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 NEWS OF NOTE
Education: Keep it in the Family
The Economist | Dec. 22, 2012
Three decades ago, home schooling was illegal in 30 states. Today it is legal everywhere, around 2 million children are taught at home--that's about the same number as attend charter schools.
Number of Veterans Who Die waiting for Benefits Claims Skyrockets
Center for Investigative Reporting, Aaron Glantz | Dec. 20, 2012
Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs reveals tens of thousands of veterans are approved for disability benefits and pensions only after it is too late for the money to help them.
Special Report: The Unequal State of America - Why Education is No Longer the Great Equalizer Reuters, David Rohde, Kristina Cooke and Himanshu Ojha | Dec. 19 Good jobs increasingly require higher education. Just to stay even in this economy, poorer Americans need to obtain better credentials. But that points to a another rich-poor divide in the U.S.: the scholastic "achievement gap." Redistributing Up The Atlantic, Deborah Nelson and Himanshu Ojha | Dec. 18 The federal government does redistribute wealth down to struggling Americans. But the government also redistributes wealth up, especially in the nation's capital where two decades of record federal spending and expanding regulation have fostered a growing upper class of federal contractors, lobbyists and lawyers. Boy-Friendly Easy Bake Oven: Teen Goes to Bat for Little Brother ABCNews, Linsey Davis | Dec. 18 McKenna Pope, 13, petitioned Hasbro to offer a more gender-neutral color for its classic Easy Bake Oven toy. Since 1963, the toy has been manufactured in many colors, including teal, yellow, silver and blue, but current models only come in a pink and purple-floral print. Rape Case Unfolds Online and Divides Steubenville The New York Times, Juliet Macur and Nate Schweber | Dec. 16, 2012 A sexual assault case in a small Ohio town is not the first to entangle a high school football team. But in the age of social media, when teens are snapping photos on their phones and uploading them to the internet, an accusation of sexual assault can go viral. Caregivers Bloodied Patients as Complaints Drew Laughter Bloomberg News, Dave Armstrong | Dec. 14, 2012 The Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation is one of the largest rehabilitation centers for brain injuries in the country. Investigative reports indicate that caregivers at the center beat patients and goaded them to fight each other and grope female employees. 'We Simply Don't Know' Why Black Moms Die More Often Women's eNews, Belle Taylor-McGhee | Dec. 14, 2012 Black women in the U.S. die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth at three-to-four times the rate of other ethnic and racial groups. There is scant national data to indicate why this is the case. Highly Social Mexican-American Kindergartners Weak in Other Areas National Journal, The Next America, Rosa Ramirez | Dec. 14 Growing up in warm and supportive households, Mexican-American children develop robust social and classroom skills. But a new study says they miss valuable opportunities to engage in preliteracy activities at home. The Innocent Man, Part Two Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff | December 2012 Issue Michael Morton spent 25 years wrongfully imprisoned for murdering his wife. Second in a two-part story. | 
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