The 21st Show

Schools Helping Homeless Families; A Conversation With NPR’s Scott Simon; How Bad Are White Lies?

By Niala Boodhoo, Robin Linn and Alan Montecillo
 

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More than 50,000 students in Illinois dealt with homelessness last year. And now, one school district is using a state law to help families find housing by using money in their transportation budget. And if you’re a regular NPR listener, you know the voice of Scott Simon. But, you may not know he has roots here in Illinois. Plus, we’ve all told little white lies. But according to new research from the University of Chicago, the whole truth and nothing but the truth might be the best way to go.

The State Board of Education says there are more than 50,000 homeless students in Illinois. That means there are tens of thousands of homeless families. When it comes to providing help, families often shy away from the better known options like shelters. But there’s also a seldom-used state law that allows school districts to provide some relief to help re-house families who need it. It’s one small workaround in the bigger issue of affordable housing.

We spoke with Lee Gaines about this back in February. She reported on this for WILL and the Illinois Newsroom. Shawn Schleizer also joined the conversation. He's the associate superintendent of East Maine School District 63 in Des Plaines. We also spoke to Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection in DC.

And -

If you’re a regular NPR listener, then you know the voice of Scott Simon. He wakes you up on Saturday mornings, perhaps before you even have your coffee or walk your dog. And he’s been doing this for more than 30 years. You also may know that before Scott Simon sat on the mic at NPR in DC, he was born and raised in Illinois and worked as the NPR bureau chief in Chicago. So, back in February when we spent the week in Washington, there was no way we could leave without extending an invite to him. We spoke with Scott at NPR Headquarters in DC.

Plus -

Many of us know how to tell the truth. Well except for those little white lies. Those are pretty harmless, right? Well, Emma Levine isn’t so sure. She’s an assistant professor of behavioral science at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and her research explores the consequences of honesty in everyday life. It turns out people can often afford to be more honest than they think.

Back in January, Professor Emma Levine joined us from the University of Chicago campus.

Story source: WILL