992, according to a joint study published today by the Department of Justice's Bureau...
President Bush Embraces House Budget: Official "Statement Of Administration Policy" Raises No Concerns About Cuts In Programs For Low-Income Families
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The Administration has now released its official “Statement of Administration Policy” (or SAP) on the budget bill that passed the House of Representatives early this morning. In it, the Administration raises no concerns...
November 17, 2005
Families Depending on Food Stamps at Thanksgiving Hardly Feast; Buying Minimal Meal Creates Food Budget Hole; Bread for the World 'Hunger Report' Shows Poor Families Cannot Afford Nutritious Food (UPDATE)
From U.S. Newswire Releases: With hunger in America on the rise for the fifth straight year and Congress poised to throw nearly 300,000 poor people off food stamps, Bread for the World Institute's 16th annual "Hunger Report," Frontline Issues in...
The House Reconciliation Bill's Provisions On Medicaid Co-Payments and Premiums: Are They Mild or Harsh?
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The Medicaid part of the budget reconciliation bill coming to the House floor (H.R. 4241) makes major changes in the federal standards governing the charges that low-income Medicaid beneficiaries can be required to...
Activists: Tobacco Targets Hispanic Kids (AP)
From Yahoo! News: Top Stories: AP - Anti-smoking activists are accusing the tobacco industry of increasing efforts to sell cigarettes to Hispanics, especially Hispanic youths with print ads featuring sexy young musicians. Read more from this post....
Backing Away From Parental Responsibility: Child Support Budget Cuts Will Unravel a Decade of Progress
From Center for Law and Social Policy: by Vicki Turetsky. Under the House of Representatives' proposed budget reconciliation bill, the child support program faces a 40 percent cut in federal funds over the next 10 years-funds the program uses to...
House Budget Cuts Aimed At Low-Income Families Reduced Only Two Percent; 98 Percent Of Those Cuts Remain: Changes Made Today Are Very Small
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Early this morning and again this evening, House leaders made modifications to the House budget reconciliation bill. Some of these changes were intended to garner support from members of Congress concerned that millions...
MIT Is Crafting Cheap -- But Invaluable -- Laptops
From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.: CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 15 -- A riddle: What has the durability of a sneaker, the smarts of a computer, the color scheme of a lunchbox...
Toxic Playground: Growing Up In Skid Row
The Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingart Center has identified another interesting report. Skid Row Toxic Playground - Survey Results.pdf (application/pdf Object) Hundreds of children are growing up in the dangerous, toxic environment of downtown...
Post Katrina Survey: What is the impact of disaster-relief fundraising on nonprofit organizations?
CommUlinks of Colorado Please participate in an important national survey to determine the impact that recent disaster-relief fundraising may have had on nonprofit fundraising in general. Did the tremendous outpouring of donations to support disaster-relief efforts divert funds from other...
Head Start's Broken Promise
AEI - Short Publications Evaluating Head Start The results of a large-scale evaluation of Head Start have recently been released. Under a congressional mandate, the study was commissioned by the Clinton administration as a 383-site randomized experiment (the gold-standard of...
The Evaluation Exchange - Democratic Evaluation
The Democratic Evaluation issue of The Evaluation Exchange - at the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) This issue of The Evaluation Exchange periodical focuses on democratic evaluation. At the forefront of the discussion are equity and inclusion in the evaluation...
A Successful America Requires Active Citizens
AEI - Short Publications Without that base of civics and history knowledge, young people miss out on their heritage and are prone to cynicism and apathy. I have read that more than 50 percent of students polled agreed with the...
Measuring the Impacts of Educational Interventions on Student Achievement
From MDRC: This paper examines how controlling statistically for baseline covariates (especially pretests) improves the precision of studies that randomize schools to measure the impacts of educational interventions on student achievement. Read more from this post....
November 16, 2005
Alcohol Screening Cuts Health Costs, Study Says
From Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco News: An alcohol screening program that combines a blood test and patient interviews saved more than $200 per patient in other healthcare and legal costs. Read more from this post....
Study Falsely Links Low Teacher Quality to Union Contracts
From U.S. Newswire Releases: The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) today expressed outrage at the lack of real solutions for hard-to-staff schools-as well as meritless attacks on unions-in The New Teacher Project (TNTP) report, "Unintended Consequences: The Case for Reforming...
