Independent schools are shown to make significant contributions toward solving some educational problems, to be stimulants for new ideas, and to be instrumental in maintaining diversity and in operating special programs. An argument is made for tax relief for families contributing to both private and public education. (JMF)

The title of this article is the theme of the Child Care Tax Credits Outreach Campaign launched by the National Women's Law Center. It is designed to publicize information about tax assistance for low- and moderate-income families and to provide training to child care providers. Sources of additional information are cited. (LB)

Oddly, most religious controversy in public schools concerns school-sponsored rituals or student expression outside the classroom, not teaching of religious ideas. Reforms such as vouchers or tax credits would not violate the Establishment Clause, as they do not favor a particular religion. Instead, they demonstrate fairness to all parents,…

Documents the plight of children in poverty, examines the secondary effects of poverty upon the person and community, analyzes why the current subsidy approach has been ineffective, and seeks a holistic explanation for poverty. A universal, revenue-neutral approach to reducing poverty based on "supplementation" and…

Surveys completed by 72 board members in 42 rural Georgia school districts indicate that contrary to national findings, rural board members opposed school vouchers and tax credits. Rural board members and the national sample agreed that schools accepting public funds should meet accountability standards and accept students from diverse backgrounds…

Proposals to expand opportunities for children to attend independent schools prompt heated and complex debates. Proponents and opponents bring a number of philosophical and ideological arguments to public policy discussions, while lawmakers often justify their decisions on the basis of the perceived economic and fiscal impacts of the proposals.…

This packet contains revisions of the following sections of the "Understanding Taxes" teacher's resource kit: complete revisions of lessons 3 and 4; updated student handouts for lessons 2, 9, and 11; new glossary; and revised software user's guide. Lesson 3, "From W-4 to 1040A," is designed to acquaint students with the basic…

This redesigned version of a high school curriculum on understanding taxes contains 6 units with 12 lessons. The set of video, print, and software lessons is designed to teach students about the United States tax system through integrating the materials in a number of different classrooms: history, economics, math, consumer education, government,…

This report examines state earned income tax credits (EICs) as a means to assist working poor families to escape poverty. Specifically, the report notes that six states have their own EICs, expressed as a percentage of the federal EIC, with the advantages being that the credit is a reward for work, is a pro-family policy, is efficiently targeted,…

Based on the assumption that economic security is fundamental to children's well-being, this guide outlines the National Commission on Children's recommendations for making income security of families a national priority for the 1990s and indicates how the recommendations can be implemented. The Commission's income security package comprises six…

Trends suggest that 11 million children in the United States will need day care services by 1995. Presently, corporations provide child care support through subsidies to low income employees or through community facilities, parent education, and information and referral (I & R) services. Such support results in reduced rates of absenteeism and…

An examination of the issues in the debate over federal tuition tax credits for private elementary and secondary education involves the context of the debate, pros and cons, costs, beneficiaries, legal questions, and the public interest. Proponents of tuition tax credits object to paying both school taxes and private tuition; they wish to deduct…

The members of this task force examined ways states could encourage greater parental involvement in, and choice among, public schools. Following a list of the charges to the task force and information on the hearings and presenters, five papers are presented: (1) "Expanding Educational Opportunity and Choice" (Cindy K. Currence); (2)…

Restoring the value of the minimum wage and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) by family size could significantly reduce family poverty and "make work pay." Recent poverty policies have largely ignored those who work but still remain poor. The majority of these working poor are in their prime working years (aged 22 to 64),…

Although providing tuition tax credits to parents of children in private schools could provide several social benefits, several difficulties stand in the way of adopting such a policy. The major difficulty is that tuition tax credits stand a good chance of being declared unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds. Tuition tax credit proposals…