After 20 years of supporting her family by training and racing horses, Pat Smith was stricken with spinal meningitis. She lay in a coma for ten days, and when she was well enough to go home, she found that her business had been liquidated by her husband. They divorced and Pat started working to rebuild her life.

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The American Federation of Teachers Reports contain data and policy reports on numerous educational issues.

The Center for Economic Development was established in 1987 as an applied research center on key issues in regional economic development. CED's primary research themes include regional economic benchmarking and strategy development, entrepreneurial vitality, and regional technology and innovation economies.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonpartisan research organization and policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs, with an emphasis on issues affecting low- and moderate-income people.

The Council on Competitiveness sets an action agenda to drive U.S. economic competitiveness and leadership in world markets in order to raise the standard of living for all Americans. The Council focuses on strengthening U.S. innovation, upgrading the workforce, and benchmarking national economic performance.

Econdata provides a guide to regional economic activity on the Web. Econdata has more than 350 links to socioeconomic data sources, organized by subject and provider.

The Economic Policy Institute provides research and education to promote a prosperous, fair, and sustainable economy. The Institute stresses real world analysis and a concern for the living standards of working people, making its findings accessible to the general public, the media, and policy makers.

Education Week presents Quality Counts 2006, its tenth annual 50-state report, examining the enormous investments states have made in raising academic standards over the last decade.

Kauffman eVenturing, presented by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, provides numerous resources and links for entrepreneurs.

The Environmental Defense Fund Scorecard provides a wealth of data and other information on pollution in the United States. The site features an interactive mapping capability at the state and local levels.

The Institute for Southern Studies is currently engaged in research in response to challenges facing farmworkers; the environment; the many forces reshaping our government and economy; and, the injustices inherent in the privatization of adult prisons and juvenile detention facilities. Founded in 1970 by veterans of the civil rights movement, the Institute and its national award-winning journal Southern Exposure have established a national reputation as an essential resource for grassroots activists, community leaders, scholars, policy makers and all individuals and organizations working to bring lasting social and economic change to the region.

International Economic Development Council is the largest membership association serving economic and community development professionals and was established in 2001 through a merger of the Council of Urban Economic Development and the American Economic Development Association.

Kids Count, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a state-by-state tracking of the status of children in the United States. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, Kids Count seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children.

The National Center for Education Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the United States and other nations.

The National Priorities Project provides state-by-state reports on earnings and job growth from a living-wage perspective.

The State New Economy Index measures states' responsiveness in adapting to the new economy. Produced by the Progressive Policy Institute, the index offers a series of policy prescriptions designed to promote growth in today's changing economic climate.

The State Science & Technology Institute is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving government-industry programs that encourage economic growth through the application of science and technology. The Institute works to advance cooperation between the states and federal cooperative technology programs for more effective economic development.

The Urban Institute has several databases with information on the economic and social health of American families; welfare rules; state economic, demographic, political and social characteristics; and TANF income calculators. The Urban Institute also publishes data on federal justice, charitable giving, and neighborhood characteristics.