Florida lawmakers OK Medicaid pilot program extension, By Jeremy Cox, May 15, 2010, Florida Times-Union: “Just when it looked like the Medicaid experiment in Northeast Florida and one South Florida county was going to be expanded to 19 more counties or even statewide, the legislation fell apart. Now, as leading state lawmakers vow to push anew next year for a Medicaid overhaul, the pilot program that was the basis for last month’s legislative drama may get a second chance to prove its advocates right. After failing to reach a compromise on expansive changes to the government insurance program for the poor, the House and Senate quietly voted on the last day of the session to extend Medicaid reform…”
Day: May 18, 2010
Reading Scores and Academic Achievement
- Study says more students struggling with reading at end of pivotal third grade, By Michael Alison Chandler, May 18, 2010, Washington Post: “Nearly two-thirds of students in Virginia and Maryland do not read proficiently by the time they finish third grade, a pivotal milestone when material becomes more complex and children are more likely to slip behind, according to a national report released Tuesday. The report, ‘Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters’, highlights links between early literacy and high school graduation rates and future economic success…”
- Analysis ties 4th grade reading failure to poverty, By Debra Viadero, May 18, 2010, Education Week: “Eighty-five percent of poor 4th graders in predominantly low-income schools are failing to reach ‘proficient’ levels in reading on federal tests, according to a new study by a national foundation that is gearing up to lead a 10-year effort to raise 3rd graders’ reading proficiency. ‘The evidence is clear that those students who do not read well have a very tough time succeeding in school and graduating from high schools and going on to successful careers and lives,’ Ralph R. Smith, the executive vice president of the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, said in an interview. ‘The Casey Foundation is putting a stake in the ground on grade-level reading by the end of the 3rd grade.’ The report, which is due to be released this morning, lays out the statistical case for the foundation’s soon-to-be-announced, 10-year initiative to ensure that more children become proficient readers by the time they leave 3rd grade…”