Friday, September 7, 2012

CFL/DSOC Nonprofit Section Virtual Learning Session Scheduled for October 18th

The October CFL/DSOC Nonprofit Section Virtual Learning Session has been scheduled for October 18th at 2PM ET.  As usual, there will be a 30 minute presentation with a 15 minute Q&A scheduled afterward.  The SlideShare link to the presentation will be emailed to registrants about a week before the session.  Make sure to copy down the call-in information from the confirmation message after you fill out the registration form. 

Title:Digital Asset Management: Lessons Learned

Description: Like many cultural heritage institutions, Longwood Gardens maintains image and audio-visual collections used internally by staff from all departments. A plan to manage these resources in an electronic environment became an institution focus in 2007, and this presentation will outline the process of selecting, implementing and maintaining a digital asset management (DAM) system, using Asset Bank DAM software.

Presenter: Maureen McCadden is the Digital Resource Specialist in the Library & Archives Unit of Longwood Gardens, a public display garden in Kennett Square, PA, 30 miles from Philadelphia. She has managed the organization’s Digital Asset Management system (DAM), a central repository of about 70,000 images, since its inception in 2009. Maureen holds an MA in Library & Information Science from Drexel University.

Registration link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dHBCUWhRMWNFQVZyY2YtdE90bU13UVE6MQ

Deadline to register: Friday, October 5th

Monday, August 6, 2012

Check out our group's new HTML5 mobile site

The Consortium of Foundation Libraries has a new HTML 5 mobile website! The decision to make an HTML5 website for mobile users came about as we want to make sure that as many visitors as possible can access our web content. Unfortunately, for those of you who have phones that don't work with Flash (iPhones and Android phones running Jelly Bean 4.1), this can be quite difficult. Therefore, in addition to our Flash based website, the HTML5 mobile site was created to provide ease of access to information about our group to the non-Flash mobile community. Link

Saturday, June 2, 2012

July 25th Virtual Learning Session - Near Field Communication

Make sure to sign up for the July 25th virtual learning session that will focus on near field communication (NFC). The session will be held at 2 PM ET and there will be a 30 minute teleconference presentation followed by a 15 minute Q&A. Please register using this form no later than Friday, July 20th.

Near Field Communication: Introduction and Implications

Near Field Communication (NFC) is an emerging technology that allows devices and objects to transmit information wirelessly across a small distance. While it has many commercial applications (e.g., using your cell phone as a credit card at the grocery store), NFC could also have future applications for libraries as an intuitive way to derive digital meaning from the physical world. Placing particular attention to the needs of philanthropies, research institutions, and other nonprofit organizations, this presentation will introduce NFC technology and its potential uses in libraries, from frictionless fundraising and information sharing to peer-to-peer loaning and self checkout.

Presenter bios:

Sheli McHugh is the University of Scranton's Cataloging and Metadata Librarian. She holds a bachelor's degree in media studies from the Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in library science from Clarion University.

Kristen Yarmey is the Digital Services Librarian at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where she concentrates on digital collections while exploring other emerging digital practices. She holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in library science from the University of Maryland.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Friday Roundup

Here's a list of news stories that may be of interest published within the last 10 day:

Health:
AARP: Michigan relies too much on nursing homes for poor seniors: Detroit Free Press, April 6, 2012
Brief introduction: When it comes to long-term care, Michigan relies too much on nursing homes for its poor elderly residents, according to a new report by AARP Michigan.

Education:
1940 Census reveals California led the country in education: Huffington Post, April 3, 2012
Brief introduction: The National Archives released for the first time yesterday individual records from the 1940 Census – unleashing an online treasure trove of 3.8 million pages eagerly awaited by genealogists and researchers.

Race:
HIV among black women in 6 cities far exceeds national average: Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2012
Brief Introduction: African American women in six U.S. cities are becoming infected with HIV at a rate five times the national average for black women, and closer to the rates of some African countries, according to a new study.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

What's new in Philanthropy?

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. Techies team up to make Wikipedia smarter; Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2012
Brief introduction: The German chapter of the crowd-sourced online encyclopedia on Friday morning announced a EUR 1.3 million ($1.7 million) grant from Google Inc. and from foundations backed by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, and Gordon Moore, Intel’s co-founder and the namesake of Moore’s Law.

