- Feb 02, 2012 | Marcie Foster Adult Education Funding Levels and Enrollment This fact sheet on adult education funding and enrollment trends shows that funding for adult education and English language services has declined by 17 percent from 2002 to 2012 in inflation-adjusted terms. At the same time, enrollment has declined by 27 percent, signaling concern that the system is unable to serve the growing population in need of services due to insufficient funding. Download PDF
- Feb 01, 2012 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Unemployment Insurance Drug Testing: A Bad Cure in Search of a Problem By the end of this month, Congress must again act to extend federal unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, or millions of workers will lose access to this vital lifeline. In December, the House of Representatives proposed to attach a provision to the extension that would allow states to require workers to take a drug test before receiving benefits. Download PDF
- Feb 01, 2012 | Neil Ridley and Marcie Foster Unemployment Insurance: Congress Should Reject the Misguided Educational Requirement in H.R. 3630 House and Senate conferees are currently considering an extension of federally funded unemployment assistance through the end of 2012. The House-passed bill (H.R. 3630) that conferees are considering includes a new minimum educational requirement for Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants. The bill would change federal law to require individuals who receive UI benefits to have a high school diploma, GED or other state-recognized equivalent or be enrolled in classes leading to a secondary credential. If this requirement is deemed "unduly burdensome," state agencies may waive it for individuals. CLASP urges conferees to reject the proposed minimum educational requirement for UI recipients and any alternative formulations of this provision. Download PDF
- Dec 05, 2011 | Stephanie Schmit Early Head Start Participants, Programs, Families, and Staff in 2010 This fact sheet reviews the 2010 Program Information Reports (PIR) data for the Early Head Start program, which serves children under age 3 and pregnant women. In 2010, Early Head Start continued to provide vital services to a diverse group of low-income children and families. However, less than 4 percent of eligible children receive Early Head Start services. Download PDF
- Dec 05, 2011 | Stephanie Schmit Head Start Participants, Programs, Families, and Staff in 2010 This fact sheet reviews the 2010 Program Information Reports (PIR) data for the Head Start preschool program, which serves children ages 3 and 4. In 2010, Head Start continued to provide vital services to a diverse group of low-income children and families. However, less than half of eligible children receive Head Start preschool services. Download PDF
- Dec 02, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Louisiana: Mental Health Consultation (MHC) Program Mental health consultations can help to equip child care providers who serve infants and toddlers with the tools and training needed to implement developmentally appropriate practices that foster healthy child development and support children with special needs. In July 2007, Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) contracted with the Tulane Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health to launch a Mental Health Consultation (MHC) program for child care centers. Read Online
- Dec 02, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Louisiana: Quality Start Child Care Rating System Louisiana Quality Start Child Care Rating System is a voluntary quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for all licensed child care in Louisiana, which includes child care centers, Head Start and Early Head Start programs. design and implementation was a major focus of the state’s early childhood initiative, BrightStart, which in 2009 was designated as the state’s early childhood advisory council. With funding from the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Quality Start was implemented statewide in 2007. Read Online
- Dec 02, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Pennsylvania: Keystone Babies The Keystone Babies program was created to expand access to high-quality early learning settings for vulnerable infants and toddlers in Pennsylvania. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the voluntary program offers financial support to center-based providers to create additional slots for low-income infants and toddlers in the state’s child care assistance program, Child Care Works (CCW). Read Online
- Dec 01, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Massachusetts: Family Child Care System Contracts Family child care (FCC) is a common type of child care for children under the age of three. The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) contracts with FCC systems to ensure a stable level of access to high-quality family child care throughout the state. Any FCC system in Massachusetts that agrees to provide EEC subsidized early education and care services through its affiliated providers must hold a contract with EEC. FCC systems are significant sources of assistance and support for FCC providers in the state, particularly for those who serve subsidized children. In 2009, more than a quarter (28 percent) of subsidized children in Massachusetts were infants and toddlers, and more than a quarter of subsidized children (28 percent) were cared for in family child care or group child care homes. Read Online
- Oct 07, 2011 | Neil Ridley and David Balducchi Work Sharing: An Alternative to Layoffs - Frequently Asked Questions Economic hard times and continuing high unemployment have spurred interest in a provision in federal unemployment insurance (UI) law that allows states to enact work sharing programs. As the nation's economic recovery remains weak, a growing number of businesses are searching for ways to weather the economic downturn and retain their workforce. Work sharing has become a viable alternative to layoffs in states that have these programs in place. This fact sheet provides answers to frequently asked questions about state work sharing programs. Read Online | Download PDF
