Author: Jessica Roberts Martin

In a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis, found that families with similar demographics and nature of their children’s special needs have different out-of-pocket health expenditures depending on the state in which they live. “This is one of the few studies that focuses on families’ costs when caring for children with special needs, rather than the overall cost for society as a whole,” he says. Shattuck notes that wealthier states tend to have a lower average extra cost for caring for a child with special needs. “At the low end, families in Massachusetts paid an average of $560 for out-of-pocket medical expenses,” he says. “At the high end, families in Georgia shouldered an average of $970 in additional care expenses.” Editor’s note: Video and a complete rankings table are available.

SadatThe Supreme Court’s recent ruling giving the Guantanamo Bay detainees the right of habeas corpus “underscores the commitment of the United States to be governed by the rule of law even during times of national stress, and is a courageous response to the overreaching policies of the executive branch, buttressed by a compliant Republican Congress, that have caused world-wide criticism of U.S. interrogation and detention policies,” says Leila N. Sadat, expert on international law and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Sadat, the director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, is the author of the leading treatise on the international criminal court, “The International Criminal Court and the Transformation of International Law: Justice for the New Millennium,” and is closely following the status of the detainees at Guantanamo.

More than 1,000 Oklahoma babies have received a $1,000 jump-start on saving for college, thanks to SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK), a seven-year study designed to determine the economic and educational impact of “seeding” a college savings account for children at birth. SEED OK is a collaboration between the Oklahoma State Treasurer and the Center for Social Development at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.

SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) is a seven-year initiative designed to test and promote matched savings accounts at birth for all children. The purpose of the SEED OK study is to test the policy concept of universal children’s savings accounts by assessing the impact of giving every child an account at birth. The initiative, which is part of a larger national program known as SEED (Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment), will set the stage for a broad, national policy for asset building among children, youth, and families. The theory of asset building suggests that accumulating assets or savings within households changes the thinking and outlook within those households, which in turn may lead to more positive outcomes for families, such as an increase in children who obtain college degrees.

These quotes may be used for attribution in news stories about the SEED OK study.

These quotes may be used for attribution in news stories about the SEED OK study.

More than 1,000 Oklahoma babies are receiving a $1,000 jumpstart on saving for college thanks to SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK), a seven-year study designed to determine the economic and educational impact of “seeding” a college savings account for children at birth. SEED OK, announced June 3 by Governor Brad Henry and State Treasurer Scott Meacham, is a collaboration between the Oklahoma State Treasurer and the Center for Social Development (CSD) at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

A goal of the Center for Social Development (CSD) at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis is to inform and influence a universal, progressive Child Development Account (CDA) policy in the United States. To reach this goal, CSD and partner organizations conceived and designed the project known as SEED for Oklahoma Kids or “SEED OK”.

A recently released Department of Defense report shows a 50 percent increase in documented PTSD cases in 2007. Monica Matthieu, Ph.D., an expert on veteran mental health and an assistant professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis, says that “While it is important to know the number of men and women returning from war with PTSD, it is also critical that veterans and their family members know where to go to access mental health services.”

Troy Paredes, J.D., professor of law, was nominated by President George W. Bush May 6 to serve as one of five commissioners of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Paredes will take the seat being vacated by Paul Atkins. Paredes’ term will begin June 6, pending confirmation by the Senate, and will end June 5, […]