2. Kramer steps down as Stanford dean to run Hewlett Foundation; Law.com, March 29, 2012
Brief introduction: Stanford Law School Dean Larry Kramer has announced that he will step down effective on Aug. 31. Kramer, who has led the school since 2004, will become president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Preschoolers in surgery for a mouthful of cavities; New York Times, March 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: The number of preschoolers requiring extensive dental work suggests that many other parents make the same mistake. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted an increase, the first in 40 years, in the number of preschoolers with cavities in a study five years ago. But dentists nationwide say they are seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more. The level of decay, they added, is so severe that they often recommend using general anesthesia because young children are unlikely to sit through such extensive procedures while they are awake.

2. Digital records may not cut health costs, study cautions; New York Times, March 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: Computerized patient records are unlikely to cut health care costs and may actually encourage doctors to order expensive tests more often, a study published on Monday concludes.


Education
1. Minorities get harsher discipline in U.S. schools, survey shows; Bloomberg.com, March 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Black children made up 18 percent of students in a survey of U.S. schools while accounting for 35 percent of those suspended once, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Black students are more than 3 1/2 times as likely to be suspended or expelled than their white classmates, the survey showed.

2. California schools establish 'early warning system' to identify potential dropouts; Huffingtonpost.com, March 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Some school districts in California are working to establish an "early warning system" to identify middle grade students who are at risk of dropping out, and then to vigorously intervene so they don't.


Race
1. Autism not diagnosed as early in minorities; Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 4, 2012
Brief Introduction: Landa's preliminary research suggests that even when diagnosed in toddlerhood, minority youngsters have more severe developmental delays than their white counterparts. She says cultural differences in how parents view developmental milestones, and how they interact with doctors, may play a role.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. U.S. investors lack interest in companies doing good; Reuters.com, February 27, 2012
Brief Introduction: Top U.S. chief executives lamented on Monday a lack of interest from investors in their efforts to do social good and suggested the creation of a social responsibility index of companies that would help educate shareholders on the value of philanthropy.

2. Pa. Senators move to curb lawmakers' nonprofit ties; Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Hours after a former Pennsylvania representative was convicted of misusing funds he steered to a nonprofit organization, a state Senate committee endorsed a move Monday to limit legislators’ ties to charitable groups, the Pittsburgh Tribune - Review reports.

3. Gates Foundation calls for 'wacky' new ways to say that aid works; kplu.org, March 1, 2012
Brief Introduction: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation officially calls it the Grand Challenges Exploration program and it was initially launched to fund unorthodox — some might even say "wacky" -scientific research projects aimed at solving problems in global health and development.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

March Virtual Learning Session - Archives 101

Archives 101

What is an archive and why is it important to your organization? Technically speaking an archive is a collection of individual or organizational records that are important enough to be preserved in perpetuity. What it really is for your organization is institutional memory.

This session will explore:
-the importance of creating an archive
-how to get management on-board and legal off your back
-use of archival material in research by staff and historians

Presenter: Bruce Compton is the Senior Manager, Research and Records at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Bruce started at Pew as a consultant in 1990 to develop an archive for the foundation. Since 1991, he has served as Pew's archivist and head of the Research Department. Prior to coming to Pew, Bruce was vice president at Gardner Associates, a business history consulting firm. He has also worked for the National Park Service, the National Archives, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He holds degrees in Philosophy and History/Archives Management from LaSalle University and a certificate in Oral History from Vermont College.

Deadline to register is March 16th. You can sign up using this link to the form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEFmMDNSSGpQRnVmMi1DSjVybXJfQXc6MQ

Friday, February 17, 2012

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Fewer Americans have employer- based health insurance; Gallup.com, February 14, 2012
Brief Introduction: Fewer Americans got their health insurance from an employer in 2011 (44.6%) than in 2010 (45.8%), continuing the downward trend Gallup and Healthways have documented since 2008. As employer-based health insurance has declined, the percentage of Americans who are uninsured has increased, rising to 17.1% this year, the highest seen since 2008.

2. Risk of preterm birth rises for Hispanic women the longer they're in the U.S.; U.S. News.com, February 9, 2012
Brief Introduction: The longer Hispanic women live in the United States, the more likely they are to have a preterm birth, a new study says. Researchers analyzed data from 2,141 Hispanic women with a prior live birth who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006.

