Saturday, September 23, 2023 | 
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Mercedes White

This article examines data that shows rates of entrepreneurship in America are low compared to other industrialized nations. We explore possible explanations for this trend and examine a different theory for interpreting the numbers
Business
Where have all the entrepreneurs gone?
This article examines data that shows rates of entrepreneurship in America are low compared to other industrialized nations. We explore possible explanations for this trend and examine a different theory for interpreting the numbers
By Mercedes White
"Ban the box" legislation would prohibit employers from asking job candidates about their criminal history in the early stages of the application process.
U.S. & World
Should we make it easier for people with criminal records to find work?
The pros and cons of ban the box legislation, prohibiting employers from asking job candidates about their criminal history in the early stages of the application process.
By Mercedes White
A new study shows that paying people may be the most effective way to help them quit smoking. Critics of this approach, however, argue that paying people to do things that are good for them may have a corrupting effect.
Health
Should we pay people to quit smoking?
A new study shows that paying people may be the most effective way to help them quit smoking. Critics of this approach, however, argue that paying people to do things that are good for them may have a corrupting effect.
By Mercedes White
When it comes to savings, America is dead last. Why and what can we do about it?
Business
A reason why Americans don’t save
When it comes to savings, America is dead last. Why and what can we do about it?
By Mercedes White
Feeling cold feet around finals week? You aren't alone. Test anxiety impacts 25-40 percent of people and has a surprisingly large impact on performance. Learn more about how test anxiety impacts grades, disrupts cognition and what to do about it.
U.S. & World
Test anxiety: How cold feet are ruining your grades
Feeling cold feet around finals week? You aren’t alone. Test anxiety impacts 25-40 percent of people and has a surprisingly large impact on performance. Learn more about how test anxiety impacts grades, disrupts cognition and what to do about it.
By Mercedes White
Superintendents don't get a lot of attention in discussions about education reform, that's a big oversight according to Becca Bracy Knight, executive director of the Broad Center which runs superintendent training programs.
U.S. & World
Do superintendents matter?
Superintendents don’t get a lot of attention in discussions about education reform, that’s a big oversight according to Becca Bracy Knight, executive director of the Broad Center which runs superintendent training programs.
By Mercedes White
President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Jan. 8, 1964. Speaking in the House of Representatives, the chief executive said on eof his aims was "unconditional war on poverty in America." In backgrou
U.S. & World
Why the U.S. lost the war on poverty
Article examines liberal and conservative perspectives on why the war on poverty failed to end poverty. Also includes more novel perspective that the war on poverty actually is working.
By Mercedes White
Bangladeshi children enjoy Grameen Danone's fortified yogurt.
U.S. & World
Comment boards, diapers and faith in humanity
If my only metric for measuring the state of humanity was comment boards, I’d be concerned, to say the least. Luckily, it’s not.
By Mercedes White
Tracy Cuspard of Austin, Texas is participating in Jeremiah Program to finish her education and pursue a degree in nursing to provide a good life for her 3-year-old son Benton.
Business
From poverty to prosperity: How the Jeremiah Program helps single moms reach their potential
The Jeremiah Program is helping single mothers and their children emerge from poverty through education and employment.
By Mercedes White
Pampers disposable diapers are on display Monday, Oct. 31, 2005 in a New York pharmacy. Thirty percent of low-income families lack an adequate supply of diapers, according to study published in Pediatrics, a top academic journal focused on children's heal
Family Life
How the struggle to pay for diapers impacts low-income families and how nonprofits are trying to help
New study documents widespread diaper need among low-income families and accompanying physical, emotional and financial issues. Diaper banks are discussed as a method of relief. Experts weigh in on cost-saving potential of cloth diapers.
By Mercedes White
Second grade student Kaign Groce, 7, reads a book Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2006, during a literacy class at the John Fenwick Elementary School in Salem, N.J.
Education
Are standardized tests leading to more ADHD diagnoses?
A new study looks a the link between high stakes testing and rates of ADHD diagnosis.
By Mercedes White
Many families pay for groceries with food stamps.
U.S. & World
How food stamps keep families in a cycle of poverty
Since 2007, the number of Americans on SNAP has exploded, going from approximately 22 million people at the start of the recession in 2008 to more than 45 million in 2013.
By Mercedes White
A prison guard places an inmate in solitary confinement at the Beto Unit prison in Tennessee Colony, Texas, in this 2001 file photo. Crime rates have been decreasing over the past 25 years, but there is no consensus on why.
U.S. & World
What explains falling crime rates?
Extensive media coverage of the George Zimmerman trial and the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary leave the public with the perception that America is an increasingly dangerous place. But is that perception real?
By Mercedes White
Over the weekend, the FBI rescued 105 children in 76 cities around the country, victims of human trafficking. The Associated Press reports that the children were being pimped out to customers via a website called backpage.com.
U.S. & World
FBI rescues 105 children from prostitution over the weekend
Over the weekend, the FBI rescued 105 children in 76 cities around the country, victims of human trafficking. The Associated Press reports that the children were being pimped out to customers via a website called backpage.com.
