The portion of Florida third graders that could be held back jumped to 18 percent this year as a result of low scores on the state's rigorous new standardized reading exam. That figure represents 36,577 students who face possible retention -- up from 32,429 last year, according to the Associated Press. Students must score a 2 or better on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is graded on a 1 to 5 scale, to be promoted to the fourth grade. Students who fail have an opportunity for redemption on an alternative skills assessment, which could include a student work portfolio or summer courses. Across the state, 56 percent of third-graders passed the reading exam with a score of 3 or higher -- officials were expecting ... Continue reading →

Help Global Overview includes the Secretary of State's preface and the overarching introduction to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Hover over Countries/Regions for a list of countries and other areas. Click a region to narrow the list. Click a country or other area to see that report. Within a report, hover over Table of Contents to see the topics covered in the report. Click a topic to jump to it in the report. To return to the top of the page, click Back to Top on the lower right. Click Build a Report to create a custom report across countries/areas and topics. Click Step 1 to select the topics, Step 2 to select the countries/areas to be included in the report, and Step ... Continue reading →

We think of branding as something ranchers do to their cattle. But it’s also what pimps do to women and girls they control across America. Taz, a 16-year-old girl here in New York City, told me that her pimp had branded three other girls with tattoos bearing his name. When she refused the tattoo, she said, he held her down and carved his name on her back with a safety pin. More about Taz in a moment. That kind of branding isn’t universal, but it’s very common. An alleged pimp indicted last month in Manhattan is accused of tattooing his street name on a prostitute’s neck, along with a bar code. He allegedly tattooed another prostitute with a symbol of his name on her pubic ... Continue reading →

We think of branding as something ranchers do to their cattle. But it’s also what pimps do to women and girls they control across America. Taz, a 16-year-old girl here in New York City, told me that her pimp had branded three other girls with tattoos bearing his name. When she refused the tattoo, she said, he held her down and carved his name on her back with a safety pin. More about Taz in a moment. That kind of branding isn’t universal, but it’s very common. An alleged pimp indicted last month in Manhattan is accused of tattooing his street name on a prostitute’s neck, along with a bar code. He allegedly tattooed another prostitute with a symbol of his name on her pubic ... Continue reading →

We think of branding as something ranchers do to their cattle. But it’s also what pimps do to women and girls they control across America. Taz, a 16-year-old girl here in New York City, told me that her pimp had branded three other girls with tattoos bearing his name. When she refused the tattoo, she said, he held her down and carved his name on her back with a safety pin. More about Taz in a moment. That kind of branding isn’t universal, but it’s very common. An alleged pimp indicted last month in Manhattan is accused of tattooing his street name on a prostitute’s neck, along with a bar code. He allegedly tattooed another prostitute with a symbol of his name on her pubic ... Continue reading →

Is the United States the Best Place for Women? May 23, 2012 by Donald Marron Women in the United States have the best quality of life of any developed nation, according to the Better Life Index recently released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The index combines eleven different measures of wellbeing, including health, education, income, and life satisfaction. Australia gets top honors for overall wellbeing, but U.S. women top the rankings (women in red, men in black; you’ll probably have to click to read this chart): Any such index rests on many assumptions and value judgements, of course. So kudos to the OECD for providing a completely interactive version of the index. If you don’t like the way they combine the eleven ... Continue reading →