Preschool: A smart investment in better school performance

A new report piles new data on the already substantial finding that preschool leads to better school performance. Its author implores policymakers to start making more investments in better schooling through preschool opportunities, especially for needy families.

Differences spotted in the brains of affluent and less affluent children

Even though this week’s presidential debate was supposed to be on foreign policy, we warned you to be on the look out for vague promises to cut funding for social programs. Sure enough, discussion veered a few times in the…

Student suspension rates: Why we should take a careful look

Voices intern Nicole Bibel provides an overview and introduction to a UCLA study that examines race differences among K12 suspension rates.

A recent report by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project investigates the rate of suspensions around the country, and takes a…

Texas targets kids for cuts; children there at disadvantage

Paul Krugman has a good column in the New York Times about how low government spending in Texas simply means low investment in children there. ”Who will bear the brunt of these cuts? America’s children,” Krugman concludes. New research by one of…

Diet could factor into a child’s IQ

TIME recently reported on a British study that suggests a poor diet for toddlers can lead to lower IQ later on in life.  Researchers found that children who were fed mostly processed foods from a very early age had…

Latinos filing more citizenship applications, increasing influence

In a demographic trend that could have big implications for election season, Latinos are leading the way in citizenship applications, according to a study of the ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía! campaign.  During the immigration protests of 2006, Latinos…

Study: Solutions Storytelling – Messaging to Mobilize Support for Children’s Issues

Did you know that communicating child advocacy successes is a more effective way to rally support around an issue than simply reporting on it?

According to a study conducted by Douglas Gould & Company and The Topos Partnership, changing the…

Study: almost a third of kids lost coverage when their parents lost job

Among children whose parents suffered a job loss from 2000-2004, almost a third lost their health care coverage, according to a new study from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. And in children from low-income families, almost half lost insurance coverage.…

The Impact of High Quality Early Childhood Programs on Improving the Educational Achievement of At-Risk Children

Economic research shows that investments in children-age 5 and younger-improve school readiness and decrease crime, teen pregnancy, delinquency, substance abuse, and welfare dependency. The science of early brain development demonstrates how child development, before the age of 5, is the…

Study: Abstinence education works

Abstinence-only sex-ed classes can convince many students to delay sexual activity, according to a federally funded study.