Family & Children

Bringing Back Rural America

Kirsten Gilbert — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:15:00 -0500

A New America Event
11/12/2009 - 12:00pm

Thousands of small towns in rural America are being depopulated, or hollowed out. The brightest and most ambitious young people in many communities abandon the heartland for greater challenges and rewards in cities. This is a major policy problem that has largely escaped media and political attention. What are the implications of this exodus? What trends of "smallness" can help counter it? What policies should Washington be pursuing to support small communities? Come join the… more

On the Cusp in California

Education Policy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0400

If children are the future, then looking at a state's educational system is like peering into a crystal ball. California is a state teeming with young children -- 4.7 million under age 8, to be exact. One in every eight young American children lives in California. And many of these children come from minority ethnic and racial backgrounds and speak languages other than English. If Americans want to get a glimpse at our future as a "majority minority" country they don't have to look beyond California.

Do Parents Worsen Childhood Fears? | Dr. Nancy (MSNBC)

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:27:00 -0400

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News,

Even Curious George Can Be Scary

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:41:00 -0400

From the Editors: "Where the Wild Things Are," a film based on Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book, hit theaters on Friday. The book is loved by 4- and 5-year-olds, but this PG-rated movie may well be too scary for them.

Child development experts debate whether, when it comes to the big screen, live-action films are easier for preschoolers to identify with and enjoy than complex animation. But the live-action G-rated movie seems increasingly rare these days.

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Iran's Openness to Nuclear Compromise Debated | Global Security Newswire

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:27:00 -0400

... they got nothing for that and they're not going to do that again,” said Flynt Leverett, an Iran expert with the New America Foundation. ...

529s | Wall Street Journal

Cecille Isidro — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:00:00 -0400

Matching programs are one of the most effective ways to get these families to save for college, says Jackie Williams, director of the College Saving Initiative at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public-policy institute based in Washington, D.C. ...

Prepaid College Savings Plans Might Not Cover All Costs | New York Times

Cecille Isidro — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:01:00 -0400

“The reason they're popular is simply because the states bear the risk, not the individual,” said Jackie Williams, who was executive director of the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority for 10 years, until June. ...

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs | The Ledger

Cecille Isidro — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:57:00 -0400

Sara Mead, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, said, “I haven't talked with anybody who isn't excited about the prospects for this Early ... and more »

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs | New York Times

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:59:00 -0400

Sara Mead, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, said, “I haven't talked with anybody who isn't excited about the prospects for this Early ... and more »

'It’s Not on Obama. It’s Really Still on Us.'

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:03:00 -0400

For eight television seasons (NBC, 1984-92), the Emmy Award-winning The Cosby Show, written by and starring comedian Bill Cosby, beamed an unflinching, yet humorous black family portrait into living rooms across America. Cosby, as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, presided over this historic foray into black upper-middle class life. The sitcom was a window into a certain, often enviable kind of black familial and romantic love, a showcase for amazing talent and a place where the situations or “problems” of a
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