Pursuing new, commonsense approaches to education reform and work-family policies, from childcare and early education through higher education and workforce flexibility, will foster the conditions for family flourishing and increase birth rates for married couples. Affordable childcare from a variety of providers, including at-home options, access…

The Cowen Institute has a deep commitment to helping students in New Orleans access financial aid for college. They have previously monitored Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rates in New Orleans and Atlanta, provided resources to help FAFSA completion, and currently convene collaboratives of college counselors and youth…

China has entered into a new stage of demographic dynamics whereby population-related challenges are more complicated than ever before. The current one-child policy should be modified. However, the anticipated impacts of such a policy change should not be over-exaggerated. China's demographic challenge requires an integrated coping strategy.…

It has been widely recognised that fathers can play a key role in the development and well-being of young children. In many cases, however, fathers still have limited involvement in the early years education of their children and their voices are as yet unheard. This study examined the beliefs and practices of Jordanian fathers of kindergarten…

In Ireland, historically and in the current era, family has been a central concern for society and the State. This article provides a descriptive overview of family life in Ireland and of major family-related changes over the past 40 years. It presents a general framework of analysis within which these changes can be understood, considers the…

Many believe that increasing the quantity of children will lead to a decrease in their quality. This paper exploits plausibly exogenous changes in family size caused by relaxations in China's One Child Policy to estimate the causal effect of family size on school enrollment of the first child. The results show that for one-child families, an…

A discussion of the Demographic Transition is included in many Environmental Biology or Environmental Science classes. The Demographic Transition occurs as a nation becomes more urban and wealthy, and was widely observed in the twentieth century. The phenomenon includes decreasing family size (fewer children) across generations. In this classroom…

Fertility rates have fallen dramatically around the world. In some countries, there are no longer enough children being born to replace adult populations. The disappearance of children is a matter of concern matched only by fears that childhood is becoming too structured or not structured enough, too short or too long, or just simply too different…

The emergence of the "education investment and consumption" concept is an inevitable product of the development of China's socialist market economy. In this article, the author discusses the reasons for the emergence of the education investment and consumption concept: (1) a growing focus on the individual in the national income…

Resource dilution model suggests that as the number of children increases, parental resources for each child decline. Assesses whether resource dilution could explain the effect of siblings on intellectual development tests. Identifies flaws in recent critiques of this position, discussing it as an explanation for why children with few siblings…

Small family size has a number of apparently positive effects on a child's intellectual development. Discusses trends in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores which strongly parallel changes in American family size. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores also reflect family size and parent education level; larger families correlate with lower IQs. (DH)

Develops and analyzes a new database that links information on a sample of exempt immediate relative immigrants in Fiscal Year 1985 with information on the characteristics of their petitioners or sponsors in order to examine the chain migration issue. Analysis indicates that an explosive increase is unlikely. (JS)

Discusses preschool education in the People's Republic of China. Describes the developments that have occurred in the last 15 years, such as the effect of the 1 child policy and what parents now expect preschools to emphasize as a result of this policy. Discusses how the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky form the foundations for the preschool…

The structure of the American family has changed over the years. Although the traditional father, mother, child structure still dominates, other family patterns are emerging. In this article the authors present: (1) current statistics relating to diverse family structures; (2) reasons for using diverse family structure literature with children;…

Children's problems are just as acute as before. The percentage of children living in poverty is especially high. Between the ages of seven and fifteen, the percentage of poor children in 2001 was 38.5 percent, whereas among the population at large the figure was 27.6 percent. Moreover, families with a higher number of children are not provided…