CFK Weekly—Mar. 12, 2001

We encourage distribution of this information! If reprinting in whole or part, please attribute it to Connect for Kids (www.connectforkids.org).

Access past issues in the Archives

NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS
**Race and the High-Stakes Census
**High School Voices
**Kids and Learning: At Home, School and Beyond
**Safe Schools Now

CONNECT TODAY
**What's Your Issue?

E PLURIBUS UNUM
**Census Reports Surprising Increase in Hispanic Populations
**La Raza Calls for Investments to Help Close Education Gap
**Strong Gains Among Some Latinos
**Equal Pay Campaign
**Understanding the Maternal Health Culture of Recent Immigrants
**Cultural Differences in Prenatal Care

NEW WEB SITES
**Digital Divide Network Launches Database
**Pro-Net 2000 Launched

KIDS AND POLITICS ? CHOOSING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY TAX PLAN
**President Bush's Budget (A Tax Cut) and Fuzzy Math
**What Cost, What Benefits, Which Tax Proposal
**Women and Children Last: The Bush Tax Cut Plan
**Expanding State Earned Income Tax Credits

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION
**Education Poll: Public Sees Parental Involvement as No. 1 Problem
**Would Smaller Classes Help Close the Black-White Achievement Gap?
**Lessons: Reducing Poverty Could Improve School Achievement
**High Standards for Learning Rely on Adequate Textbooks
**All Together Now

THE COURTS DECIDE
**Violence against Student Cancels Teacher's Immunity
**Restrictions Lifted on Lawyers Representing the Poor in Welfare Cases

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
**Federal Grants Manual for Youth Programs
**Charitable Choice Implementation Guide
**Food Assistance Research Development Grants
**Office of Community Services
**Assets for Independence Demonstration Grants
**Federal Technology Opportunities Program
**The Foundation For Exceptional Children
**Partnerships Between Treatment and Justice System
**A Look at Successful Grant Proposals

HEALTH AND SAFETY
**After School for America's Teens
**Attention-Deficit Disorder and Primary Care Visits
**Substance Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem
**Children in Foster Care: Challenges in Meeting Health Care Needs
**Youth Gang Homicides in the 1990s
**A World of Difference: Sexual and Reproductive Health Risks

ADVOCATES TOOLKIT
**Child Welfare League of America E-Bulletin
**Tips for Collaborating with Public Radio Stations
**Increasing Citizen Involvement
**Educating Homeless Kids
**Census 2000: What Gets Counted Counts
**Promising Practices Network

FOCUS ON THE STATES
**State Child Care Profiles for Children with Employed Mothers
**Winning and Losing States in Bush's Tax Cut Plan
**Governors Want Flexible Spending on Welfare Reform and Education
**States Benefit from New Summer Food Program Rules
**State-by-State News

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
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NEW ON CONNECT FOR KIDS

**Race and the High-Stakes Census
The figures from the Year 2000 Census are central to how we divide our American pie -- from funding for social programs to the size and shape of congressional districts. Connect For Kids' director, Cecilia Garcia, says the discovery that Hispanics now rival Blacks in terms of numbers should be seen as an a reason to cooperate, not compete, in the drive to improve education and support poor families.
http://www.connectforkids.org

**High School Voices
Coverage of the tragic school shooting in Santee, California last week included a chorus of voices saying Andy Williams' friends and schoolmates should have reported his threats. We asked some Virginia high school students to give us their thoughts.
http://www.connectforkids.org

**Kids and Learning: At Home, School and Beyond
Connect for Kids offers articles, interviews and resources on the many ways families and communities are working to educate our children at home, in the community and as partners with the schools.
http://www.connectforkids.org

**Safe Schools Now
Students learn best and achieve their full potential in safe and orderly classrooms. The National Education Association offers advice on how to keep families, schools and communities safe.
http://www.connectforkids.org

CONNECT TODAY

**What's Your Issue?
Visit Topics A-Z and Features for stories, tools and info on issues that matter to kids and families.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1543/index.htm
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E PLURIBUS UNUM

**Census Reports Surprising Increase in Hispanic Populations
Some 32.8 million people living in the United States are Hispanic, representing 12 percent of the total population, according to the March 2000 Current Population Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. This fast-growing minority is diverse, but in general Hispanics tend to be younger, less educated, and lower paid than the non-Hispanic white population. According to the 2000 estimates, about a quarter of the 12.8 million foreign-born Hispanics have achieved naturalized citizen status.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic.html

