A study examined research conducted on the effectiveness of different welfare-to-work approaches. Five evaluations begun in the 1980s with five-year results indicated that programs focusing on rapid employment and job search activities combined with education and training activities more often increased employment and earnings and reduced welfare…

Describes a technique for teaching economics that incorporates debate on economic policy proposals, including such topics as flat tax, welfare reform, affirmative action, industrial policy, balanced budget amendment, monetary policy, foreign currency bailout, minimum wage hikes, immigration policy, health care reform. The approach excites…

Summarizes the articles in this special issue on child poverty, policy, and welfare reform. Introduces and discusses the four major themes addressed by these articles: (1) poverty and economic policies affecting children; (2) consequences of poverty for child well-being; (3) qualitative research on family life and child poverty; and (4) programs…

Summarizes remarks made by the Governor of Wisconsin about welfare reform, supporting more flexibility at the state level to enable states to try new approaches that will help people get off welfare. Initiatives undertaken in Wisconsin are reviewed, with emphasis on work programs and apprenticeships for high school students. (SLD)

Demonstrates how several factors interact to diminish the chances of academic success for the children of public housing, and suggests how these chances might be improved. A first step is renewed commitment to housing conditions. Reduction of class size is a strong option for increasing achievement for children. (SLD)

Examines the state of early childhood policy in the United States and presents critical policy considerations and solutions. Discusses current trends of devolution of authority to the states, block grants, and budget control. Asserts that educators must work to effect positive change rather than despair over recent policy developments. (BGC)

Notes that many from across the ideological spectrum suggest that welfare reform address policies that promote marriage and two-parent families. Discusses marriage, family structure and economic well-being, the benefits of marriage for adults and children, and low-income unwed mothers and marriage. Suggests that marriage and two-parent families…

Since the 1970s, finding alternative permanent families for children in foster care who could not return to their birth parents has been a primary goal of the child welfare system. Since that time, significant gains have been made in helping such children find permanent homes through adoption and guardianship. This article analyzes these trends…

As more and more children are being separated from their biological parents because of AIDS, substance abuse, mental and physical illness, incarceration, and child abuse and neglect, child welfare agencies are relying more often on kinship care as a viable option for out-of-home placements. In many cases, kinship care falls on the grandparents.…

This book asserts that public assistance programs--particularly in countries in Western Europe--have been demonstrated to relieve deprivation and ensure an acceptable standard of living for those nations' families. Contrasting the extensive child welfare programs offered by France with those of the United States, this book describes in detail an…

This guide, which is intended for planners, administrators, and staff involved in state and local welfare reform efforts, summarizes information about the "work first" approach to welfare reform that was gained from comprehensive evaluations of work first programs and discussions with program managers, practitioners, and participants.…

This document presents findings of a General Accounting Office (GAO) study that identified approaches and Aid to Dependent Children (AFDC) program activities that help teenage mothers complete their secondary education. Data were obtained from visits to 13 local programs in New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin and…

This refugee women's job preparation curriculum is designed to provide facilitators with a sourcebook of information and activities to assist refugee and immigrant women in gaining unsubsidized employment. It specifically addresses the needs of women with children and the impact of employment on home and family life. The curriculum materials…

Noting that the mid-1990s are an era of experimentation in welfare initiatives, this publication summarizes 34 research studies on children and welfare reform. Articles include studies of children and parents in poverty, studies of program models likely to have direct implications for children, and outcome evaluations of welfare-to-work programs…

Leaders in the fields of child mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and special education face the challenge of incorporating managed care practices into their service delivery systems. This manual discusses the introduction of managed care practices in these fields and is intended to assist staff of agencies to become familiar with…