Unintended Consequences: The Case for Reforming the Staffing Rules in Urban Teachers Union Contracts
The New Teacher Project The New Teacher Project (TNTP), a national nonprofit organization, today released a report showing how seniority staffing rules mandated by urban teachers union contracts override the staffing needs of schools and the educational needs of students....
Special Education Ruling's Effects Unclear
From NYT > National: Experts said it may take years to assess the impact of the Supreme Court ruling on special education plans. Read more from this post....
Foster Care Adoption in the United States: An Analysis of Interest in Adoption and a Review of State Recruitment Strategies
From The Urban Institute: Commissioned by the National Adoption Day Coalition, this report provides a first-time look at foster care adoption recruitment in the United States. Using data from the 1995 and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the...
FEMA Tells 150,000 in Hotels to Exit In 15 Days
From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.: The Federal Emergency Management Agency yesterday warned an estimated 150,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees living in government-subsidized hotels that they have until Dec. 1 to find...
Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age with a Buy-In Option: Can One Stone Kill Three Birds?
From The Urban Institute: Gradually increasing the Medicare eligibility age to 67, while allowing people age 62 to 66 to buy into the program, could potentially address three pressing public issues. This approach could reduce Medicare costs, improve insurance coverage...
Katrina Evacuees Fret Over Housing Again
From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.: AUSTIN, Nov. 16 -- Joann Tate's haven here is a rather ordinary hotel room made homey with her collection of fluffy pink and white stuffed...
November 15, 2005
Illinois Law Offers Coverage for Uninsured Children
From NYT > National: Political leaders in other states, the experts said, are certain to be watching whether the measure succeeds. Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich signed a measure on Tuesday intended to allow all children in Illinois, including those in...
International Leader in K-12 Computer Technology Training Unveils Enhanced Web Site; Institute of Computer Technology Continues to Bridge Digital Divide With Pioneering Training Programs for Educational Community
From Ascribe Newsfeed: The Institute of Computer Technology (ICT) has rolled out its improved and expanded Web site (www.ict.org) in an effort to make its highly regarded professional training and computer science curricula available to a broader international audience. The...
Latino Elected Officials From Across Country Converge in Miami for Policy Discussions on Diabetes and Bridging Education Gap
From U.S. Newswire Releases: The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the leading organization that empowers Latinos to participate fully in the American political process, will convene over 60 Latino state legislators and school ......
Caution: New medicare drug plan may cause headaches
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: If many seniors are scratching their heads about the new Medicare prescription drug plan, so are the experts. "A prescription for confusion" is how Richard L. Kaplan, a professor of law at the University of...
AMA Urges Congress to Ensure Seniors' Access to Physicians as Medicare Rx Drug Benefit Enrollment Begins
From U.S. Newswire Releases: The following is a statement by J. Edward Hill, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, on the Medicare prescription drug benefit enrollment: Read more from this post....
Drug Plan Enrollment Opens Amid Confusion
From NYT > National: Medicare beneficiaries began wading through the complexity of the new program to secure protection against high drug costs. Read more from this post....
Take Action on Federal Funding for Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs
From Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco News: The Legal Action Center urges you to fax and call your Senators and House Representatives and ask them to support funding for alcohol and drug programs. Read more from this post....
Parents As Teachers National Center Gives Tips To Help Families Celebrate/Embrace the Holiday Season
From U.S. Newswire Releases: Experts with Parents as Teachers National Center, based here, offer holiday tips for families with young children, who are often at the center of holiday celebrations and family get-togethers. By remembering that holiday stress can affect...
November 14, 2005
Genes contribute to patriotism and group loyalty
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Research showing how genes affect group loyalty and patriotism was published in the October 2005 issue of Nations and Nationalism, an academic journal of the London School of Economics. Entitled "Ethnic nationalism, evolutionary psychology, and...
Students with disabilities encourage others to continue learning
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Students with disabilities and learning difficulties are taking part in a unique University of Liverpool training scheme that enables them to educate those with similar disabilities to themselves. Read more from this post....
Supreme Court Roundup: Parents Carry Burden of Proof in School Cases, Court Rules
From NYT > National: Parents who challenge a special-education plan for their child must show the plan is inadequate, the Supreme Court ruled. The decision, which is likely to affect hundreds of cases a year, was a disappointment for parents...
Physical activity improves life expectancy and cardiovascular health
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: People age 50 and older who engage in moderate or high levels of physical activity live longer and have less cardiovascular disease, according to a study in the November 14 issue of Archives of Internal...
