Family & Children: New America Events

Trends in the Well Being of Younger Children

Communications — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/25/2008 - 10:00am

How are the kids doing? Pretty well, according to a new report unveiled at the New America Foundation on April 25th, but experts still have significant concerns about the future. The report, "Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006," was authored by Dr. Kenneth Land of Duke University and funded by the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) and is part of an on-going series of events and reports hosted by the New America Foundation designed to raise awareness about the status of children in the United States and spur meaningful action to improve their quality of life. The CWI seeks to measure the well-being of the “whole child,” using seven different quality-of-life indicators: economic well-being, social relationships, health, safety and behavior, education, community connectedness, and emotional/spiritual well-being. This Special Focus Report investigated trends in well-being along three distinct periods in children’s lives: infancy/early childhood, middle childhood (ages 6-11) and adolescence during the years 1994 – 2006. Fasaha Traylor of the Foundation for Childhood Development said that the groundbreaking work of the Child Well-Being Index Project is “fundamental to the nation’s well being.”

Dr. Land, the CWI Project coordinator, said the data reveals good news on several fronts: child mortality rates are down since 1994, as are the numbers of children with elevated lead levels in their blood and the number of mothers who smoke during pregnancy. More kids are enrolled in full-day kindergarten, which may contribute to the better performance of 9 year olds on reading tests. More kids are participating in extra-curricular activities, especially school-related lessons. Children overall are safer and fewer report that they fear being attacked while in school or on their way to and from school.

Amid the good news, however, there are some red flags. The study shows a 12.3 percent increase in the number of low birth weight babies. The number of children and toddlers who are overweight is up sharply, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Sara Mead, senior fellow in the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation, added that while number of children in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs has grown impressively since 1994, the overall preschool enrollment has decreased slightly. She added that difficult economic circumstances, which affect children’s families directly, can also put pressure on states’ fiscally strained early childhood programs.

Public opinion polls show overwhelming support for federal and state policies that promote child well being, but most child-focused programs at the federal level have seen declining programmatic funds in recent, said Bruce Lesley of First Focus. Mr. Lesley quoted heavily from a new report recently released by First Focus called “Children’s Budget 2008.” Valerie Kaufmann, who directs early childhood programs for the Maryland State Department of Education, described the programs Maryland developed in recent years to successfully boost infant health and school readiness. Lauren Ratner, who oversees Family and Community Health for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, gave a broader view of the inter-agency efforts underway at the state level to improve child health and academic performance. Ms. Ratner highlighted a variety of policy options available to and used by state legislatures and health officials to combat child health risks, such as those highlighted in the report.

Dr. Land closed the event with a note of caution. Just as the CWI indicators dropped during the 2001 economic downturn, he expects that they will decrease again in 2007 and 2008, as economic hardship once again puts pressure on families and the well-being of America’s youngest citizens.

-Christina Satkowski, Research Associate for Education Policy

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Child Well-Being

Communications — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:30:00 -0500

A New America Event
01/29/2008 - 10:30am

Parents and policy makers have long looked to close the educational, health, economic and other gaps in child well-being between children of different backgrounds. As the 2008 campaign heats up, many are wondering about the increasingly diverse generation of America’s children and asking: Where is policy helping and failing to close the gaps between children of different backgrounds? Where do the gaps currently exist? What changes could have the greatest impact?

On January 29th, we released a report detailing some surprising results about the true state of the disparities between children. This new report is the first to analyze trends in the well-being of black, Hispanic, and white children over a nearly two-decade span.

At the New America event, hosted by the Workforce and Family Program, Dr. Donald Hernandez of the University of Albany presented the results of his new study. Among the key findings:

Black, Hispanic, and white children experienced overall improvements in the quality of life.
Both black children and Hispanic children were advantaged compared to white children in the emotional/spiritual well-being domain.
Black and Hispanic children also benefited from advances in the safety-behavioral domain, including reduced cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, and use of illicit drugs.
Gaps in family economic well-being narrowed for both black and Hispanic children as parental employment and health insurance coverage increased.

