U.S. women graduate from high school at higher rates than U.S. men, but the female-male educational advantage is larger, and has increased by more, among black students and students of low socioeconomic status (SES) than among white and high-SES students. The authors explore why boys fare worse than girls in low-SES households—both behaviorally and educationally—by exploiting matched birth certificates, health, disciplinary, academic, and high school graduation records for more than 1 million children born in Florida between 1992 and 2002. They account for unobserved family heterogeneity by…
New economic realities have focused attention on how to best design workforce development strategies to help low-wage and low-skill workers succeed. Lack of child care is one important barrier that can make it difficult for low-income parents to successfully participate in education and training programs. This report provides an overview of the child care and workforce development systems, and discusses the issues that lie at the intersection of these two worlds. It concludes with a description of next steps for policymakers and practitioners in each domain, and important questions that still…
As America recovers from the Great Recession, many of our fellow citizens remain mired in poverty. Economic trends, cultural changes, and changes in family and marriage patterns are combining in new ways that make it harder for those born on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder to lift themselves up. One ray of hope is that Republicans and Democrats are increasingly talking about the intertwined problems of poverty and opportunity. Experts on both sides of the political aisle understand that poverty is changing, and policy responses must change, too. This comprehensive report is the result…
In this testimony before the District of Columbia City Council on adult literacy programs, Caroline Ratcliffe shares her findings on childhood poverty, how it relates to adult success, and the importance of parents’ educational attainment. (Author abstract)
This report summarizes a review of research and evaluation studies, as well as promising and proven interventions, to identify programs, policies, and practices that can contribute to reducing high levels of violence in the United States. It begins by discussing violence trends in the United States, variations by regions and subgroups, and violence in the United States compared with other nations. Individual-level factors related to violence are then identified and include factors related to mental health, sleep, substance use, disability, self-regulation, and a hostile attribution. Chapter 3…
This report presents findings from an in-depth qualitative exploration of adults’ perceptions of the threats facing children. Surveys were conducted with geographically, ethnically, and age-diverse group of parents, step-parents, grandparents, step-grandparents, grown siblings, aunts, uncles and other adults (n=100) on a wide range of topics including: top perceived threats to the welfare, wellness and well-being of today’s children, barriers currently in their path can interfere with the future of young people, physical and emotional issues, including health, obesity, bullying, and teen…
