skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

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

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

WA Lawmakers Learn about a Learning Gap

play audio
Play

Thursday, January 12, 2012   

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington is one of nine states where the achievement gap is widening between lower-income students and others, according to the League of Education Voters. Today in Olympia, House Education Committee members are hearing about what after-school program providers are doing to change that. The providers are updating the statewide plan for youth development and after-school learning - for the first time in a decade.

The programs are known as Expanded Learning Opportunities. Amanda Scott Thomas, education policy director for School's Out Washington, says the programs could be used more effectively to help children who are struggling to catch up with their peers.

"This plan is really going to highlight the needs of the kids who are most vulnerable in Washington - kids who speak English as a second language, low-income kids and kids of color. We're really trying to meet a need and work to help close the opportunity gaps that kids face."

The plan is being developed this year, and today's work session is a chance to explain it to lawmakers. Thomas says more than half the children who attend after-school programs are in at least one of the at-risk groups.

After-school programs and others outside the traditional classroom are sometimes left out of the education discussion, she explains, and have a tough time getting funding. Yet students can get science, math, art and physical education, as well as homework assistance and life skills, from these programs, she adds.

"After-school and youth development really are a part of an educational experience for a young person. The conventions around when and where and how young people learn today are changing."

Thomas says the new plan also is taking the tight state budget into account, by focusing on greater efficiency and getting more parents and community partners involved in supporting the programs, statewide.

The work session is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today in House Hearing Room A of the John L. O'Brien Building, 504 15th Ave. S.E., Olympia.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…


Ohio is among 13 jurisdictions requiring Saturday and Sunday hours for early voting. (PX Media/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Menhaden are forage fish species and filter feeders, each capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water per minute. (Photo of female Osprey with Menhaden/TRCP)

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

play sound

A new report shows minimum wage increases have had little effect on the number of jobs in Maryland and nationwide. While the rhetoric around …

 

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