Arrest rates for assault are rising for girls but before we start an avalanche of talk shows about what's the matter with girls today, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say we better look at the data first. They say girls' arrests for homicide, robbery, and rape/sexual assault have not been rising. And the evidence is that assaults by girls haven't been increasing either.

Instead of lifting more children out of poverty, the benefits of the current economic recovery (and the recent tax handouts) have flowed disproportionately to the wealthiest families, lifting the fortunes for those at the top but leaving more children behind in poverty. Bernstein and Greenberg say it doesn't have to be this way:

The plan for deep budget cuts appears to be breaking down party discipline in the House. Two weeks ago the Senate approved the Specter-Harkin amendment, restoring funds to current levels instead of steep cuts for health, education and other vital services.

Last month Congress cut $12 billion out of student aid programs, and interest rates on parent and student loans are set to jump up this July, due to recent Congressional actions. Yet when the House begins its floor debate on the Higher Education Act (H.R. 609) on March 29, it will do little to make college more affordable.

The DREAM Act would provide a pathway to legality for college-ready high school graduates who are undocumented or illegal. This bipartisan idea was approved as an amendment during the Judiciary Committee's hearing on its immigration reform bill on March 27.

Since coming to Washington there's a lot I've learned about passing legislation that I didn't learn in high school civics class. But one thing still stands--the same bill must pass the House of Representatives and the Senate before the President can sign it into law.

The New York Times headline says the marches for positive immigration reform over the weekend surpassed expectations, a dramatic backdrop for this week's negotiations in the Senate.

The National PTA says the Senate vote to add more than $16 billion to President George W. Bush's fiscal year 2007 (FY07) budget request included more than $10 billion for programs under the purview of the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The "stunning" vote came last week, after several days of intense lobbying by education, child advocacy, and health organizations, as well as substantial grassroots mobilization, in support of an amendment introduced by Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Tom Harkin of Iowa to increase discretionary funding in the FY07 budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 83).

The bipartisan-supported Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act would provide schools with uniform guidance on how to create appropriate management and emergency plans for children with life-threatening food allergies.

Affluent families and many middle-class families save a lot of money by following the advice of the accountants they hire to do their tax returns. But many low-income families can't afford their own tax accountant.