- Oct 05, 2011 | Christine Johnson-Staub Arkansas: Developmental Screening Partnership Children develop along a continuum, with milestones reached at ages that vary within an accepted timeframe. Development that does not happen within the expected timeframe can raise concerns about developmental disorders, health conditions, or other factors contributing negatively to the child’s development. Child care providers are often early witnesses to the signs of developmental problems with the children in their care, but they may not have the capacity or training to identify a problem, discuss concerns with families, and guide families in seeking related services. Read Online
- Sep 23, 2011 | Christine Johnson-Staub Rhode Island: Watch Me Grow Child care providers are often early witnesses to the signs of developmental problems that may impact children in their care, but they often lack the capacity or training to identify a problem, discuss concerns with families, and guide families in seeking related services. In Rhode Island, early childhood stakeholders have created and funded a collaborative initiative that helps build that capacity, and better serve children in participating child care programs. Read Online
- Sep 01, 2011 | CPES Unemployment Snapshot For more than two years, the nation's unemployment average has hovered around 9 percent or more, reaching double digits in 2010. Research shows persistently high unemployment has negative long-term social and economic consequences for individuals, families and the nation. If we allow prolonged high levels of joblessness to persist, we risk the deterioration of communities as well as the nation's position as a global economic force. For the short- and long-term health of the nation, federal policymakers must address the jobs crisis with a heightened sense of urgency. Read Online | Download PDF
- Aug 25, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Children from Low-Income Families, by Age CLASP analysis of NCCP and ACS data regarding young children below 200 percent of the poverty level, by age and state. Download PDF
- Aug 25, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Head Start and Early Head Start Funded Enrollment Data, 2007-2010 This chart shows funded enrollment data from 2007-2010 gathered from the annual Head Start PIR. Download PDF
- Aug 25, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Head Start and Early Head Start Participation by Age, 2007-2010 A CLASP analysis of annual Head Start PIR data from years 2007-2010. The data outlines participation in Head Start and Early Head Start by age from 2007-2010. Download PDF
- Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Atlanta The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Atlanta to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
- Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Baltimore The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Baltimore to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
- Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Boston The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Boston to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
- Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Buffalo The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Buffalo to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
- Dec 20, 2011 Early Childhood Updates: Funding and Reauthorization Prospects Audio Conference CLASP's Hannah Matthews alongside representatives from National Women's Law Center (NWLC), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the First Five Years Fund discuss funding for early childhood programs in 2012-2013 as well as reauthorization of CCDBG and ESEA. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Nov 17, 2011 | Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Caring for Babies: How State Child Care Policies Can Support Continuity Quality, stable child care arrangements support the healthy development of infants and toddlers. This presentation from the 2011 NAEYC Annual Conference in Orlando, FL describes how state subsidy policies can support retention of child care subsidies and continuous care for infants and toddlers. Download PDF
- Nov 17, 2011 | Hannah Matthews Integrating Systems: Improving Access to Better Serve Families Families seeking assistance often face multiple, complex needs and that require the services of more than one program. Integrated service systems help to provide a more family-centered, seamless service delivery system, a system that offers a broad continuum of services and tailors these services to the strengths and needs of individual families. This presentation given at the 2011 State and Territory Administrators and the Child Care Policy Research Consortium Joint Meeting in Bethesda, MD looks at how to create an integrated system and the challenges and opportunities of doing so. Download PDF
- Nov 14, 2011 | Stan Dorn How Human Services Programs and Their Clients Can Benefit from National Health Reform Legislation On Jan. 1, 2014, most health care coverage expansions included in the health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), will take effect. The ACA requires each state to use a single integrated, user friendly eligibility process that draws on existing data in real time for eligibility determination, enrollment and retention in both of these programs. This presentation by Stan Dorn on his recent paper for the Coalition for Access and Opportunity, highlights the opportunities to use the ACA to leverage improvements in eligibility systems for human services programs. Read Online | Download PDF