**La Raza Calls for Investments to Help Close Education Gap
With more than one-third of Latinos under 18 years of age in the United States, the National Council of La Raza calls for a commitment to better preparing Latino children, who are underrepresented in Head Start, early childhood development programs, after-school programs, and rigorous academic courses. La Raza also argues that a refundable child tax credit and expanded earned income tax credits are the best tax proposals to helping working poor families rise above poverty.
http://www.nclr.org

**Strong Gains Among Some Latinos
A February 2001 analysis of economic mobility among the Latino population by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute finds remarkable educational and financial gains for native-born Hispanics, but not for recent immigrants. Nearly 42 percent of native-born Latino households achieved middle-class status in 1998, but among foreign-born Latinos, the number of poor households increased from fewer than 600,000 to more than 1.6 million households. The report argues that the gap in education and earning levels between immigrant and native-born Latinos reflects origin country levels of economic development.
http://www.trpi.org/press_rel.html

**Equal Pay Campaign
Research shows that equal pay is a concern crossing lines of race, gender, and political affiliation: African Americans earn $.78 and Latinos $.67 for every dollar that their white counterparts earn, and women earn $.77 for every dollar that men earn. Equal pay for equal work would put an average of $4,000 per year back into the pocketbooks of working families.  The Equal Pay Campaign offers a Policy and Media Toolkit.
http://www.stateaction.org/challenge2001/

**Understanding the Maternal Health Culture of Recent Immigrants
To help health practitioners better serve immigrant women, the American Public Health Association has released an information catalog of health care practices and the unique maternal health cultures in the regions of the world from which immigrants to the United States frequently come -- Latin America, Asia and Africa.
http://www.apha.org/ppp/red/

**Cultural Differences in Prenatal Care
The National Perinatal Association will hold its spring conference on cultural differences and implications for care on April 6 and 7, 2001 outside Washington, DC. Call 888-971-3295 for more information.

Find more reports on Race and Ethnicity in Connect for Kids Topics A-Z.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1543/index.htm
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NEW WEB SITES

**Digital Divide Network Launches Database
You can find a local Internet access center in your community with the help of the Digital Divide Database, a directory of over 20,000 digital divide-related services around the country. Most of the listings represent public libraries, Community Technology Centers, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development neighborhood network sites, PowerUp sites, and Urban League centers.
http://www.DigitalDivideNetwork.org

**Pro-Net 2000 Launched
PRO-NET 2000's new Web site is designed to give the adult education and literacy field up-to-date information about professional development resources, materials and activities.
http://www.pro-net2000.org
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KIDS AND POLITICS ? CHOOSING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY TAX PLAN

**President Bush's Budget (A Tax Cut) and Fuzzy Math
The President's budget really is only clear about one thing: his $1.6 plus trillion tax cut, according to OMB Watch. Everything else is being fitted around that goal, in spite of the fact that many Americans are not particularly interested in a tax cut if it means cuts in important services and programs or threats to Social Security and Medicare. This watchdog group argues that a tax cut may be a good idea, but policymakers should talk about the meat and potatoes before they get to dessert.
http://www.ombwatch.org/ombwatcher/current.html

**What Cost, What Benefits, Which Tax Proposal
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is cranking out analyses of the various tax-cut proposals from the White House, Democrats, think tanks and children's advocates to clarify the estimated costs and distribution of benefits in the proposals. If you want to choose a tax plan to support, here's a place to start.
http://www.cbpp.org

**Women and Children Last: The Bush Tax Cut Plan
The National Women's Law Center argues that President Bush's tax cut plan fails to offer any benefits to the lowest-income families, most of whom are headed by women who have been left out of the new economy's prosperity. Further, the size of the plan threatens critical government programs that are of importance to many low-wage women.
http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/womentax2.pdf

**Expanding State Earned Income Tax Credits
The Center for Policy Alternatives reports it is working with state leaders to use state Earned Income Tax Credit policies to help working poor families find a path out of poverty.
http://www.stateaction.org/issues/workfamily/eitc/index.cfm
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION

**Education Poll: Public Sees Parental Involvement as No. 1 Problem
Parents who are not involved in their child's education topped the list of potential education problems identified in a new poll by the National Education Association, followed by poor teacher pay and overcrowded classrooms. But voters are clear that parents alone are not responsible for improving schools. According to the survey, voters believe the federal government should put additional funding for education as the single highest priority for the federal budget, above Social Security and Medicare reform, tax cuts, and national debt reduction, according to the NEA.
http://www.nea.org/nr/nr010305.html

