skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of the federal death row; Mississippi group working in 71 counties to end homelessness in Mississippi; Farmers no longer feeling Farm Bill anguish, but relief might be fleeting; Addressing Montana's expanding 'news deserts.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Donald Trump considers reclaiming Panama Canal. Lawmakers are uncertain Trump's cabinet will help everyday Americans and, advocates feel Biden must reconsider clemency actions.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

High housing costs in MA impacting childrens’ overall well-being

play audio
Play

Monday, June 10, 2024   

Massachusetts is known for its quality education and health care systems, but high housing costs are straining family budgets and impacting childrens' well-being, according to a new report.

The 2024 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds more than 30% of children statewide live in cost-burdened households, including nearly half of Hispanic families.

Adam Jones, a policy analyst with MassBudget, said children without stable housing will struggle to thrive.

"It's hard for children and families to support health," said Jones. "It's hard to support academics. It's hard to support social comfortability if you're moving, you can't keep a friend group and you can't engaged in other activities."

Jones said it will take new thinking and investments at the state and local level to fix the housing crisis - including an expansion of the state's rental voucher program, and allowing towns to levy fees on high-end real estate transactions to pay for more affordable housing.

Despite ranking top in the nation for education, some indicators worsened for Massachusetts children.

The report shows a slight increase in those ages three and four not enrolled in school while fourth-grade reading proficiency declined.

Sixty-five percent of eighth-graders are considered not proficient in math.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said the rate of chronic absenteeism among students is nearly double pre-pandemic rates with disruptive results.

"Their test scores tend to be lower, they tend to be more likely to be suspended and less likely to complete school on time," said Boissiere. "It also affects the overall atmosphere of the classroom as the teacher is always working to catch students up."

Boissiere said the number of Massachusetts high school students graduating on time has improved slightly since 2019, but a lack of student readiness will ultimately hurt the U.S. economy.

She said ensuring students have access to low-cost meals, in-person tutoring, and mental health services will improve academic outcomes and the likelihood of employment after high school.




Disclosure: Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Education, Juvenile Justice, Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Juana Valle's well is one of 20 sites tested in California's San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions in the first round of preliminary sampling by University of California-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center. The results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 parts per trillion of PFOS - both considered potentially hazardous amounts. (Hannah Norman/KFF Health News)

Environment

play sound

By Hannah Norman for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Ser…


Environment

play sound

Animal rights organizers are regrouping after mixed results at the ballot box in November. A measure targeting factory farms passed in Berkeley but …

Environment

play sound

Farmers in Nebraska and across the nation might not be in panic mode anymore thanks to another extension of the Farm Bill but they still want Congress…


Immigration law experts say applying for asylum status can be very lengthy, and that programs such as Temporary Protected Status can fill the void for people fleeing violence elsewhere in the world. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

With 2025 almost here, organizations assisting Minnesota's Latino populations say they're laser focused on a couple of areas - mental health-care …

Social Issues

play sound

A new report found Connecticut's fiscal controls on the state budget restrict long-term growth. The controls were introduced during the 2018 budget …

As of August, enrollment in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System had reached 66,114 students, representing an increase of 8.4%, according to state data. (Adobe Stock/AI generated image)

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly a dozen changes could be made to the Kentucky Community and Technical College system, under Senate Joint Resolution 179, passed by lawmakers …

Social Issues

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Arkansas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collab…

play sound

By Julieta Cardenas for Sentient.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021