College Bound September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Improving Education, Protecting the Institution of Marriage.add a comment
KEY DATA: Students from intact families were 9 percent more likely to apply to college than students from disrupted families. Students from intact families were more likely to be admitted to college (92 percent, versus 89 percent of those who applied), more likely to attend a four-year college immediately after high-school graduation (62 percent, compared to 52 percent of those who were admitted), and more likely to attend a four-year college (51 percent, compared to 37 percent) than those who did not live with their biological parents. A student was 33 percent less likely to apply to a selective college if he or she did not live with both biological parents while in high school. Those experiencing family disruption were 20 percent less likely to attend a selective school immediately after high school and 22 percent less likely to ever attend a selective school….(more)
College pays. Not only do individuals reap the rewards of a college education, society as a whole benefits from an educated citizenry. As the value of a college education continues to grow, the factors that influence the decision to attend, or not attend, college gain greater importance. Among these factors is a student’s family background.
A study published in the Journal of Higher Education explored the relationship between family structure and high school seniors’ college choices. Using data from the High School and Beyond survey of over 26,000 students interviewed in the 1980s, the study found that, compared to their peers who did not live with both biological parents, students from intact families were more likely to apply to, be admitted to, and enter college immediately after high school. In addition, students from intact families were more likely to attend a four-year college.
These findings suggest that family structure affects a student’s pursuit of higher education and the likelihood of achieving those academic aspirations.
Click here to see September’s Top Ten Findings: Back to School
Other findings on child outcomes and family structure:
Parents on the verge of a breakup were less involved in their children’s education…(more)
Children raised in two-parent families from birth were less likely to exhibit behavioral problems…(more)
Detroit Teaches Another Lesson in Special Interest Politics September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Improving Education.add a comment
by Dan Lips
Education Notebook
September 1, 2006
A teachers’ union strike is threatening to delay the start of the school year in Detroit’s public schools. It’s just the latest lesson about how special interest politics disserves kids.
Instead of returning to the classroom this week, Detroit teachers took to the picket line after voting to reject the school district’s latest contract offer. The union wants annual pay raises of 5 percent. The district’s package includes 5.5 percent pay cuts and reductions in benefits because of budgetary constraints. A court order is forcing the two sides into negotiations to see if they can reach a deal before September 5, when about 130,000 students are due back to school.
A poor way to measure poverty September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Assuring Economic Liberty and Strong Economic Growth.add a comment
by Rea J. Hederman
Commentary
August 31, 2006
Every year at this time, the Census Bureau announces the official poverty rate of the United States. And every year, the same fruitless debate takes place.
Some will point to the successes and urge that we stay the course. Some will point to the failures and call for more spending on anti-poverty programs. Unfortunately, the analyses on both sides are based on faulty data — because our measures are critically flawed and overstate the number of Americans in poverty.
Solutions for the Uninsured September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Achieving Health Care for Working Families.add a comment
by Nina Owcharenko
Commentary
September 1, 2006
It wasn’t exactly man-bites-dog news when word came this week that the number of Americans without health insurance has continued to climb.
The number reached 46.6 million in 2005 — up from 45.3 million in 2004 — according to the Census Bureau. At the same time, the percentage of workers with employer-based coverage continues to decline. These trends will continue until Congress comes to grips with the changing dynamics of the health insurance market. >> Read More of the Commentary
Maturity Milestone September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Combining Freedom with Responsibility.add a comment
by Edwin J. Fuelner
Commentary
August 21, 2006
There it was at our staff meeting: the first birthday cake with the magic number 65 on top. They went with the big number candles, so they wouldn’t have to bother lighting dozens of separate ones. Probably a smart move.
Sixty-five. That was once time to retire. And indeed, when I was younger I expected that in my mid-60s, I would join the “over the hill gang.” After all, when I consider the staff here at the Heritage Foundation, I note almost all 200 are younger than I. Even a couple members of our board are years my junior. Yet there’s plenty of work to do, and I’m not ready to hang it all up. When I wrote about turning 50 –which I did just yesterday, it seems — I noted, “Fifty really does have a different feel to it than 49.” Tom Brokaw put it well when he turned 50: “At this age, mistakes, however daring, are not easily excused. Achievement is not a cause of praise; it is expected.”
Sixty-five is an age and, too often, an end. At 65. Jack Welch and so many others have followed company policy and hit the golf course — permanently.
Listening to Moynihan, at last September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Building on Welfare Reform.add a comment
by Robert E. Rector
Commentary
August 23, 2006
This may sound odd, but as we mark the 10-year anniversary of the passage of the historic welfare reform act, we really ought to honor one of the men who opposed this legislation when it came before the U.S. Senate.
For long before the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) voiced his doubts about welfare reform legislation, Professor Daniel Patrick Moynihan laid much of the intellectual groundwork for the consensus now building about the root cause of child poverty and welfare dependency.
Unions in Decline and Under Review September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Assuring Economic Liberty and Strong Economic Growth.add a comment
by Tim Kane, Ph.D., and James Sherk
WebMemo #1202
August 22, 2006
Organized Labor in America has lost its way. The most telling evidence is that unions have been shedding members for decades. It is time for Americans to ask why this is happening, not whether it is happening. A powerful example of how lost unions have become was seen during the debate over Social Security reform, when the AFL-CIO and other unions fought loudly against President Bush’s proposals. Unions demonized all solutions aiming at solvency except one: an increase in payroll taxes. In retrospect, their argument was stunning—a direct call by a special interest for higher taxes that are paid exclusively by their interest: labor.
