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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Kids Count Report – Texas

  • Far more Dallas children have health insurance since Obamacare passed, study says, By Naomi Martin, April 13, 2016, Dallas Morning News: “The number of children with health insurance has spiked in Dallas County and in much of Texas since 2009, even as child poverty continues to be a major problem, according to a study released Wednesday.  About 1 in 3 children in Dallas County and the state lives in poverty, the Center for Public Policy Priorities has concluded. But about 87 percent of children in Dallas County have some form of health insurance, vs. 78 percent in 2009.  Despite that, Dallas County’s rate of uninsured children is among the highest in the state. And Texas has the worst uninsured rate in the country, according to the study…”
  • Study: Over 30% of black and Hispanic students in high-poverty schools, By Melissa B. Taboada, April 13, 2016, Austin American-Statesman: “Hispanic students in Texas are seven times more likely than white students to be enrolled in high-poverty schools, which often have fewer tenured and effective teachers, according to a new report being released Wednesday that examines the well-being of the state’s children.  Black students are over 5 times more likely than whites to be enrolled in those same schools, says the State of Texas Children annual report based on data for the 2014-15 school year. The report is being issued by the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank that lobbies for low- to moderate-income Texans…”