Describes ongoing efforts in Arizona to use the findings from a leavers' study to identify and remove barriers to self-sufficiency. Provides examples of changes in case-closing policies and in Medicaid and food stamp eligibility resulting from study findings. (Author/SLD)

Considers the impact of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and Virginia's initiative for welfare reform on poor families with disabilities. Suggests accommodations are necessary for fair implementation of the reforms. (SK)

North Carolina attempted to reform its welfare system to remove disincentives to work and encourage intact families and savings. Issues raised were funding incentives dramatically increase short-term program spending; amount and kinds of jobs available for welfare recipients are uncertain; and limits on long-term support beg the question of what…

Evaluation of Washington's Family Independence Program (1988-1993), designed to increase self-sufficiency of welfare recipients, shows that employment was lower and welfare participation higher than under Aid to Families with Dependent Children and there was little increase in education and training participation. The program apparently made…

Describes the impact of Wisconsin Works (W-2), a work-first welfare reform effort that has created significant welfare enrollment reduction. While critics claimed it would devastate inner cities, poor families are faring better. W-2 built on diversion and incentives, opening up welfare administration to competition. Despite many successes, W-2 has…

Provides an overview of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) legislation and describes features of state TANF programs that are relevant for appreciating the need for evaluation and interpreting evaluations. Also describes some features of the "culture" of local welfare offices. (Author/SLD)

Highlights program strategies to support families as they adjust to changes in welfare policy. Core strategies noted include using early childhood programs as a resource, adapting early childhood programs to better meet family needs, promoting access to high-quality child care, linking early childhood programs and welfare agencies, and creating…

A 3-year study of welfare reform in Ohio's 29 Appalachian counties surveyed human services agencies, county commissioners, poor families, and employers and found that rural barriers to employment included lack of jobs, lack of child care, poor health, lack of education and job skills, and transportation problems. Many former welfare recipients…

Summarizes themes of welfare reform in America and policy shifts that have resulted in the introduction of state-focused workfare programs. (MW)

Rigorous evaluations of welfare-to-work programs have had a major impact on the formation of policy in the area of welfare reform, but it is not clear whether the high level of evaluation, especially with regard to randomized experiments, and impact can continue. Evaluators must strive for research methodologies that provide results for policy…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 establishes mandatory work requirements. This review article describes the child care provisions of the welfare reform act, addressing some of the issues related to these provisions and highlighting selected state initiatives in this area. (Author)

Discusses the history of welfare reform and the different approaches used in several states. Describes multiple models that have emerged in community colleges, including short-term training programs, open entry/exit programs or alternative entry dates, classes offered at unconventional times, company-specific programs, case-management strategies,…

Used survey (for 1,001 adults) and administrative data (for 137,330 first-exit cases) in structural equation modeling to examine psychological and social factors as determinants of welfare dependency and self-sufficiency. Findings show well-being to be a predictor of low recidivism and high employment. (SLD)

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) is unsatisfactory: it is biased against the poor, and allows the government to control the poor. Evaluates Massachusetts' Employment and Training (ET) program, and New Jersey's Realizing Economic Achievement (REACH) program. Offers recommendations for REACH and for an improved Federal welfare program.…

Presents interim findings from an impact analysis of Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting (LEAP) Program. LEAP is a statewide program designed to encourage school attendance among pregnant and parenting teens on welfare. Suggests that LEAP has succeeded in its primary short-term goal of increasing the school enrollment and attendance of teen…