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Education

Parents Hold Bake Sales To Pay Teachers

After years of cuts to public school budgets across the country, many districts are relying on parents to pay for classroom supplies, extracurricular activities and even teacher salaries. But some worry that uneven distribution of funds will widen disparities between schools and between districts.

Parents Hold Bake Sales To Pay Teachers

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Negotiating The College Funding Labyrinth

About 7 out of 10 students borrow money to pay for college. Here, a Stanford University student walks through the campus in Palo Alto, Calif. Paul Sakuma/AP hide caption

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Paul Sakuma/AP

Education

Negotiating The College Funding Labyrinth

Paying for college is kind of like solving a mystery. What do four years of college really cost? Are your loans government or private? And when you graduate, how much will you really owe? Many students and parents don't have a clue.

Negotiating The College Funding Labyrinth

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Education

Un- and Under-Employment Awaits Many College Grads

Many young graduates take lower-paying jobs as waiters or cashiers that pay the bills, but rarely use the skills they learned in college and often have little money left to pay off student loans. And the choices they make early in their careers often have a long-lasting financial impact.

Un- and Under-Employment Awaits Many College Grads

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Family Matters: The Money Squeeze

Can You Pay For Yourself, Your Kids, Your Parents?

More adults are helping pay for aging parents, at an average of $3,500 a month, according to MetLife. That's why experts say it's vital to plan for a future that includes parents. For NPR's series, "Family Matters: The Money Squeeze," host Michel Martin speaks with NPR's Marilyn Geewax, journalist Joan Lunden, and Houston Mayor Annise Parker.

Can You Pay For Yourself, Your Kids, Your Parents?

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Dream Adventure Vacation Can Turn Into Medical Bill Nightmare

Here goes nothing. A big jump over the Zambezi River in Africa. James Whatley/Flickr hide caption

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James Whatley/Flickr

Shots - Health News

Dream Adventure Vacation Can Turn Into Medical Bill Nightmare

Kaiser Health News

Chances are your domestic health plan won't pick up the tab for medical care overseas, and it almost certainly won't cover you if you're seriously hurt and need to be evacuated by air to a medical facility. Even special polices to help overseas may not be enough if you engage in risky adventures.

Part 2: Preparing For A Future That Includes Aging Parents

Natasha Shamone-Gilmore (right) at church with her husband, Curtis Gilmore (center), and her father, Franklin Brunson, 81. Shamone-Gilmore moved her father into her Capitol Heights, Md., home after he developed dementia. Kainaz Amaria/NPR hide caption

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Family Matters: The Money Squeeze

Part 2: Preparing For A Future That Includes Aging Parents

Nearly 10 million adult children are caring for aging parents today, according to a study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. But, while aging is inevitable, planning for the costs associated with dependency in the latter phase of life doesn't come easily to most Americans.

Preparing For A Future That Includes Aging Parents

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Poverty In America: Defining The New Poor

President Clinton prepares to sign legislation overhauling America's welfare system at the White House Rose Garden on Aug. 22, 1996. Today, the ranks of the nation's poor have swelled to a record 46.2 million — nearly 1 in 6 Americans — as the prolonged pain of the recession leaves millions still struggling and out of work. J. Scott Applewhite /AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite /AP

Economy

Poverty In America: Defining The New Poor

Welfare changes in the 1990s helped slash cash benefit rolls, yet the use of food stamps has soared today. One of the original architects of the Clinton overhaul says it was a success, but an official who resigned in protest of the bill says poverty is still on the rise.

Poverty In America: Defining The New Poor

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Working Moms' Challenges: Paid Leave, Child Care

Many working mothers say their employers don't support them when they need to tend to a sick child. In this file photo, a single mother holds her child at a health clinic in Colorado. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption

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Presidential Race

Working Moms' Challenges: Paid Leave, Child Care

The past week's political firestorm has focused on stay-at-home moms. But more than 70 percent of women with young children now work. And they're hoping the presidential candidates address some of the challenges they face balancing a job with kids.

Working Moms' Challenges: Paid Leave, Child Care

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Drinking On The Job: Is 2012 The New 1966?

Actor Jon Hamm in a scene from AMC's Mad Men. The show is set in the 1960s — but today, many companies provide their employees with ready access to alcohol. Ron Jaffe/AMC/AP hide caption

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Ron Jaffe/AMC/AP

The Two-Way

Drinking On The Job: Is 2012 The New 1966?

The TV show Mad Men has won fans for breathing life — and a heavy whiff of bourbon — into the fictional workplace of the 1960s. And it seems that some U.S. companies are still at it — at least, they're making sure their employees have easy access to liquor and beer.

Part 1: One Roof, Three Generations, Many Decisions

Ida Christian, who suffers from dementia, gets help from her granddaughter, Yolanda Hunter (left), in blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Yolanda quit her lucrative job to become Ida's full-time caregiver. Kainaz Amaria/NPR hide caption

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Family Matters: The Money Squeeze

Part 1: One Roof, Three Generations, Many Decisions

To cope with the hard times, millions of families have pulled together — stacking two, three, even four generations on top of one another. An NPR series explores the lives of three multigenerational households struggling with issues of money, duty and love.

One Roof, Three Generations, Many Decisions

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Do You Get Warm, Fuzzy Feelings When Paying Taxes?

If you don't, you're not alone. Attitudes over taxes have soured over the years, but there were times when Americans felt a sense of duty to pay taxes. Host Michel Martin discusses the history of taxes with Joseph Thorndike, a columnist for Tax Analysts and co-author of War and Taxes.

Do You Get Warm, Fuzzy Feelings When Paying Taxes?

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