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WASHINGTON – Should we fight the “war on poverty” all over again? Well, yes. That’s the recommendation of a group of liberal and conservative poverty scholars, who spent months discussing and arguing to see if they could find common ground. They did. Their new report – “Opportunity, Responsibility and Security” – lays out a plausible strategy for confronting poverty. The study was co-sponsored by the left-leaning Brookings Institution and the...

Drawn in by the headline, " This superintendent has figured out how to make school work for poor kids ", I could hardly believe what I was reading. I am not entirely sure how easily replicable the funding strategy is, but it would certainly be worth the effort to bring Superintendent Anderson’s approach to national scale. I am so impressed by this model. It represents an enactment of what recent (and historical, really) research has indicated : that mental health issues, including the...

The following press release—with new links to a video and audio recording of a statement by Senator Heitkamp (D-ND)—about the need for federal support to reduce trauma in children was the subject of a post by Dan Press on the Native Americans group on ACEs Connection . Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Independent Senator Angus King of Maine joined Senator Heitkamp and nine other Democrats in sending a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia...

Anyone who has taken the Risking Connection training knows that a key element is that the path to healing is through a RICH relationship- one that includes Respect, Information, Connection and Hope. This is such a central point that the publisher, Sidran, has copywrite protected the concept independently. In our training we ask participants to share ways in which they are currently demonstrating RICH with the clients, and also with each other in their team. Because, amazingly, it turns out...

A new policy in New Zealand will allow people in relationships to find out from the police if their partner has a history of violence, the New Zealand Herald reports . The policy, announced this week by the country's Justice and Police Ministers, is a creative attempt by government officials to combat the nation's record levels of domestic violence—the highest in the developed world. A similar program in the United Kingdom has seen some early success; Clare's Law was rolled out across...

Fiscal conservatives might tell you that inequality is an inevitable and salutary side effect of the free enterprise system. In the U.S., after all, income inequality tends to be the most pronounced in highly innovative economies such as New York or the Silicon Valley. As a counterpoint, liberals might point to the many Scandinavian nations that are among the wealthiest, happiest, most productive, and most equal places on earth. Who’s right? A recent study from Shigehiro Oishi at the...

We all need support, no matter who we are.  As a pediatrician, CEO and a mom, I am constantly juggling priorities, schedules and child care.  Some days are just plain hard and I’ve learned that the only way to get through the tough days and weeks is to practice self care.  Self care is about how we can be our best selves in order to be of support to those around us. For children to lead healthier lives, they need a healthy adult who can act as an emotional buffer to...

What I’ve learned from being my brother’s health advocate in a system filled with more stigma than compassion. Until three months ago, I knew almost nothing about the three-pound organ and its crucial role as garbage disposal (eliminating toxins) and refrigerator (storing and releasing vitamins). But once I stepped in as my brother’s health advocate, I became an expert in how it functions and what happens when it fails. I first noticed it with my chiropractor, a widower in...

On December 10, President Obama, with a stroke of a pen, made it official: the No Child Left Behind era is over. Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), one day after it was passed by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate, which followed broad passage in the House last week. The Every Student Succeeds Act is the seventh reauthorization of the landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act , first passed in 1965, and the first since 2002 when...

If you work with clients in health or human services, you will at some point work with an interpreter. Have you thought about the awkward position they occupy? Language is only part of the problem. They must be “white” enough to understand and navigate the bureaucratic culture, while being black/brown/yellow/red enough to understand the client’s worldview and concerns and to be able to gain the trust of the communities they serve. When I worked with refugees, I often served...

Chronic inflammation in the bloodstream can 'fan the flames' of depression, much like throwing gasoline on a fire, according to a new paper from researchers at Rice University and Ohio State University. 'Inflammation: Depression Fans the Flames and Feasts on the Heat' appeared in a recent edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study reviewed 200 existing papers on depression and inflammation. "In the health area of psychology at Rice, we're very focused on the intersection of...