- Oct 20, 2011 | Danielle Ewen What's Missing in Child Care and Early Education in America Millions of families rely on some aspect of America's publicly funded programs for their children as they go to work. Most are looking for a high-quality setting in which their children can learn. Yet, current situations fail too many families. This event, hosted by the New America, examined policy solutions to improve child care and early education. CLASP's Danielle Ewen was a presenter at the event. Read Online
- Sep 16, 2011 Poverty Impact Projections: What Are They and How They Can Make a Difference This audio conference, a state advocate describes how the number has mattered, a state legislator tells why he wants a poverty impact projection attached to bills, and researchers will discuss how states can tailor analysis to their own policies and programs designed to decrease poverty. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Sep 15, 2011 | Christine Johnson-Staub The Relationship Between Licensing and QRIS: Challenges and Opportunities More than half of states currently have child care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) up and running, and more are under development. As states develop these promising systems, they are grappling with several questions around the relationship between child care licensing and the QRIS rating levels, including: defining program eligibility for QRIS participation, setting standards that align with licensing, deciding how licensing fits into QRIS levels, defining the role of licensing staff in rating and monitoring, and developing strategies for supporting programs through technical assistance. This presentation, given at the 2011 NARA Licensing Seminar in Pittsburg, Penn., draws from current state QRIS practices, as well as research conducted by CLASP and NWLC on child care providers' experiences with QRIS across the country. Download PDF
- Aug 05, 2011 Webinar: Closing the Financial Gap for Low-Income Student Parents On July 25, Abby Newcomer, policy analyst with the Workforce Development team, participated in an Institute for Women's Policy Research-hosted webinar, Closing the Financial Gap for Low-Income Student Parents: The Benefits of Integrated Service Delivery on Community College Campuses. The webinar is part of IWPR's Student Parent Success Initiative and co-sponsored by CLASP and Single Stop USA. It highlighted strategies community colleges and their community partners are utilizing to improve access to public benefits for student parents. Download PDF
- Jul 06, 2011 | EVENT RESOURCES The Promise and Challenge of Evidence-Based Policy and Practice On July 6, 2011, CLASP hosted the forum discussion, The Promise and Challenge of Evidence-Based Policy and Practice, featuring two leading research voices: Lisbeth Schorr and Gordon Berlin. This event was the final event in CLASP's 40th anniversary policy series, Policy and Promise for Low-Income People in America. Read Online
- Jun 28, 2011 Flexible Scheduling for Low-wage Workers This national audio conference discusses a new report, Flexible Workplace Solutions for Low-wage Hourly Workers: A Framework for a National Conversation. Read Online | Download Audio
- Jun 27, 2011 | CLASP Youth Policy Team Reconnecting The Disconnected: Leveraging Federal Policy & Local Practice To Expand Education & Labor Market Opportunity For Youth CLASP's youth policy work aims to advance policy and practice that will dramatically improve the education, employment, and life outcomes for youth in communities of high youth distress. Download PDF
- Jun 24, 2011 Spotlight on Poverty Audio Conference: Rep. Paul Ryan Discusses Latest Budget Developments This national audio conference was sponsored by CLASP-managed Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity: The Source for News, Ideas, and Action and featured Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) discussing the latest budget developments in Congress. Read Online | Download Audio
- Jun 21, 2011 Congressional Briefing on the Youth Unemployment Crisis sponsored by the ADA Education Fund Download File
- Jun 07, 2011 | EVENT RESOURCES Giving Credit Where Credit is Due Webinar Resources On June 7 CLASP hosted a webinar discussing the policy recommendations presented in the report Giving Credit Where Credit is Due. The webinar also highlighted innovative work to strengthen educational and workforce credentials and create a bridge between credit and noncredit learning. Read Online | Download PDF
- Jun 01, 2011 | Christine Johnson-Staub Leveraging Existing Fundings Sources to Support EHS-like Services This presentation, given at the April 2011 Zero To Three state action team meeting in Portland, Oregon, describes opportunities and considerations for states that are exploring using a variety of federal funding streams to finance comprehensive services for infants and toddlers. Download PDF
- May 24, 2011 | CLASP Student Success Stories from the Shifting Gears Initiative This map links to testimonials from students and staff about how programs developed under the Shifting Gears initiative have enabled adults to access postsecondary education, upgrade their skills, and obtain better family-sustaining jobs. To learn more about the policies that each state is pursuing under the initiative, visit the Shifting Gears web site. Read Online
- May 18, 2011 The Economic and Social Impacts of a National Family Leave Insurance Program This audio conference discussed the economic and social impacts of one proposal for a national family leave insurance program, Family Security Insurance. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- May 11, 2011 | Danielle Ewen and Stephanie Schmit Extending Home Visiting Programs to Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers and Family Child Care Providers This presentation from the 2011 National Smart Start Conference provides information on two national CLASP research-based models and highlights current models for providing home visits with family child care providers and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers. Download PDF