**Would Smaller Classes Help Close the Black-White Achievement Gap?
The answer is yes, according to this research reported by Princeton University's Alan Krueger. Krueger found that African American students gain more in academic performance from attending small classes in the primary grades, more than the gains documented by evaluations of voucher programs, and more than the gains documented for white students. Krueger suggests that these greater gains by African American students may be explained by the difficult classroom conditions in the schools that most of them attend. In large classrooms learning is significantly slowed down or disrupted by weak students, while in a smaller classroom a teacher can effectively teach more material.
http://www.irs.princeton.edu/pubs/working_papers.html

**Lessons: Reducing Poverty Could Improve School Achievement
In a March 7 column in the New York Times, education analyst Richard Rothstein argued that we might do well to eliminate the specific hazards associated with poverty that interfere with learning, like poor dental care and exposure to lead poisoning, as part of any education reform package to improve learning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/07/national/07LESS.html?searchpv=site01

**High Standards for Learning Rely on Adequate Textbooks
Project 2061's review and evaluation of textbooks is designed to help teachers and schools evaluate the accuracy of textbooks so that their students can achieve higher academic standards in math and science.
http://www.project2061.org/newsinfo/research/textbook/default.htm

**All Together Now
In this provocative new book on education reform, Richard Kahlenberg asks a simple question: since we know that middle class schools tend to work best, why not give every child in America the opportunity to attend a public school in which the majority of students come from middle-class households? Economically integrated schools, he argues, will do far more to promote achievement and equal opportunity than vouchers, standards, class-size reduction or any of the other leading education proposals that seek to make "separate but equal" schools work.
http://www.brookings.org/press/books/all_together_now.htm

Connect for Kids' Kids and Learning feature offers data, resources and ideas on strengthening classroom learning.
http://www.connectforkids.org/content1556/content.htm
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THE COURTS DECIDE

**Violence Against Student Cancels Teacher's Immunity
In a victory for those who seek to protect students from violent teachers, a federal appeals court ruled on January 31 that a gym teacher who grabbed a student by the throat, dragged him across the gym to the bleachers and slammed the boy's forehead into a metal fuse box cannot claim the "qualified immunity" from being sued that usually protects teachers and other school personnel.
http://www.healthinschools.org/ejournal/courts_01.htm

**Restrictions Lifted on Lawyers Representing the Poor in Welfare Cases
In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional a federal law enacted in 1996 that bars lawyers funded by the Legal Services Corporation from making any "effort to amend or otherwise challenge existing law" in welfare reform cases. This ruling will give lawyers and their welfare clients ?equal justice under the law? to challenge government policy and procedures.
http://www.brennancenter.org/presscenter/pressrelease_2001_0228.html
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

**Federal Grants Manual for Youth Programs
The Federal Grants Manual for Youth Programs is now available from the Institute for Youth Development.
http://www.jointogether.org/jtodirect.jtml?U=24562&O=266158

**Charitable Choice Implementation Guide
The Center for Public Justice has a new how-to guide for federal, state and local officials in implementing charitable choice. Cost: $12. Contact Stephen Lazarus (866-275-8784; stephen@cpjustice.org).
http://www.cpjustice.org/charitablechoice/

**Food Assistance Research Development Grants
The Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research is accepting proposals for food assistance research development. Due May 1, 2001.
http://www.jcpr.org/usdarfp.html

**Office of Community Services
Application kits for a number of community programs are available from the Office of Community Services of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ocs/kits1.htm

**Assets for Independence Demonstration Grants
Under a new federal program, nonprofits, credit unions, community development financial institutions and government or tribal agencies partnering with nonprofits are eligible for grants to create new Individual Development Account projects for low-income participants. Applications due June 12, 2001. Contact Sheldon Shalit (202-401-4807; sshalit@acf.dhhs.gov).
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-4242-filed

**Federal Technology Opportunities Program
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration promotes widespread availability and use of digital network technologies in the public and nonprofit sectors. For FY 2001, the emphasis is on projects that develop and use network technologies and applications are due March 22.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/top/

**The Foundation For Exceptional Children
The Foundation for Exceptional Children is a national organization committed to improving the lives of children and youth with disabilities. Their mini-grants of up to $500 provide funds to schools, community groups and other learning centers for innovative educational programs.
http://www.cec.sped.org/fd-menu.htm

**Partnerships Between Treatment and Justice System
A major new funding initiative by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will support efforts to provide comprehensive addiction and other services to youth in the juvenile justice system.
http://www.jointogether.org/jtodirect.jtml?U=24562&O=266174

