skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report Uncovers Major Obstacles for PA's Kids of Color

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 2, 2014   

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania is falling far short when it comes to giving children of color the resources they need to succeed, according to a new study.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's "Race for Results" report compares how children of different races are faring in areas including reading and math scores, high school graduation rates and poverty levels.

Joan Benso, who heads Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said the report shows non-white children in the state face challenges that could persist into adulthood.

"Particularly African-American and Latino children, who are facing very serious obstacles, particularly around their education outcomes," she said, "which speaks very clearly about their likelihood of graduating from high school, college and career-ready, and going on to be able to earn a family-sustaining wage."

The biggest gaps, Benso said, surface in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math proficiency, the rate of African-American and Latino kids who earn degrees and the general economic conditions where these children's families live in the state.

Laura Speer, an associate director with the Casey Foundation, said the findings involving non-white students are especially important considering that the Census Bureau projects that by 2018, children of color will represent a majority of children in the United States.

"We think it's a really critical time for the country to focus on improving outcomes for these kids," she said, "since they really are going to be the future success of the country."

By 2030, she said, the majority of the U.S. labor force will be made up of people of color.

Central to closing the achievement gaps are greater investments in education, Benso said. Pointing to major funding cuts in the past few years, she said that in the years just prior to the recession, when funding levels were higher, so was student achievement.

"When we were consistently increasing resources for education, we were seeing test scores go up every single year at the exact same time and watching test scores go up for children who are African-American and children who are Latino and children who live in high-poverty communities," she said. "We were closing the education gap."

The report, "Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children," is available online at aecf.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021