|
Investing in the young
July, 7, 2008
by Rebecca Rimel and Robert Dugger
Washington Times
Joanna Selena was born five days after the building that
would have been her first home burned to the ground.
Her Parents lost almost everything
they owned in the five-alarm fire that ravaged Mount
Pleasant in late March. So business, community and city
leaders joined forces to make sure Joanna's basic needs
were met during her vulnerable first weeks. The
neighborhood organized a baby shower, catered by local
restaurants and hosted by the owner's of Pfeiffer's
Hardware.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/07/investing-in-the-young/
Texans: Start making yourselves heard
July 2, 2008
by Jason Sabo
Special to the Express-News
All across Texas, families and communities are preparing
to celebrate the most American of holidays -
Independence Day. The Fourth of July this year has a
special meaning as the presidential election has created
unprecedented enthusiasm across the political spectrum
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/stories/MYSA.070308.OPED.sabocomment.1894d5db.html
Special-education students more likely to face
disciplinary action
One mother had years of meetings, problems involving her
daughter
June 22, 2008
by Terry Webster
Star-Telegram
Behavior problems for Germecia Thomas began in first
grade
She knocked pictures off a classroom wall, broke a
clock, locked herself in a bathroom and ran away from
her teachers as Souder Elementary School in Everman.
http://www.star-telegram.com
Report card on kids' healthcare gives Texas an F
May 28, 2008
by Maria M. Perotin
Star-Telegram staff writer
With a fifth of Texas children going without health
insurance, the state's child health system
ranks among the nation's worst.
http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/667353.html
Lead exposure in children linked to violent crime
May 28, 2008
byThomas H. Maugh II and Marla Cone
Los Angeles Times staff writers
A study finds that even low levels can permanently
damage the brain. The research also shows that exposure
is a continuing problem despite efforts to minimize it.
The first study to follow lead-exposed children from
before birth into adulthood has shown that even
relatively low levels of lead permanently damage the
brain and are linked to higher numbers of arrests,
particularly for violent crime.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-lead28-2008may28,0,6207472.story
Patient Voices: A.D.H.D.
May 21, 2008
by Karen Barrow
The New York Times
The challenges faced by those with A.D.H.D. -- weighing
the decision to take stimulant medication, facing those
who doubt your disorder and adapting to your symptoms --
are daunting and deeply personal. Here, in their own
words, are the stories of adults and children coping
with A.D.H.D.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/21/health/healthguide/TE_ADHD_CLIPS.html?th&emc=th
Food stamp recipients pinched by high food prices
May 19, 2008
by Don Babwin
Associated Press Writer
Chicago -- Danielle Brown stands outside a South Side
market at midnight, braving the spring chill for her
first chance to buy groceries since her food stamps ran
out nearly two weeks ago.
For days, Brown said, she has been turning cans of
"whatever we go in the cabinet" into breakfast, lunch
and dinner for her children, ages 1 and 3.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Scrambling_for_Food.html
Project aims to give low-income Dallas toddlers an
educational boost
May 19, 2008
by Staci Hupp
The Dallas Morning News
Preschool is moving to the potty-training set.
Toddlers are shaping up to be the next generation of
preschoolers, a pattern fueled by fears that poor
children aren't ready to learn when their first school
bell rings.
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/DN-learningtotschart_19met.ART.State.Edition1.462c547.html
City, state take aim at Bexar's high teen pregnancy
rate
May 8, 2008
by Michelle De La Rosa
Express Newsr
City and state officials on Wednesday -- National Day to
Prevent Teen Pregnancy -- announced their intentions to
come up with a comprehensive plan to combat Bexar
County's persistently high teen birth rate
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA050808.Teenpregnancy.EN.3c9bd77.html
Survey of youths in custody finds half have mental
health problems
May 8, 2008
by Sarah Viren
Houston Chronicle
Nearly 3,500 juveniles at the county detention center
were tested.
