Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage: The 2007-2008 Data

The U.S. Census Bureau’s recently released report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008 provides a picture of the dynamics of economic well-being between 2007 and 2008. The data show that:

• Real median household income fell between 2007 and 2008. The decline was widespread and coincided with the recession that started in December 2007.
• The poverty rate increased between 2007 and 2008.
• Though the percentage of uninsured was not statistically different than in 2007, the number of uninsured increased between 2007 and 2008.

Policies to increase family economic success and policies to improve health care access.

Analyzing Barriers to Children’s Movement Out of Foster Care in New York City

The Long Road Home: A Study of Children Stranded in New York City Foster Care, recently released by Children’s Rights, explores the barriers that delay the progress of children in New York City foster care toward reunification, adoption, or permanency through legal guardianship. It is an in-depth evaluation of the city’s child welfare system, including the casework of private agencies contracted and supervised by the city’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to provide foster care services, as well as Family Court. The report provides concrete recommendations to improve casework, expedite Family Court proceedings, and support permanency outcomes for children.

Policies to increase exits from foster care to permanence.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We will return on Monday, November 30th.

Facts for Policymakers: Adolescent Violence and Injuries

A new fact sheet from the National Center for Children in Poverty, "Overall rates of injury and death increase dramatically from childhood to late adolescence. Due to developmental and social factors, such as time spent without adult supervision and increasing independence, adolescents are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors than either younger children or adults. Biology also plays a role. The maturation of brain networks responsible for self-regulation often does not occur until late adolescence, making adolescents more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors."

Helping Judges Promote Better Outcomes for Children Aged Zero-to-Three

The American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, in collaboration with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Zero to Three National Policy Center, has released Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Futures: A Judge's Guide. The guide provides tools and strategies to help judges better understand and promote child development and attachment, infant mental health, and early care and education for children aged zero to three who enter their courtrooms. This publication may also be useful to the advocates for these very young children, whose health outcomes are especially affected by child abuse and neglect.

Policies to increase quality early care and education and policies to support and strengthen vulnerable families. Sign up at http://www.policyforresults.org/ to receive updates about our forthcoming child abuse and neglect content!

For Federal Policymakers: How to Better Identify and Serve Children of Incarcerated Parents

The Reentry Policy Council’s recently released Children of Incarcerated Parents: An Action Plan for Federal Policymakers “reviews both federal and state barriers to identifying and serving children of incarcerated parents, and offers policy recommendations for the U.S. Congress and the Administration. The action plan is designed to help federal leaders improve policies for children of incarcerated parents, but also includes recommendations of value to states and local governments that can facilitate and complement federal initiatives and result in better responses to this population.”

Policies to support and strengthen vulnerable families.

Creating Campus Supports for Foster Youth in College

A research brief by The Advisory Board Company for Casey Family Programs looks at resources and support services to help foster youth transition to life at college. Key observations and best practices for support foster youth and their degree completion emerged from a review of the practices of several institutions, mainly from the West Coast. Recommendations include:

• Provide financial, academic, and emotional/social support
• Designate a full-time point person for foster youth support
• Build an advisory committee and solicit feedback from foster youth students to inform programming
• Provide year-round, on-campus housing for foster youth
• Avoid siloing of activities for foster youth, instead integrating them into the university community

Policies for preparing youth to succeed in life. Sign up at http://www.policyforresults.org/ to receive updates about our forthcoming college enrollment and completion policies and strategies!

Toolkit for Child Welfare about Working with Immigrant Families

In 2007 a report by the Urban Institute and the National Council of La Raza painted a painful picture of the price children are paying as a result of immigration enforcement activities. They showed that "for every two immigrants arrested, one child is left behind, translating into thousands of children separated from their parents and millions more at risk." A new set of tools created by the American Humane Society and its partners in the Migration and Child Welfare National Network sets out to reduce the impact of immigration enforcement on children. One toolkit focuses on a Child Welfare Flowchart and identifies the immigration issues and challenges at each decision point in the child welfare system. The second toolkit is an overview of the immigration system, and provides child welfare with information, tips and resources. Together they provide an important resource for child welfare professionals, as well as attorneys and immigration workers.

Spotlight Commentary: The Two-Generation Approach, By Frank Farrow, Director, Center for the Study of Social Policy

The most recent Spotlight on Poverty Commentary looks at the "Two Generation Strategy, Helping Low-Income Families Survive the Recession" authored by CSSP's director, Frank Farrow. Examining the most recent census data, Mr. Farrow advances a family-focused approach to economic opportunity. The piece provides specific examples from various states, as well as the research about the the effectiveness of key strategies, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, sector-focused job training, preschool and early-literacy initiatives. By combining these efforts into a comprehensive approach, Mr. Farrow presents

a “two-generation” effort, focused on promoting the economic well-being of parents and simultaneously ensuring that young children are healthy, safe and succeeding in school. That means effective programs that help more low-income, low-skilled adults get and hold jobs, and access available public benefits like food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, child care, education and tax credits, that can add up to sufficient income to provide for their families. It also means making sure that their children get the best possible start in life, are reading by third grade, and move forward with successful school careers, including post-secondary education.

For state policies to support a two generation strategy using the federal stimulus money, including an online guide for policymakers.

Massachusetts Introduces New Growth Model for Tracking Student Progress

The State of Massachusetts had announced a new growth model to track the progress of individual students. Most states track cohorts of students which allows them to compare 3rd grade classes from year to year, for example. The new growth model measures the results for individual student progress on the state's assessment test and tracks the student's scores from one year to the next. The growth report details how much a student's performance has changed from one year to the next. See a powerpoint that provides an overview of the model. "Never before have we provided as complete a picture to evaluate student performance. By examining achievement and growth over time we have a more robust profile of school effectiveness than once-a-year MCAS scores alone provide," said Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester. "This powerful tool will allow our educators to learn more about which approaches to support students are working best to help improve long-term achievement." (From the press release) (Hat tip to Front and Center)