Education
1. Suspended from school in early grades; Washington Post, February 12, 2012
Brief Introduction: Thousands of elementary students were suspended from public schools last year in Washington and its suburbs, some of them so young that they were learning about out-of-school discipline before they could spell or multiply.

2. Detroit to Parents: Time to get involved in education; NPR.org, February 7, 2012
Brief Introduction: In Detroit, officials say they are trying everything they can to revive the city's public school system, from replacing dilapidated buildings to hiring new school leaders. Detroit Public Schools is also focusing on a neglected piece of the education equation: parents.

Race
1. Labor force growth slows, Hispanic share grows; Pew Research Center, February 13, 2012
Brief Introduction: Hispanics will account for three-quarters of the growth in the nation’s labor force from 2010 to 2020, according to new projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). One major reason is that the Hispanic population is growing rapidly due to births and immigration. At the same time, the aging of the non-Hispanic white population is expected to reduce their numbers in the labor force.

2. Why Latinos aren't saving for retirement; Forbes.com, February 14 ,2012
Brief Introduction: While all populations found retirement planning to be an overwhelming task, Hispanics felt the least prepared. A hefty 54 percent say they felt “not very” or “not at all” prepared. This compares with 50 percent of African-Americans, 48 percent of white and 44 percent of Asian respondents who said they did not feel prepared.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. eBay buyers, sellers give record $63 million to charity in 2011; Huffington Post, February 14, 2012
Brief Introduction: The auction site enabled its users to give a record $63 million, or $120 a minute to charitable causes last year, according to a statement released Monday. The company's PayPal division also processed $3 billion in transactions for more than 200,000 nonprofits.

2. President looks to extend Promise -Neighborhoods Program; Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 13, 2012
Brief Introduction: President Obama said today he wants to increase spending on Promise Neighborhoods projects—which offer an array of “cradle to college” services to young people and families in troubled communities. The president’s plan calls for $100-million for Promise Neighborhoods next year, up from about $60-million in 2012.

3. IRS makes finding charity status easier; Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 7, 2012
Brief Introduction: The Internal Revenue Service has developed an online database of 400,000 nonprofits that have lost their tax-exempt status for failing to file tax returns. Previously, the IRS released information about groups that had lost their tax-exempt status only by state, which made it difficult to find groups by other criteria. The new Exempt Organizations Select Check is updated monthly and is on the same Web page as the agency’s main database of all nonprofits that can accept tax-deductible donations.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Legislative Information Resource List Now Available

If you are attending the Foundations on the Hill event, you may find this legislative information resource list of interest. This document has three pages of free resources for government information that can help you find the authoritative information you need before you meet with your legislative representative. Link

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Hospitals mine patient records in search of customers; USA Today, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: The non-profit facility is one of a growing number of hospitals using their patients' health and financial records to help pitch their most lucrative services, such as cancer, heart and orthopedic care. As part of these direct mail campaigns, they are also buying detailed information about local residents compiled by consumer marketing firms — everything from age, income and marital status to shopping habits and whether residents have children or pets at home.

2. New York City defends health ads that frighten the viewer; The New York Times, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: The city’s health department uses no sugar-coating in its latest ads, which feature images of overweight people whose mobility is impaired to warn of the dangers of ever-growing portions of unhealthy food and soft drinks.

3. For diabetes patients, oases in the food desert; Chicago Tribune, February 1, 2012
Brief Introduction: Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2009, Moore, 58, has reduced her blood glucose levels significantly through healthy eating and daily exercise. But a lack of supermarkets in her North Chicago neighborhood makes it difficult to maintain a nutritious diet — a crucial ingredient in controlling the disease.

Education
1. School reform organization gets average grades; Chicago Tribune, February 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Over the last decade, a nonprofit teaching academy with strong political ties has launched an education revolution inside Chicago Public Schools, tearing down and rebuilding some of the city's worst-performing schools.

2. Settling school disputes before they escalate; Los Angeles Times, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: Such programs have been around for decades, but at Maclay, peer mediation has only recently become one of many strategies to reduce the number of violent incidents. Since the program began in 2010, it has steadily helpeLinkd lower the number of instructional days lost to suspensions but has yet to make strides when it comes to physical altercations.