Nearly half of the youths locked up in the Harris County
Juvenile Detention Center suffer from mental health
problems -- far more than the estimated 20 percent with
mental disorders in the general youth population --
figures released Thursday show.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5766286.html
Forget Teacher Education Level, Pre-K Students
Benefit Most When Teachers are Supportive
May 15, 2008
Science Daily
States are investing considerable amounts of money
in pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds. A new
study finds that the quality of interactions between
teachers and children plays a key role in accounting for
gains in children's development when compared to typical
quality indicators such as teachers' educatiohn, class
size, and child-to-teacher ratio.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515073026.htm
Private firms cleared to help Texans applying for
food stamps
Provision was a response to Texas struggles with
contractors.
May 6, 2008
by Jason Embry
American Statesman Staff
Washington -- A move in congress to limit the role
of private firms in doling out food stamps is dead for
now, allowing Texas to move forward with its
privatization plans.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/06/0506foodstamps.html
Study: Restaurant tobacco bans influence teen smoking
May 6, 2008
by Steve LeBlanc
Associated Press
Boston -- A Massachusetts study suggests that restaurant
smoking bans might play a big role in persuading teens
not to become smokers.
Youths who lived in towns with strict bans were 40
percent less likely to become regular smokers than those
in communities with no bans or weak ones, the
researchers reported in the May issue of the Archives of
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/05/06/0506smokingstudy.html
Texas health, environmental groups will unveil
asthma-fighting plan
May 5, 2008
San Antonio Business Journal
Texans spent more than $1.3 billion diagnosing
children and adults with asthma from 2000 to 2005,
according to figures released Monday by the Asthma
Coalition of Texas.
The dollar figure represents total charges for inpatient
hospital admissions for asthma-related visits. This
figure does not include losses due to missed days of
school and work in Texas.
Nationwide, some 11.8 million school days are missed
each year because of asthma.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/05/05/daily6.html?f=et77&ana=e_du
Twenty-Five Years Later, A Nation Still at Risk
April 26, 2008
by Chester E. Finn, Jr.
Wall Street Journal"
Today marks the 25th anniversary of "A Nation at
Risk," the influential Reagan-era report by a
blue-ribbon panel that alerted Americans to the weak
performance of our education system. The report warned
of a "rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very
future as a nation and a people.": That dire forecast
set off a quarter century of education reform that's
yielded worthy changes -- yet still not the achievement
gains we need to turn back the tide of mediocrity."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120916804732546311.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
Science, politics and preschool
Experts agree: Kids need early education programs. But
how early?
April 27, 2008
by Jeremy Manier
Chicago Tribune
A tide of recent research on early childhood
development is inspiring prominent scientists and
politician to argue for an unprecedented investment in
schooling that begins virtually at birth.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-earlybrain_bd27apr27,0,5759147.story
'Everything's gonna be new'
April 27, 2008
by Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Billy's World: Part 1
After serving 15 months at the Youth Commission's
Crockett State School, Austin teen has high hopes and
big plans."
"Byers!" the guard shouted on day in June. "Your
ride is here."
Billy Byers strolls around the low-ceilinged cinder
block room, muttering goodbyes, pulling friends in
guy-clinches and clapping backs.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/27/0427billysworld.html
Struggling on Parole
April 27, 2008
By Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Billy's World Part 2
Adjusting to life at home and as an adult, Billy tries
to fulfill the items on an ambitious to-do list.
The entire family accompanies Billy on his
first visit to the Texas Youth Commission's parole
office on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It's in
a low, tan, unmarked building across the street from a
convenience store. The Nos. 23 and 18 busses run there.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/28/0428billysworld.html
A Constant Struggle
April 27, 2008
by Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Bily's World: Part 3
Billy tries to deal with disability, financial and
mental health issues.
Billy left Crockett State School in June with a
General Educational Development certificate and high
hopes, but by late July, he seems stalled. Concerned
that he is drifting back to his old habits, his parole
officer Virginia Martinez visits him at home.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/29/0429billysworld.html
In Trouble Again
April 27, 2008
by Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Billy's World: Part 4
Billy attempts to spend time with his daughter but soon
faces his first criminal charges as an adult.
"Oh, my God," Charlie, the mother of Billy's
daughter , said one day in the fall. "In three months,
I'll be 20, But I don't fee 20. I feel. . .13."
