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Wednesday February 10, 2010

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Children & Families

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioExpanding Meaningful School Choice and Competition

Tuesday, February 02, 2010
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Washington, DC

Expanding Meaningful School Choice and CompetitionSchool choice exercises a powerful pull on parents and remains hotly debated among education policymakers. On February 2, the Brown Center on Education Policy and a task force composed of leading education policy experts released proposals on how to expand school choice to increase equity and create a market within the public sector for school quality. Read More

School Choice, Education, Children & Families

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioObama and Biden’s Dreams for the Middle Class

Isabel V. Sawhill, January 25, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Obama and Biden’s Dreams for the Middle ClassThe Obama administration recently announced proposals for helping the middle class. Isabel Sawhill notes that the proposals are designed to encourage all of the behaviors that help people achieve and maintain middle class status: getting an education, working and saving. However, she cautions that there are some areas of concern, including lack of information about the new initiative's cost plus its assumption that people can find work and earn a decent wage. Read More

Children & Families, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIs Head Start Working for American Students?

Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, January 21, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Is Head Start Working for American Students?Head Start is the iconic federal preschool program intended to enhance the health and school readiness of America’s poor children. However, there have long been questions about the effectiveness of Head Start, writes Grover “Russ” Whitehurst. The children in Head Start are at high risk of starting school far behind their more advantaged peers; the program must be improved and preschool is where it has to start, Whitehurst argues. Read More

Education, Children & Families, Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Suburbanization of Poverty

Elizabeth Kneebone and Emily Garr, January 20, 2010, The Brookings Institution

The Suburbanization of PovertyElizabeth Kneebone and Emily Garr analyze recent American poverty trends, finding that suburbs are now home to the largest and fastest growing poor population in the country. The suburban poor population grew by 25 percent between 2000 and 2008—almost five times faster than cities and 10 points above the national growth rate. Read More

U.S. Poverty, Cities, Labor Markets, U.S. Economy, Regions and States

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Recession’s Impact on Children

Julia B. Isaacs, January 15, 2010, The Brookings Institution

The Recession’s Impact on ChildrenThe impact of the recession on children can be hard to see. Julia Isaacs examines the data and concludes that almost half of unemployed women and one-third of unemployed men are parents with children. Children whose parents are unemployed are at increased risk for experiencing poverty, homelessness and child abuse. Read More

Unemployment, Children & Families, U.S. Poverty, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioFamilies of the Recession: Unemployed Parents & Their Children

Julia B. Isaacs and Phillip Lovell, January 14, 2010, First Focus

One in seven American children has an unemployed parent as a result of the "Great Recession." Julia Isaacs and Phillip Lovell examine this issue and conclude that these 10.5 million children are more likely to experience homelessness, suffer from child abuse, fail to complete high school or college, and live in poverty as adults than other children. Read More

Children & Families, Unemployment, U.S. Poverty, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Status Report: Obama’s Commitment to Creating Opportunity

Ron Haskins and Isabel V. Sawhill, January 06, 2010, The Brookings Institution

The Status Report: Obama’s Commitment to Creating OpportunityIsabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins give President Obama a composite score of B-, applauding his fast action to create more opportunity in the recession but questioning the sustainability of the measures to help families. Sawhill commends Obama for initiating sound social policy, including attempts to curb teen pregnancy. Haskins raises concerns about balancing new policy with long-term budget constraints. This is the third in a series of reviews of Obama’s first year. Read More

U.S. Economy, U.S. Poverty, Economic Mobility, Education, Children & Families

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Effects of the Recession on Child Poverty

Julia B. Isaacs, January 04, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Already high child poverty rates are expected to increase with the recession. In 2008, on average, nearly one in five children lived in poverty, but some states, particularly those in the South, had rates as high as 30 percent. Julia Isaacs uses increases in the use of the food assistance program to predict that child poverty rates in 2009 will be particularly high in nine states in the South and Southwest. Read More

Children & Families, Welfare

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe 2010 Reauthorization of Welfare Reform Could Result in Important Changes

Ron Haskins, December 18, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Ron Haskins discusses the future of the welfare reform law of 1996, stating that it is impossible to know what will happen during reauthorization, but for politicians, advocates, reporters, and scholars interested in the fate of the 1996 reforms, getting an understanding of the reforms that seem the most likely to be repealed or modified before the reauthorization debate begins will provide the basis for both intellectual and lobbying action for or against the possible changes. Read More

Welfare, Children & Families, U.S. Economy, U.S. Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioKid's Share: An Analysis of Federal Expenditures on Children through 2008

Julia B. Isaacs, Tracy Vericker, Jennifer Macomber and Adam Kent, December 09, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Kid's Share: An Analysis of Federal Expenditures on Children through 2008In the third annual Kids’ Share report, Julia B. Isaacs, Tracy Vericker, Jennifer Macomber and Adam Kent examine federal spending expenditures and federal tax policies that support and impact children and families. They find that since 1960, the children’s share of the federal budget has diminished by a quarter, while spending on the share devoted to the non-child portions of entitlement programs has more than doubled. Read More

Children & Families, Federal Budget, Social Issues, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioExamining Economic Mobility in America

