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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

Thursday

Katrina & Beyond

Foster Children Missing, Displaced After Katrina

Hurricane Katrina displaced more than 2,300 foster children in Louisiana, and state officials say about 158 are still unaccounted for. Most were separated from their foster parents during the evacuation, and relocating to other states has raised complex legal issues.

Foster Children Missing, Displaced After Katrina

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Monday

National

Chefs Hold a Fundraiser for Louisiana

In Washington, D.C., several chefs with ties to Louisiana used their culinary skills with the state's signature Po' Boy sandwich to raise funds for hurricane survivors.

Chefs Hold a Fundraiser for Louisiana

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Monday

National

Community Offers Meals to Students in Summer

In Washington, D.C.'s Edgewood Terrace community, where more than 90 percent of elementary school students are eligible for free meals, the Beacon House Community Center is trying to fill in the gaps by providing free breakfasts and lunches. A new study estimates that only a fifth of students who get free and reduced meals at school have access to free meals during the summer.

Community Offers Meals to Students in Summer

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Saturday

Politics

Government's New Role Could Be Marriage Broker

Can the government promote marriage? Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KA) has proposed funding for a program that encourages healthy marriages for low-income residents of Washington, D.C.

Government's New Role Could Be Marriage Broker

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Wednesday

National

More U.S. Children Living in Poverty, Report Says

An annual report on child well-being from the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds an increase in the number of children living in poverty in the United States. On an encouraging note, declines were noted in teen births and high-school dropouts.

More U.S. Children Living in Poverty, Report Says

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Friday

Education

Faith-Based Hiring Spat Threatens Head Start

As Congress considers the reauthorization of the 40-year-old Head Start program for young children, a key concern is whether local programs should be able to hire employees based on their religious background. Democrats are threatening to derail the legislation over the issue.

Faith-Based Hiring Spat Threatens Head Start

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Tuesday

Friday

Education

Head Start Study Suggests Minimal Benefits

The results of a new large-scale study of the federal Head Start program suggest that in some areas, the childhood development program produces only minimal, short-term benefits. The findings are from the study's first phase. Program supporters say it's too early to draw conclusions.

Head Start Study Suggests Minimal Benefits

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Wednesday

National

System Fails Welfare Recipients in Chicago Area

A new study outlines the causes of a dramatic decline in Chicago-area welfare cases. Researchers found that bureaucratic delays and inefficiency are in large part to blame.

System Fails Welfare Recipients in Chicago Area

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Thursday

Paying for College

Going Back to School, and Paying for It

This week on All Things Considered, we've been hearing from families struggling to pay for their children's education. Today we examine what happens when parents themselves go back to school -- and come face to face with the costs.

Going Back to School, and Paying for It

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Friday

Education

Maine's School Laptop Computer Program Revisited

Three years ago, Maine became the first state to give out laptops to every 7th and 8th grader in the public schools. We look at how the program is working.

Maine's School Laptop Computer Program Revisited

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Thursday

National

Study: Post-Foster Care, Teens Unprepared for Adult Life

Most states stop providing housing, medical care and other services for foster care youth at age 18. New research suggests that many leaving the system are not yet ready to handle life on their own.

Study: Post-Foster Care, Teens Unprepared for Adult Life

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Tuesday

Children's Health

Changes to Voucher Program Aim to Improve Diets

Federal officials want to improve the diets of poor families who depend on a federal food program. Changes to WIC -- the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children that serves 7 million Americans -- would encourage mothers to breastfeed and to use vouchers to buy fruits and vegetables.

Changes to Voucher Program Aim to Improve Diets

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Wednesday

Education

Teachers, Schools Challenge No Child Left Behind Law

Nine school districts and the nation's largest teacher's union file a federal lawsuit in Michigan claiming the No Child Left Behind Act has placed new demands on school districts without providing the funding to pay for them.

Teachers, Schools Challenge No Child Left Behind Law

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Saturday

Children's Health

Study Finds Link Between Daycare, Aggression

A government study on daycare suggests that the quality of daycare matters more than the amount of time a child spends there. But researchers also found that in some cases, long-term daycare can make children more aggressive.

Study Finds Link Between Daycare, Aggression

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