According to Dr. Hernandez’ research, gaps in the well-being of our children are not intractable. Pending the pace of progress, racial and ethnic gaps in child well-being could be closed in as little as 18 years, in more than 50 years, or not at all. Dr. Hernandez used this finding to emphasize that progress is in no way guaranteed, and that the well-being of children must remain an issue at the fore of our consciousness.

Following the presentation of the report, Rev. David Gray moderated a distinguished panel of experts in a discussion that explored the survey results and implications.

Ms. Melissa Pardue, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave an in-depth overview of the child-focused programs run by HHS. She focused specifically on the TANF program and the changes in child well-being since the enactment of welfare reform legislation. Other areas where she cited progress include the increasing number of children served in Head Start since the mid-1990’s and the large increase in State-funded pre-Kindergarten programs. Ms. Pardue also expressed the Department’s pleasure at the continuing drop in teen birth rates since the early 1990’s and improvements in the Child Welfare system, including an increase in the adoption rate for Hispanic children in foster care.

Ms. Miriam Calderon, Associate Director of the Policy Analysis Center at the National Council of La Raza emphasized the growing population of Hispanic and black children, noting that America will become a “majority minority” country in the future. A major issue for all children is the potential for economic downturn, as many issues of child well-being are clearly related to family economic status. In addition, Ms. Calderon pointed out NCLR’s commitment to working on issues of immigration, including the challenges faced by citizen children with non-citizen parents. A looming issue for many children whose parents do not speak English is the coming reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and its programs directed at English Language-Learners.

Dr. Joseph Youngblood, Director of the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State College brought a state-wide perspective to the discussion, focused on New Jersey, one of the most populous and diverse states in the nation. Dr. Youngblood talked about a vision of education and services for children that is multi-generational, multi-institutional, and focused on the whole family. He emphasized the need to raise expectations and create the conditions necessary for success in the educational field. Through his experience with the Abbott districts and education in general in New Jersey, Dr. Youngblood talked about the need for teachers to be both of high quality and possessing of cultural competencies that will allow them to effectively reach and teach their students. He also emphasized the need for federal policy to be effectively communicated to and connected with local decision-making units, especially mayors, as they control many of the levers of power needed to create positive change at the local level.

Julia Isaacs, Child and Family Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution presented results from her recent study on economic mobility across generations of Americans. Her findings show that, in general, two of three Americans do better economically than their parents. However, much of this growth in recent decades has been due to women entering the workforce, and that these gains have generally not manifested themselves among African-Americans. Ms. Isaacs entire study is available at the Brookings Institution’s website. As a policy matter, Ms. Isaacs highlighted the importance of high-quality pre-Kindergarten and education generally.

The presentations of the panelists were followed by a lively question and answer session with the audience that covered a wide variety of topics and engendered some excellent discussions among the panelists. To view this discussion, please click on the video at right.

The Politics of Parental Leave

Communications — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:30:00 -0500

A New America Event
11/15/2007 - 12:30pm

U.S. political candidates are beginning to produce work and family policy positions in response to what most Americans feel -- that work and family balance is a major issue facing American families. Women in particular struggle with such balance and with achieving equality in the workplace. From the floors of Congress to the campaign trails Mandating paid parental leave has often been suggested as a possible solution to such struggles. But is this approach best for women as a whole?

To further this debate, Rev. David Gray, director of the Work Force and Family Program at New America Foundation welcomed Dr. Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council for a timely discussion of the politics of parental leave.

Dr. Yoest presented research from her time as the Project Director of the Family, Gender, and Tenure research project at the University of Virginia, which focused on the effectiveness of paid parental leave in academia.

For Dr. Yoest, academia was “crucial case,” to assess whether paid parental leave could really level the playing field for women. “If there’s going to be any place in America where you’d expect paid leave to work, it would be in academia,” she said.

Dr. Yoest’s research centered on a survey of assistant professors with children under the age of two in tenure track positions at universities that offered paid leave policies. Her results questioned several of the traditional assumptions about paid parental leave.

Universities with paid parental leave policies did not have higher levels of female faculty and that paid parental leave policies were not associated with higher rates of promotion for women to more senior faculty positions.

