A study of a program requiring participation in basic education by adult recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) finds only small education effects. Positive results from some sites suggest that a focused program effort may result in increased numbers of equivalency certificates and improved achievement test scores. (SLD)

An evaluation of Jobs First (JF) compared the experiences of JF participants who were subject to welfare reform policies with those of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) participants who were subject to prior welfare rules. It collected information for four years about JF's impacts on participants' children and analyzed its financial…

The rapid impoverishment of women and their children has serious implications for the American family and for the nation. This report includes testimony before the Illinois Commission on the Status of Women from national and state representatives of women's organizations, social services agencies, advocacy groups, and civil rights organizations. A…

One possible benefit of the availability of free or low cost education is reduced reliance on welfare and public assistance among those who attain higher levels of education. The extent to which people with more education rely less on welfare and public assistance is an indication of this benefit. In 1992, high school dropouts were three times…

This publication is designed to alert local and state advocates to the presence of the National Coalition on Women, Work, and Welfare Reform. It shares the Coalition's perspective on the welfare employment issue and proposes several initial strategies local advocates or policymakers might use in considering proposed or ongoing welfare employment…

A study was conducted to provide much-needed, in-depth qualitative information and direction regarding the experiences, attitudes, value systems, and aspirations of various segments of the Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) recipients. Eight focus groups, each composed of 8 to 10 persons, were conducted in May 1990 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Discussion…

The Connecticut Jobs First welfare reform initiative, implemented statewide in 1996, includes a 21-month time limit on cash assistance, generous financial work incentives, and other features. Its primary goal is to reduce welfare use and increase self-sufficiency through work. To facilitate evaluation of the program, between January 1996 and…

The Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) began in 1994 as a major welfare initiative that differed from the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) by featuring the following elements: financial incentives to work; participation requirements for long-term welfare recipients; and simplification of welfare rules and procedures. In…

This report recommends that Title I of the proposed Family Welfare Reform Act of 1987 (H.R. 1720) be replaced with a Fair Work Opportunities Program. H.R. 1720 is proposed to replace the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program of the Social Security Act Title IV. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to assure that needy children…

This report presents findings of a three-year evaluation of West Virginia's Community Work Experience Program (CWEP), which requires public service in exchange for welfare payments by able-bodied recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Overall findings indicate that the state has succeeded in its principal objective:…