- May 10, 2011 The U.S. Budget and Low-Income Families: Rep. Jan Schakowsky's Inside View In this audio conference cosponsored by Spotlight on Poverty and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) offered an insider's perspective on the latest budget developments as Congress debates funding for FY 2012. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- May 10, 2011 | Hannah Matthews Young Children of Immigrants and The Changing Landscape for Early Education This presentation from the 2011 National Smart Start Conference describes how state child care and early education policies can better address the needs of children of immigrants and their families. Download PDF
- Nov 30, 2010 | Linda Harris Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success for Low Income Young Men of Color: A Community Intervention Strategy Building postsecondary pathways to good jobs for low-income young men of color will require stretching the paradigms of our secondary, postsecondary, workforce, and adult education systems, as well as greater collaboration among these systems. Aligning systems and programming across funding streams, building partnerships, and creating new pathways are complex endeavors. But there are many innovative approaches that have shown promise and can be implemented and taken to scale. Download PDF
- Nov 30, 2010 | Linda Harris & Amy Ellen Duke-Benfiled Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success for Low-Income Young Men of Color Linda Harris, director of youth policy, and Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, senior policy analyst, co-authored a chapter in the recently published book Changing Places: How Communities Will Improve the Health of Boys of Color. The book "draws attention to the urgent need--both economic and moral--to better understand the policy and community-based factors that serve as opportunities or barriers for young men and boys of color as they make critical life decisions." Ms. Harris and Ms. Duke-Benfield's chapter examines why it is essential to invest access to postsecondary education opportunities for young men of color. Download PDF
- Nov 15, 2010 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Paid Sick Leave in the United States This issue of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Program Perspectives takes a closer look at paid sick leave benefits, including both the percentage of employees with access to paid sick leave benefits and employer costs for sick leave. Download PDF
- Oct 25, 2010 | Melissa Boteach and Jodie Levin-Epstein Battling Poverty in the Golden State: Recommendations for the California Statewide Poverty Commission This brief offers best practices and strategies learned from other state poverty commissions in advance of California's statewide symposium on poverty. Despite times of economic distress and deep budget, California is the latest state to undertake a comprehensive plan to reduce poverty. It's exactly during these times that states must convene stakeholders to stop the bleeding and provide a vision to move forward. Download PDF
- Aug 17, 2010 | Linda Harris Recommendations for WIA Reauthorization: Title I Youth Provisions Download PDF
- Jan 08, 2010 | Dorothy Smith Poverty and Opportunity - State Poverty Task Force Recommendations Around the nation, a growing number of state governments have established task forces or commissions to develop new strategies and recommendations for tackling poverty and providing opportunity. Download PDF
- Nov 18, 2009 | Julie Strawn Ideas From the Other Washington Read Online
- Sep 08, 2009 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Increasing Low-Income Access to Opportunity This article, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, focuses on the New England region's efforts to give visibility to poverty and opportunity through task force initiatives, summits, and state poverty targets. Download PDF
- Sep 03, 2009 | Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt & Linda Harris Community-wide Systems That Promote High School Completion Youth develop across multiple domains that are relevant to academic success. While schools focus primarily on cognitive development, many of the supports young people receive in other developmental areas come from community-based out-of-school programming. Stimulation of development in these additional key areas builds skills that support connections to school and achievement. This article explores the need for a community-wide approach to support dropout prevention for struggling youth and re-engagement of disconnected youth. Read Online
- Apr 24, 2009 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Mark Greenberg Single Mothers in the Era of Welfare Reform The 1990s welfare reform and expansion of work supports caused an historic increase in the share of single mothers who were working. This chapter examines the policy changes of the 1990s and since along with the subsequent employment and earnings outcomes for single mothers. It considers how the policy changes affected both employment levels and job quality and discusses implications for next steps for federal and state policies. This chapter is from the 2009 LERA Research Volume, The Gloves-off Economy: Workplace Standards at the Bottom of America's Labor Market, A. Bernhardt, H. Boushey, L. Dresser, and C. Tilly, eds., Champaign IL: Labor and Employment Relations Association, pp. 163--190. Copyright 2008 by the Labor and Employment Relations Association; Champaign, IL. Reprinted with permission. The volume is available through Cornell University Press. Download PDF
- Jul 20, 2007 | Linda Harris The Tragic Loss of the Summer Jobs Program: Why it is Time to Reinstate! For more than three decades, the federal summer jobs program provided early work exposure for youth, including more than half a million low-income youth each year in the late 1990s--until the program came to an end with the implementation of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. In light of the peril and the disparities in education and labor market outcomes facing youth in high-poverty communities, there are compelling reasons for re-instituting the federal investment in summer jobs. This article originally appeared in Focus magazine, a publication of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Download PDF