In fact, Dr. Yoest argued paid leave policies may have been detrimental to leveling the playing field. The majority of leave-taking women felt they had less-time for research and writing when they returned and were more likely than their non-leave taking peers to consider dropping off the tenure track. The majority of leave-takers felt such policies made almost no difference in their efforts to receive tenure and some suggested there was a stigma associated with taking a paid leave.

Based on these findings, Dr. Yoest concluded that, “Paid leave may operate as a political fig leaf. The institutional results indicate that the policy by itself does not result in higher levels of achievement for women, making the use of political capital to establish the policy, a poor investment.”

Dr. Yoest’s provocative presentation was followed by lively round of question and answers.

-Paul Testa, Research Associate to the Health Policy Program

Obesity and Child Well Being

Communications — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:45:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/04/2007 - 10:45am

There is no greater problem facing America’s children than the epidemic of overweight and obesity. The Foundation for Child Development’s Child Well Being Index has concluded that the increase is obesity and overweight among children since 1975 has decreased the overall well being of children by more than 30%.

Researchers at the Center for Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health released a study this summer predicting that unless behaviors change, by 2015, 75% of adults and nearly 24% of children and adolescents in the United States will be overweight or obese. This could result in serious health, family and fiscal consequences for our nation.

What is causing this epidemic? What are its implications? What should America do about it?

This New America event, held in conjunction with the Foundation for Child Development and the offices of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), featured a discussion of obesity and child well-being, and the communities that are most impacted. Panelists discussed the role of government and explored innovative programs at the state and local levels that are making a difference.

Video of the event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below.

The Missing Class

Communications — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/01/2007 - 12:30pm

There is an increase in national attention being paid to inequality in America. While U.S. government programs help the poor and politicians on both sides raise funds from the fortunate, the “Missing Class,” those making between $20,000 to $40,000 dollars a year for a family of four, is largely ignored.

Through their experiences with nine families, Princeton professor Katherine Newman and Inthefray magazine editor Victor Tan Chen trace the unique challenges faced by this growing demographic in their new book, The Missing Class. Newman and Chen explain where these families come from, how they’ve struggled and why they are stuck in the fraying safety net.

The New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative and Workforce and Family Program hosted this discussion with Katherine Newman, Victor Tan Chen and David Gray on the lives, stories and policies that impact the 54 million Americans -- including 21 percent of the nation’s children -- who might be considered the "missing class," and what this says about inequality and the American dream. Video of the event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording is available below.

The Next Social Contract Initiative aims to reinvent American social policy for the twenty-first century. Through a program of research and public education, the initiative will explore the origins of our modern social contract, articulate the guiding principles for constructing a new contract, and advance a set of promising policy reforms.

The Stress of Balancing Work and Family

Communications — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/19/2007 - 12:00pm

Americans know from their own lives the stress of balancing work and family obligations. Extensive rhetoric from the media and academic worlds is difficult to disentangle, sometimes pointing to seemingly different conclusions regarding the state of work and family balance, the time parents are spending with their children, and the impacts such conflicts have on individual and family health.

The New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative and Workforce and Family Program seek to cut through the rhetoric with an analysis of the research through their paper, “The Stress of Balancing Work and Family: Impacts on Parent and Child Health.” At this event, Kelleen Kaye and David Gray discussed where the research leads us in examining the stress of work and family conflict.

Kelleen Kaye is an analyst and policy expert on family structure and family relationships as they relate to child, youth, and parental well-being. Video of the event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below.

Child Well-Being in America and Abroad

Communications — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:59:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/17/2007 - 10:30am

The Foundation for Child Development Child Well-Being Index (CWI) provides a research-based look at the status of children in the United States over the last 30 years. Now, for the first time, the CWI examines the status of American children in relation to that of children in other countries. The CWI uses English-speaking democracies with strong market-based systems to provide a more meaningful “apples to apples” portrait of the relative well-being of American children. The study contrasts the well-being of children in the United States with that of children in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

At the New America event, hosted by the Workforce and Family Program, Duke University researcher Dr. Kenneth Land presented the results of this new international comparison. Among the key findings:

The percent of households without an employed adult is lower in the United States than in all comparison countries. However, poverty rates are higher in the United States than in all comparison countries.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have better outcomes than the United States in the Health domain. Relatively high rates of infant mortality and children who are overweight and obese disadvantage the United States in this domain.
Teen birth rates in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are lower than in the United States. This indicator is a key figure in the Safety/Behavioral Concerns domain.
The United States has a relatively high proportion of young adults who complete high school and obtain baccalaureate degrees. However, the proportion of children who attend preschool is lower in the United States than in all countries except the United Kingdom.
15-year old American students scored lower in mathematics and reading than their counterparts in all comparison countries on internationally administered standardized tests, leading to a last place finish in the Educational Attainment domain.