Ron Haskins and Isabel V. Sawhill, December 03, 2009, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

Examining the barriers to economic mobility in America, Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill discuss the alarming unemployment rate and the extent of poverty in America and the distinct challenges facing immigrant families and African-American children. Read More

Children & Families, U.S. Poverty, Unemployment

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioMama Says: A National Survey of Mothers’ Attitudes on Fathering

Tuesday, December 01, 2009
9:00 AM to 10:45 AM
Washington, DC

Mama Says: A National Survey of Mothers’ Attitudes on FatheringOn December 1, the National Fatherhood Initiative released “Mama Says: A National Survey of Mothers’ Attitudes on Fathering” at an event sponsored by the Center on Children and Families at Brookings. The report shows that mothers say stable, well-functioning marriages are extremely important to good fathering, yet over half of mothers say fathers are replaceable by single mothers and nearly two-thirds of mothers say that fathers are replaceable by other men. Read More

Marriage and Family Formation, Children & Families

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioChildren and the Elderly: Not Children or the Elderly

Henry J. Aaron, December 01, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Henry Aaron responds to “Spending on Children and the Elderly: An Issue Brief," arguing that pitting the interests of the elderly and disabled against those of children is politically short-sighted because advocates of public outlays for children and for the elderly have been - and should remain - allies against those who believe that the role of government should be limited to providing for defense and public safety, and little else. Read More

Children & Families, U.S. Economy, Welfare, U.S. Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioEncouraging Marriage Helps Everyone

Ron Haskins, November 05, 2009, Business Week

Can marriage decrease poverty? Higher marriage rates among the poor would benefit poor adults themselves, their children and the nation, says Ron Haskins. He argues that non-coercive programs that are delivered by community-based agencies can be effective. By helping couples who want to marry, the payoff to them, their children and society is potentially enormous. Read More

Children & Families, Marriage and Family Formation, Social Issues, Social Norms

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioSpending on Children and the Elderly

Julia B. Isaacs, November 05, 2009, The Brookings Institution

According to Julia Isaacs, the United States spends 2.4 times as much per capita on the elderly as on children, with the ratio rising to 7 to 1 if only the federal budget is taken into account. Isaacs compares expenditures on children and the elderly in the United States to that of other countries, and asks whether these spending patterns make sense for the country's long-term welfare from a life-cycle perspective. Read More

Children & Families, Welfare, U.S. Poverty, Intergenerational Equity

Featured Experts

Julia B. Isaacs

Julia B. Isaacs

Child and Family Policy Fellow, Economic Studies

Julia Isaacs focuses on public investments in children and how children are affected by national budgetary policies. A former federal budget analyst, she also researches the economic mobility of children and families across the income spectrum.
Read More

Ron Haskins

Ron Haskins

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies

A former White House and congressional advisor on welfare issues, Ron Haskins co-directs the Brookings Center on Children and Families. An expert on preschool, foster care, and poverty—he was instrumental in the 1996 overhaul of national welfare policy.
Read More

Isabel V. Sawhill

Isabel V. Sawhill

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies
The Cabot Family Chair

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.
Read More

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Spotlight

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any society requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work extends beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions, higher education and the challenges of education in developing countries.

ExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is a senior fellow with the Africa Growth Initiative. He focuses on Africa's development, including institutions for economic growth, the political economy, and private sector development.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

ExpertMark McClellan

Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

Policy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

ExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

Research ProjectArms Control Initiative

Few problems pose greater challenges to U.S. national security than controlling, reducing and countering the proliferation of nuclear arms. The Brookings Arms Control Initiative brings the Institution’s multidisciplinary strengths to bear on the critical challenges of arms control and non-proliferation.

Research ProjectAfrica Growth Initiative

The Africa Growth Initiative conducts high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African researchers in policy-making and planning.

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.

ExpertTed Gayer

Ted Gayer is the co-director of the Economic Studies program and the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He conducts research on a variety of economic issues, focusing particularly on public finance, environmental and energy economics, housing, and regulatory policy.

ExpertAmy Liu

Amy Liu is deputy director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Her policy studies include economic competitiveness, metropolitan growth and development, governance reforms, urban reinvestment, and social equity.

ExpertRichard C. Bush III

Richard Bush is the director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies. His public service career spans Congress, the intelligence community and the U.S. State Department. He currently focuses on China-Taiwan and U.S.-China relations, the Korean peninsula and Japan’s security.

Policy CenterCenter for Northeast Asian Policy Studies

CNAPS conducts research, analysis, and outreach designed to enhance policy development and understanding on the pressing political, economic, and security issues facing Northeast Asia.

Research ProjectBrookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement monitors displacement problems worldwide, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for Internally Displaed Persons.

Policy CenterUrban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

The Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution, is comprised of nationally recognized experts in tax, budget and social policy who have served at the highest levels of government.

ExpertDomenico Lombardi

As president of the Oxford Institute for Economic Policy, Domenico Lombardi’s work at Brookings focuses on the international financial crisis and the reform of the IMF and the World Bank. He is an expert on G-20 and G8 Summits.