The Community Research Collaborative Blog

Are U.S. Students Lagging Behind Others? Another Look

By: Julie Heath

The title of this post—at least the first part—probably looks familiar to you. We’ve heard for some time that U.S. students do not perform as well on tests of math and reading as do students in many other post-industrial countries. In fact, in international comparisons, the U.S. ranks 14^th in reading and 25^th in math, results that have generated much hand-wringing and apocalyptic scenarios wherein the U.S. loses its competitive standing in the world. Education policy has targeted STEM programs in an effort to counteract this disturbing development. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has called this situation “unacceptable”, saying that “Americans need to wake up to this educational reality instead of napping at the wheel while emerging competitors prepare their students for economic leadership.” Further, the educational system is seen as particularly failing students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Given the numerous reports and the relative ranking stated above, this warning is entirely appropriate. Except the reports, while not wrong exactly, are incomplete and oversimplified.

 Read More...

FactsMatter.info is temporarily down for maintenance

We'll have it back up and running again before long.  Thanks for your patience.

Clothing; the other necessity

By: Janet Harrah

"We just bought those shoes two weeks ago!  How can they be too small already?"  Sound familiar?  Anyone who has ever tried to keep a growing child clothed knows it can be an expensive endeavor.    Children grow quickly, usually in fits and starts that are nearly impossible to predict.  Often they stain, rip or otherwise wear out their clothing in a matter of months or sometimes, just weeks.  In other words, it can seem to be a never ending battle to keep a child clothed.

 

Read More...

 

How to Make Economic and Financial Literacy “Common”

By: Julie Heath

In my previous blog posts, I have made the argument that economic and financial literacy needs to be a deliberate component of the K-12 curriculum. Many states have moved toward creating required classes in economics and/or personal finance at the high school level. Ohio and Kentucky do not have a stand-alone, required course in either economics or personal finance. Indiana requires an economics course for high school graduation, but not a personal finance course. Even in those states with requirements, these efforts fall short of the mark. One semester is insufficient to cover even the basics of either subject, and waiting until high school to get serious about the subject matter is too late. Economics and financial literacy need to be taught from the very earliest grades, laying foundational concepts and building upon them--just as occurs with any other subject..

 

  Read More...

The growing problem of opioid misuse

By: Jennifer Chubinski

This month I am going to steal a great idea from one of Julie Heath’s recent blogs and start with a quiz question.  

                Which of the following results in the HIGHEST number of deaths in Ohio and Kentucky each year?

1. Traffic accidents,
2. Falls,
3. Firearms, or
4. Accidental drug poisonings and drug overdoses?

  Click here to find out...

 

How much does it cost to feed a family of four?

By: Janet Harrah

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion provides estimates for the cost of a nutritious diet at home.  For a family of four (mom, dad, daughter age 5 and son age 12) the USDA estimates it would cost between $611 and $1,217 per month to feed them a healthy, nutritious diet.    The USDA food plans assume that all meals and snacks are prepared at home – no eating out.  “The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) serves as a national standard for a nutritious diet at a minimal cost and is used as the basis for maximum food stamp allotments.”[1]  The TFP is one of four official USDA food plans (the others being the Low-Cost Plan, the Moderate-Cost Plan, and the Liberal Plan).

  Read More...

---

[1] Thrifty Food Plan, 2006, United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, CNPP-19, April 2007, pg. ES-1.

Children and the Spread of Concentrated Poverty

By: John Besl

Nearly eight million U.S. children live in areas of concentrated poverty, according to a Kids Count report released last year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  Children in these high-poverty neighborhoods face limited life chances due to the lack of quality schools, medical care, and safe outdoor spaces.  A 2006 report by the Urban Institute found that, even when family income is held constant, families living in areas of concentrated poverty are more likely than those living in more prosperous areas to lack health insurance coverage and to struggle with housing and food costs.  The children living in these areas are regularly exposed to harmful levels of stress and are thus more likely to develop serious emotional and behavioral problems than children in other, more advantaged neighborhoods. 

Across the 15-county Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), 50,000 children live in areas of concentrated poverty, representing 10 percent of all children in the region.  This share is slightly better than the 11 percent share nationally, but the number of local children living in high-poverty areas has grown by 57 percent since 2000, much faster than the 25 percent increase nationally.

 Read More...

 

 

The Unexpected Power of Financial Literacy

By: Julie Heath

If you were to list the characteristics of a student who has learned economic and financial literacy, what would be on the list? Most people would probably say that the student knows how to write a check, balance a checkbook, and knows about the importance of saving. Those things would be on my list, too. But here are some other things that are on my list that may not be on yours. A student who has learned economic and financial literacy knows that showing up on time to a job is important. He or she knows that being dependable is an important character trait. A financially literate student knows that choices have consequences. And a student that has learned economic and financial literacy experiences the unparalleled feeling of helping others.

   Read More...

 

School-Based Health Centers: Keeping students healthy and ready to learn

By: Jennifer Chubinski

Imagine a primary healthcare provider was located in or near your office. Let’s call her Dr. Marilyn.  Imagine she was responsible for all your regular healthcare: regular physicals, annual flu shots and age-or gender-specific wellness exams. Imagine she knew you well, both your health issues and how those issues affected your work performance.  Imagine that if you weren’t feeling well at work you could walk in anytime during the day and Dr. Marilyn would help you.  For me, this convenience would certainly help me get an annual wellness check and would probably mean that my current runny nose and sinus infection would have received some sort of treatment.  

School-based health centers (SBHC), like my office example above, make it much easier for students to get primary healthcare. SBHCs bring care to where the students are with the goal of removing barriers to heathcare access. They are particularly important in communities that lack primary care providers or have a large number of low income, uninsured or underinsured children or adolescents.

  Read More...

It really costs THAT MUCH to raise a child?

 By: Janet Harrah

That “little bundle of joy” that new parents welcome into the world is not only the focus of their love and affection, although that is indeed a vital part of raising a family. That new baby is going to have an enormous impact on the family’s finances, and for a very, very long time. If we look at the cumulative cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 (and we more experienced parents know that the expenses do not stop there), the figures involved are truly remarkable. 

Read More...