Aaliyah, now about 18 months old, grabs at a bowl of
bright orange macaroni and cheese, Charlie pulls it away
absently and jams a cookie into her daughter's hand.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/30/0430billysworld.html
A Man With a Record
April 27, 2008
by Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman Staff
Billy's World: Part 5
Billy pleads no contest to a theft charge and is
released after a month in prison.
In a 6-by4-foot cinder block room in the courthouse
basement divided by a glass security window -- jail on
one side, free world on the other -- Billy weighs his
options.
As is the case with many of his decisions, a teen-age
near-sightedness distorts his view of the horizon. He
must select between an immediate reward and a future
payoff that's hard to see -- particularly for a young
man who has spent the past month in jail and his entire
17th year in a juvenile lockup.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/01/0501billysworld.html
The Cost of Dropping Out
April 27, 200
by Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Billy's World: Part 6
Despite his struggles in school, Billy wants his brother
to stick with it; however, it may be too late.
Billy started skipping classes in middle school, He
recalls sharing a joint with friends as he strolled
around Fulmore Middle School. By seventh grade, he'd
miss school for weeks at a time. When he missed enough
school, he'd get suspended. By the time he returned,
he'd fallen further behind, making him feel lost,
leading to more absences.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/02/0502billysworld.html
'Not a bad kid'
April 27, 2008
By Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Billy's World: Part 7
Billy turns 19, with another baby on the way and another
arrest on his record.
On the day before Christmas, the waiting room of the
Del Valle jail is crowded with half-families. Most are
wives and girlfriends hauling
children in for a holiday visit with their fathers.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/03/0503billysworld.html
'You're not a bid kid'
April 27, 2008
by Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Billy's World
With the exception of the time he spent locked up in
various juvenile detention programs, Billy has spent his
entire life in government subsidized housing.
Both Oak Creek Village Apartments on Wilson Street in
South Austin and the Height on Congress near St.
Edward's University are owned by companies
that receive direct payments from the federal Housing and Urban
Development Department in exchange for agreeing to keep
rents low.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/03/0503billysworldside.html
Counting Dropouts
April, 27,
2008
by Eric Dexheimer
American Statesman
Billy's World
For kids like Billy, who left Travis High School in
ninth grade, dropping out represents more than a missed
opportunity to learn geography and many.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/02/0502billysworldside.html
S.A. Team Finds Mercury, Autism Link
April 24, 2008
by Anton Caputo
San Antonio Express News
A team of San Antonio Scientists has found a
correlation between autism rates in Texas school
districts and their
proximity to power plants or other large
industrial sources of mercury.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA042408.03B.autism.30df04a.html
Autism Help Expanding
April 23, 2008
by Don Finley
San Antonio Express News
In the wake of a new study that finds services for
autistic children in San Antonio sorely lacking, the
city could eventually have two new campuses providing
badly needed help for families.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA042308.01B.autism.386d066.html
County Task Force to Look at TYC Fallout
April 22, 2008
Bexar County Commissioners, anticipating a possible
legislative decision to abolish the Texas Youth
Commission, voted Tuesday to create a task force to
study the potential cost to taxpayers.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA042308.02B.newsroundutyc.8e3d889f.html
Public Forum to Address Safety Issues on Vaccines
April 11, 2008
By Gardiner Harris
The New York Times
WASHINGTON--In the midst of yet another controversy
about whether vaccines cause autism, the federal
government will hold its first ever public meeting on
Friday to discuss a government wide research agenda to
explore the safety of vaccines.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/health/policy/11vaccine.html?th&emc=th
Momentum Seen on Pre-K in States that Have Lagged
April 10, 2008
By Linda Jacobson
Education Week
They've been called the "wilderness" states when it
comes to prekindergarten services. And in one
prominent advocacy group's yearbook of state pre-K
activity, they earn a full page with the words "no
program" in large, obvious print.
http://www.edweek.org/login.html?source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Few%2Farticles%2F2008%2F04%2F16%2F33prek.h27.html%3FlevelId%3D2100%26&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Few%2Farticles%2F2008%2F04%2F16%2F33prek.h27.html%3FlevelId%3D2100%26&levelId=2100&baddebt=false
Health care plan for low-income adults won't start
this year after all
Hawkins: Draft plan didn't give patients enough
choice
April 8, 2008
By Corrie MacLaggan
Austin American-Statesman
Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner is
backing off a plan to provide health care to thousands
of low-income, uninsured Texas adults by the fall.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/04/08/0408hop.html
Study: Infants who sleep less have greater risk
for obesity at age 3
TV viewing heightens the effect, researchers say.
