Fathers today want to be active and engaged with their families, with approximately two-thirds expressing a desire to be an equal parenting partner. Unfortunately, only 30% are able to achieve that goal, leaving the largest group of fathers in our survey (38%) as "Conflicted" dads. A major objective of the study was to better understand why so many fathers felt this conflict, and how it impacted their levels of job and career satisfaction. The study describes three types of fathers (Egalitarian, Conflicted, and Traditional) across three generations (Millennials, Generation X and Baby-boomers…
This document summarizes the findings from the Building Evidence for Domestic Violence Services & Interventions study, including the results of a systematic literature review, interviews with subject matter experts, and the discussions over the course of a two day roundtable convening of experts. The purpose of this paper is to: 1) briefly describe the current state of the evidence for domestic violence services and interventions, and 2) highlight innovative and concrete areas of opportunity, identified by subject matter experts, for building this evidence base. (Author Abstract)
People have long bemoaned the silos of research and practice. Researchers express frustration that practitioners do not use or misuse research. Practitioners respond that research is not relevant to their work, or is not easily accessible or understood. Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) across the countries are seeing to undo these patters. In this paper the authors discuss how partnerships challenge researchers and practitioners to work together in new ways in order to improve education and human services, and ultimately to enhance child and youth outcomes. Discussion covers various…
Numerous parents participate in parenting programmes to promote child development, but few programmes consider relationships within family systems. While both parents’ attendance can improve outcomes, both are rarely able to attend, with mothers typically being the participant. The study aims to understand whether changes to parenting practices can occur from one parent’s attendance and, if so, what factors promote the non-attending parent’s modified parenting practices. A mixed-method evaluation was conducted: semi-structured interviews, surveys and focus groups. In this study, both parents…
This federally funded report discusses the evolution of evidence building in the United States and the vision for evidence-based policymaking, and presents the findings of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking. The Commission was provided just over a year to study and develop a strategy for strengthening government’s evidence-building and policymaking efforts. During the Commission’s fact-finding phase, numerous experts, researchers, government leaders, public and private organizations, and members of the public offered their perspectives on the Commission’s charge. Based on this…
This series from MDRC explores what networks of organizations can accomplish in communities. The researchers are focusing on nine Chicago neighborhoods, combining social network analysis with in-depth interviews to see how community organizations can collaborate with one another on local improvement projects. Specifically, the researchers are studying how networks affect the power of individual community groups, how networks promote effective partnerships, how those partnerships can unite people from diverse communities, and how those networks change over time. The first two parts of the…
“Ban-the-Box” (BTB) policies restrict employers from asking about applicants’ criminal histories on job applications and are often presented as a means of reducing unemployment among black men, who disproportionately have criminal records. However, withholding information about criminal records could risk encouraging racial discrimination: employers may make assumptions about criminality based on the applicant's race. To investigate BTB’s effects, we sent approximately 15,000 online job applications on behalf of fictitious young male applicants to employers in New Jersey and New York City…
Paycheck Plus offers workers without dependent children an enhanced Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) worth up to $2,000 per year for three years (four times the current EITC for singles). Results after two years from a random assignment evaluation show that it has increased income and work rates. (Author abstract)
Jobs Plus promotes employment among public housing residents through employment services, rent rule changes that provide incentives to work, and community support for work. Within the first 18 months, all nine public housing agencies in this evaluation had begun structuring their programs, building partnerships, and implementing the model’s core components. (Author abstract)
One of the defining features of the “American Dream” is the ability to succeed despite being born indisadvantaged circumstances. But upward mobility, in the sense of doing better than your parents,appears to be on the wane. There is however a great deal of variation across the nation in ratesof upward mobility, and some of the greatest variation lies in the nation’s rural heartland. Whilesome rural counties exhibit the nation’s lowest rates of upward mobility, others can still lay claimto being “lands of opportunity,” ensuring that young residents are prepared to take on adulthoodand work…
