We write this Open Letter as stewards of Massachusetts Citizens for Children, a 50-year old statewide, private child advocacy organization that has dedicated itself for over half its history to preventing child abuse in our state and nation. We write also to give voice to the many parents and other concerned adults who want to prevent future sexual violations against children, support the healing of those who have been victims, and hold accountable those who have committed sexual crimes against our children and youth.
In March 2009, you publicly stated that "in the very near future" the Archdiocese would revise its policy on "disclosing information about accused clergy and the status of cases against them." Fifteen months later, despite urgings from child advocates and abuse victims, we in Boston still wait. You have stated that releasing this information is "complex." Two dozen other Bishops across the country, however, have publicly released this information and began doing so in 2002, a year before your arrival in Boston in June 2003. The wait has been too long. Transparency by its very definition must be complete and so we urge you to fulfill your stated commitment to transparency now by releasing this information.
Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters.
The new national 2010 KIDS COUNT Report focuses on how lack of reading proficiency by end of third grade jeopardizes America's economic and national security. Nationally, 68% of students at the end of Grade 3 in public schools scored below proficiency on the National Assessment of Educational Program (NAEP) reading test.
Massachusetts ranks best among all of U.S. states in the percentage of its students who by the end of 3rd Grade are proficient in reading on NAEP. However, Massachusetts' score belies two important facts: First, no state in the country achieved the standard set by NAEP, including Massachusetts. Second, while 44% of Massachusetts students met the national proficiency standard, 53% of the state's students did not. Therefore, despite the state's high national ranking, these scores are disappointing for all who see school success and high school graduation as beacons in the battle against intergenerational poverty.
Click Here to read the full 2010 Kids Count Report, Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters.
While Massachusetts has the 4th highest median family income in the country and many of its children thrive, it is also a state where many struggle. In its latest KIDS COUNT report, Child Poverty in Massachusetts: A Tale of Three Cities, MCC hones in on three cities where child poverty rates hover at 40%, well above the rates in Mississippi and Louisiana.
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Springfield, New Bedford and Lawrence comprise 19% or 32,000 of the 169,000 children who are poor in Massachusetts. The report outlines reasons poverty has persisted in these urban hubs and describes the historical dynamics that keep groups of immigrants, people of color, and single mothers persistently poor. The report highlights key programs in each city working to support children and their families. Finally, it describes emerging efforts in these communities to achieve child poverty reduction goals.
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child poverty in Massachusetts: a tale of two states
In its 2008, 60-page Kids Count report, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, MCC urges the Commonwealth to join with 16 other states that have established formal Child Poverty Reduction Initiatives, including Connecticut, Maine and Vermont and large states such as California, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The report cites polling data showing strong bi-partisan support among voters for providing greater economic security to help lift children and families out of poverty.
Click here to view the report online. Click here to read the Press Release. Click here to read the reactions to this report
"Transforming Communities to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation: A Primary Prevention Approach"
Read this Policy Briefdeveloped by a select group of national experts including MCC Executive Director Jetta Bernier and MCC Board member Diane Levin, Professor of Education at Wheelock College and author of "So Sexy, So Soon." Convened by the Ms. Foundation and The Prevention Institute, these advocates outlined policies, programs, and strategies they believe hold the greatest promise for transforming our communities to effectively prevent child sexual abuse and its devastating impact on our children, families and communities.
Child Poverty in Massachusetts: A Tale of Three Cities, was released at a Press Conference held at New Bedford City Hall. (March 26, 2010) Click to View
Massachusetts data
Press Release