Following Land's presentation, Rev. David Gray, director of the Workforce and Family Program, moderated a distinguished panel of experts in a discussion that explored the survey results and their implications.

Dr. Ruby Takanishi, President of the Foundation for Child Development, gave introductory remarks for the event. Dr. Takanishi remarked that the Child Well-Being Index provides a starting point for deeper debates among policymakers and the public about how best to serve the children of this country. The treatment and care for our children are an essential part of the negotiation of the social contract between individual and social responsibility. According to Dr. Takanishi, we are in a period of transition within our social contract, and our efforts to shape the life prospects of all children are a critical part of that conversation.

Dr. Janet Gornick, Director of the Luxembourg Income Study, presented an in-depth look at cross-national employment policies and explored the links between those policies, parental and child well-being. Dr. Gornick’s research shows that the United States, and the Anglophone countries involved in the international comparison, generally takes a different approach to employment policy than do their continental European counterparts.

Doug Steiger gave an in-depth policy and political analysis of the program to eliminate child poverty in the United Kingdom. Mr. Steiger contrasted the differing approaches of the United States and the United Kingdom to measuring and combating poverty, as well as highlighting instances in which the two countries have learned from and emulated one another. Mr. Steiger concluded that much the United Kingdom’s recent success in reducing childhood poverty comes from tactics used in the United States in the 1990’s but that the United States has allowed its effort in those areas to lag.

Adam Carasso of the New America Foundation drew highlights from his work on the Urban Institute’s “2007 Kid’s Share” report. Mr. Carasso presented research on the historic and projected future share of the federal budget dedicated to children’s programs. Mr. Carasso highlighted the decline of tax code contributions and the rise of in-kind programs. Mr. Carasso also highlighted the rising proportion of the federal budget that is dedicated to programs that primarily serve the elderly and predicted that rising cost would push aside the possibility of new investments in children’s programs.

Also released at this latest event was a new Workforce and Family Issue Brief, entitled "Why Not More Focus on Children?" Video of the complete presentation and discussion is available at right; an MP3 audio recording will be available in the near future.

About the Child Well-Being Index

The CWI is commissioned by the Foundation for Child Development and provides policymakers and the public with a tool to monitor the well-being of children. The new international comparison tracks quantifiable indicators including childhood obesity, the poverty rate, suicide rates, and violent crime rates. Its release is intended to spark public discussion about the lives of American children and youth and the factors that contribute to their quality of life; including where American children are advantaged and disadvantaged on comparisons of international outcomes in physical health, educational attainment, social relationships and spiritual and emotional well-being. For more on the CWI's findings in the United States, please see the April 17, 2007, event the Workforce and Family Program hosted on that topic.

The Next No Child Left Behind Act

Communications — Mon, 21 May 2007 05:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/21/2007 - 12:00pm

The upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) presents an opportunity for the federal government to expand access to high-quality, early education programs. At present, quality standards vary widely among federal, state, local, and private early care and education programs, and relatively few programs align their curricular and teacher standards with early elementary school grades. There is a role for the federal government to play in both expanding access and harmonizing decentralized early education programs horizontally across jurisdictions and vertically across grade levels.

At this New America event, panelists discussed how early education currently fits in NCLB, and where it might fit in the next, reauthorized NCLB. Ruth Friedman will discuss the federal role in early education. Isabel Sawhill discussed the ideas of her and her co-author, Jens Ludwig of Georgetown University, for an expanded federal role in early education as articulated in their recent paper, “Success By Ten: Intervening Early, Often, and Effectively in the Education of Young Children.” Sara Mead presented a plan for developing a targeted, high-quality universal pre-kindergarten system with federal support.