April 8, 2008
By Carla K. Johnson
Associated Press
CHICAGO--When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
And when babies sleep less, they might gain too much
weight.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/04/08/0408infantsleep.html
Philly School Effort Cuts Weight Gain
April 7, 2008
By Stephanie Nano
Associated Press Writer
New York (AP)--Five Philadelphia elementary schools
replaced sodas with fruit juice. They scaled back
snacks and banished candy. They handed out raffle
tickets for wise food choices. They spent hours
teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good
nutrition.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DIET_SCHOOL_FOODS?SITE=ALMON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Immobile leadership likely stalls solutions
April 7, 2008
By Michelle De La Rosa and Nancy Martinez
San Antonio Express-News
Mayor Phil Hardberger pushed through the
redevelopment of Main Plaza, and he's a strong backer of
May bond issues that would spend hundreds of millions of
dollars on the River Walk, performing arts, the AT&T
center and sports complexes.
He set things in motion for Haven for Hope, a new $70
million homeless campus.
But such determined attention by the city on large
projects falls short when it comes to dealing with teen
pregnancy, which many say is at the heart of San
Antonio's social ills.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA040708.01A.TeenMomSolution.38f0759.html
Foster children get electronic health "passport"
Part of new managed health care plan through Medicaid
April 6, 2008
By Corrie MacLaggan
Austin American-Statesman
Many Texans don't have neat records of their medical
history, but for foster children, that can make getting
proper health care especially difficult.
Because they tend to move around often--shifting among
foster homes after being taken from their parents
because of abuse or neglect--their medical history is
often a mystery.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/04/06/0406foster.html
Texas ranks low in child well-being, report says
Report by nonprofit evaluates states on 10 indicators
April 3, 2008
By Suzannah Gonzales
Austin American-Statesman
Texas ranks 46th among the states in terms of child
well-being, according to a report released Wednesday by
a nonprofit group that promotes adopting national
policies for children, youth and families.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/03/0403texaschild.html
Disadvantage cited in teacher bonuses
April 1, 2008
By Gary Scharrer
San Antonio Express-News Austin Bureau
AUSTIN--Forcing property poor school districts to
help pay for a state bonus program for superior teachers
"is illegal and inequitable," a state senator contends
in a letter to Education Commissioner Robert Scott.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA040208.01B.teacherbonuspay.385e068.html
U.S. to Require States to Use a Single School Dropout
Formula
April 1, 2008
By Sam Dillon
The New York Times
Moving to sweep away the tangle of inaccurate state
data that has obscured the severity of the nation's high
school dropout crisis, Secretary of Education Margaret
Spellings will require all states to use one federal
formula to calculate graduation and dropout rates, Bush
administration officials said on Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/education/01child.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Sex ed in Bexar varies by district
March 31, 2008
By Michelle De La Rosa
San Antonio Express-News
Nationally, health-care professionals, educators and
advocacy groups are debating what school sex education
programs should include.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA033108.11A.TeenMomDay2sidebar.2b2748e.html
Mom has family's support
March 31, 2008
By Michelle De La Rosa
San Antonio Express-News
Second of two parts
Nicolette Perez plops down on the floor of her
closet shortly after 5:30 a.m. to begin the part of her
day she most enjoys.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA033108.01A.TEENMOMPART2.382320a.html
Teen mom has to grow up fast
March 30, 2008
By Nancy Martinez
San Antonio Express-News
First of two parts
Felicia Perez lay in a hospital bed, writhing
in pain.
Dr. Mohsin Kapasi checked to see how her labor had
progressed.
"How much longer?" Felicia begged.
