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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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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.

Indiana Parents: Hands-On in the Classroom

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Friday, June 10, 2016   

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - A group that's worked for more than two decades to get parents more involved in their children's education says a lot of work needs to be done across the country to beef up communication.

Project Appleseed is made up of mostly volunteers who try to get parents, grandparents and guardians involved in the classroom. The group's president, Kevin Walker, says there's a huge communication gap between schools and parents, but states like Indiana have worked hard to improve it.

"Indiana has attempted to step up their game," says Walker. "They did a lot with trying to get parents involved by using a parent-involvement pledge like Project Appleseed originated a few decades ago. Three years ago, Indiana tried that. Indiana's at least doing something."

Project Appleseed asks parents and guardians to sign a pledge to volunteer in their child's school and to read to them for a minimum number of hours per week.

Walker says many parents never have any communication with their child's teacher outside of the parent-teacher conference, and some don't attend those either. He backs plans to have all schools send texts and emails.

"What parents want is important information from schools sent to them on a regular basis, but they don't want it sent home in the child's backpack or by mail," Walker says. "They want it conveniently in email. They want to be able to go online and look at it when it suits their time."

Walker's group is also pushing for legislation to provide better internet access for families. He says some will argue that affordable broadband just allows people to surf the web or watch videos.

"We're worried about when they do use it right," he says. "Even if they only use the internet for 20 percent of their time to use it right, that would mean they'd be checking on school, checking on their kids, looking for a job, engaging themselves in the larger community."

Walker wants the federal government to expand the Lifeline program, which was set up in the '80s to make telephone service affordable. It also would give those below the federal poverty level a subsidy to pay for an internet connection.



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