- Apr 03, 2006 | Mark Greenberg and Jared Bernstein (EPI) A Plan to End Child Poverty: Britain's Initiative Has Helped 700,000 Kids. Why Don't We Have a Goal, Too? In an April 3, 2006 editorial printed in the Washington Post, CLASP's Mark Greenberg and Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute examine the "heartening bad news" out of Britain: that the number of children in poverty dropped by "only" about 17 percent (some 700,000 children) in the past five years. Read Online
- Dec 28, 2004 | Ron Haskins, Mark Greenberg, and Shawn Fremstad Federal Policy for Immigrant Children: Room for Common Ground? This policy brief, part of the Future of Children Policy Brief Series by the Brookings Institution, offers differing views from its authors on how to improve the well-being of children in immigrant families in the United States. Haskins emphasizes the need to tie public benefits for immigrant families to work through such policies as education and training and the earned income tax credit for families with children. While Greenberg and Fremstad argue that noncitizen families should have the same eligibility for public assistance as citizen families and support greater financial aid for early childhood education and other forms of schooling. Read Online
- Oct 07, 2004 | Mark Greenberg and Hedieh Rahmanou Looking to the Future: A Commentary on Children of Immigrant Families This article, printed in Fall 2004 issue of The Future of Children, a publication of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, responds to the question: "How should policymakers, advocates, stakeholders, and practitioners respond strategically and proactively to demographic change and increasing diversity in order to promote the healthy development, productivity, and well-being of our nation's children into the future?" The entire journal issue is devoted to children of immigrant families and is available at www.futureofchildren.org. Download PDF
- Sep 14, 2004 | Steve Savner and Jared Bernstein Can Better Skills Meet Better Jobs? This article, from the September 2004 issue of American Prospect, exhorts supply-side and demand-side advocates to form a complementary agenda to meet both sides' needs. The authors suggest not only providing more access to quality job training but then also creating the jobs when they don't already exist. Read Online
- Sep 14, 2004 | Mark Greenberg Welfare Reform, Phase Two This article, from the September 2004 issue of American Prospect, discusses the welfare reform law from 1996, how it has played out as a policy, and what still needs to be done in reauthorization of the law. The author suggests that the reathorization support and reward work--and end poverty as we still know it. Read Online
- Feb 03, 2012 | Stephanie Schmit and Danielle Ewen Putting Children and Families First: Head Start Programs in 2010 This policy brief examines the latest data from the Program Information Peports (PIR) that all Head Start programs must submit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2010, Head Start served more participants than the previous year. PIR data show that Head Start is continuing to provide critical services for poor children and their families. Families continued to seek Head Start services at a high rate and nearly all children had health insurance at the end of the program year. Challenges still exist as teachers' salaries remain stagnant and the number of teachers with degrees decreased from 2009 to 2010. Download PDF
- Jan 18, 2012 | Child Care and Early Education A Tool Using Data to Inform a State Early Childhood Agenda This tool is intended for state advocates and policymakers to use as they work to develop a state early childhood agenda. It includes a series of key questions to understand the context and conditions of young children, birth to six, in the state. Where possible, we also include infant/toddler specific questions. Questions include data on demographics and program participation (such as health and nutrition programs), as well as the details of child care and early education settings in the state. Users can download and save a copy of this tool, fill in their state’s data, and compare to national data points (which are provided where appropriate). Read Online | Download File
- Jan 10, 2012 | Child Care and Early Education Early Childhood Education Update - January 2012 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide techincal assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Dec 09, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Early Childhood Education Update - December 2011 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide techincal assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Nov 10, 2011 | Marcie Foster The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (H.R. 2226) The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (AEEGA) was introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2011 by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15). The bill (H.R. 2226) would amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to encourage the use and availability of career pathways for low-skilled adults, strengthen the focus of adult education on postsecondary and career success, increase the number of adult education students receiving marketable postsecondary credentials, and modernize the adult education system to meet the needs of 21st century jobs. Although AEEGA could substantially improve WIA - particularly the Title II provisions that govern adult education - it could be strengthened by incorporating stronger provisions that promote better alignment between WIA Titles I and II, including a shared system of accountability. Download PDF
