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Rachel Jones Rachel Jones reports on education, social policy, and welfare reform issues at NPR. She has also covered children’s health and development, as well as well as racial disparities in health care.
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Rachel Jones

Sunday

Education

Governors Focus on High School

Forty-two of the nation's governors come to Washington to demand more funding for education at the National Education Summit. At issue are the costs many states are incurring in their attempts to follow the No Child Left Behind Act.

Governors Focus on High School

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Wednesday

Education

College Grading System Considers Student Effort

A historically black college in South Carolina rewards students not just for the quality of their work, but for the effort they put into it. But some complain that the policy puts the value of students' education into question.

College Grading System Considers Student Effort

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Saturday

Health Care

Aiding Those on Wrong Side of Health-Care Divide

While low-wage workers are the least likely to have health insurance, they are the most likely to have serious health problems. The problem is highlighted at a clinic which reaches out to people who earn too much to be eligible for Medicaid. but whose jobs carry no insurance.

Aiding Those on Wrong Side of Health-Care Divide

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Friday

Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004-05

Tsunami Disaster Puts Focus on Child Trafficking

Many are concerned that children orphaned by the tsunami disaster are being kidnapped or sold into slavery. Though most such reports have proven false, authorities in countries affected by the disaster are taking steps to protect young victims from exploitation. Hear NPR's Rachel Jones.

Tsunami Disaster Puts Focus on Child Trafficking

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Friday

National

Medicaid on Rise in Budgets

A report released by the National Governors Association finds that, for the first time, 22 states are spending more on Medicaid than on K through 12 education. The study suggest this surprising new trend isn't going to change anytime soon. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Medicaid on Rise in Budgets

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Friday

National

Study Finds Mixed Results in Hope Six Housing Project

New research examines what happens to residents displaced in the federal Hope Six program. The 14-year-old program seeks to tear down old public housing projects and replace them with a mixture of affordable housing. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Study Finds Mixed Results in Hope Six Housing Project

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Thursday

Education

Long-Term Effects of Pre-school Project Examined

Rachel Jones reports on the results of four decades of research on the Perry Pre-school Project, a precursor to Head Start and a model for preschool programs nationwide. The study was begun in 1962 and followed 123 people from pre-school until the present, to determine how that early childhood experience may have affected their lives.

Long-Term Effects of Pre-school Project Examined

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Friday

Wednesday

Education

N.C. Child Care Program Seen as National Model

NPR's Rachel Jones reports on North Carolina's advanced childcare system called Smart Start. The decade-old program has worked as a model for other state-run child care programs.

N.C. Child Care Program Seen as National Model

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Monday

Children's Health

Study Rates Adolescent Drug Treatment Programs

A new study offers a Consumer Reports-style analysis of adolescent drug treatment programs. The study, which appears in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, sets research-based standards of quality for teen substance abuse programs. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Study Rates Adolescent Drug Treatment Programs

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Thursday

Children's Health

Some Children Don't Outgrow Sting Allergies

Some children who have allergic reactions to insect stings don't outgrow them as adults, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds. The study suggests that venom immunotherapy may be the key to protecting these children long after treatment stops. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Some Children Don't Outgrow Sting Allergies

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Wednesday

Health Care

Racial Disparity Found in Health Care

New research on racial disparities in health care shows a dramatic difference in the quality of care received by black Medicare patients versus white patients. The study also attempts to identify the reasons for the inequity. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Racial Disparity Found in Health Care

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Monday

Children's Health

Blood Pressure Tests for Children Urged

Children as young as 3 years old may need to be tested for high blood pressure, the journal Pediatrics says. The August issue recommends screening for hypertension in young children -- in part as a response to the childhood obesity epidemic. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Blood Pressure Tests for Children Urged

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Thursday

Health

Report: One in Six U.S. Teens Likely to Fail as Adults

A new report indicates one in six older teens and young adults lacks the skills to take on adult responsibilities, has little family or community support and is not likely to succeed as an adult. Advocates often call these young people "disconnected," and some say their situation has taken a back seat to the needs of younger children. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Report: One in Six U.S. Teens Likely to Fail as Adults

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Wednesday

Science

Study: Poor Readers Can Improve Brain Function

Proper tutoring for a child who's struggling to read can change the way the brain works, a Yale University study finds. Published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, the study examined tutoring that focuses on the sounds of letters and words. After one school year, brain scans showed lasting changes in the children. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Study: Poor Readers Can Improve Brain Function

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