Wisconsin's influential Learnfare initiative is a conditional cash "penalty" program that sanctions a family's welfare grant when covered teens fail to meet school attendance targets. In the presence of reference-dependent preferences, Learnfare provides uniquely powerful financial incentives for student performance. However, a 10-county…

Conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) have two main objectives: reducing poverty and increasing the human capital of children. To reach these objectives, transfers are given to poor households conditioned on investments in their children's education, health, and nutrition. Targeting mechanisms used by CCTs have been generally successful in…

Six adult basic education programs were examined to understand why they reported higher than average attendance for welfare recipients. Learners saw class not as mandatory, but as a way to achieve goals. Programs focused on engagement, a precursor to learning. Engagement factors included beliefs about teaching/learning, relationships, learning…