- Nov 08, 2011 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Big Ideas for Job Creation: Rethinking Work Opportunity - From Tax Credits to Subsidized Job Placements This paper is part of the Big Ideas for Job Creation in a Jobless Recovery project, which includes proposals from more than a dozen leading experts on practical, scalable proposals to create more jobs for the U.S. economy. CLASP Senior Policy Analyst Elizabeth Lower-Basch recommends that deeper, more targeted subsidies administered at the state level are an effective way to encourage employers to hire disadvantaged workers and create jobs. There are federal subsidies such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) currently in place to encourage hiring of disadvantaged workers, but in contrast, they often provide large windfalls to employers in low-wage, high-turnover industries without creating any net new jobs or changing who they hire. Download PDF
- Nov 07, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Early Childhood Education Update - November 2011 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide techincal assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Oct 31, 2011 | Stan Dorn How Human Services Programs and Their Clients Can Benefit from National Health Reform Legislation On Jan. 1, 2014, most health care coverage expansions included in the health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), will take effect. The ACA requires each state to use a single integrated, user friendly eligibility process that draws on existing data in real time for eligibility determination, enrollment and retention in both of these programs. This paper, written by Stan Dorn for the Coalition for Access and Opportunity, highlights the opportunities to use the ACA to leverage improvements in eligibility systems for human services programs. Download PDF
- Oct 06, 2011 | Child Care & Early Education Early Childhood Education Update - October 2011 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide technical assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Oct 05, 2011 | Hannah Matthews Meeting the Early Learning Challenge: Supporting English Language Learners CLASP's "Meeting the Early Learning Challenge" series provides information and policy options for states as they develop their applications for the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge. Download PDF
- Oct 04, 2011 | CLASP & CEPR How Much Does Employee Turnover Really Cost? CLASP and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) have released a turnover calculator, a dynamic new tool that allows employers to calculate how much turnover costs in just 10 questions. Employee turnover costs businesses millions each year, but many employers don't realize exactly how much it's costing their company. Workplace policies that support workers such as paid sick days and paid family leave can help employers reduce turnover and improve their bottom line. Read Online
- Oct 03, 2011 | Christine Johnson-Staub Meeting the Early Learning Challenge: A Checklist for a High Quality QRIS CLASP's "Meeting the Early Learning Challenge" series provides information and policy options for states as they develop their applications for the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge. Read Online | Download PDF
- Sep 21, 2011 | CLASP American Jobs Act: New Work and Learning Opportunities for Low-Income, Unemployed Adults and Youth This CLASP analysis of the American Jobs Act examines provisions specifically aimed at those workers most affected by the recession as well as those struggling even before the economy turned sour. In particular, it looks at the $5 billion Pathways Back to Work Fund, which includes three elements that would create work and learning opportunities for thousands of disadvantaged individuals across the country. Download PDF
- Sep 19, 2011 | Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen Meeting the Early Learning Challenge: Better Child Care Subsidy Policies CLASP's "Meeting the Early Learning Challenge" series provides information and policy options for states as they develop their applications for the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge. Read Online | Download PDF
- Aug 23, 2011 At the Forefront: Poverty Impact Projections A Poverty Impact Projection (PIP) is an emerging tool that asks and answers the question at the forefront of the policy process such as, "If we pursue this policy, how much should it increase or decrease poverty?" This new report examines states where PIPs have been considered and offers thoughts about structuring PIPs. Download PDF
- Aug 23, 2011 | Julie Strawn Farther, Faster: Six Promising Programs Show How Career Pathway Bridges Help Basic Skills Students Earn Credentials That Matter Students forced to complete a long sequence of remedial or English language classes before they can begin their postsecondary program rarely earn college certificates or degrees. This brief highlights six promising programs that show how career pathway bridges help lower-skilled students move farther and faster along college and career paths through dual enrollment in linked basic skills and occupational certificate courses. Because creating such bridges requires collaboration across college silos, they can also transform the way colleges operate. Download PDF
- Aug 04, 2011 | CLASP Deficit Reduction: Plans to Reduce the Nation's Deficit Should Protect the Disadvantaged (August Update) From the beginning, we've known that reducing the deficit would require tough choices about how the nation invests its financial resources. But it also requires answering moral and philosophical questions about the kind of nation we want to be now and in the future. Today, one in seven of us is poor, including one in four children under age five, and nearly one-third of us are low-income. In the last three decades, the income gap between rich and poor has widened. Unemployment has hovered around 9 percent or higher for the last two and a half years and economists project it will remain high in the foreseeable future. Cutting programs that promote opportunity and alleviate poverty while leaving tax breaks for the wealthiest and corporate tax loopholes untouched is anathema to the nation's shared core values and detrimental to its future. Read Online | Download PDF