"She's making good progress," Kapasi said to nurses and
others in the room. "She should have this baby by
happy hour."
"What time is happy hour?" Felicia asked.
She started to moan again, and began to cry softly.
The fetal heartbeat played on the monitor like
background music--whoosh thump-thump, whoosh
thump-thump.
"Oh, I want to push," she said. "Oh my God, I want
to push."
"Just blow, don't push," said her doula Suzanne de Leon,
whose nonprofit, San Antonio Birth Doulas, helps teen
mothers through labor.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA033008.01A.TEENMOM.38a7b89.html
Activists fear state's new low-income health plan
March 28, 2008
By Peggy Fikac
San Antonio Express-News
AUSTIN--As state officials work on a proposal they
say will give more low-income Texans health-care
coverage, community organizers want more
assurances that public hospitals already serving the
poor won't lose funds.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA032908.04B.healthcare.367ae7b.html
Editorial: Expanded and better preschool
necessary
March 20, 2008
San Antonio Express-News
The latest study out of Rutgers University confirms
what we have suspected for some time: 4-year-olds
in Texas are not getting the quality education they
deserve.
As Express-News education writer Lindsay Kastner
reported this week, Texas' public preschool programs
have a long way to go in terms of quality.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/stories/MYSA032108.01O.preschool1ed.2925e00.html
ABCs of pre-K could soon include XYZ
March 20, 2008
By Lindsay Kastner
San Antonio Express-News
Texas 4-year-olds have been skating by on just 10
alphabet letters for almost a decade now, but that could
change soon.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA032108.05B.PREK.3823c58.html
Report: Texas public preschool program has
quantity, not quality
March 18, 2008
By Lindsay Kastner
San Antonio Express-News
Texas' public preschool program serves more
4-year-olds than any state-funded program in the nation,
but it has a long way to go when it comes to quality.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/stories/MYSA031908.01B.PREK.37a0328.html
Methodist begins development of South Side Wesley
Health and Wellness Center
March 17, 2008
San Antonio Business Journal
Methodist Healthcare Ministries is set to begin
construction next week on a new $12 million health and
wellness center on San Antonio's South Side.
The new Wesley Health and Wellness Center will be
located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. The
new center will replace the current Wesley Community
Center at Columbia Heights and Wesley Primary Care
Clinic.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/03/17/daily7.html?f=et77&ana=e_du
NHSA Warns that 14,000 Head Start Child Slot Cut
Proposed by Bush Administration is New White House
Effort to 'Dismantle' Head Start
March 13, 2008
WASHINGTON--Head Start officials from across the
United States warned today that the Bush White House is
once again trying to dismantle the Head Start program,
after it was rebuffed during 2003-2006 in its
controversial first attempt to do so.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20080313/pl_usnw/nhsa_warns_that14000_head_start_child_slot_cut_proposed_by_bush_administration_is_new_white_house_effort_to__dismantle__head_st
Jagged Little Pills. The Debate about Sex Ed in
Schools Continues
Latina Magazine, March 2008
By Shirley Velasquez
Article in the March issue of Latina Magazine about
teens and contraception does a good job about
highlighting the high rate of teen pregnancy among
Latinas and some important approaches to reducing this
rate.
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/media/pdf/Latina_3_08.pdf
Perry adviser appointed TYC chief of staff
Alfonso Royal, four others named to top Youth Commission
spots.
March 5, 2008
Austin-American Statesman
A policy adviser in Gov. Rick Perry's office who was
criticized during a scandal at the Texas Youth
Commission last year has been named chief of staff of
the troubled agency.
