A major challenge for education policymakers and educators globally is the strong and persistent impact of student socio-economic status (SES) on learning. This is a challenge that will not be addressed solely by school-focused reform. However, one policy initiative that could make a positive difference in this regard, and could bring other…

Nearly one in five children under age 18 lived in poor families in 2008, according to poverty statistics released by the Census Bureau in September 2009. Though high, this statistic does not capture the full impact of the economic downturn, which is expected to drive poverty even higher in 2009. However, updated poverty statistics will not be…

This report, prepared by the staff of the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs of the U. S. Senate, is intended as a profile of the "half-full, half-empty plate which the Federal food programs represent to the nation's poor." The report focuses on various aspects of poverty and hunger such as: (1) poverty in the nation--the poverty line,…

Three definitions of poverty are considered along with a careful specification of the perspective needed to assess it. (Author/RK)

The findings of the Citizen's Board of Inquiry are that: (1) hunger and malnutrition affect millions of Americans and are increasing in severity each year; (2) infant deaths, organic brain damage, retarded growth and learning rates, increased vulnerability to disease, withdrawal, apathy, alienation, frustration, and violence result from hunger and…

Describes the failure of the low incomes of working and welfare poor to provide minimally sufficient food, proper nutrition and corresponding good health. Recommends the establishment of governmental programs to provide adequate nourishing food and nutrition information to need sectiony of the population. (SF)

The contents of this report by the staff of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs--based on information gathered at the National Nutrition Policy hearings, from testimony before the Select Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee and through staff investigation--are organized in nine chapters, as follows: (1) Food Stamp…

This document contains oral testimony by state and government officials, prepared statements, and supporting materials concerning food assistance for the homeless. The bills before the Senate would increase Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) funding by $10 million in fiscal year 1987, and $20 million in 1988. According to John W.…

New findings about child nutrition and cognitive development indicate that undernourished children are typically fatigued and uninterested in their social environments. Such children are less likely to establish relationships or to explore and learn from their surroundings. Undernourished children are also more susceptible to illness and, thus,…

The "Hunger-1973" committee report, details the continuing hunger problem in the country. The report shows that the administration and participation of the Food Stamp and Surplus Food Program vary widely across the country. It shows that the benefits available under both programs are being severely restricted by the current food cost…

The purpose of this report is to review the history of the commitment to ensure nutritional adequacy for all American families during the last several years, and to study the relationship between proposed welfare reform measures and that commitment to nutritional adequacy. A specific proposal, H.R.1, eliminates food stamps, the Nation's primary…

Large percentages of preschool children in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia live in poverty and receive no benefits from society's "safety nets." County estimates for unemployment and per capita income (1985-1987) indicate that economic conditions are most severe in central West Virginia, eastern Kentucky,…

This report reviews the status of poverty and makes the following recommendations for program aims and structure, and for organizational changes at the Federal level. Antipoverty programs should attack the total environment of the poor: housing, education, family stability, employment, and neighborhoods. Increased efforts must be made to reach the…

This report presents the testimony of numerous expert witnesses who appeared at three hearings on the following topics: (1) Hunger and Related Nutritional Issues; (2) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Assistance Programs; and (3) Domestic Hunger and Related Nutritional Issues. The following major issues were discussed: (1) the number of…

A consideration of nutrition and intellectual growth opens with a glossary of 12 terms and two reports on hunger in America, one by J.L. Frost and B.L. Payne, the other by the Citizens' Board of Inquiry into Hunger and Malnutrition. Included are articles on nutrition and intellectual development in children, by M. Winick; maternal diet, growth,…