Recent congressional action has increased the incentives for welfare recipients to seek new skills and has altered the system for providing education and training services. Addressing the impact of changes in welfare regulations on participation in education and training programs requires a baseline measure of how often disadvantaged populations…

A previous report, which evaluated the economic success of welfare recipients who graduated from Eastern Washington University (EWU), suggested that a college degree led to successful economic performance for welfare recipients. This study focuses on changes in the numbers of welfare students and their subsequent economic performance after the…

Dramatic shifts from cash assistance to work, embodied in the 1996 replacement of Aid to Families with Dependent Children with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), highlight the need to understand how current cash assistance recipients participate in required work-related activities and obstacles faced in getting and keeping jobs. The…

This paper describes the design of a study intended to examine the devolution of welfare in four cities. The study will measure the economic effects of new policies on individual and potential welfare recipients; describe the new programs and policies as they are put in place; examine the experiences of a small number of families; look at how the…

A review of society's efforts to deal with the poor-- always with us''-from the early Poor Laws to the legislation of recent years. (Author)

Looks at welfare to work programs and discusses some of the problems associated with them and for the welfare recipients who are in them. Addresses the impact of the new federal welfare reform legislation. (JOW)

Evaluates the association between welfare policies implemented by states in the early to mid-1990s and the rate at which female household heads with children exit AFDC for work or for non-work reasons. Reports that waiver policies requiring work for mothers of very young children are associated with more rapid exits through employment. (Contains…

Describes successful welfare-to-work transition programs that provide training for welfare recipients for real jobs. Includes experiences of several companies, guidelines for hiring former welfare recipients, and websites with information about welfare reform. (JOW)

Volunteer administrators (n=32) participating in Australia's Voluntary Work Initiative, designed to assist welfare recipients who were required to perform volunteer work, were interviewed. Although volunteering helped overcome isolation and develop job skills, low levels of commitment and short stays (especially among younger participants) and…

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…

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families offers welfare recipients a second chance for success. How good that chance will be depends on the next version of the legislation. If its work requirements do not allow for sufficient training, achieving success may be more difficult. (Author/JOW)

Discusses the challenges facing evaluators of welfare reform and the ways that multiple methods can be combined to meet these challenges. Describes the studies reported in this issue. (Author/SLD)

Examined the impact of 1996 welfare reform legislation on immigrants' welfare use. Nationally, immigrants' welfare participation rates declined relative to those of natives. This trend was attributable to trends in welfare participation in California, where immigrants experienced a precipitous drop in participation rates. Much of the potential…

Examines gaps in child support among welfare recipients in Wisconsin. Documented is the extent to which breakdowns at various stages--including paternity establishment, support orders, and payments--contribute to the low rate of child support receipt. Few welfare recipients are able to successfully negotiate the child support system, and mothers…

Describes an accelerated nursing program put together by Fort Range Community College and four other state agencies to assist single mothers in getting off welfare. (JOW)