Articles

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Nurse Family Partnership
   November 2, 2011

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute worked with Council for Children's Rights and the Larry King Center for Building Children's Futures to design and administer a survey and conduct focus groups. This research  identified needs in the community and  ways in which the Nurse Family Partnership could fill gaps in services to first-time, low-income mothers. ...

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Child Abuse and Neglect in Mecklenburg County
   November 2, 2011

This report was compiled by the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute in April 2010 in collaboration with Council for Children's Rights in honor of  the National Child Abuse Prevention Month.  The study examines a number of indicators related to child abuse in Mecklenburg County over time and in comparison to the state of North Carolina.

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Early Child Care and Education in Mecklenburg County: Issues of Supply and Demand
   November 2, 2011

Hannah Guerrier

All parents ask themselves “Is my child prepared?” as they think about the first day of kindergarten.  Some begin pondering this question even before their child enters a pre-k program.  Preparing children for school begins well before they step inside the classroom.  Developmental studies increasingly show the importance of a child’s first five years of life.  According to a study by Harvard...

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Youth Risk Index and YMCA and Title 1 School Locations
   November 2, 2011

This map shows the locations of YMCA facilities and youth programs (Starfish Academy and the Y Achievers Program) as well as Title I schools, all in relation to the youth risk index of Charlotte neighborhoods. 

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Minding the gap – CMS’ focused efforts highlighted.
   November 2, 2011

While recent recognition lauds the efforts of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to address disparities among schools, the reality of the work still to be done is clearly visible in newly released maps of various school measurements.The maps, developed in a partnership between the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and MeckEd, let users explore graduation rates, student proficiency, per-pupil expenditures... Read more


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2010 ACS data provide a wealth of new information about the Charlotte region
   November 2, 2011

After the initial windfall of data from the 2010 Census that was followed by media outlets all over the country, the next wave of Census data is upon us. In this new age of the American Community Survey, we now get considerable data more often than every 10 years. Read more


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Analysis of two recent studies offers insight into workforce development in Mecklenburg County
   November 2, 2011

Mark Sivy
Two different studies of Mecklenburg County’s workforce development programs, sponsored by Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, were conducted in the past two years– one looking at adults ages 25 and older, the other looking at youth ages 14-24. Analysis of the two studies revealed many of the same problems and offered many of the same suggestions. Read more


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Charlotte region joblessness: The big, and painful, picture
   November 2, 2011

The regular announcements of unemployment numbers tend to focus on short-term changes and specific locations. It can be challenging to make sense of trends in unemployment over longer periods or between geographical regions. How is the Charlotte region holding up in this important measure? The answer: not well. The June release of N.C. Employment Security Commission (NCESC) data shows widespread... Read more


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Poverty rose faster in Mecklenburg than in N.C., U.S.
   November 2, 2011

The recession may be officially over, but the financial and social wounds it inflicted continue. As new data released by the Census Bureau this week show, Mecklenburg County is no exception. In 2005, Mecklenburg County's poverty rate was 2 percentage points below the national average and nearly 4 points below the state's. But by 2010, the county's poverty rate was dead even with the national rate. Read more


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Dropout Rate for Neighborhoods and High School Attendance Zones
   November 2, 2011

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute created this series of maps, in collaboration with Council for Children's Rights, in October, 2010, to provide background information and context for principals of Charlotte-Mecklenburg (CMS) high schools and the CMS Investment Group (a group of private donors and community leaders that pledged $55 million to improve graduation rates and narrow the achievement...

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