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November 30, 2011 | A Light-Hearted Take on a Serious Matter
We hope there are things in this Update to ease your return to work after the Thanksgiving break - share a laugh watching SNL's take on the pizza fight and "take five" watching a clever, and effective, multimedia presentation from Mississippi Kids Count.
There is some good news to report - evidence of an effective way to evaluate teachers and a victory in limiting smokeless tobacco use among kids' baseball heroes.
But we still face serious challenges - in improving nutritional choices for kids in school, in protecting kids in the post-supercommittee budget fights, and in working for a system that better serves families instead of standing by while rising health care costs wipe out meager wage gains and rising college costs burden young people with debt and dreams deferred..
Jan
Jan Richter, Update editor
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We heart feedback. Email jan@sparkaction.org.
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| Four Webinars and a Press Conference 
Adopting a Comprehensive Data Management System for Community Work
Will Expanded Learning Time = Better Outcomes?
A webinar to explore the impacts of Waiver 11, a new waiver process to help states obtain additional flexibility in meeting No Child Left Behind Act performance standards.
Expanded Learning Opportunities: A More Comprehensive Approach to Preparing High School Students for College and a Career
Family Matters: Multigenerational Families in a Volatile Economy
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@sparkaction:
Need some great resources on youth engagement? Look no further. #Readyby21 is on it. http://bit.ly/uOpEpW
Follow us @sparkaction!
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Connect with SparkAction!
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| The Pizza Fight
In its appropriations bill, Congress recently blocked new USDA rule changes for improving the nutritional quality of school lunches - the "pizza as a vegetable" fight. Here you can get the facts from the New York Times, from an outraged Editorial Board, or from Saturday Night Live. Take your pick!
Rising obesity and diabetes rates are hitting the Hispanic community especially hard. Getting babies and toddlers off to a good start in healthy eating can make a difference. SparkAction's Early Nutrition Toolkit has information and resources for both parents and policymakers.
A new Children's Advocate report on children and electronic media says there is very good evidence that kids watching food ads and eating while viewing are two factors linking TV to obesity.
Want to support good work in nutrition policy? Check out the list of highly ranked nonprofits in this year's Philanthropedia rankings.
Looking for help with anti-hunger and anti-obesity projects? Check out funding opportunities on SparkAction.
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| Education Breakthroughs 
Rethinking Teacher Evaluation: Lessons from Chicago Schools
Teachers who received the highest ratings from principals on classroom observations were also the teachers whose students showed the greatest learning gains, suggesting that the observation tool used in the Chicago pilot, the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching, captured factors that matter for student learning.
Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice
This is the latest in the Keeping Pace series of annual reports examining digital learning across all 50 states.
Any Given Child: A Report on Arts Education in Portland, Oregon
An initiative of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Any Given Child supports cities develop an affordable arts education model that combines the resources of school districts, local arts groups and the Kennedy Center.
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| Health...
The RAND Corporation finds that rapidly rising health care costs wiped out most of the gains in family incomes from 1999 to 2009, depriving the average family of some $450 per month.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says new limits on baseball players' smokeless tobacco use represent an historic first step to protect the health of big-league players and millions of young fans who look up to them.
Without insurance low-income parents find it difficult to pay for needed health care for their kids, but the perception of a difficult enrollment process, uncertainty regarding eligibility and where to apply, and concerns about quality and access pose barriers to enrolling their children in Medicaid or CHIP.
Two pediatricians say policymakers must take account of children's health when making housing policy, because a safe, decent, affordable home literally keeps children healthy.
Eddy Ameen's blog on the January "point-in-time" homeless census count highlights ways local activists can be sure that homeless children are accurately counted, so they can be better served.
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| and...Safety
Children Exposed to Violence - An Epidemic?
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence heard expert and community testimony in a November 29 public hearing on the epidemic of children's exposure to violence.
The Mediatrician
Is listening to Hansel and Gretel the same for a child as watching a gory video game, as Justice Scalia claims? Harvard researchers review the findings on children and the media - from links to obesity to the effects of violence.
"Young Kids, Hard Times"
This MSNBC documentary exposes the reality of young kids serving long sentences in adult prisons. It debuted November 20 but it's not too late to take action to improve our treatment of young offenders.
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| Wages and Income
The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families in 2010
CBPP reports that the successful bipartisan effort over the last two decades to reduce state income taxes on working-poor families has stalled and is in danger of reversing.
Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs
Decent jobs still exist for those with just a high school diploma, but there are not enough to go around. |
| College Costs vs. College Aid
State Student Loan Programs Look to Fill Financial Aid Gap
Changes in federal rules governing student loans, rising college costs, and state budget shortfalls are driving major changes in state student loan programs, with mixed results, reports Stateline.
Trends in Financial Aid 2011
The College Board provides detailed data on all types of student aid through 2010-11, student debt patterns, and other trends in funds available to help students pay for postsecondary education.
Work that Supports College Success
What does a "college-friendly" job look like? The latest Forum for Youth Investment Credentialed by 26 issue brief takes a look at the research and real life examples of employer-institution partnerships.
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| Washington, DC - Now What?
The failure of the Congressional supercommittee has triggered a pre-negotiated budget plan. Many programs serving low-income families were to be exempted from these automatic cuts.
Advocates say our voices are still needed. If efforts to undo mandated military budget cuts are successful, there will be even more pressure to cut budgets for domestic programs. Keep tabs on SparkAction's federal budget topic page.
First Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Bills Pass Congress
The Coalition on Human Needs reports on the HUD and Nutrition parts of the $128.1 billion spending bill that passed Congress in mid-November. HUD housing programs in FY 2012 reflect the effect of tight caps.
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| Youth Voices
More Student Voices in Higher Education Policy Making
As the Occupy movement brings attention to ballooning student debt the Center for American Progress looks at policy changes that could strengthen student interests and voices on college fees and costs.
Can Social Media Reinvigorate American Democracy?
How will social media affect the future of politics in America, including the 2012 election? The Brookings Institution hazards some predictions.
Understanding a Diverse Generation: Youth Civic Engagement in the United States
This CIRCLE study from Tufts University shatters stereotypes about young people's engagement in the United States political system. At least three quarters of youth were in some way engaged in their community or in politics in both 2008 and 2010.
National Student Poets Program
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences in a partnership with the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers have created the National Student Poets Program, the country's highest honor for youth poets whose original work exhibits exceptional creativity, dedication to craft, and promise.
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Caitlin Johnson and Thaddeus Ferber
SparkAction and the Forum for Youth Investment
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