Many states have enacted or are considering proposals to give tax credits for contributions that provide tuition scholarships for students in K-12 schools to attend the private or public schools of their choice. This study seeks to inform the public and policymakers about the implications for Montana if the state were to enact such a program. The…

Explores whether education reduces the effects of certain socioeconomic variables on school performance. Achievement scores of high school and college students in Puerto Rico are related to family income, size, and education. Results indicate that college education reduces the gaps created by inherent conditions among sampled students. Includes 17…

This document presents testimony delivered before the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families on the economic status of Hispanic children and families in the United States. The speaker, a senior policy analyst at the National Council of La Raza, focuses on the strengths of Hispanic families, the economic challenges they face, and…

This paper compares the characteristics of those experiencing short spells of low income with those having longer spells. Data from the 1984 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) was examined. It was found that short spells--less than six months--are quite common, and make up a substantial proportion of all poverty spells.…

Survey information from 1,616 farm families in Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Tennessee was used to construct a viability ratio measuring a family's ability to meet its obligations from total income. Coupled with other farm characteristics, the ratio allows policymakers to see why some farms are viable and others are not. (JHZ)

This report presents information on infants and toddlers with disabilities and special health care needs enrolled in Washington State early intervention services. Enrollment numbers, rates, and patterns are discussed. Out of a total of 264,410 children ages 36 months and under, 4,324 were enrolled in an early intervention service plan as of…

Guiding principles for using sliding fee scales are presented in this paper in an effort to help states plan new child care initiatives, coordinate or strengthen existing programs, and improve sliding fee scales for current programs. Introductory comments urge states to adopt a single sliding fee scale for all their child care programs. The report…

In response to the highest poverty rate among children since the 1960s, this report examines existing Federal policies to assist poor families with children and analyzes over 40 policy alternatives. Chapter 1 discusses how poverty is measured, recent trends and current patterns of childhood poverty as officially measured, and the effects of using…

This report presents comparisons of Canadian university financing on a province by province basis. An introductory section describes the project through which the study was undertaken, explains the indicators used, and discusses structural problems encountered in making comparisons. The central portion of the report is a tabulation of these…

This document offers a detailed description of the dynamics involved in the choice of an independent neighborhood school. These primarily urban schools are an expression of cultural power and identity among minority groups who wish to ensure access to opportunities for academic achievement for their children and also to control the content and…

This paper focuses on three groups of children and youth who appear to be at risk for depressed educational attainment. The groups are those from single parent families, those from persistently poor families, and those who give birth during their teenage years. A significant number of the country's children and youth are from these groups. School…

The early childhood program participation component of the National Household Education Survey (NHES) was developed to collect information on children's experiences in a wide range of care settings. Findings of the NHES for 1995 found that approximately 39 percent of the nation's primary school children receive some form of nonparental care before…

The "2009 State Preschool Yearbook" is the seventh in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2008-2009 school year. The first report in this series focused on programs for the 2001-2002 school year and…

This report presents analyses of trends in tuition and fees, students' ability to pay, instructional costs, state support, and other information related to tuition and fee decisions at Illinois higher education institutions. It provides tables and explanatory text on changes in median family income, inflation, student charges, and student…

A status report for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program (Basic Grant Program) for the 1976-1977 academic year is presented. Information is provided on: applicants for the 1976-1977 year; program trends for academic years 1973-1974 through 1976-1977; the number of Basic Grant recipients and nonqualifying applicants for 1976-1977 by…