Bush Education Officials Continue Outreach Efforts for National Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
From Education Newsfeed: As part of the national campaign to highlight the benefits of the Medicare prescription drug program, offices throughout the U.S. Department of Education are working to ensure that eligible Americans are informed of the details of the...
Tuning into affluence: Television's role in American materialism
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: While our insatiable devotion to buying more stuff is no revelation, it is not completely understood where this materialistic mentality comes from. A forthcoming study from the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research...
On World Diabetes Day, Joslin Center President Warns of Explosion in Diabetes and Its Complications
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Today - World Diabetes Day - on the heels of new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which show an alarming 14 percent increase in the number of people with diabetes in the...
Questions Remain as Medicare Part D Enrollment Starts Tomorrow; Century Foundation Fellow Provides Analysis of Prescription Drug Benefit as Confusion Among Beneficiaries Increases
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Starting tomorrow, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to sign up for Medicare Part D, the new prescription drug benefit that allows seniors to choose between Medicare-covered plans offered by private insurers. Seniors are already expressing confusion over...
Lawsuit Seeks to Guarantee Coverage in Drug Shift
From NYT > Washington: Groups want to make sure poor older and disabled Americans do not lose access to life-saving medications when Medicare replaces Medicaid. Read more from this post....
The House Reconciliation Bill's Provisions On Medicaid Co-Payments and Premiums: Are They Mild or Harsh?
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Leighton Ku, Vikki Wachino and Robert Greenstein Read more from this post....
On the 'Frontier,' a New Approach to Public Health
From NYT > Health: Hidalgo Medical Services is a community partnership that has helped revitalize the health care and economic well-being of Hidalgo and southwestern New Mexico. Read more from this post....
Settlement Money Seemingly Spent on Everything But Prevention
From Substance Abuse Funding News: Proceeds from the 1998 nationwide tobacco settlement have been spent on improvements on a race track in Virginia and a golf-court sprinkler system in New York, but only 3 percent of the $250-billion fund has...
Low-income pregnant Latinas drink despite universal alcohol-warning messages
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Language and cultural differences may discourage some women from drinking alcohol, but may also present a barrier for others to understand the risks of drinking during pregnancy. Researchers have found that low-income pregnant Latinas drink...
Health Centers Hampered by Flu Vaccine Delays; Distribution Back- Ups Put High-Risk, Low-Income Populations at Risk
From U.S. Newswire Releases: Newswire/ -- Community, Migrant and Homeless Health Centers around the country are reporting inadequate supplies of vaccine as the influenza immunization season gets underway. Health centers in North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon, West...
In Special-Ed Case, Court Backs Montgomery Schools
From washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - US government, national security, science and national news and headlines.: In a case involving the Montgomery County schools, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that parents of special-education students disputing proposed instructional plans for their children...
November 13, 2005
Parental discipline, life events, and peers affect teens' risk of depression
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: New findings suggest that environment can affect a child's likelihood of depression, regardless of genetic predisposition towards the mental illness. This study of 328 identical twins showed twins who experienced greater numbers of negative events...
Prevent risky behavior in your teen: Get to know their friends in and out of school
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: As antisocial children move into adolescence, they begin to form alliances and gain acceptance with other antisocial children. Researchers surveyed 577 sixth through eighth graders and their teachers about antisocial behaviors such as stealing, lying,...
U.S. Study Abroad Increases by 9.6 Percent, Continues Record Growth; More Interest in Non-Traditional Destinations; Study Abroad in China Up by 90 Percent
From Ascribe Newsfeed: With a growing recognition of the importance of international experience, U.S. students are heading abroad in record numbers. The number of American students studying abroad for academic credit increased by 9.6 percent in 2003/04, building on the...
Survey Shows Foreign Student Numbers Mostly Flat; Recruiting World's Best Students Remains Public Diplomacy Imperative; U.S. Spending by Foreign Students Tops $13 Billion
From Ascribe Newsfeed: The results of a snapshot survey by several higher education and international education organizations released today suggest a leveling off of overall international student enrollments at U.S. colleges and universities this fall. Thirty-four percent of respondents reported...
House Budget Bill Would Eliminate All Current Federal Medicaid Benefit Standards for Six Million Children and Other Vulnerable People
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: As part of the broader budget (“Reconciliation”) bill, the House has proposed to eliminate all current federal standards governing the medical services Medicaid must cover for certain groups of beneficiaries. The changes fall...