**A Look at Successful Grant Proposals
The Grantsmanship Center has a new searchable database of proposals selected by major government funders from among their highest-rated grant applications.
http://www.TGCIgrantproposals.com
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HEALTH AND SAFETY

**After School for America's Teens
Teens with nothing to do and no supervision after school are at greater risk of unsafe behaviors and poorer grades, according to a YMCA survey. Over half of teens surveyed say they wish there were more after school activities in their communities, and two-thirds say they would be likely to participate in after school programs that would help them get better grades, develop leadership skills and serve their community. The YMCA Teen Action Agenda aims to involve one in five teens in YMCA programs by 2005.
http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0301-117.html

**Attention-Deficit Disorder and Primary Care Visits
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most frequently encountered developmental disorder that surfaces in childhood. This report highlights the empirical literature review that is the basis for the clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis and evaluation of children with ADHD developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/abstract/107/3/e43

**Substance Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation looks at trends in substance abuse over time, including early use by youth, media depictions of substance use, costs and effective prevention strategies and treatment approaches.
http://www.rwjf.org/app/rw_substance_abuse/rw_res_sa_stats.jsp

**Children in Foster Care: Challenges in Meeting Health Care Needs
Based on an analysis of mid-1990's data in three states, this Mathematica Policy Brief finds that children in foster care have disproportionately high Medicaid expenditures and are more likely to have a mental health or substance abuse condition than other Medicaid-enrolled children. Only seven in 10 children in foster care in 1994 had continuous, year-round health insurance coverage, less than children receiving Social Security (SSI) benefits or children in families receiving adoption assistance.
http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/fostercarebrief.pdf

**Youth Gang Homicides in the 1990s
The total number of youth gang homicides in 400 U.S. cities declined during the 1990s, but the 15-percent drop provides little comfort when two other findings are considered. First, just one city -- Los Angeles -- accounts for 29.7 percent of the 256-homicide decrease nationwide from 1991 to 1996. Second, the number of cities with decreases in gang homicides during this period is counterbalanced by a similar number of cities with increases.
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/fact.html#fs200103

**A World of Difference: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Risks
Women in the United States face greater risks to their sexual and reproductive health than women in Singapore and many European nations, but women in developing nations, particularly in Africa, are at greatest risk among the 133 countries ranked.
http://www.planetwire.org/details/1293
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ADVOCATES' TOOLKIT

**Child Welfare League of America E-Bulletin
Finding information on the Internet may be fast, but it still takes time. Each edition of CWLA's new e-bulletin, WeR4Kdz, covers a single topic affecting children, youth and families in a condensed, reader-friendly format. To subscribe e-mail WeR4Kdz@cwla.org.

**Tips for Collaborating with Public Radio Stations
Public radio stations can reach many listeners with high quality reporting. Community organizations interested in learning how to work with stations to help promote their work can get tips from the Benton Foundation's Sound Partner's project.
http://www.soundpartners.org/topics1983/topics_show.htm?doc_id=23195&attrib_id_list=1168,1159,1151

**Increasing Citizen Involvement
Getting citizen input takes more than scheduling a meeting and sending out a few flyers. Numerous barriers exist that prevent citizen involvement and voluntarism. Learn the seven considerations (Seven Cs) affecting the willingness of citizens to participate in public discussions that may lead to decisions and action.
http://www.publiceducation.org/resources/sevenc.htm

**Educating Homeless Children
The National Coalition for the Homeless has a sample letter and bill summary for advocates ready to urge Congress to enact the McKinney Homeless Education Act (HR623).
http://nch.ari.net/reauthnews.html

**Census 2000: What Gets Counted Counts
U.S. Census figures will include the numbers of grandparents caring for their grandchildren for the first time in the 2000 Census. The first data sets will be available in March 2001. Find out what data will be of use to researchers and advocates for children and families in the winter issue of Child Indicator from ChildTrends.
http://www.childtrends.org/w_welcome.asp

**Promising Practices Network
The Promising Practices Network has information on programs and practices that are effective in helping children, families, and communities, organized by topic areas on successful outcomes associated with the well-being of children and families.
http://www.promisingpractices.net
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FOCUS ON THE STATES

**State Child Care Profiles for Children with Employed Mothers
Based on the 1997 National Survey of America's Families, the Urban Institute's State Child Care Profiles paint the most comprehensive statistical picture of child care patterns and challenges for families available for Alabama, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin
http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/state_focus.html

