Racial/Ethnic Differences in Effects of Welfare Policies on Early School Readiness and Later Achievement

Abstract

This study examined whether the effects of employment-based policies on children’s math and reading achievement differed for African American, Latino and Caucasian children of welfare receiving parents, and if so, why. Two kinds of employment policies were examined: education-first programs with an emphasis on adult education and job training; and work-first programs with an emphasis on immediate employment. With data from two- and five-year follow-ups in four experimental demonstrations in Grand Rapids, Michigan (N = 591) and Riverside County, California (N = 629), there was evidence of small positive effects of the Grand Rapids and Riverside education-first programs on African American and Latino children’s school readiness and math scores. An opposite pattern of effects emerged among Caucasian children. In one of the two sites, we found that Latino parents’ higher levels of goals for pursuing their own education appeared to explain why their children benefited to a greater degree from the program than their Caucasian counterparts.

The effects of poverty on the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children and youth: Implications for prevention.

“…This causal effect provides a strong rationale for prevention based on poverty as a risk factor. The effect of poverty is independent of associated factors such as levels of parental education or race/ethnicity; there is little evidence that the harmful impact of poverty on child or youth M-E-B health differs by race/ethnicity (Gennetian & Miller, 2000; Kling et al, 2007; Yoshikawa, Gassman-Pines, Morris, Gennetian, & Godfrey, 2010).…”

“…Although there is no evidence that the magnitude of the effects of poverty on children's M-E-B health differs, for example, by race or ethnicity, levels and degree of variation in poverty do vary by a myriad of demographic factors. And take-up rates, and therefore effects of antipoverty and preventive interventions, can depend on the fit of the interventions with the perceived needs and goals of particular families (Berg, Morris, & Aber, 2011) and communities (Yoshikawa et al, 2010). Antipoverty and preventive intervention strategies are best conceived and implemented in ways that acknowledge and account for variation in such needs, goals, and preferences.…”

Latina/o Students in K-12 Schools: A Synthesis of Empirical Research on Factors Influencing Academic Achievement

“…Overall research findings to date indicate that participating in school and/or community programs designed to improve student success is related to improvement in school readiness (Yoshikawa, Gassman-Pines, Morris, Gennetian, & Godfrey, 2010), test scores (e.g., Borrero, 2011), grades (Maynard et al, 2014), high school completion (e.g., Gibson & Bejínez, 2002), and college enrollment (Weiher et al, 2006). Examples of such programs specifically cited in the literature include AVID and GEAR UP (e.g., Lozano, Watt, & Huerta, 2009), ESL (Claster & Blair, 2013) and bilingual education programs (e.g., Lindholm-Leary & Borsato, 2005), and other school-specific intervention programs that have been implemented by faculty at individual school sites (e.g., Johnson & Fargo, 2014; Reyes & Jason, 1991).…”