Recession Aftermath: Child Poverty, Black Female Unemployment Increase
The recession is hurting America’s children today and could have a negative impact on their future as well, according to two new reports. A survey of child welfare released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows child poverty increased in 38 states from 2000 to 2009. As a result, 14.7 million children, or 20 percent, were poor in 2009. That represents a 2.5 million increase from 2000, when 17 percent of the nation’s youth lived in low-income homes. Read the survey here.
Black children face a double whammy. A second study by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) found black women, who head a majority of black households with children, are losing jobs during the recovery while other groups, including black men, are adding jobs. Read the report here.
These two studies taken together should ring “alarm bells” for policymakers, says Roderick Harrison, a senior fellow at Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Report: Helping Latina Students Succeed Helps Us All
In today’s global economy, our nation cannot afford to leave any of our children behind. We must ensure that every girl and boy receives the best education possible to achieve their dreams and that our nation can benefit from their talents.
Yet Latinas, the fastest growing group of school-aged females in the country, are dropping out of school at alarming rates—41 percent—depriving the nation of much-needed young talent.
A new report shows that Latina students drop out at such high rates because they face more serious barriers to graduating from high school than many of their counterparts. The report, “Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation,” released today by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), addresses the challenges facing Latina high school students in the United States and explores ways to overcome obstacles that undermine their chances of graduating from high school.