The New America Foundation also released an issue brief on early education, “The Key to NCLB Success: Getting it Right From the Start,” that discusses how the federal government can support the expansion of high-quality, pre-kindergarten through grade three (PK-3) programs that align pre-kindergarten teacher and quality standards with K-3 education. The paper proposes using the NCLB reauthorization to leverage state change to expand and improve pre-kindergarten, specifically through a grant program that would help states phase-in universal PK-3 access.

Video of this event is available at right, and an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below.

The 2007 Child Well-Being Index

Communications — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/17/2007 - 10:00am

The annual release of the Child Well-Being Index (CWI) provides a research-based look at the status of children in the United States over 30 years. The CWI is commissioned by the Foundation for Child Development and provides policymakers and the public with a tool to monitor the well-being of children nationwide.

The data cut through the headlines and conventional wisdom to offer a multi-faceted portrait of the quality of life of our children. The index addresses questions such as "Are American children doing better or worse than they were in 1975? By how much? In what areas?" by tracking quantifiable indicators including childhood obesity, the poverty rate, suicide rates, and violent crime rates.

The index's release is intended to spark public discussion about the lives of American children and youth and the factors that contribute to their quality of life, including physical health, educational attainment, social relationships and spiritual and emotional well-being.

At this event, hosted by the New America Foundation’s Workforce and Family Program, the results of the 2007 Index were presented by Duke University researcher Dr. Kenneth Land. Following the presentation, David Gray moderated a distinguished panel of experts discussing the survey results, and the important question of “Where do we go from here?”

Video of the event is available at right; an MP3 audio recording is available below.

The Great Risk Shift

Communications — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:15:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/18/2006 - 12:15pm

The safety net on which Americans once relied is fast unraveling. With retirement plans in growing jeopardy and health coverage eroding, more and more economic risk is being shifted away from government and business and onto the fragile shoulders of the American family. And no matter how well educated and hard working, many Americans fear that bankruptcy could be just one unexpected lay off or health crisis away.

In The Great Risk Shift: The Assault on American Jobs, Families, Health Care, and Retirement And How You Can Fight Back, New America Fellow Jacob S. Hacker lays bare the new economic realities facing American families.

The book, to be officially released Oct. 21, is already garnering praise from a variety of critics. Called "deserving of serious debate" by The Wall Street Journal , "an important book for anyone concerned about the continuing vitality of the American dream" by John Edwards, former U.S. Senator, and one that "powerfully illuminates the real scope of the [economic security] problem" by Robert J. Shiller, author of Irrational Exuberance.

This Oct. 18 event featured an overview presentation by Hacker, who provided a taste of the data and anecdotes his book uses to explain the disconnect between robust U.S. economic growth and the sense of financial insecurity felt by a growing percentage of America families. A lively Q&A followed, with New America's President & CEO Ted Halstead, Vice President Michael Calabrese and Health Policy Program Director Len Nichols also participating.

Video of the event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below. A PDF file containing Hacker's presentation slides is also attached.

Ready to Teach? PK-3 and NCLB

Communications — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 06:54:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/19/2006 - 3:00pm

As Congress prepares for reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, policymakers will be forced to answer difficult questions about the relationship between teacher quality and student outcomes at all levels of education. What should teachers of young children know and what skills do they need? How can colleges of education improve the PK-3 workforce? How can the federal government improve the quality of PK-3 teachers through NCLB?

This event, hosted jointly by the New America Foundation and the Foundation for Child Development, featured a robust panel discussion that touched on the future of the No Child Left Behind Act, teacher quality and early childhood education, among other topics. The New America Foundation also released a new Issue Brief: "Teacher Quality in Grades PK-3: Challenges and Options."

Video of the event is available at right.

Promoting Children's Well-Being

Communications — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/29/2006 - 12:00pm

Workplace Flexibility 2010 of Georgetown University Law Center and the Workforce and Family Program of the New America Foundation are bringing together a panel of experts in the fields of parenting, child development, and workplace innovations who will discuss the implications of work-family tensions on children, with a particular focus on the role of fathers.

