How can you give illiterate or limited-English parents the information they need on children's health and development? Julieta Santana reports on how local radio fills a critical informational need in immigrant communities. This article originally appeared in the May-June 2004 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Fifty Years after Brown v. Board, MDC Inc., a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, says that poorly resourced high schools in the South are not preparing the region's growing numbers of African-American and Latino students for the increasingly prosperous Southern economy, with higher-skilled employment needs. Despite decades of gains in improving race relations and equity for students of color, the region has been backsliding since the 1990s into greater inequality. The report warns that if the South allows its children to grow up and go to school isolated by race and income, its communities will suffer anew.

The 50th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court school desegregation ruling in Brown v. Board of Education has produced an outpouring of reminiscence and evaluation. Today, amid national attention to the issues of school reform, school choice, and student achievement, Connect for Kids editor Susan Phillips asks what's next for our public schools.

The Institute for Women's Policy Research reports that nearly half of all workers in the private sector get no paid sick time, and employers are reducing their paid sick time programs. Over 59 million workers have no sick leave. Only about one in every ten low-wage workers is allowed to use paid sick leave to stay home with sick children (11 percent), while more than four in every ten workers in the top wage quartile enjoy this benefit (43 percent).

For many U.S. children, the experiences of the ?lost boys? of Sudan, child refugees from a decades-long civil war, might seem impossibly remote. But Pauline Gordon and Natasha Santos, 15-year-old staff writers at Represent magazine in New York City, could relate—thanks to their own experiences in foster care. Here's their review of the documentary, The Lost Boys of Sudan.

On average, black students show strong gains from fourth to eighth grade, compared with whites. A National Association of Education Progress (NAEP) state-by-state analysis finds that although they start behind, black fourth graders increase their reading scores at a greater rate than white and Asian students in the years between fourth and eighth grade.

In its fourth annual report to the nation, the Council of the Great City Schools finds that progress among the nation's major urban school districts that serve the most diverse student populations, often with the least resources. Data on 61 city school systems from 37 states indicate that while math and reading achievement scores lag behind the national average, these scores are rising -- and racial gaps in math and reading are narrowing. Progress is not uniform, however, as trend lines differ from one city to another, and not all grades have improved.

Teens who have been raised by openly gay parents have a unique perspective on the contentious issue of single-sex marriage. Rob Capriccioso spoke with three such teens about their views.

The hard-fought effort to bring federally funded school vouchers to Washington, D.C. is often viewed as the front line in a national battle over school choice. But for Virginia Walden Ford, it’s local and it’s personal. Connect for Kids’ editor Susan Phillips spoke with Walden Ford recently.

College and post-secondary training is just as important for first generation students as for those from college-educated families. This Pathways to College report identifies what it takes -- in policy changes, best practices and funding -- to enable all underserved students to be prepared for 21st century careers. Action alerts for policymakers, educators and others are also available online.