Google opens Howard University campus in Silicon Valley to boost diversity
The tech industry has a diversity problem. In 2014, Hispanics made up only 4.4% of the professional-level workforce at the headquarters and local branches of the top 75 Silicon Valley tech firms,...
View ArticleHunger in the first few years of life has lasting effects on academic...
Children who experience hunger may lag developmentally behind their peers starting as early as kindergarten. That's according to a new study published in the journal Child Development . Study authors...
View ArticleLiving in a violent neighborhood can give you PTSD, study suggests
Our experiences shape who we are. Here at State of Opportunity , we've talked extensively about how Adverse Childhood Experiences— or ACEs —can affect a child throughout their lives. But new research...
View ArticleMuskegon Heights students on possible closure: "We are not a failing school."
Students in Muskegon Heights are very familiar with uncertainty. They’ve been threatened with school closure many times over the past several years—first because of finances, now because of failing...
View ArticleAccess to arts and culture may improve outcomes in low-income communities
Exposure to the arts improves a child's lifelong outcomes . Arts education increases the likelihood of graduating from high school; attending and finishing college; and makes students more likely to...
View ArticleBlack students are more likely to graduate if they have at least one black...
Who did you most admire when you were a kid? Maybe it was your parent. Or a teacher. Or your favorite TV or movie star. Role models , both positive and negative, help shape how children behave in...
View Article"We're going to be separated from my dad." A family's final days together...
President Donald Trump said he wanted to go after “bad hombres,” but his immigration policies affect more than just those who are here and have committed crimes. Undocumented immigrants with no...
View ArticleDelayed kindergarten offers short-term benefits, study suggests
My husband and I will be sending our youngest daughter off to kindergarten this fall. I must admit, I'm nervous, but she turns five in July and we feel like she's ready for a structured learning...
View ArticleCatch up on 5 recommended stories you may have missed this week
Many of you may be looking forward to an extra day or two of rest due to the holiday weekend. It's a great time to catch up on these recent stories you may have missed. The subtle brilliance of Sesame...
View ArticleContact with parents in prison may lessen the impact of incarceration on kids
Nearly 5 million children—or 7% of kids in the U.S.—have had a parent incarcerated at some point in their life. Black children and children from disadvantaged families are the most likely to experience...
View ArticleDetroit charter fights to maintain diversity as school gets whiter, wealthier
Charter schools are public schools, which means they’re supposed to educate any kid that walks in the door. But a new bill making its way through the Michigan legislature could make it so that charters...
View ArticleNew laws aim to end 'lunch shaming' for students without lunch money
In the past few years, you may have heard the term "lunch shaming" being thrown around. It's basically the practice of penalizing students who don't have money to pay for their school lunch. Lunch...
View ArticleFrom traffic stops to affordable housing: 5 stories you may have missed this...
1. How poverty changes the brain | The Atlantic We know living in poverty can have physical effects , like increased risk for asthma, obesity and hunger. But growing research suggests that the constant...
View ArticleThe poorest children in the U.S. are most vulnerable to child abuse deaths
About 15 million children in the United States–21% of all kids–live in impoverished families. These kids are at higher risk for negative health outcomes like low birth weight, asthma, obesity and...
View Article"I wanna be a Batman!"
Week after week for five years, we’ve played the same clip at the start of every State of Opportunity story. You hear three kids telling us what they want to be when they grow up: a firefighter, a...
View ArticlePushed Out: A documentary on housing in Grand Rapids
Don Norman settles into his chair, and pulls his blanket up to his chest. On the TV, Dick Van Dyke is about to solve a murder. The room is warm, shades drawn. It’s a good old house. A bit of plaster is...
View ArticleGot some free time this weekend? Listen back to these State of Opportunity...
Earlier this week, my colleague Dustin Dwyer brought you Pushed Out : A documentary on housing in Grand Rapids, our final State of Opportunity documentary. While our five-year project is coming to an...
View ArticleState of Opportunity reporters on what has, and hasn't, changed for...
The State of Opportunity team began its work in 2012. Since then, they've produced hundreds of stories exploring the barriers to success that low-income kids and families in Michigan face. Now, that...
View ArticleIn-home visits, education for families help reduce infant mortality in Michigan
Too many Michigan babies are dying. For every 1,000 babies born in our state, roughly seven won't make it to their first birthday. That's a full point higher than the national infant mortality rate....
View ArticleFree day care changed this family’s future. An anonymous donor made it...
Among the hundreds of stories produced by the State of Opportunity team was one about a Hillsdale family, Amanda and Mike Hood, and their two young daughters. Their story put a spotlight on the...
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