Child Welfare
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn tapped a veteran at his Department of Children and Family Services to replace Erwin McEwen at the top of the agency, reports The Republic. Jean Ortega-Piron has served as DCFS’ deputy director for guardianship and advocacy since 1996.
Susan Carroll of the Houston Chronicle reports on why and how a federal agency came to shut down one child welfare shelter in Houston.
Food-stamp use has tripled in Palm Beach County, Fla., between 2007 to 2011, reports Ana Valdes and Adam Playford of the Palm Beach Post.
Education/Jobs
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, said over the weekend that he does not support a national version of the DREAM Act even though he signed one into law in Texas, reports Rebecca Kaplan of the National Journal.
Most high schools offer tutoring for students who are at risk of dropping out, but few have any after-school program designed for them, reports Jason Koebler of U.S. News and World Report, basing his article on new research by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Donna Cooper, writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer, foresees a coming college loan crisis.
Half of the $321 million in GI Bill education benefits given to Virginia veterans last year went to for-profit colleges, reports Bill Sizemore of the Virginian-Pilot.
Juvenile Justice
An Oklahoma district attorney told lawmakers that pursuing felony charges against teen “sexters” is a mistake because of the long-term implications connected with sex offender registry, reports Sean Murphy of the Associated Press.