More Than Six Million Children on Medicaid Could be Subject to Dramatically Higher Premiums and Cost-Sharing Under the House Budget Bill
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The House budget bill contains far-reaching changes to the federal standards governing the affordability of care provided to children and others who rely on Medicaid for health care coverage. The Congressional Budget Office...
Exercise adds years to life and improves quality, researchers say
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Exercise is a lot like spinach . everybody knows it's good for you; yet many people still avoid it, forgoing its potential health benefits. But researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who study...
Voting Rights Group Calls for Renewed Redistricting Reform After Californians Reject Prop 77: 'Voters Deserve Fair, Impartial Process For Drawing Legislative Boundaries'
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Today, Miles Rapoport, President of Demos, a national voting rights and public policy research organization, issued the following statement calling for renewed efforts to reform redistricting in California after voters rejected Proposition 77, a ballot initiative that...
Confusion Is Rife About Drug Plan as Sign-Up Nears
From NYT > Health: Even with President Bush hailing the new Medicare drug benefits, large numbers of older Americans appear to be confused by the choices they will have to make. Read more from this post....
Why corporations now must compete on social and environmental issues
From Christian Science Monitor | Work/Money: No longer is the competitive marketplace just about price, innovation, or efficiency. Read more from this post....
The Opposition: Liberal Coalition Is Making Plans to Take Fight Beyond Abortion
From NYT > National: The coalition seeks to broaden the debate over Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to police searches and employment discrimination. Read more from this post....
November 10, 2005
Secretary Spellings Discusses Education Reform at 2005 Hunt Institute Governor's Education Symposium
From Education Newsfeed: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today discussed the road to education reform for states - how far we've come and where we need to go - at the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership...
Declaration Supporting Women's Access to Technology Signed by Education Development Center
From Ascribe Newsfeed: Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) has added its name to a declaration focusing on the importance of women's access to information and communication technologies (ICT's), and the link between access and increasing gender equity around the world....
Survey of Seniors Underscores Implementation Challenges for Medicare Drug Benefit
From The Kaiser Family Foundation: A new comprehensive survey about the Medicare drug benefit finds that many seniors remain uncertain about how the new benefit will affect them and unsure about whether they will enroll during the open enrollment period,...
More Than Six Million Children on Medicaid Could be Subject to Dramatically Higher Premiums and Cost-Sharing Under the House Budget Bill
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: As part of the broader budget ("Reconciliation") bill, the House has proposed to eliminate all current federal standards governing the medical services Medicaid must cover for certain groups of beneficiaries. The changes fall...
Deal to Replace Schools After Katrina Is Faulted
From NYT > National: To critics, the 450 portable classrooms being installed across Mississippi are prime examples of wasteful spending and favoritism. Read more from this post....
The House Reconciliation Bill's Provisions On Medicaid Co-Payments and Premiums: Are They Mild or Harsh?
From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The Medicaid part of the budget reconciliation bill coming to the House floor (H.R. 4241) makes major changes in the federal standards governing the charges that low-income Medicaid beneficiaries can be required to...
The Cost-Effectiveness of Alcohol Interventions
From Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco News: Two recent reviews illustrated different approaches to cost-effectiveness analysis as applied to alcohol interventions. Read more from this post....
Vaunted Mass. Tobacco Prevention Program Starved for Funds
From Substance Abuse Funding News: Just $4.2 million remains of the once-$40-million budget of Massachusetts' celebrated youth tobacco-prevention program, despite the state taking in billions in tobacco-settlement money and cigarette taxes. Read more from this post....
Legacy Offers 'Small Innovative' Grants for Tobacco Programs
From Substance Abuse Funding News: The American Legacy Foundation will award up to $100,000 in first-year funding to programs that work to reduce tobacco use in the U.S. Read more from this post....
A good night's sleep can mean a better day at school
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: When children stay up late, they have more academic and attention problems at school, according to a new study from Brown Medical School to be published in the December issue of the journal SLEEP. The...
Less sleep, more struggles for elementary and middle school students
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Elementary and middle school students have more learning and attention problems when they sleep eight hours or less at night, according to Brown Medical School and Bradley Hospital researchers. Their study - the first to...
Good neighbor relations may help prevent early sex among teens
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Having the right kind of neighbors can help prevent teens from having sex at an early age, according to new research. A study in Chicago found that some teens were more likely to delay having...
November 09, 2005