Return-Path: <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e6PMfvP08096; Tue, 25 Jul 2000 18:41:57 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 18:41:57 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <NCBBKFFJEKBIIPDOPFOGKELGDEAA.nsledd@famlit.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Nancy Sledd" <nsledd@famlit.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:3063] excerpts from Connect For Kids Weekly - July 24, 2000 X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 4864 Lines: 102 ********************************************** Connect for Kids Weekly--July 24, 2000 ********************************************** NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS http://www.connectforkids.org WELFARE REFORM FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES **Unfinished Business: Why Cities Matter to Welfare Reform Major urban centers are taking the brunt of welfare reform burdens, according to this Brookings Institution report. Welfare rolls are shrinking more slowly in the major metropolitan areas, resulting in disproportionate concentrations of welfare families in 10 urban counties, including Los Angeles, Wayne County (Detroit), New York City and Philadelphia. The report calls for welfare reform strategies to address the lack of nearby jobs and other specific challenges of concentrated urban poverty on families and cities. http://www.brookings.org/es/urban/welfarecaseloads/2000report.htm **What If All the Money Came Home? When a family is on welfare, most -- if not all -- the money paid in child support goes to the state, rather than the family. The Center on Law and Social Policy argues that such child support policies undermine fathers, families and the goals of welfare reform to promote work and encourage parental responsibility. http://www.clasp.org/pubs/childenforce/pilr2300.htm#Conclusion Connect for Kids has gathered resources and info on the impact of poverty and welfare on kids -- look for these and other issues under Topics A-Z in our Reference Room. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1543/index.htm **Catalogue of School Reform Models Looking for models to improve your schools? The Catalog of School Reform Models charts 33 entire-school reform models and 31 skill- and content-based models (reading, math, science and other areas) that are proven effective for improving student academic achievement. http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/natspec/catalog/#hypertext **Schools and Communities Author Lisbeth B. Schorr offers "must-do's" for improving schools and learning in a time of expanding opportunities and pressures, including respecting the public's demand for accountability, improving teaching practices, and supporting schools through community programs that enrich kids' lives. http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=42schorr.h19 **New Data Tool for Education Statistics The new "Quick Tables and Figures" tool from the National Center on Educational Statistics is a shortcut to the data you need to bolster your community planning and proposals. Search for "per pupil" and get data tables for per pupil spending; search for "literacy" and get the statistics on early learning activities. http://nces.ed.gov/quicktables/ _______________________________ WHO'S FOR KIDS AND WHO'S JUST KIDDING? **Congress to Break for August Recess It will soon be August, and that means your Senators and Congressional Representatives will be back home, "taking the pulse of the community" and campaigning - for themselves or their colleagues. This is a good time to tell your elected representatives to pay attention to kids in this Congressional session. While battles over tax cuts and prescription drug benefits for the elderly have absorbed most of the attention, there are a lot of pending bills that could have an impact on children's lives. Here's a few: **Federal Funding Still Up for Grabs Members of the House and Senate have begun negotiating the final funding levels for most of the key children's programs, including children's health, education, Head Start, child care and after-school programs in the Labor-HHS-Education bill. Both the House and the Senate have passed versions of the bill, but there are key differences in the bills that will have a direct impact on children. http://www.cdfactioncouncil.org/children's%20funding%20fy2001.htm **Keeping Track of Congress You can review the status of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the appropriations bills, and others with updates by the Coalition on Human Needs. http://www.chn.org/status/ Minnesota. Report profiles family structure, work status, parenting challenges, and policy recommendations for working families. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=400 Pennsylvania. Welfare recipients will get a one-semester reprieve to complete their post-secondary education after their two-year time limit expires, under a new program announced by the state Department of Public Welfare. http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=415 **************************************** ABOUT CONNECT FOR KIDS The Connect for Kids Weekly is an electronic newsletter of Connect for Kids (http://www.connectforkids.org/), a resource for adults who want to build better communities for kids and families. The Benton Foundation, our publisher, works to realize the social benefits made possible by the public interest use of communications.
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