The aide, Alfonso Royal, is among five new top
management appointments announced by Youth Commission
Conservator Richard Nedelkoff on Tuesday. The
chief of staff serves as a top aide to the conservator
and will be based at the Youth Commission office in
Austin.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/05/0305tyc.html
Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison
February 29, 2008
By David Crary
AP National Writer
New York (AP)--For the first time in U.S. history, more
than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison,
according to a new report documenting America's rank as
the world's No. 1 incarcerator. It urges states to
curtail corrections spending by placing fewer low-risk
offenders behind bars.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PRISON_POPULATION?SITE=ALOPE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Clinton offers plan to cut child poverty in half in a
dozen years
February 29, 2008
By Mike Glover
Associated Press
Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton offered a plan to
improve childhood nutrition and set a goal to reduce by
half the 12 million youngsters living in poverty over
the next dozen years.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8V3N7OG1.html
Colleges and Latinos have much work left
February 29, 2008
By Jeorge Zarazua
Express-News
The number of Latinos dropping out of high school has
been cut in half during the past 25 years, but great
disparity remains when it comes to their college
graduation rates, according to a study from the Pew
Hispanic Center.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA022908.01B.EducationStudy.1a276e5.html
TYC to close Sheffield Boot Camp
Closure of remote West Texas facility is first for
troubled agency.
February 28, 2008
By Mike Ward
Austin American-Statesman Staff
Texas Youth Commission officials plan to close the
Sheffield Boot Camp in remote West Texas, a facility
that has been plagued for months by staff shortages and
a dwindling count of incarcerated youths.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/29/0229tyc.html
Creative Play Makes for Kids in Control
February 28, 2008
By Alix Spiegel
It's playtime at the Geraldyn O. Foster Early Childhood
Center in Bridgeton, N.J., and in one corner of a busy
classroom, 4-year-olds Zee Logan and Emmy Hernandez want
to play bookstore.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=76838288&sc=emaf&sc=emaf
Children in Poverty: There Is No Excuse
February 22, 2008
To the Editor:
"Poverty is Poison, by Paul Krugman (column, Feb. 18),
echoes what members of Congress heard at a national
summit meeting about child development that Democrats
convened last year. Children who grow up in
poverty have a much lower chance of success in school
and in life, but investments in early childhood
development help to even the odds, offering hope and
opportunity where little existed before.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/opinion/lweb22krugman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
STEM program is grooming future math, science leaders
February 22, 2008
By Mike W. Thomas
San Antonio Business Journal
A new educational initiative geared toward encouraging
students to pursue science, technology, engineering and
math (STEM) careers has taken root in San Antonio and
promises big results in just a few years.
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/02/25/story3.html?b=1203915600^1594697&page=1
Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills
February 21, 2008
By Alix Spiegel
On October 3, 1955, the Mickey Mouse Club debuted on
television. As we all now know, the show quickly
became a cultural icon, one of those phenomena that
helped define an era.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514
Texas food stamps applications being delayed under new
system
February 20, 2008
Associated Press
Texans seeking food stamps are waiting longer to have
their applications processed through an updated computer
system intended to modernize enrollment, state records
show.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8UTV4J80.html
Higher Education Gap May Slow Economic Mobility
By Erick Eckholm
February 20, 2008
New York Times
Economic mobility, the chance that children of the poor
or middle class will climb up the income ladder, has not
changed significantly over the last three decades, a
study being released on Wednesday says.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/us/20mobility.html?ex=1204174800&en=6f66cac2a0185c45&ei=5070
Saving kids with a surge
February 20, 2008
By Rick Casey
Houston Chronicle
With the capital murder indictment Tuesday of Travis
Mullis for allegedly killing his crying baby by stomping
on his head, Galveston prosecutors will decide between
spending $1 million or so to jump through the legal
hoops necessary to get the death penalty, or a similar
amount for putting Mullis away for life.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/5554280.html
Valero developing new child care center on corporate
campus
San Antonio Business Journal
Valero Energy Corp. officially began construction
Wednesday on a new child care center at the company's
corporate headquarters in Northwest San Antonio.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/02/18/daily22.html?f=et77&ana=e_du
Failed Follow-Up:
More than words are needed to support Head Start.
February 20, 2008
Washington Post
Last year's reauthorization of Head Start was cause for
celebration. Congress gave overwhelming,
bipartisan support to the successful preschool program,
and the president agreed that it should be renewed, even
strengthened. Sadly, the celebration was
short-lived. It has since become clear that
educating this country's poor children gets paid lip
service--not the money that's needed to do the job.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/19/AR2008021902391.html
Higher Education Gap May Slow Economic Mobility
February 20, 2008
By Erik Eckholm
The New York Times
Economic mobility, the chance that children of the poor
or middle class will climb up the income ladder, has not
changed significantly over the last three decades, a
study being released on Wednesday says.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/us/20mobility.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Poverty is Poison
February 18, 2008
By Paul Krugman
New York Times
"Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain."
