Thousands of uninsured Massachusetts workers in low-wage jobs are ineligible for state-subsidized health coverage, but they will qualify for these low-cost plans under the new national health care overhaul — in 2014. Now, some consumer advocates, arguing that the wait is unfair and a black eye for the state, want the Patrick administration and legislators to launch a program to cover at least part of this group. Administration officials, already facing huge budget deficits, say the state can’t afford the tens of millions of dollars it would cost to subsidize additional workers’ insurance.

More children will live in poverty this year. More will have two parents who are unemployed. Fewer children will enroll in prekindergarten programs, and fewer teenagers will find jobs. More children are likely to commit suicide, be overweight, and be victimized by crime. These are the children of the Great Recession, a cohort that will experience a decline in fortunes that erases 30 years of social progress, contends a report. Known as the Child and Youth Well-Being Index, the report measures the impact of the recession on the current generation.

More children will live in poverty this year. More will have two parents who are unemployed. Fewer children will enroll in prekindergarten programs, and fewer teenagers will find jobs. More children are likely to commit suicide, be overweight, and be victimized by crime. These are the children of the Great Recession, a cohort that will experience a decline in fortunes that erases 30 years of social progress, contends a report. Known as the Child and Youth Well-Being Index, the report measures the impact of the recession on the current generation.

The nation’s colleges are attracting record numbers of new students as more Hispanics finish high school and young adults opt to pursue higher education rather than languish in a weak job market. A study released yesterday by the Pew Research Center highlights the growing diversity in higher education amid debate over the role of race in college admissions and controversy over Arizona’s new ban on ethnic studies in public schools.

The nation’s colleges are attracting record numbers of new students as more Hispanics finish high school and young adults opt to pursue higher education rather than languish in a weak job market. A study released yesterday by the Pew Research Center highlights the growing diversity in higher education amid debate over the role of race in college admissions and controversy over Arizona’s new ban on ethnic studies in public schools.

The recession continued to take its toll as more families with children became homeless for the second straight year, a U.S. government report shows. The number of families in homeless shelters increased 7% to 170,129 from fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2009, a report released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found.

The recession continued to take its toll as more families with children became homeless for the second straight year, a U.S. government report shows. The number of families in homeless shelters increased 7% to 170,129 from fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2009, a report released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found.

School reformers who say that poverty and family circumstance are only excuses for poor student performance might do well to look at a new study which found African-American children in Chicago scoring a lot lower on reading and vocabulary tests within a week of a homicide in their neighborhood -- even if they did not directly witness the violence.

The study was conducted by Patrick Sharkey, a sociologist at New york University, who analyzed 6,041 homicides between 1994 and 2002 in Chicago and testing data of about 1,100 African-Americn children from ages 6 to 17.

School reformers who say that poverty and family circumstance are only excuses for poor student performance might do well to look at a new study which found African-American children in Chicago scoring a lot lower on reading and vocabulary tests within a week of a homicide in their neighborhood -- even if they did not directly witness the violence.

The study was conducted by Patrick Sharkey, a sociologist at New york University, who analyzed 6,041 homicides between 1994 and 2002 in Chicago and testing data of about 1,100 African-Americn children from ages 6 to 17.

The number of jobs requiring at least a two-year associate’s degree will outpace the number of people qualified to fill those positions by at least three million in 2018, according to a report being released Tuesday by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report makes clear that some education after high school is an increasing prerequisite for entry into the middle class.

The number of jobs requiring at least a two-year associate’s degree will outpace the number of people qualified to fill those positions by at least three million in 2018, according to a report being released Tuesday by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report makes clear that some education after high school is an increasing prerequisite for entry into the middle class.

I am Latino and fully bilingual, but my native language is Spanish, and in life or death situations—either at the doctor's office or in court—I would rather hear the diagnosis or the sentence in Spanish. Along with half the 47 million Latinos in the United States whose mother tongue is Spanish, I wonder, "Will I understand what the doctor said, or when I should take the medication?" These are not minor questions when your health is involved.

I am Latino and fully bilingual, but my native language is Spanish, and in life or death situations—either at the doctor's office or in court—I would rather hear the diagnosis or the sentence in Spanish. Along with half the 47 million Latinos in the United States whose mother tongue is Spanish, I wonder, "Will I understand what the doctor said, or when I should take the medication?" These are not minor questions when your health is involved.

The rate of children living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22%, the highest rate in two decades, according to an analysis by the non-profit Foundation for Child Development. Nearly 17% of children were living in poverty in 2006, before the recession began.

The rate of children living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22%, the highest rate in two decades, according to an analysis by the non-profit Foundation for Child Development. Nearly 17% of children were living in poverty in 2006, before the recession began.

Playworks is a Bay Area-based school program that actively engages kids on the pavement, grass and hardwood of low-income schools throughout the country. It wasn't until 2009 that it debuted in the Los Agneles area. WIth a dozen schools already on board, parents may be excited to implement the program in their own kids' schools.

Playworks is a Bay Area-based school program that actively engages kids on the pavement, grass and hardwood of low-income schools throughout the country. It wasn't until 2009 that it debuted in the Los Agneles area. WIth a dozen schools already on board, parents may be excited to implement the program in their own kids' schools.

Summer is trauma season for children—everyone outside, out of school, riding bikes, climbing trees, playing around bodies of water, and all too often getting hurt.In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 9.2 million children a year had visited emergency rooms for unintentional (non-abuse) injuries in the period 2000-06. Such injuries were the leading cause of death among children: 12,000 fatalities a year.

Summer is trauma season for children—everyone outside, out of school, riding bikes, climbing trees, playing around bodies of water, and all too often getting hurt.In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 9.2 million children a year had visited emergency rooms for unintentional (non-abuse) injuries in the period 2000-06. Such injuries were the leading cause of death among children: 12,000 fatalities a year.

In some parts of Boston, seventh and eight-graders live side by side with gang members and criminals wielding guns. It is an environment, they say, that forces them to think about what streets to avoid, how to flee if someone starts shooting, and how to avert your gaze so the gunman won't turn on you. They talk about such subjects with the same frequency and nonchalance that teenagers elsewhere might discuss their favorite Red Sox player or pop star.