More than six million persons who spent at least half of 1987 in the labor force were poor; among families with workers, those headed by unmarried women with children have the highest poverty rates. (Author)

Analysis of population trends in 293 nonmetropolitan counties in the Great Plains, 1950-90, reveals that the rural population turnaround of the 1970s has indeed ended. During the 1980s, 84% of these counties had total population declines, and 96% had net outmigration. The most important variable in producing positive trends was inmigration of…

Examined data from 809 Illinois residents surveyed in 1985. Found marriage had trade-offs for women's sense of control: it increased it by increasing household income, but it decreased it, probably by decreasing autonomy. With household income held constant, nonmarried women had highest sense of control of any group. For men, marriage had less…

Comparison of part-time employees (142 moonlighters, 365 students, 661 earning supplemental income, 556 primary breadwinners) and 850 full-time workers showed that part timers were more likely to be female, under 30, and earn over 50% of family income. Moonlighters' commitment was influenced by different variables than that of other part-timers.…

The rapid growth of magnet schools in the 1980s introduced the first widely adopted form of public school choice in the United States. Magnet-based choice is supported as a way to expand school choice for parents, bring innovation through specialty schools and programs, and promote voluntary forms of racial integration. Some contend that this form…

Constructing and maintaining a supportable daily routine is an important task for families with young children, particularly when the child has a disability. In this study, we examined relationships between children's developmental needs, disability diagnosis, and families' resources and accommodations. Participants included families with infants…

This study investigated the multilevel dimensionality of socioeconomic status and its relationship to reading achievement in 23 countries. Different factor structures of SES were found at different levels observations and in different countries. The study showed that the cultural dimension strongly related to student reading performance, while the…

The "2011 State Preschool Yearbook" is the newest edition of our annual report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest "Yearbook" presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2010-2011 school year as well as documenting a decade of progress since the first…

In 2003, MDRC and a consortium of funders launched the Opening Doors demonstration to test reforms in six community colleges aimed at helping students stay in school and earn credentials. This report presents early results from the Opening Doors program at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio. The program provided intensive advising and…

Higher education plays an increasingly important role in helping individuals attain social and economic success. Yet, despite decades of financial aid policy, substantial gaps in college access remain by income level and race. One major impediment to increasing college enrollment among low-income students is the lack of information about financial…

Not only did many industrialized countries outperform the United States in science on a recent international exam, but American students' academic achievement was also more likely to be affected by their wealth or poverty and family background than was their peers' in higher-scoring nations. That was one of several sobering findings for the United…

Given the growing interest in a privatized Social Security system and the lack of adequate retirement planning among many people in the United States, many households are often ill prepared for retirement. The outlook for low-income populations is even bleaker because they are often not privy to the same financial education and asset-building…

This paper examines complex models of the associations between family income, material hardship, parenting, and school readiness among White, Black, and Hispanic 6-year-olds, using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K). It is critical to test the universality of such complex models, particularly given their…

Study aim: To examine the prevalence of obesity and its correlation with blood pressure, waist circumference and other health related risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and TV/PC-screen time) in German youths. Material and methods: A cohort of 831 boys and 808 girls, fifth- to tenth-graders from 3 German high schools…

Drawing from the life course perspective, racial disparities in hospitalization are considered in light of a chain of risk. We ask whether race influences admission to, length of stay in, and mortality following hospitalization. Analyses address these questions with data from a national longitudinal sample of adults to assess racial disparities in…