- Jul 28, 2011 Colorado Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force Part of the Poverty and Opportunity: What Difference Can a Task Force Make? series, this brief profiles Colorado's Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force and its impact on the state. Download PDF
- Jul 28, 2011 Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty Part of the Poverty and Opportunity: What Difference Can a Task Force Make? series, this brief profiles the Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty and its impact on the state. Download PDF
- Jul 28, 2011 Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 Part of the Poverty and Opportunity: What Difference Can a Task Force Make? series, this brief profiles the Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 and its impact on the state. Download PDF
- Jan 27, 2012 | CLASP Comments on the Department of Education's Strategic Plan FY2011 - 2014 In January 2012, CLASP provided comments on the Department of Education's Strategic Plan for FY 2011 - 2014. CLASP applauded the Department for putting forth a strategic plan that raises expectations for our nation's education system at all levels and moves the country toward meeting the goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Download PDF
- Jan 03, 2012 | Christine Johnson-Staub CLASP Encourages Reversal of Medicare Ruling on Developmental Screening These comments were submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services in response to a final rule that removes developmental screenings from the Medicare fee schedule. CLASP urges the ruling be reversed and that developmental screenings not be removed from the Medicare fee schedule. Many states align Medicare, Medicaid and private pay fee policies, and removal of developmental screening from the fee schedule may result in the same critical service not being covered under state Medicaid policies. Download PDF
- Oct 03, 2011 | Vickie Choitz and Julie Strawn CLASP Testimony for the Record on Nontraditional Students On Sept. 30, 2011, the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance held a hearing on higher education regulations and nontraditional students. CLASP submitted comments focusing on the primary barriers to access and persistence for nontraditional students and promising strategies and policies and the role of the federal government in helping nontraditional students in overcoming the barriers. Download PDF
- Sep 22, 2011 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Improving Work and Other Welfare Reform Goals On September 8, the Human Resources Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on TANF, in preparation for the pending reauthorization of the block grant. CLASP submitted this testimony for the record. Download PDF
- Aug 26, 2011 | Marcie Foster and Vickie Choitz Comments on Model Financial Aid Offer Form The Department of Education requested comments on recommendations for improving the model financial aid offer form as required by the Higher Education Act. CLASP recommends that these letters should provide direct and transparent information that will help the student make informed enrollment and financial decisions. They should also serve as an educational tool that helps students better understand the true costs of college and develop a plan for funding their education. Download PDF
- Jul 27, 2011 | Rutledge Q. Hutson and Tiffany Conway Perrin Testimony for the Record on Hearing on Child Deaths due to Maltreatment This testimony was submitted to the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Human Resources in response to the July 12, 2011 Hearing on Child Deaths due to Maltreatment. CLASP encourages steady work towards comprehensive child welfare financing reform in order to reduce child fatalities and all child maltreatment. Download PDF
- Jul 12, 2011 | CLASP AND OTHER NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Comments on Selection Criteria CLASP wrote and submitted comments with other national organizations to the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services on the draft Early Learning Challenge proposal. Download PDF
- Jul 05, 2011 CLASP Comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on SNAP Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions These comments, submitted to the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), were in response to a request for public comment on SNAP Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions. CLASP's recommendations are intended to help FNS implement provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA) of 2008, Pub. L. 110-246. The recommendations focused on four main areas: the dependent care deduction, access to benefits, transitional benefits, and employment and training services. Download PDF
- Jun 03, 2011 | CLASP and other national organizations Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Comments to Administration These comments were sent to the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services as recommendations for designing the Early Learning Challenge. Download PDF
- May 23, 2011 | Beth Davis-Pratt, Hannah Matthews, and Heath Prince CLASP Comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Family Educational Rights and Privacy These comments, submitted to the Department of Education, were in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Family Educational Rights and Privacy. CLASP's comments commend the Department for proposing changes to FERPA regulations that appear to greatly facilitate the sharing of data across systems and clarifying earlier interpretations of FERPA that created barriers to using education data for evaluation and research purposes. CLASP asks for clarification on the definitions proposed to better understand what agencies will be allowed to access the data and for what purposes. CLASP also encourages the Department to consider making important changes to facilitate data sharing at the individual level between child welfare and education agencies to improve outcomes for children in foster care. Download PDF
