Recent Posts

Interactive Food Atlas (USDA, Economic Research Service, January, 2011)

USDA’s Your Food Environment Atlas is a web-based mapping tool that allows users to compare U.S. counties in terms of their “food environment” – factors such as proximity to grocery stores and restaurants, food expenditures, food insecurity, food assistance, food prices, health, physical activity, and socio-economic characteristics.

Number of Food Stamps (SNAP) Participants Continues to Rise (USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, December 2, 2010)

The most recent year for which data are available (2010) shows the highest number of participants in the Food Stamp (now called SNAP) program’s history, at 40.3 million participants on average per month.  The average monthly number of SNAP participants has grown by 234% since 2000.     http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/SNAPsummary.htm  

More Households Used Food Pantries and Nutrition Programs During Recession (USDA, Amber Waves, December 2010)

Data from the Current Population Survey show that more households sought additional food resources from public and private sources during the recession. Since 2001, the number of households that reported obtaining emergency food from a food pantry has risen, with the largest increase occurring between 2007 and 2009.

Educational Achievement Disparities Among Black Males (The Council of the Great City Schools, October 2010)

A Call for Change: The Social and Educational Factors Contributing to the Outcomes of Black Males in Urban Schools presents an analysis of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on how Black males are performing academically.

Young Women Make Strides in College Completion, but Men and Minorities Fall Behind (American Council on Education, October 2010)

A new report by the American Council on Education examines educational attainment trends by gender and race/ethnicity. It finds that each generation of young women in the United States continues to reach higher levels of postsecondary attainment. In 2007, women earned 62% of all associate degrees and 57% of bachelor’s degrees.