Children in central cities and rural communities experience high rates of poverty

New U.S. Census Bureau data released in August highlight increasing similarities of poverty rates between children in urban and rural communities. This common indicator of child well-being is closely linked to undesirable outcomes in areas such as health, education, emotional welfare, and delinquency

Values and religion in rural America: attitudes toward abortion and same-sex relations

The rural vote is critical, but how do rural voters\u27 views on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and religion influence elections? This brief compares rural and urban views on these divisive issues and examines how much rural opinions vary within rural regions of the country

Values and religion in rural America: attitudes toward abortion and same-sex relations

The rural vote is critical, but how do rural voters\u27 views on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and religion influence elections? This brief compares rural and urban views on these divisive issues and examines how much rural opinions vary within rural regions of the country

Food Stamp and school lunch programs alleviate food insecurity in rural America

The Food Stamp and the School Lunch Programs play a vital role in helping poor, rural Americans obtain a more nutritious diet and alleviate food insecurity and hunger. This fact sheet looks at the extent to which rural America depends on these programs and describes characteristics of beneficiaries of these federal nutrition assistance programs

Child poverty in rural America: new data shows increases in 41 states

A study by the Carsey Institute, based on U.S. Census Bureau data, found that in forty-one states, a higher percentage of rural children live in poverty than did in 2000. While the poverty level in 2006 was relatively stagnant compared to 2005\u27s poverty level, the situation is clearly becoming worse for rural kids

Child poverty high in rural America

On August 28, 2007, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau\u27s American Community Survey show that 22 percent of rural children are living in poverty, up from 19 percent in 2000. On average, rates are highest in the nonmetropolitan South (27 percent) and have climbed the most in the nonmetropolitan Midwest (by 3.9 percentage points)

Children\u27s health insurance in New Hampshire: an analysis of New Hampshire Healthy Kids

New Hampshire has been successful in achieving one of the lowest uninsurance rates for children in the country - 6 percent in 2005 (U.S. Census Bureau). The extent to which New Hampshire Healthy Kids has contributed to the state\u27s success in achieving this low rate is the focus of this brief

Instability among middle class families and the impact of health insurance

What it takes to be middle class in the United States has changed dramatically from the post World War II period to the 1970s and the present. At the same time the requirements for attaining the income and assets associated with a middle class position changed, many financial protections available to the middle class weakened. The new economic landscape following a period of economic restructuring has made it harder to earn a position in the middle class while the changed political landscape has possibly made it harder to maintain one\u27s position. This research examines the extent to which middle class families from a birth cohort that came of age during the 1990s period of economic restructuring are economically vulnerable. To assess the role of changing financial protections, I examine the extent to which losing health insurance affects members of the middle class economically, focusing on married couples to avoid confusing vulnerability caused by divorce with macroeconomic level changes. Using panel data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics 1979 National Longitudinal Study of Youth, I examine the economic and occupational experiences of a birth cohort who were young adults during the period of economic restructuring in the 1980s and 1990s, following their trajectories through to 2006, the latest wave of data collected. To gain a clearer sense of how individuals cope with economic struggles, and to discern if experiences vary by class position, I interviewed a small sample of individuals in the New England region

Instructional Coaches’ Perspectives on Preparations for the Role as Coach

The pressure to improve instruction and teacher effectiveness continues to grow in our nation’s public elementary schools. As a means to achieve instructional improvements, school districts are increasingly adopting instructional coaching initiatives. This study explored instructional coaches’ perspectives on their preparation for the role of instructional coach. Mixed methods research was organized through a social constructivist lens that focused on the perspectives of the instructional coaches. The sample consisted of 50 public elementary instructional coach participants in Oregon who responded to a survey, and follow up interviews with ten participants. Data analysis led to several key findings. First, many elementary instructional coaches in Oregon do not feel prepared for their roles as coach. Second, Chi-Square analyses revealed that there were significant differences in instructional coaches’ feelings about their proficiency based on the number of hours per month of professional learning they experienced. Third, there are a variety of beneficial and relevant professional learning opportunities for instructional coaches. Fourth, instructional coaches desire clarity in their job descriptions. Overwhelmingly, participants expressed the absence of a clear description or definition for their instructional coaching role. Finally, according to participants, there is a need to create higher education opportunities for instructional coaching in Oregon

Panic Behind the Mask: The Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in New Orleans

As part of the most devastating influenza pandemic in modern history, the Spanish Influenza epidemic in New Orleans left the city emotionally and physically crippled as residents struggled to resume daily life after thousands succumbed to a bloody cough and painful death in October 1918. When New Orleans public health officials reacted to the explosion of Spanish Influenza cases on October 10, 1918, the virus had already traveled throughout the population. Unlike previous influenza outbreaks, the 1918 epidemic killed primarily young healthy adults, the backbones of the working force and families. In an attempt to quarantine the ill from the healthy, the New Orleans City Board of Health instituted a series of emergency regulations that closed schools, churches, places of leisure, restricted transportation, prohibited public funerals, and limited access to basic supplies such food and clean household goods. However, the regulations frustrated residents as the list of deaths increased daily despite closures. Martial law, even instituted late, could not save the city from an invisible force that puzzled both public health officials and physicians. This thesis explores New Orleans\u27 experiences during the 1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic as public health officials hesitated to take action, healthy residents struggled to conduct daily activities, and thousands of residents became the forgotten dead