That was the opening of an article in Saturday's
Financial Times, summarizing research presented last
week at the American Association for the Advancement of
Science.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/opinion/18krugman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Curriculum pitch sparks controversy
February 13, 2008
By Gary Scharrer
Austin Bureau
AUSTIN--Conservatives on the State Board of Education
are expected to make an 11th-hour move today to scrap
two years of work on a language arts curriculum revision
in favor of adopting an alternative curriculum rejected
more than a decade ago.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA021308.03B.English_rewrite.371cf2f.html
Ken Rodriguez: Impact of turnover within child
protection agency is 'immense'
February 12, 2008
Express-News
When caseworkers began to flee Child Protective Services
in staggering numbers, someone did an exit poll.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/columnists/krodriguez/stories/MYSA021308.01B.krod_0213.371c9d6.html
TYC acting executive director resigns under pressure
February 12, 2008
By Lisa Sandberg
Express-News Austin Bureau
Austin--The second in command at the scandal-ridden
Texas Youth Commission resigned under pressure Monday,
and the No. 1 man in charge came under fire for keeping
the matter under wraps.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA021208.01B.tyc__dimitria.359f401.html
TYC reforming but still target of complaints
February 10, 2008
By Jim Vertuno
Associated Press
When a sex abuse scandal turned a red-hot spotlight on
the Texas juvenile justice system in early 2007, state
officials vowed to tear down and rebuild an agency rife
with abuse, neglect and dangerous facilities.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8UN49LO0.html
Child Protective Services' issues 'worse now,' follow-up
reveals
February 8, 2008
By Elizabeth Allen
Express-News
Amid a high number of child deaths, and an even higher
turnover rate at the agency tasked with overseeing the
state's abused and neglected children, the local Child
Protective Services remains troubled, according to the
findings of a judicial report released Friday.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA020908.03B.CPS.355688e.html
TYC conservator resigns from private sector job
Nedelkoff says he wants to avoid appearance of
conflicts, focus full time on Texas job.
February 8, 2008
By Mike Ward
American-Statesman Staff
Under fire for possible conflicts of interest, Texas
Youth Conservator Richard Nedelkoff resigned Thursday
from his job as a top executive at a national youth
corrections firm "to avoid any appearance of
impropriety."
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/08/0208tyc.html
TYC head defends biz ties
February 7, 2008
By Lisa Sanberg
AUSTIN--In a clear sign that leadership woes continue to
plague the Texas Youth Commission, the agency's newly
appointed conservator, Richard Nedelkoff, was grilled by
a panel of lawmakers Wednesday over his business ties to
experts he has consulted with for his state job.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA020708.01B.tyc_money.371c160.html
Domestic Violence -- How can it affect Children?
By Efrain Gonzalez, M.A., L.P.C.
February 6, 2008
Domestic Violence seems to be growing in our community
daily as seen by current news reports. It is a big
issue that is not affecting just adults. When I
talk with children at the hospital they don't tell me
there is domestic violence at home, but instead they
tell me horrific stories of nightmares, being woken up
in the middle of the night by screams and yells and how
they hit a sibling because mommy and daddy fight like
that.
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/smhc/2008/02/domestic_violence_how_can_it_a_1.html
Settlement demands safety at South Texas juvenile prison
February 5, 2008
Associated Press
To settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of
Justice, the Texas Youth Commission has agreed to make
changes to protect the safety of inmates at a South
Texas juvenile prison.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8UK2F180.html
Ten city clinics join county system
February 4, 2008
By Wendy Rigby
KENS 5 Eyewitness News
It's one of
the largest mergers of city-county business ever in San
Antonio. On Monday, 10 San Antonio Metropolitan
Health District clinics became University Health System
clinics.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA020408.medical.merger.KENS.8e44cbf5.html
Editorials: Good plan helps kids in drug users'
homes
February 4, 2008
San Antonio Express-News
Law enforcement and Child Protective Services officials
last month signed an agreement to work proactively to
help children whose parents are arrested in drug raids.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/stories/MYSA020508.01O.drugkids1ed.25e3417.html
Congress may throw wrench in Texas privatization plan
Proposal attempts to limit the role of private workers
in food stamp program.