Race
1. For some black women, economy and willingness to aid family strains finances; Washington Post, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: Across the country, black women are bearing a heavier responsibility for family and friends than their white counterparts, even as they struggle to emerge from an economic downturn that has hit them harder. A survey by the Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that black women have more trouble paying their bills or getting a loan than white women. And they are trying to regain their footing in a world where more than half feel as though they do not have the skills and education to compete for a job.

2. Diversified Americans resisting census race labels; The Seattle Times, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: When the 2010 census asked people to classify themselves by race, more than 21.7 million — at least 1 in 14 — went beyond the standard labels and wrote in such terms as "Arab," "Haitian," "Mexican" and "multiracial."

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. New Gates Foundation tourist attraction in Seattle much more than a "museum of philanthropy"; Washington Post, January 31, 2012
Brief Introduction: The center opens Saturday in Seattle, just steps from the Space Needle and Experience Music Project, two of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. While it’s not exactly a “museum of philanthropy,” it’s also not just a public promotion of the Gates Foundation’s work.

2. On mega pledges from years past, donors make big payments in 2011; Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Some of America’s biggest charitable donors don’t appear on the current Philanthropy 50 even though they were still writing big checks to charity. The list doesn’t include people who are paying off pledges made in previous years, and in 2011 several of the nation’s big donors were busy making payments, not new commitments. Among those philanthropists are Warren E. Buffett, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Ted Turner.

3. Kauffman Foundation Super Bowl ad calls on entrepreneurs; CNN, February 1, 2012
Brief Introduction: Not many people know the Kauffman Foundation, but after this Sunday a lot more will have an idea. The $2 billion nonprofit that focuses on fostering U.S. entrepreneurship is running its first ever TV ad, and it's doing it during the Super Bowl.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Cancer screenings in U.S. lags goals, ethnic disparities revealed; Los Angeles Times, January 27, 2012
Brief Introduction: Researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday that percentages of Americans receiving recommended screenings for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer in 2010 did not reach targets -- with racial and ethnic populations lagging noticeably behind.

2. CDC: Home births rise nearly 30 percent in U.S.; USA Today, January 26, 2012
Brief Introduction: Births taking place outside of the traditional hospital setting increased 29 percent between 2004 and 2009, from 0.56 percent of all births to 0.72 percent — almost 30,000 births — according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Education
1. Michigan kindergarten funding requires full day; Detroitnews.com, January 30, 2012
Brief Introduction: In September, public schools must offer all-day kindergarten to receive full funding for each kindergarten pupil, under rules approved last year by the Legislature. Districts still can offer half-day programs but will lose half of their per-pupil funding for each student. That's a costly proposition for most districts, which get an average of $7,810 in state aid for each child and are battered by repeated cuts in state aid.

2. Michigan to host first ever Digital Learning Day Wednesday; Mlive.com, January 30, 2012
Brief Introduction: The state Department of Education is participating in a national campaign designed to celebrate innovative teaching and highlight practices that make learning more engaging for students. The department, in partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education, announced Monday it would be a state host for the first-ever Digital Learning Day campaign on Wednesday, kicking off Michigan’s “Year of the Digital Learner.

Race
1. Segregation of blacks at record low, think tank report says; Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2012
Brief Introduction: Segregation of African Americans in the United States has declined to its lowest point in more than a century, but social and income disparities persist, according to a Manhattan Institute report released Monday. The report, coming days before the nation prepares to observe Black History Month, tracks how housing has changed over time. It was written by two fellows of the conservative think tank: Harvard University economics professor Edward Glaeser and Duke University professor Jacob Vigdor.

2. Telenovelas provide platform for public health messages; PBS.org, January 25, 2012
Brief Introduction: On the Los Angeles set of "Encrucijada: Sin Salud No Hay Nada," the title says it all: "Crossroads: Without Health, There Is Nothing." Like most storylines in this emerging brand of Spanish-language soap opera, or telenovela, Alicia's dramatic past and harrowing future are intertwined with more basic things, like the importance of visiting the doctor regularly, catching cancer in its early stages and planning for end-of-life care. Last year's pilot season tackled everything from diabetes to melanoma to dental care -- with each storyline crafted to deliver public health messages to a notoriously difficult-to-reach audience.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. Drugmakers join Gates Foundation in tropical-disease fight; Bloomberg.com, January 30, 2012
Brief Introduction: GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK), Sanofi and other health-care companies are joining forces with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, governments and institutions to fight so-called neglected tropical diseases such as leprosy.

