Letter from the Editor Letter from the Editor

November 30, 2011

Thank you for reading Communities & Banking, the only magazine focusing on the economic health of New England's lower-income communities.

Our winter issue digs into several ongoing interests. Consider education. In spring 2008, we highlighted Federal Reserve research showing that early childhood education ultimately provides a bigger return on public investment than convention centers and stadiums, and we have routinely shared new ideas and research from the education field. Our current cover story describes a program to improve a key reading benchmark that correlates with lifelong success. Another article zeroes in on the relationship between test scores and state lead-removal policies.

Of two Northern Tier articles, one looks at an unusual interstate collaboration to build tourism; another reports on post-foreclosure neighborhood stabilization. And because foreclosures continue to affect low-income people and communities, we think readers will appreciate our map showing where foreclosure rates were highest as of July 2011.

We continue to care about how lower-income people are housed and are publishing an article on a new approach to funding independent living for people with disabilities plus a piece describing successful efforts to keep frail elders in their homes.

That is just a snapshot. The magazine keeps bringing new angles to ongoing concerns while introducing little-known issues that readers should know about. The goal is to provide a forum for sharing ideas with all who care about lower-income issues in New England. Before Communities & Banking, practitioners in one state might attempt an initiative that practitioners in another state had done successfully, but one group seldom knew about the other. We're trying to change that.

You might be interested to know that as of this writing, New Hampshire public radio and two blogs have already picked up and passed along several of the fall issue's articles. We hope you will spread the word, too. Remind colleagues that subscriptions are free.

Communities & Banking articles are also online at www.bostonfed.org/commdev/c&b. And you can follow Federal Reserve Bank of Boston tweets about articles @BostonFed on twitter.

I hope you'll be in touch.

Caroline Ellis, Managing Editor caroline.ellis@bos.frb.org

Articles may be reprinted if Communities & Banking and the author are credited and the following disclaimer is used: "The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston or the Federal Reserve System. Information about organizations and upcoming events is strictly informational and not an endorsement."

up down About the Authors