Because sequential patterns of multiple transition events (i.e., college graduation, full-time employment, marriage, and parenthood) are associated with turning points in depressive symptom trajectories during young adulthood, the present study used a sample of 446 White adolescents (52.3% females; 15.58 years old, on average) over 18 years (1992…

The current study evaluated bidirectional associations between mother and father positive parenting and child effortful control. Data were drawn from 220 families when children were 3, 4, 5, and 6 years old. Parenting and effortful control were assessed when the child was 3, 4, and 5 years old. These variables were used to statistically predict…

This study compared college course grade outcomes, both during and after high school, of dual-enrollment students to those of traditional students. The study was based on a large, multiyear sample of Iowa high school and community college students. The results showed that while in high school, dual-enrollment students consistently outperformed…

This third-generation, longitudinal study evaluated a family investment perspective on family socioeconomic status (SES), parental investments in children, and child development. The theoretical framework was tested for first-generation parents (G1), their children (G2), and the children of the second generation (G3). G1 SES was expected to…

Iowa established the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SVPP) in 2007. It has grown to be the largest--although not the only--public preschool program in the state. It is available without regard to family income. Iowa also supports preschool for low-income children through its Shared Visions program and Early Childhood Iowa, the…

The Big 12 is famous for its athletics--and well it should be. But what about the rest of the conference--the academic part? The Big 12's website says, "Performance in the classroom is just as important as accolades on the field." So what's happening off the field? How do the Big 12 schools fare when it comes to cost and quality? The…

As more families move from welfare to work, little is known about the implications of employment for family well-being. This survey and case study examined the effects of employment on the economic, social, and emotional well-being of parents, children, and families. Survey respondents received assistance through Iowa's Family Investment Program…

Compares perceptions of rural and urban Mexican American and Anglo families in 14 states on four aspects of family life satisfaction. Hispanics reported higher satisfaction in most areas, allowing for duration of residence in state, area of residence, education, income and family size. Includes 49 references. (Author/TES)

Information drawn from a number of different sources was combined through a technique known as aggregate need analysis to measure the unmet financial needs of different groups of postsecondary students. It was found that: (1) after consideration of parental contributions and student self-help, there is an aggregate need for assistance of nearly…

Urban elementary school teachers completed a checklist designed to determine a profile of the most significant factors that caused students to be at risk. Results indicated there were eight important factors: academic risk, behavior and coping skills, social withdrawal, family income, parenting, language development, retention, and attendance. (SM)

During the farm crisis of the 1980s, many midwestern farm families suffered financial distress, but by 1989 an uneven financial recovery was under way. This report summarizes data collected from 311 Iowa farm operators (a 31% response rate) and 288 spouses (a 29% response rate) as part of a large survey conducted in 12 North Central states. The…

The economic decline of rural America has widespread consequences for families, children, and education. Broad changes in farming and in the rural nonfarm sector have pushed the poverty rate for rural areas in the 1980s higher than the central cities rate. Projections indicate that by the mid-1990s, one-half of all farm families in the midwest may…

Conducted in Iowa and North Carolina, the experiment included 809 families randomly selected and assigned to a control group or to 1 of 5 experimental treatments. Eligibility required a family income at the experiment's beginning of less than l 1/2 times the official poverty line. Of the 809 families, 729 remained in the program for the entire 3…