Number of children in foster care drops for 6th straight year, to 400,000, despite hard times, Associated Press, July 30, 2102, Washington Post: “The number of U.S. children in foster care has dropped for the sixth straight year, falling to about 400,000 compared to more than 520,000 a decade ago, according to new federal figures demonstrating the staying power of reforms even amid economic turbulence. The drop results primarily from a shift in the policies and practices of state and county child welfare agencies. Many have shortened stays in foster care, expedited adoptions and expanded preventive support for troubled families so more children avoid being removed from home in the first place. The new figures released by the Department of Health and Human Services show there were 400,540 children in foster care as of Sept. 30. That’s down from 406,412 a year earlier and from about 523,000 in 2002…”
Month: July 2012
No Child Left Behind Waivers
States with education waivers offer varied goals, By Motoko Rich, July 26, 2012, New York Times: “In excusing more than half of the states from meeting crucial requirements of the No Child Left Behind education law, the Obama administration sought to require states to develop more realistic tools to improve and measure the progress of schools and teachers. A report being issued on Friday by the liberal Center for American Progress shows that while some states have proposed reforms aimed at spurring schools and teachers to improve student performance, others may be introducing weaker measures of accountability…”
State Unemployment Insurance Funds
Are states’ unemployment insurance loans dragging down economies?, By Pamela M. Prah, July 30, 2012, Stateline: “States are slowly paying off the billions of dollars they borrowed to keep their unemployment trust funds afloat during the recession, but those debts are challenging a system created more than 75 years ago and could be hampering some states’ economic recovery. Of the 34 states that borrowed to keep paying unemployment insurance (UI) during the recession, 22 still owe more than $30 billion to the federal government, a debt that will take years for states to pay off…”