**Winning and Losing States in Bush's Tax Cut Plan
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities concludes that in many states a large proportion of children in low-income working families will not benefit from President Bush's tax cut proposals. In the larger states like California, Florida, New York and Texas millions of poor children will receive no benefit, even though their families pay payroll and other taxes.
http://www.cbpp.org/3-6-01tax-pr.htm

**Governors Want Flexible Spending on Welfare Reform and Education
At their recent meeting, the National Governors Association confirmed their wish for continued flexibility and funding for welfare programs, including the cash assistance Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
http://www.nga.org/nga/legislativeUpdate/1,1169,C_LETTER^D_1445,00.html

The governors also issued ?Turning Around Low-Performing Schools,? a report that defends the states' emphasis on accountability from individual schools. The report reviews how states are measuring performance and the kinds of monetary or technical assistance that states are using to go beyond threatening takeovers of school districts to help turn around ?failing schools.?
http://www.nga.org/center/divisions/1,1188,C_ISSUE_BRIEF^D_1382,00.html

**States Benefit from New Summer Food Program Rules
A new law that removes the ?wall? between food service reimbursements and administrative cost reimbursements in 13 states and Puerto Rico could significantly increase the number of children whose communities offer the Summer Food Program. The Food Action and Research Center is helping advocates and state agencies in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming to get the word out about this change and its potential to expand the availability of the Summer Food Program. For information, contact Crystal Weedall (202 986-2200 x3006; cweedall@frac.org).

**State-by-State News
Check out news about kids in your state in the ?state-by-state? section of Connect for Kids. Here's a sample of this week's additions to our state pages.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1576/index.htm

Arizona
The Greater Phoenix Child Abuse Prevention Council is holding its Annual Child Abuse Prevention Month Luncheon in April.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=379

California
Children Now reports new legislation has been introduced in the State Assembly to offer California's working poor a refundable earned income tax credit.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=381

Colorado
The Denver Post reports on the marriage incentives bill for welfare recipients approved by the Colorado House.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=382

Georgia
"Community-Based Organizations in Bibb County, Georgia: A Spatial Analysis" reports on a new approach being used to map the institutional capacities to foster the economic and social viability of the community.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=387

Illinois
Mathematica's ?Food Stamp Leavers in Illinois: How Are They Doing Two Years Later?" finds about half of those who exited in 1997 were employed two years later, while more than half had incomes below the poverty line.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=390

Indiana
Based on asset-building theory, "Examining the Nonprofit Sector in Lake County, Indiana: A Spatial Analysis" reports on a new approach being used to map the institutional capacities to foster the economic and social viability of the community.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=391

New Mexico
New Mexico's state minimum wage would increase to $5.15 an hour, matching the federal rate, under a proposal passed by the House which faces opposition in the Senate and Governor's office.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=408

New York
A new law requires schools statewide to notify parents several times per year regarding pesticides used on school property.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=409

North Carolina
The Covenant with North Carolina's Children reports the success of grassroots advocacy in getting the child care subsidy money that was being held back by the State Budget Office to be approved for use by DHHS.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=410

Ohio
Based on asset-building theory, "Mapping Community-Based Organizations in Summit County, Ohio" reports on a new approach being used to map the institutional capacities to foster the economic and social viability of the community.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=412

Oregon
One-stop shopping for social services in Jackson County is the model for a statewide reorganization that could save the state $5 million a year.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=414

Pennsylvania
Based on asset-building theory, "Mapping Nonprofits in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania" reports on a new approach being used to map the institutional capacities to foster the economic and social viability of the community.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=415

South Carolina
The Urban Institute's ?South Carolina Family Independence Program Process Evaluation? reports examine two welfare reform provisions that are unique to South Carolina: the requirement for participation in substance abuse treatment; and the delivery of relocation assistance services.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=418

Tennessee
The Murfreesboro City School Board has banned corporal punishment. System Director Marilyn Mathis argued paddling gets immediate results, but teaches children nothing about self-control.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=420

Vermont
The Journal of the American Medical Association reviews the results of the Stop It Now! public education campaign in Vermont.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=423

Wisconsin
Milwaukee W-2 agencies paid out nearly $2 million in bonuses to staffers from 1997 through 1999, at least in part as rewards for drastically cutting welfare caseloads, state records show.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1667/index.htm?state_id=427
 

Keep up the good work, everyone!

Jan Richter, Outreach Specialist and the Connect for Kids team
Jan@benton.org