NEW BERN, N.C. - North Carolina's public school children could return in August to very different classrooms if the state Senate budget is passed. The proposal is up for a second vote today before moving on to the House. It reduces the number of teacher assistants and pre-kindergarten slots, and it ...Read More

LANSING, Mich. - Efforts to help people rise out of poverty often are largely unsuccessful. So, Matrix Social Services, Detroit, is changing the way it treats its clients. The organization has created "Transition to Success," which treats poverty like an illness, and Matrix treats its clients like p ...Read More

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The task force being created under Arkansas' new "Erin's Law" is expected to be assembled soon and convene for the first time this summer. State Rep. John Baine, D-El Dorado, said the panel will look at the best ways to teach children who are being sexually abused that they need ...Read More

RICHMOND, Va. - As a U.S. Senate committee prepares to vote this week on a sweeping immigration reform bill, advocates for children say it contains critical provisions for protecting and helping immigrant youth. It includes a pathway to citizenship, and other provisions to keep families together. ...Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. - A report released in Albany today says there's a "skills gap" in New York State, especially in the Capital Region, where high-tech jobs are growing. It says there are too many "unprepared students and unprepared workers." The study, prepared by the business group America's Edge, says ...Read More

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A newly published report about the condition of workers in New Mexico shows that the Land of Enchantment has yet to emerge from the Great Recession. The state has lost well over 42,000 jobs since December 2007. The report's author is Gerard Bradley, senior researcher and policy ...Read More

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Many Illinois educators are having a difficult time planning for the next school year because of uncertain funding. According to the Illinois Board of Education, the state cut more than $500 million from schools this year. At the Unity Point School District in Jackson County, tha ...Read More

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missourians who engage in the yearly ritual of spring cleaning might want to pay attention to how they do it. Health experts say there is a safe way and a not-so-safe way. Erica Forrest, a licensed respiratory therapist at Children's Mercy Hospital, sees lots of children with as ...Read More