Other recent events highlight the peculiar dilemma facing modern American unions. The slow demise of General Motors (GM) is visibly intertwined with the inefficient labor contracts that the United Auto Workers (UAW) secured in decades past. Regular media stories showcasing problems at GM and Delphi send a potent signal to other U.S. workers that big labor’s ideal business model is a bust. The AFL-CIO splintered last summer when a number of major member unions broke away. Finally, the federal government has begun implementing significant changes to labor regulations. The Labor Department is enforcing accounting transparency in an effort to weed out corruption and bring some accountability between labor bosses and membership. That has been decried as an attack on organized labor, but it may instead prove a powerfully rejuvenating tonic.
Katrina One Year After: Congress’s Unfinished Agenda September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Uncategorized.add a comment
by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
WebMemo #1199
August 22, 2006
A year after one of the most devastating storms in American history ravaged the three-state region along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Congress still has not taken some of the most obvious and important steps needed to improve the nation’s capacity to respond to catastrophic disasters. When Members of Congress return to Washington, they need to focus on initiatives that will help establish a true national response system to meet disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
The Tax Equity and Affordability Act: A Solution for the Uninsured September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Achieving Health Care for Working Families, Assuring Economic Liberty and Strong Economic Growth.add a comment
by Nina Owcharenko
Backgrounder #1963
August 30, 2006
Congress can no longer afford to ignore the changing dynamics in health care coverage. The latest Census Bureau report shows that the number of uninsured increased from 45.3 million in 2004 to 46.6 million in 2005.1 Moreover, the percent of people with employer coverage is still declining, dropping from 59.8 percent in 2004 to 59.5 percent in 2005.2
Failure to address these changing dynamics reinforces the status quo, which ultimately leads the uninsured to depend on an inefficient and disjointed system of uncompensated care and creates political pressure to expand government-run health care programs—both at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.
Are Public or Private Schools Doing Better? How the NCES Study Is Being Misinterpreted September 5, 2006
Posted by Judith in Improving Education.add a comment
by Shanea Watkins
Backgrounder #1968
September 1, 2006
A recent study published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) contains some surprising results based on a snapshot of student achievement data. According to the study, public school students are performing better than private school students in fourth grade mathematics and at the same level as private school students in fourth grade reading and eighth grade math. Indeed, the report says that private school students have an advantage over public school students only in eighth grade reading.[1] These results should be handled very carefully.
Policymakers and journalists need to know that the NCES findings that public schools outperform private schools employ significantly limited data. Some commentators on the NCES report appear to believe that this study describes causal relationships—that public school attendance causes better student achievement and that private school attendance causes students to have lower math and reading achievement.
Marriage and the Mother-Infant Relationship July 19, 2006
Posted by Judith in Protecting the Institution of Marriage.add a comment
Does Marriage Make a Difference?: Exploring the Mother-Infant Relationship
July 19, 2006
KEY DATA: Married mothers behaved more positively toward their infants and created better home environments, as indicated by HOME scale scores, at both 6 and 15 month assessments than cohabiting and single mothers…(more)
Does a mother’s relationship with the father of her child affect her relationship with the child? Does marriage make a difference? In a recent study published in the Journal of Family Psychology, researchers sought to answer these questions by exploring the mother-infant relationship in three family structures: single-parent, two-parent cohabiting (unmarried mother living with a partner who is typically the biological father of the child), and two-parent married families.
Researchers assessed the mother-infant relationship using four measures (mother’s behavior toward the infant, infant’s behavior toward the mother, the home environment, and the likelihood of infant’s attachment security). Higher scores suggest more positive behavior and home environment during the evaluation. When the infants were 6 months and 15 months old, researchers found that compared to cohabiting mothers and single mothers and their infants, married mothers and their babies on average received ratings that were statistically higher on all but one of the scores at both measurement times. In contrast, researchers did not report any significant difference in the mean score between the cohabiting mother-infant and the single mother-infant groups in any of the analyses except in one case. <!– D(["mb","
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While the authors of the study do not claim that marriage alone made the difference (mother’s education level, age and ethnicity may play a role as well), these findings suggest that variations in the mother-infant relationship are associated with family structure. The difference is not only based on the number of parents in the home but also on the marital status of the two parents. Marriage matters after all.
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\n\n\nOther findings on the mother-infant relationship:Rates of serious child abuse are associated with family structure...(more)
The likelihood of adolescent delinquency is associated with the marital status of the parents in the home environment...(more)
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Family Research Experts:Pat Fagan
William H. G. FitzGerald Research Fellow in Family and Cultural Issues",1] ); //–>
While the authors of the study do not claim that marriage alone made the difference (mother’s education level, age and ethnicity may play a role as well), these findings suggest that variations in the mother-infant relationship are associated with family structure. The difference is not only based on the number of parents in the home but also on the marital status of the two parents. Marriage matters after all.
Other findings on the mother-infant relationship:
Rates of serious child abuse are associated with family structure…(more)
The likelihood of adolescent delinquency is associated with the marital status of the parents in the home environment…(more)