By Mercedes White
New study shows that at the most competitive colleges in America, only 14 percent of students receive Pell Grants. Authors of the study suggest these findings should raise concerns about efforts to improve socio-economic diversity at college.
Education
Are colleges doing enough to recruit low-income students?
New study shows that at the most competitive colleges in America, only 14 percent of students receive Pell Grants. Authors of the study suggest these findings should raise concerns about efforts to improve socio-economic diversity at college.
By Mercedes White
A new report examines the significant disparities in the education, economic well-being and health of children in the U.S. based on their race-ethnicity and whether or not their parents are immigrants.
U.S. & World
Report: There’s massive disparity in child well-being by race and immigration status
A new report examines the significant disparities in the education, economic well-being and health of children in the U.S. based on their race-ethnicity and whether or not their parents are immigrants.
By Mercedes White
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder impacts nearly nine percent of American children, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Utah
Is Ritalin hurting your kids’ grades?
ADHD medications have been shown to both improve focus and lower students grades. This article examines these seemingly contradictory findings.
By Mercedes White
Food for the Utah Food Bank is donated at Wal-Mart in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012. Hunger Action Month in Utah culminated with this statewide food drive at Wal-Mart locations throughout the state.
Family
Food insecurity plagues single-parent families
A new Gallup report shows that one-third of single-parent households struggle to feed their families.
By Mercedes White
U.S. & World
57 widows getting help in India
A flood in northern India left 57 women widows. A group has stepped in to assist with the support and care of these women and their children. Plight of widows in India and other countries is examined.
By Mercedes White
Food-stamp use rose 2.8 percent in the U.S. in April from a year earlier, with more than 15 percent of the U.S. population receiving benefits.
U.S. & World
Things you don’t hear about on TV: 1 in 6 Americans receive food stamps
Food-stamp use rose 2.8 percent in the U.S. in April from a year earlier, with more than 15 percent of the U.S. population receiving benefits.
By Mercedes White
Regina Berrios arranges flowers at her job in Redwood City, Calif.
World & Nation
Can the poor save?
There is hope for the poor in the form of an innovative program called an Individual Development Account.
By Mercedes White
After spending a period of time at home to raise children, can a woman successfully return to work?
Parenting
How to relaunch a career after being a stay-at-home parent
Stay-at-home moms can face some big challenges if they attempt to enter or re-enter the work force.
By Mercedes White
In this photo taken Wednesday, May 13, 2009 and reviewed by the U.S. military, a U.S. trooper in uniform enters the Guantanamo detention facility at dawn, inside Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba.
U.S. & World
Doctors oppose force-feeding Guantanamo hunger strikers
U.S. officials have been force-feeding detainees in response to a hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Physicians worry about the physical and ethical implications.
By Mercedes White
In this April 21, 2011 photo, a man carries five sacks of rice at the La Saline Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Soaring food prices aren't new in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and heavily dependent on imports. In 2011, prices are o
U.S. & World
How food aid hurts developing economies
While aid workers have been critical of these policies for many years, world leaders have only recently admitted that trade barriers exacerbated hunger and reduced economic development in Haiti and elsewhere, according to the Huffington Post.
By Mercedes White
For teachers on fixed salaries, the additional cost of school supplies can be a major financial burden. As Best thought about this problem, about the money he was spending and that his colleagues were spending, he came up with an idea.
Education
Website helps teachers acquire needed supplies
Jim Bentley, a fifth-grade teacher at Foulks Ranch Elementary School in the Sacramento area, was struggling to come up with history lessons that would engage his students; a diverse group that included non-English speakers.
By Mercedes White
A shortage of math and science teachers could spell trouble for the economy, considering the projected growth of occupations that require skills in science, technology, engineering and math (commonly called STEM skills).
U.S. & World
Report notes shortage of high-quality STEM teachers
A shortage of math and science teachers could spell trouble for the economy, considering the projected growth of occupations that require skills in science, technology, engineering and math (commonly called STEM skills).
By Mercedes White
U.S. & World
How the whole foods movement hurts the poor
Narratives about the importance of whole foods dominate discussions about food, but these orientations may actually hurt those most at risk for obesity — the poor.
By Mercedes White
Education
When cheating in school is fair
Chinese students protested after a government crack down on cheating in the educational system.
By Mercedes White
A number that comes up frequently when talking about African-American families is that 70 percent of births happen out-of-wedlock.
Family
Out-of-wedlock births among blacks spurs debate
Analysis of data on out-of-wedlock birth in America based on analysis from Ta-Nehisi Coates for the Atlantic.
By Mercedes White
Student Mariatou Samou, left, speaks with her teacher, Kayla Morrow. Teacher preparation programs do not adequately prepare new teachers like Morrow for the rigors of the classroom, according to a new report from the National Coalition of Teacher Quality.
U.S. & World
Report: US teacher training programs are mediocre
Teacher training programs in the United States are mediocre, according to new report, but critics suggest the report is unreliable because the research is incomplete and inaccurate.
By Mercedes White
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