By Jason Embry and Corrie MacLaggan
American-Statesman Staff
February 4, 2008
WASHINGTON--In a direct response to problems in Texas,
Congress is considering new limits on the role that
private companies can play in states' public assistance
programs.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/02/04/0204foodstamps.html
Bexar child death rate still high
February 3, 2008
By Nancy Martinez
Express-News
The rate at which Bexar County children died of abuse or
neglect continued essentially unabated--and above the
national average--for another year, according to state
Child Protective Services officials.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA020408.01A.ABUSEDEATHS.371c263.html
State senator wants CPS to do more to keep kids
connected
By Tamarind Phinisee
February 1, 2008
State Senator Leticia Van de Putte is pushing to change
Child Protective Services' (CPS) operating guidelines
that can sometimes prevent siblings who are placed in
separate permanent placement environments from
maintaining contact with each other.
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/02/04/story10.html
Texas Watch report contends tort reform hurts health
care
By W. Scott Bailey
San Antonio Business Journal
February 1, 2008
Tort reform, especially as it relates to health care,
has been a polarizing issue for years.
Supporters claim tort reform has improved the overall
state of health care in Texas, benefiting patients,
physicians and providers. Critics claim those
reforms have had an opposite effect.
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/02/04/story9.html?f=et166&b=1202101200^1585637&ana=e_vert
Dental students providing free care to children
February 1, 2008
By Wendy Rigby
KENS 5 Eyewitness News
Cavities are a huge problem for San Antonio children.
In fact, tooth decay is five times more common than
childhood asthma.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA020108.dental.KENS.7ec01af2.html
125 public health jobs, nine clinics moved to UHS
January 31, 2008
By Don Finley
Express-News Medical Writer
Promising that the transition will be "budget-neutral"
to taxpayers--at least in the city--the San Antonio City
Council on Thursday voted to transfer 125 public health
jobs and nine clinics to the tax-supported University
Health System.
The move of services from the Metropolitan Health
District, which has been under discussion for several
years as part of city-county consolidation efforts, came
with a recommendation that the city property tax rate be
reduced by 0.7 cent per $100 valuation, while the UHS
tax rate could rise by perhaps 1/2 cent to absorb
the costs--although they might be absorbed in some other
way, UHS officials said.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA020108.03B.health.35f729b.html
Haven for Hope to open one facility next month
January 30, 2008
By Wendy Rigby
KENS 5 Eyewitness News
San Antonio's new multimillion-dollar community for the
homeless will open its first building next month.
The detox center is a first for Bexar County.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA013008.homeless.KENS.748dc3ad.html
Head Start Group Decries Renewal's 'Broken Promises'
January 30, 2008
Just last month, Head Start supporters were celebrating
the passage of a five-year reauthorization bill they say
will strengthen the 43-year-old preschool program for
poor children.
Now, the same advocates are lamenting what they're
calling "broken promises" from the Bush administration
over funding for the program, and saying they've been
"saddled" with loads of new requirements in the
reauthorization.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/01/30/21fedfil.h27.html
Texas drafts bill of rights for foster children
Similar list of rights failed in 2007 legislative
session.
By Corrie MacLaggan
American-Statesman Staff
January 26, 2008
A proposed bill of rights for Texas' 17,000 foster
children died in the Texas House last year after a
contentious debate that one opponent said would have
children demanding designer jeans. But the head of
the state agency that oversees the foster care system
has been quietly working to make that list of rights a
reality.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/01/26/0126foster.html
Fewer children spending nights in CPS offices
January 25, 2008
AUSTIN--The number of abused or neglected children
forced to spend the night in Texas Child Protective
Services offices has decreased since reaching more than
| 
