This brief presents selected findings from a rural analysis of the Kindergarten Cohort of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K) by the National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives in collaboration with Child Trends. Comparisons of rural and non-rural young children in the baseline data of the Kindergarten Cohort of the…

This supplementary analysis to "Declining Share of Children Lived with Single Mothers in the Late 1990s" employs an alternative methodology to provide a clearer picture of changes in living arrangements within different income groups. The original study concluded that children were significantly less likely to live with single mothers in…

Researchers examined a national sample of 7th-12th grade teachers and students regarding their perceptions of students' daily life at school, home, and the community. Topics included attitudes regarding school, time spent on homework, health habits, and communication among students, teachers, and parents. Results noted relationships among…

This digest, which is based on findings from a large variety of studies, reviews the known effects of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 on children to date and discusses the Act's possible future effects. Federal statistics show a positive trend in poverty reduction, though other sources are not optimistic…

To be economically secure, families need both income and assets. Regular income helps families pay for their daily living expenses. In contrast, families need assets to weather financial hardships and get ahead. Assets provide a safety net for coping with unanticipated expenses and emergencies that could otherwise cause significant financial…

This report is intended to increase awareness of the connections between two central spheres of social activity--work and family. Complementing the conventional analyses of the labor force in terms of economic sectors, educational requisites, age and income distribution, the report also presents an analysis of the family circumstances of the…

This paper measures the relationship between employment growth and employment opportunities for noncollege-educated males, examining variations across metropolitan areas in the living-wage employment ratio for prime-aged males with at most a high school education (less educated). Living-wage employment is full-time, year-round employment yielding…

This study investigated the potential effects of welfare reform on children in late childhood through adolescence, examining how poverty status and family welfare receipt interacted with current poverty status and welfare receipt during adolescence to influence various outcomes. The study examined how 1998 outcomes varied for adolescents based on…

This report presents data from research on New York state and city compliance with changes in federal welfare laws. It outlines how children and families are faring after 5 years of welfare reform (e.g., caseloads have dropped, but child poverty persists, families leave welfare for low paying jobs and unstable work, and family homelessness is…

To assess the status of hunger and homelessness in U.S. cities during 2001, data were collected from 27 cities on demands for emergency food assistance and shelter and the capacity of local agencies to meet that demand; causes of hunger and homelessness and demographics of populations experiencing them; exemplary responses; availability of…

Since the early 1980s, college tuitions have soared, and state and federal governments have sought new ways to help students and families meet the costs of attendance. Annual state and federal appropriations to traditional student aid programs have more than doubled in the past two decades. In addition, the federal government created the Hope…

Who should pay for higher education: the state, the parent or the student? (Editor)

The extent to which medicine is perceived as a viable educational pathway for lower and middle income students and for the racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine is discussed. Data on the income of parents of applicants to and student accepted by U.S medical schools is presented. (MLW)

The simulation showed that tax rates tend to become more unequal as spending variation goes up. Although this runs counter to the general goals of reform, the analysis showed that the lowest income, lowest wealth, and lowest spending districts benefited at the expense of high income districts. (Author/IRT)