- May 23, 2011 | Marcie Foster Public Comments on Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education CLASP provided comments on the proposed revisions to the National Reporting System, as outlined in the March 22, 2011 Federal Register (FR Docket ID: 2011-6717). Download PDF
- May 20, 2011 | Rutledge Q. Hutson CLASP Comments on Federal Monitoring of Child and Family Service These comments, submitted to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), were submitted in response to a request for public comment on Federal monitoring of Child and Family Service Programs through the Child and Family Service Review (CFSR). CLASP's recommendations are intended to help ACF modify the CFSR process in ways that balance accountability and continuous quality improvement. Download PDF
- May 11, 2011 | Evelyn Ganzglass Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training on Removing Inefficiencies in the Nation's Job Training Programs In May 2011, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training to the Committee on Education Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing on removing inefficiencies in the nation's job training programs. Evelyn Ganzglass, Director of Workforce Development at CLASP testified before the committee on the steps Congress should take to create a more coherent and effective workforce system. Download PDF
- May 09, 2011 | Beth Davis-Pratt and Rutledge Q. Hutson CLASP Comments on American Community Survey Kinship care means different things to different people and organizations. Most broadly, it can be used to define any care provided by grandparents or other relatives. More narrowly, in using this term to talk about grandparents and other relatives raising children in kinship care, it is often thought of as only those families in which the grandparent or other relative has taken over primary responsibility for most of the basic needs of the child (such as feeding, clothing, providing shelter, and meeting the child's health, educational, and emotional needs) on a daily basis without either of the child's parents present in the household. Not surprisingly, the needs of different types of kinship families vary greatly. In these comments to the Census Bureau, CLASP makes a number of recommendations to strengthen the data collected in the American Community Survey to provide a better estimate of the number and types of kinship families in the United States. Download PDF
- Apr 19, 2011 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony for the Record on GAO Report on Duplication of Government Programs, Focus on Welfare and Related Programs In April 2011, the Subcommittee on Human Resources to the Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing on Duplication of Government Programs with a focus on welfare and related programs. CLASP's testimony for the record focuses on how the programs should be coordinated into a system of benefits that is easy to access, unstigmatized, responsive to economic hardship, open to all, and fully funded. Education and training are drivers of economic mobility and opportunity, and low-wage workers and low-income individuals need access to them to enter and advance in the labor market. Download PDF
- Mar 17, 2011 | Vickie Choitz Risky Business: Helping Low-Income Adult Students Minimize College Financial Risk and Maximize Success These comments were shared with the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance's spring hearing on the congressionally mandated net price calculators and the barriers to access and persistence faced by non-traditional students. CLASP public comments focused on Session II: Nontraditional Students - Barriers to Access and Persistence, recommending that the federal government maintain a fervent commitment to grant aid for these students; provide more student support services tied to student aid; and hold higher education institutions accountable for results to lower-income, lower-skilled non-traditional students. Download PDF
- Mar 14, 2011 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony Before House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources CLASP senior policy analyst, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, testified during the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources Hearing on Use of Data Matching to Improve Customer Service, Program Integrity, and Taxpayer Savings. CLASP shares the concern with reducing error rates and fraud to save taxpayer funds, preserve funding for those who are truly eligible for programs, and protect public support for programs. Data matching can reduce administrative costs by sharing information collected by one program with another, and reducing the number of visits that customers must make to various offices. This also improves customer service, and reduces the time that applicants must take away from work or other responsibilities. Read Online | Download PDF
- Jan 24, 2011 | Kisha Bird (Campaign for Youth) Input for a Strategic Plan for Federal Youth Policy: Comments to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The Campaign for Youth believe's a Strategic Plan for Federal Youth Policy must effectively support the outcomes of youth living in communities of high youth distress, youth of color, and those disconnected from the mainstream. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to ensuring the needs of disconnected and high needs youth are adequately addressed. Download PDF
- Dec 20, 2010 | Danielle Ewen Comments on Notice of Proposed Rule Making on Head Start Designation Renewal System CLASP submitted comments on the proposed regulations to implement the statutory provisions of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 published September 22, 2010, at 75 Fed. Reg. 57704. Download PDF
- Nov 15, 2010 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch CLASP Testimony on DC Time Limits Proposal Download PDF