2. Department of Justice, MacArthur Foundation provide $2 million to support juvenile justice reform; Sacramento Bee, January 26, 2012
Brief Introduction: In a new private-public partnership, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation are jointly providing $2 million to support innovative and effective reforms in treatment and services for youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.

3. Gates Foundation moves to close $750 million gap in global fund; Nytimes.com, January 26, 2012
Brief Introduction: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said Thursday that it had stepped up its commitment to an international fund to fights AIDS and other diseases, pledging an additional $750 million to the organization.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/26/4217319/department-of-justice-macarthur.html#storylink=cpy

Saturday, January 28, 2012

January Podcast: Copyright with Lesley Ellen Harris

For this month's podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Lesley Ellen Harris (www.copyrightlaws.com) about copyright issues for librarians working in nonprofits. In this short podcast, Lesley shares helpful knowledge and tips that would be of great interest to the listener concerned about copyright. Here are the links to the podcast files (same file, different formats):

WAV
https://s3.amazonaws.com/onlinefiles/Interviews/LEHarris_Copyright_WAV.wav
MP3
https://s3.amazonaws.com/onlinefiles/Interviews/LEHarris_Copyright_mp3.mp3

Many thanks to Ms. Harris for her participation.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Minority males in California: Oakland hearings explore health of population; Huffingtonpost.com, January 20, 2011
Brief Introduction: Today's hearing is being convened by the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color in California. Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, D-Oakland, said he formed the committee to examine the adverse conditions that some black, Latino and Asian boys experience and their effects on state resources and agencies. It also will look at the connections among issues like health, foster care, truancy, school dropouts, unemployment and incarceration.

2. Appendicitis racial disparities mostly unexplained; Chicago Tribune, January 18, 2012
Brief Introduction: Poverty and unfavorable health insurance account for only a small portion of the gap in the number of white versus Hispanic or black children who end up with a burst appendix, according to a new study.

3. Little change in U.S. obesity rates in recent years; Reuters.com, January 17, 2012
Brief Introduction: Government researchers found that in 2009 and 2010, about one in three adults and one in six kids and teens were obese. The rates represent no change from 2007 and 2008 figures, and only a slight increase among specific demographics over rates from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Education
1. Black, Latino students perform at levels of 30 years ago; HuffingtonPost.com January 23, 2012
Brief Introduction:
Educators are expressing alarm that the performance gap between minority and white high school students continues to expand across the United States, with minority teenagers performing at academic levels equal to or lower than those of 30 years ago.

2. Many Michigan kids living in poverty, report finds; Detroit Free Press, January 24, 2012
Brief Introduction: Fewer Michigan teens are having babies or dropping out of school, and educational benchmarks for some of the state's youngest students have improved, according to the new Kids Count report.

Race
1. Survey paints portrait of black women in America; The Washington Post, January 23, 2012
Brief Introduction:
In a new nationwide survey conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, a complex portrait emerges of black women who feel confident but vulnerable, who have high self-esteem and see physical beauty as important, who find career success more vital to them than marriage. The survey, which includes interviews with more than 800 black women, represents the most extensive exploration of the lives and views of African American women in decades.

2. More Americans uninsured in 2011; Gallup.com, January 24, 2011
Brief Introduction: Hispanic Americans continue to be the most likely to be uninsured, with more than 40% going without health coverage in 2011, the highest Gallup has found for any key group since it began tracking in 2008. More than 30% of low-income Americans were uninsured in 2011 -- a figure that has been rising since 2008, when it was 26.4%.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. How SOPA anti-piracy bill could affect nonprofits; Huffingtonpost.com, January 18, 2012
Brief Introduction: A number of high-profile websites, including Wikipedia and Reddit, have shut down Wednesday to protest proposed anti-piracy legislation, and some experts say that nonprofits could benefit from joining the “blackout.”

2. Nonprofits boosting Boston's coffers; Boston.com, January 21, 2012
Brief Introduction: The city’s deep reservoir of nonprofits often do not pay property taxes, but make contributions to compensate the city for the cost of public safety and other municipal services. Their payments usually vary widely, and Menino has consistently called for heftier sums across the board. Last year, city officials established new guidelines asking nonprofits to make payments based on property values. The officials believe the program is the only one of its kind, and say it has drawn national attention for its potential to bolster strained municipal budgets.

