- Kids Count: Report card mixed on the welfare of Saginaw County children, By Barrie Barber, January 12, 2010, Saginaw News: “The welfare of Saginaw County children received mixed grades in an annual report card released today. The Kids Count in Michigan Data Book 2009 report compiles federal and state information to chart children’s well-being. The county counted more kids in poverty and more child abuse and neglect cases, but the number of fourth- and eight-graders deemed proficient in state standardized math test was up and the high school drop-out rate declined, the report said…”
- Child health signs mixed in Michigan, By Elizabeth Willis, January 12, 2010, Battle Creek Enquirer: “It is no surprise that more children in Michigan were born into poverty in recent years, and that their health has been affected by it, according to a report released today. Calhoun County’s youngest children were among the most vulnerable in Michigan, according to the Kids Count in Michigan Data Book 2009, an annual project of the Michigan League for Human Services. The infant death rate increased significantly in Calhoun County, though the state rate declined. The county had the third-worst infant mortality rate among the 54 counties reporting. There are 83 counties in Michigan…”
- Report: Poverty rates for rural Michigan higher than Wayne County, Associated Press, January 11, 2010, MLive.com: “Some of Michigan’s relatively rural northern counties have a higher percentage of children living in poverty than the state’s big urban counties, according to a study released Tuesday. The latest Kids Count report says one of every five children in Michigan lived in a family with income below the federal poverty level in 2007. Poverty was defined as income below roughly $17,000 for a family of three led by a single parent or $21,000 for a family of four with two parents…”
- Child poverty, neglect on rise in Michigan, By Catherine Jun, January 12, 2010, Detroit News: “Childhood poverty, neglect and abuse continue to rise in Michigan, troubling signs that children continue to bear the brunt of the state’s economic woes, according to a report released today. More than 40 percent of Michigan students were eligible and received free or reduced federal lunches in 2008, according to Kids Count in Michigan, a report released by the Michigan League of Human Services. That’s up from 30.7 percent in 2001. Even in Oakland County, the state’s wealthiest county, more children (age 17 and younger) are falling into poverty: 11 percent compared with 8.6 percent in 2005. Statewide, one in five children lives in poverty…”
- Growing child poverty in Michigan must be addressed, Editorial, January 12, 2010, Detroit News: “A new Kids Count report shows that growing poverty is taking a toll in Michigan and serves as a reminder of the importance of a healthy education system. The report released today by the Michigan League for Human Services and Michigan’s Children finds state childhood poverty rose 6 percent between 2005 and 2007, with nearly one in every five children in Michigan living in poverty. The number of students receiving free or reduced-priced lunches increased 14 percent between 2006 and 2008 — meaning more than two of every five public school K-12 students participate in the school lunch program at free or reduced prices…”
Day: January 12, 2010
Prisoner Re-entry Program – Michigan
Muskegon Chronicle Series, Starting Over:
- State program aims to keep parolees out of prison, By Teresa Taylor Williams, January 9, 2010, Muskegon Chronicle: “Lost. Broken. Alone. Those words often describe parolees who leave prison only to commit a fresh crime shortly thereafter. But a statewide program implemented locally two years ago aims to stop that pattern. The Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative was introduced in 2005 to help equip parolees with tools they need for success in their communities. One of the cornerstones of those ‘tools’ is pairing men and women prisoners with adult mentors with the goal of helping them make a successful transition back into society. Anecdotally and statistically, the program appears to be working…”
- Children, family of prisoners pay hefty price, By Teresa Taylor Williams, January 10, 2010, Muskegon Chronicle: “When Patti Brewer drives by Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility near her home, her 6-year-old son Bryan often says, ‘That’s Daddy’s house, isn’t it?’ The last several years, the father of her two sons has been in and out of prison. Single parenting has been rough on Brewer. She works during the day in a bakery and has to get her boys to the family daycare provider before dawn. Her car is barely running, and the electricity in her home was shut off last month. Brewer is thankful for help she gets from family. But the financial challenges and ‘missing’ her boys’ father – Joseph Martin Morales, who is in prison for armed robbery and drug possession – is wearing down Brewer…”
States and High School Exit Exams
As school exit tests prove tough, states ease standards, By Ian Urbina, January 11, 2010, New York Times: “A law adopting statewide high school exams for graduation took effect in Pennsylvania on Saturday, with the goal of ensuring that students leaving high school are prepared for college and the workplace. But critics say the requirement has been so watered down that it is unlikely to have major impact. The situation in Pennsylvania mirrors what has happened in many of the 26 states that have adopted high school exit exams. As deadlines approached for schools to start making passage of the exams a requirement for graduation, and practice tests indicated that large numbers of students would fail, many states softened standards, delayed the requirement or added alternative paths to a diploma. People who have studied the exams, which affect two-thirds of the nation’s public school students, say they often fall short of officials’ ambitious goals…”