Rising Cyber Charter Costs Fuel Push for Statewide Reform
The Philadelphia Public School Notebook/WHYY NewsWorks, Benjamin Herold | May 23
The cost of Pennsylvania's 16 cyber charter schools is rising even as funding for the state's public schools dwindles. The money that cyber charters get comes from traditional school districts.
Mississippi Could Soon Jail Women for Stillbirths, Miscarriages
Mother Jones, Kate Sheppard | May 23
The cause of any given miscarriage or stillbirth is still difficult to determine, but Mississippi's prosecutors are working to apply the state's manslaughter laws to women who lose pregnancies for any number of potential causes, including smoking, drinking alcohol and drug use.
Shining a Light on the Trafficking of Foster Youth (Opinion)
Roll Call, Rep. Karen Bass | May 22
The Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act would equip agencies to identify and protect victims of trafficking.
More Gym for Kids Means Less Chance of Obesity, Cornell Study Says
Los Angeles Times, Mary MacVean | May 21
New research shows that adding 60 minutes of physical education each week reduces the probability that boys in elementary school will become obese.
'Upset' emissions: Flares in the Air, Worry on the Ground
The Center for Public Integrity, Kristen Lombardi and Andrea Fuller | May 21
Unplanned emissions from industrial facilities, known as "upsets,' have evolved into an invisible menace: They disrupt lives, yet offenders are rarely punished.
Inside the Boy Scout Battle Repeal the Gay Ban
TIME, Elizabeth Dias | May 21
The Boy Scouts have, for more than 100 years, sought to represent the best of American values. But a fast changing nation threatens to leave scouting and its rules behind. Hundreds of scouts and their leaders will vote on the organization's gay ban this week.
Home Visiting Programs Are Preschool in Its Earliest Form
The Washington Post, Michael Alison Chandler | May 19
Through home visiting programs across the country, nurses, social workers or trained mentors offer support to new and expectant parents. President Obama's plan for universal preschool calls for a major investment in home visiting programs.
Missing Women Cases Highlight Problem of Domestic Homicide
The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jeremy Olson | May 18
The psyche of men who kill their spouses or girlfriends is a growing concern in Minnesota, where a spike in homicides has provoked a jump in calls to domestic abuse shelters.
More Cities Adopt Mandatory Paid Sick Leave, But Some States Move to Block It
Stateline, Melissa Maynard | May 13
Supporters say mandatory paid sick leave will improve public health by keeping ill workers at home, but business leaders argue that sick leave laws will raise their costs and may prompt them to lay off workers.