Friday Roundup

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

Health
1. 1 of 7 state residents lacks health insurance; The Seattle Times, December 13, 2011
Brief Introduction: The number of people in Washington state without health insurance has risen sharply since the end of 2008 and is expected to reach 1 million by the end of the year, according to a new report from state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler

2. Wisconsin gets OK for some Medicaid cuts; Businessweek.com, December 9, 2011
Brief Introduction: Gov. Scott Walker's administration received preliminary approval Friday from the federal government for some Medicaid cuts it sought to balance a budget shortfall, but a final determination won't come until later, raising the possibility 53,000 people may lose coverage in the meantime.

Education
1. Judge rules Colorado education law unconstitutional; Reuters, December 10, 2011
Brief Introduction: A Colorado judge ruled on Friday that the state's education law is unconstitutional because it underfunds public schools and fails to provide a "thorough and uniform" education to all students.

2. Safety violations found at Head Start Centers; Boston.com, December 13, 2011
Brief Introduction: It's the kind of stuff that gives moms nightmares: a machete near a play area, household chemicals accessible to preschoolers, and instructors teaching without a criminal background check. These violations and others were found at Head Start centers across the country, according to a report released Tuesday by the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department.

Race
1. Black women were hit hard with job losses in economic crisis; Washington Post, December 11, 2011
Brief Introduction: According to a recent study by the National Women’s Law Center, black women have lost more jobs during the recovery — 258,000 — than they did during the recession — 233,000. Put another way, black women represented 12.5 percent of all women workers in June 2009. But between then and this June, black women lost 42.2 percent of jobs lost by women overall.

2. New Frisco ISD program tackles black student's low test scores; CW33, December 12, 2011
Brief Introduction: African-American students within the Frisco Independent School District do just as well as their White and Hispanic peers on state TAKS tests. But when it comes to college entrance exams, the failure rate for black students in FISD is almost twice as high.