MDRC is conducting the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project under a contract with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As part of the multisite Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, MDRC,…

Used survey data (response rate of 75% for sample of 1,200), administrative data, and a database of the use of emergency assistance provided by community-based organizations to examine the economic status of former welfare recipients in Missouri and their use of government supports and community-based emergency assistance. (SLD)

This research assessed the effectiveness of a family-centered approach to out-of-home care in reunifying children with their families by comparing differential exit rates of children whose families received family-centered services with children whose families received routine child welfare services. The sample included 472 children who were in…

A study analyzed the component parts of existing formulae to distribute federal vocational monies to secondary level programs in Missouri. Among the areas examined were the relative weight of the factors influencing distribution of funds and the extent to which each factor contributes to the final array depicting the total distribution of federal…

This book provides background for evaluating public policy choices in the area of welfare reform. Although it focuses on Missouri's Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program, it incorporates and compares national data and it raises the same fundamental questions about the fate of welfare in the United States. The eight chapters of the book…

The independent and interacting effects of race and poverty on academic achievement were examined for all fourth through sixth grade children attending public neighborhood schools in St. Louis, Missouri between Fall 1968 and Spring 1971. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) was given at four points in time during this period to a total of 27,465…

These matrices summarize the content of the certification/chartering requirements established by nine first-round and three second-round implementation states to deliver services in One-Stop Career Centers. Seven areas or dimensions of design/operations are compared. The narrative accompanying the matrices is divided into two sections--a matrix…

This document examines screening and assessment for physical and mental health conditions that impact Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients' ability to work. The document begins by defining screening and assessment and discussing their relevance for agencies serving TANF recipients. The next section answers policy questions…

This Kids Count Data Book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Missouri's children. The statistical portrait is based on the following indicators of general areas of children's well being: (1) students enrolled in free/reduced price lunch program; (2) births to mothers without a high school diploma; (3) low birth weight; (4) infant…

This newsletter reports on the activities of Equipped for the Future (EFF), which is a National Institute for Literacy initiative. EFF helps Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients build the skills needed to balance work and home and make a successful transition to work. The article "EFF Frames Family Literacy Programs"…