Child Trends conducted a ninth national survey of child welfare agency expenditures, for SFY 2014. This survey round revealed a 1 percent decrease in total spending (as compared to the previous round), with a decrease in federal funds spent by child welfare agencies, and a slight increase in state/local funds. However, a more dramatic picture emerges when trends are examined over the past decade. The Child Welfare Financing SFY 2014: A Survey of Federal, State, and Local Expenditures report is one of an array of resources compiled from the survey’s findings. Others include a national overview and state-level data. Visit the Child Trends website to access all the resources.

The Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology at Arizona State University and the Center for Digital Media Innovation and Diversity at George Mason University have release an executive summary and full report on research entitled, The Digital Lives of African American Tweens, Teens, and Parents: Innovating and Learning with Technology. Made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the study was designed to understand the degree to which and in what ways African American families are using and learning with technology outside of formal learning environments such as schools. Their findings support the notion that the shortage of young African Americans going into STEM fields is not due to lack of interest in, enjoyment of, or confidence about using computers, but rather the insufficiency of resources to support their aspirations.