Recently in Websites/Databases/Blogs Category

Source: Child Trends, February 24, 2010

From the press release:
Child Trends, with support from Casey Family Programs, launches the State Child Welfare Policy Database to provide information on child welfare laws, procedures, and agency guidance for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Database can help elected officials, administrators, advocates, practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders keep up to date with the policies that protect our nation's most vulnerable children.

The site can be navigated by state or by topic. You can learn about your state's expenditures on child welfare services, policies for relatives and "kin" caring for children involved in the child welfare system, benefits and services provided to foster youth after age 18, and much more. In addition to the traditional web version, the site is designed to be compatible with your mobile device, allowing for easily accessible information on the go.

Source: Olga Pierce and Jeff Larson, ProPublica, 2010

The unemployment insurance system is in crisis due to a combination skyrocketing unemployment and - in some cases - poor planning. A record 20 million Americans collected unemployment benefits last year, and twenty-six states have run out of funds and been forced to borrow from the federal government, raise taxes, or cut benefits. In many other states the situation is deteriorating fast. Using near real-time data on state revenues and the benefits they pay out, we estimate how long state trust funds will hold up. Click on a state to find the latest, plus historical data, and details on tax increases and benefit cuts. Updated weekly.

Source: Sunlight Foundation, 2010

The National Data Catalog (NatDatCat) is an open platform for government data sets and APIs. NatDatCat makes it easy to find datasets by and about government, across all levels (federal, state, and local) and across all branches (executive, legislative, and judicial). The data here is imported from several sources and curated by our staff. Currently, we have importers setup for Data.Gov and the DC Data Catalog.

Source: Chicago Historical Society, 2010

The Chicago Historical Society has created this digital collection to provide on-line access to its primary source materials relating to the Haymarket Affair, a controversial moment in Chicago's past and a pivotal event in the early history of the American labor movement.

The digital collection presents images of key documents and artifacts in their historical context with a minimum of interpretive information. Much like the witness testimony and exhibits introduced during the Haymarket trial, these primary sources are pieces of evidence which enable the user to reconstruct and interpret the historical events to which they relate.

Source: National Institute on Retirement Security , January 2010

In January 2010, NIRS released new educational materials contained in "The Pension Resource Guide." The Guide is comprised of the following educational materials:

* A Pension Primer
* Three Modules (Download Pension Basics Module here, Why Pensions Matter Module here, and Strong Public Pensions for Today and Tomorrow Module here.)
* Fact Sheets (Download Pension Basics Fact Sheet here, Why Pensions Matter Fact Sheet here, and Strong Public Pensions for Today and Tomorrow Fact Sheet here, Who Has A Pension Fact Sheet here.)
* Key Stats
* a Glossary
* a PowerPoint
* a FAQ

Source: James C. Palmer, Grapevine Editor, Center for the Study of Education Policy, 2010

From the press release:
Federal stimulus monies cushioned the impact of the Great Recession on state support for higher education in fiscal year 2009‐2010 (FY10), but they were not enough to prevent declines in most states. According to data reported by the states from September through December 2009 (and still subject to change as states adjust their budgets in the face of ongoing revenue shortfalls) total state support for higher education nationwide--including stimulus monies was approximately $79.4 billion in FY10, a decline of 1.1% from $80.3 billion in FY09 and 1.7% from $80.7 billion in FY08. But without factoring in the stimulus monies, the one year and two year declines in state fiscal support were significantly higher--3.5% and 6.8% respectively. This two‐year decline substantially eroded the recovery in state support from the 2001 recession achieved between FY05 and FY08. During that three year period state support grew 24% from $65.1 billion to $80.7 billion.

Source: Sunlight Foundation, December 2009

On November 30, 2009, the US House of Representatives released the quarterly Statement of Disbursements online for the first time. Since the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer posted these in PDF format, Sunlight created a searchable database of each House member's expenditures. This database contains information that is a subset of the information provided in the PDFs.

The first two databases below present the expenditures first in summary format and then in a more detailed itemized view. (This mimics how the House published the expenditures.)

Source: TodaysGIBill.org, 2009

Today's GI Bill - also known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill - went into effect in August 2009, making the reality of higher education more attainable than ever for today's service members and veterans. The Bill significantly expands educational benefits available to those who have served since September 11, 2001, offering up to 100 percent tuition and fee assistance at institutes of higher learning; housing assistance; an annual stipend for books and school supplies; and the option to transfer benefits to immediate family members.

Today's service members and veterans represent the leaders of tomorrow. The Post-9/11 GI Bill enables these men and women to pursue the higher education that, coupled with their unique experiences and skills, will position them to guide the United States through times of war and peace.

TodaysGIBill.org is designed to assist service members and veterans by providing clear yet comprehensive guidance on the steps to making the most out of their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

The site is sponsored by the American Council on Education, the major coordinating body for all of the nation's higher education institutions, with generous support from Lumina Foundation for Education, committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college--especially low-income students, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners.
See also:
FAQ

Source: Center for Law and Social Policy, 2009

This new tool makes it easy for advocates, policymakers and others to download and synthesize data about various programs and trends that affect low-income people and families.

Source: Committee for Education Funding, 2009

Welcome to the Committee for Education Funding's Appropriation's Tracker. Below you'll find 3 features:

1. Appropriations Charts: Click on any of the buttons below to see the amount of funding Congress appropriated to the type of education policy that interests you most. The charts span from Fiscal Year 2001 to Fiscal Year 2009.

2. Full-Funding Gauges: A bill is considered to be fully funded when the House and Senate appropriation subcommittees spend as much money as the House and Senate authorization committees allow. The gauges below will show the percentage of the money Congress said it will spend if the current (Fiscal Year 2010) appropriations bill passes unchanged.

3. A Discretionary Appropriations Graph: See the U.S. Department of Education's funding over the past 9 fiscal years. Click on the graph to access the spreadsheets from which the charts were created.