This report presents findings from a feasibility evaluation of the Bridges to Pathways (Bridges) program. Bridges was a program for young men in Chicago between the ages of 17 and 21 years who were involved with the criminal or juvenile justice system and lacked a high school credential. The program offered intensive mentoring and case management, as well as the opportunity to earn a high school credential, attend social-emotional learning workshops, and participate in a subsidized internship. The Bridges program was launched in 2013, and the evaluation of this developing program builds…
The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the TYRO Dads program. They examined whether attending the TYRO Dads program increases two primary outcomes: the frequency of fathers doing things with their child (or, in short, father-child activities) and their satisfaction with parenting their child (or, in short, parenting satisfaction). Second, they investigated whether differences in the primary outcomes between treatment and control group are attributable to four secondary outcomes of the program: fathers’ parenting efficacy, parenting role identity, perceived…
This report describes and summarizes results from a study conducted to test the effectiveness of the DAD MAP curriculum (Developing All Dads for Manhood and Parenting) on key fatherhood outcomes. The DAD MAP curriculum is used to guide the parenting workshop component of CFUF’s Baltimore Responsible Fatherhood Program (BRFP). The DAD MAP curriculum was developed by CFUF practitioner staff, in collaboration with researchers to outline procedures for teaching skills, guiding discussion, and facilitating interactive activities, with the goal of promoting responsible parenting and healthy…
This report provides an understanding of programmatic responsible fatherhood features that lead to strong engagement and participation by the fathers and provide context for the evaluation's forthcoming results on parenting, healthy relationships, and economic stability. This report specifically addresses three questions: 1) What were the circumstances, experiences, needs, and concerns of fathers at program entry? 2)To what extent and how did programs seek to address the needs, concerns, and circumstances presented by fathers; and 3) How did fathers respond to the offered programming in terms…
We study the sources of racial and ethnic disparities in income using de-identified longitudinal data covering nearly the entire U.S. population from 1989-2015. We document three sets of results. First, the intergenerational persistence of disparities varies substantially across racial groups. For example, Hispanic Americans are moving up significantly in the income distribution across generations because they have relatively high rates of intergenerational income mobility. In contrast, black Americans have substantially lower rates of upward mobility and higher rates of downward mobility…
Led by Drs. Erin Holmes and Alan Hawkins, a team of Brigham Young University researchers conducted an FRPN-funded meta-analysis of studies of fatherhood programs targeting unmarried, never married and low-income fathers. A search of published and unpublished articles and reports from academic databases and government agencies yielded 270 studies that were potentially eligible for the analysis but only a fraction met the inclusion criteria. The researchers found that father involvement, parenting and co-parenting were significantly impacted, with the strongest effect in co-parenting skills…
The evaluation team selected four grantees to participate in the PACT RF study: (1) Connections to Success in Kansas and Missouri, (2) Fathers’ Support Center in Missouri, (3) FATHER Project at Goodwill–Easter Seals Minnesota, and (4) Urban Ventures in Minnesota. As required by ACF, the RF grantees offered services in three areas: (1) parenting and fatherhood, (2) healthy marriage and relationships, and (3) economic stability. (Author introduction modified)
Research in behavioral economics has shown that small changes in the environment can make it easier for people to act and make decisions that support their goals. For example, research suggests that small changes to make processes easier — such as simplifying application instructions, prepopulating forms with available required information, and streamlining procedures — can improve human services program design and outcomes. The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project used behavioral insights to address issues related to the operations, implementation, and efficacy…
One of the defining features of the “American Dream” is the ability to succeed despite being born indisadvantaged circumstances. But upward mobility, in the sense of doing better than your parents,appears to be on the wane. There is however a great deal of variation across the nation in ratesof upward mobility, and some of the greatest variation lies in the nation’s rural heartland. Whilesome rural counties exhibit the nation’s lowest rates of upward mobility, others can still lay claimto being “lands of opportunity,” ensuring that young residents are prepared to take on adulthoodand work…
This report measures how children from different racial backgrounds are faring in the United States and focuses particularly on children in immigrant families. The data presented are drawn from 2013-2015, and indicate significant racial and ethnic inequities among children, with Asian and Pacific Islander and white children generally doing better in almost every area of child well-being than their African-American, Latino, and American Indian peers. The data also indicate the number of children living in low poverty neighborhoods has decreased across all groups. Following an introduction,…