3. Philanthropy beat: Million-dollar donations climb; Star Tribune, January 23, 2012
LinkBrief Introduction: The super-rich opened their wallets wider last year, when the number of $1 million-plus donations nationwide nearly doubled over 2010. Gifts of $1 million and more to nonprofits jumped from $3.6 billion in 2010 to $5.4 billion last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which compiled the data.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Little change in U.S. obesity rates in recent years; Reuters.com, January 17, 2012
Brief Introduction: Government researchers found that in 2009 and 2010, about one in three adults and one in six kids and teens were obese. The rates represent no change from 2007 and 2008 figures, and only a slight increase among specific demographics over rates from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

2. Detroit Residents' stress still higher than healthy; The Sacramento Bee, January 11, 2012
Brief Introduction: Although reported stress levels have dipped in Detroit since last year, Detroit residents still experience high stress levels, reporting an average stress level of 5.2 on a 10-point scale. This stress level is higher than what they considered healthy (3.6 on a 10-point scale). Even with lowered reported stress levels, 75 percent of Detroit residents report that the economy is a significant cause of stress. And 73 percent said work is a significant cause of stress. And more than one-third (38 percent) said they are dissatisfied with their work, a number that is substantially greater than reported by Americans nationally (25 percent).

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/11/4179962/detroit-residents-stress-still.html#storylink=cpy

Education
1. AP interview: Winfrey celebrates 1st graduates; Boston.com, January 13, 2012
Brief Introduction: Winfrey spoke Friday on the eve of the first graduation at her school. Of the 75 students who started at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007, 72 who will graduate Saturday. All are headed to universities in South Africa and the United States to pursue such studies as medicine, law, engineering and economics.

2. Black students in Jefferson Parish unfairly arrested, complaint says; Nola.com, January 11, 2012
Brief Introduction: A complaint filed Wednesday on behalf of four Jefferson Parish public school students and their families accuses the school system of unfairly subjecting African American students to arrests and seizures. The Southern Poverty Law Center filed the 20-page complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

3. Arizona governor wants searchable teacher-discipline database; Education Week, January 10, 2011
Brief Introduction: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says she wants to encourage greater involvement by parents in their children's education, and evidently that includes giving parents easy access to teachers' disciplinary records. The Republican governor proposed creating "searchable database" for parents" that would allow them to research the licensing background and disciplinary actions teachers have faced. She also says she wants to change the process through which teachers can be decertified.

Race

1. For many Latinos, race is more culture than color; The New York Times, January 13, 2012
Brief Introduction: More than 18 million Latinos checked this “other” box in the 2010 census, up from 14.9 million in 2000. It was an indicator of the sharp disconnect between how Latinos view themselves and how the government wants to count them. Many Latinos argue that the country’s race categories — indeed, the government’s very conception of identity — do not fit them.

2. Latino families battling childhood obesity; Minnesota Public Radio, January 16, 2011
Brief Introduction: Samantha is among the millions of Latino children who weigh too much. In urban and rural areas across the United States, Latino children are more likely than their non-Latino white peers to be overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Nearly 40 percent of Latino children in the United States are overweight or obese.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. Gates Foundation study: annual teacher evaluations not enough; Reporternews.com, January 10, 2011
Brief Introduction: Once-a-year evaluations aren't enough to help teachers improve, says a report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. And school districts using infrequent classroom observations to decide who are their best -- and their worst -- teachers could be making some big mistakes, according to the second part of a multi-year study from the foundation.

2. N.J. to test nonprofit- run schools in urban districts; The Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 13, 2012
Brief Introduction: Nonprofit organizations can apply to develop and run public schools in three New Jersey cities under a 10-year pilot program approved by this week. Gov. Chris Christie, who championed the Urban Hope Act, signed the bill on Thursday, three days after state legislators passed the measure. The act allows nonprofit groups to apply to the state to operate “renaissance” schools in Camden, Newark, and Trenton.

3. Cynicism and Philanthropy; The Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2012
Brief Introduction: The next time you’re inclined to donate lots of money to a good cause, consider this: Others might suspect a selfish motive. What’s more, the longer a do-gooder is in the spotlight for the deed, the more likely people are to assume motives of self-interest.