The briefing will also highlight how workplace flexibility is a necessary part of the response to these issues.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Susie Valenzuela with Workplace Flexibility 2010 at svalenzuela@rabengroup.com.

Answers to an Age of Uncertainty

Communications — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:51:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/27/2006 - 12:00pm

Paycheck paralysis, rising cost of living, out of control student loans, credit card debt... many young workers, even those with college degrees, are facing hard economic realities. Is it just perception, or is it really tougher being a 20- or 30-something today than it was 30 years ago? Americans of all ages face an era of economic insecurity. This uncertainty is now so common that younger generations know it as part of the experience of being American. But it hasn't always been this way, and we have the ability to change course. In the face of new realities and challenges, our old social contract -- the complex, largely unwritten agreement between workers, employers and government that defines and provides for an individual's security among the larger society-- is no longer working as we face a dynamic new economy.

Join the New America Foundation for an event about the growing economic insecurity facing America's Generations X and Y as we explore the roles of wage stagnation, credit card debt, and spiraling student loan costs in creating this problem and discuss what we can do to change course and negotiate a new social contract that will better provide for America's future.

Making Financial Education Real for Kids

Communications — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/21/2006 - 12:00pm

Regardless of income or race, kids are growing up without knowing the basics that will keep them out of financial trouble. In a time when the personal savings rate is negative, credit card debt is growing and kids are more likely to see their parents go through a bankruptcy than divorce, financial education is more important that ever.

Many groups from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors have responded to this need by mandating financial education in schools, developing strategies for increasing financial knowledge among the general public, and creating innovative and new financial education curricula. The challenge is to interest kids in financial education, and ensure that it is effective. We need to get kids on the path to responsible spending and saving behavior before they have to navigate credit card offers, loans for cars and college, and other financial transactions.

Our panel of youth financial education experts examined how to make effective, interesting youth financial education available to all kids. Members of Congress and others will also spoke about policy responses to build financial knowledge and skills.

The Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus is Co-Chaired by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Rep. Phil English (R-PA), Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN) and Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI).

The Baby Business

Communications — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 09:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/21/2006 - 9:30am

Over the past several decades, breakthroughs in medicine and biotechnology have begun to alter the basic process of birth. Increasingly, parents are able to protect their unborn children from potential life-threatening diseases, or give birth to children that are chosen for specific genetic qualities. Infertility treatments are pushing back the age at which women can give birth, and novel surrogacy arrangements have given couples the opportunity to have others bear their children.

This discussion will consider how governments craft policies to deal with the social, moral, and commercial challenges that accompany the advances in stem cell technology and other reproductive sciences. We will consider questions such as: Should the U.S. government follow its European counterparts in regulating reproductive medicine more closely? Should the U.S. subsidize parents who want to pursue assisted reproduction? How can the federal government align its current policies with regard to stem cell technologies, which are heavily restrictive, with its laissez-faire approach to assisted reproduction? How will private firms respond to the market opportunities that reproductive science now offers? How will firms deal with the regulatory and moral challenges that will undoubtedly accompany these scientific advances?

Sharpening Our Competitive Edge Through Investment in Advanced Technology Tools for Learning

Communications — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 23:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/14/2006 - 10:00am

In its recent report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the National Academies concluded what many have long feared to be true -- that the nation's outdated K-12 educational system is inadequately preparing America's youth for the jobs and global competition of the 21st Century. One of the most promising ways to remedy this is by investing in the research and development of advanced learning technologies, a.k.a. “Serious Games.” To commemorate House Innovation Week, the New America Foundation and Digital Promise, in cooperation with Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH), invite you to a briefing and demonstration on advanced learning technologies.

This is the complement to our popular Senate briefing in May, so if you missed it, here's another opportunity to learn about the importance of R&D into advanced technology tools for teaching and training -- an essential investment to maintain America's innovative potential and competitive edge.

Please join us and see for yourself how we can harness the power of virtual reality, high-tech gaming platforms, intelligent computer tutors and other cutting-edge technology for teaching, learning and workforce training. You will be able to see and "play" prototypes of advanced learning games created under the leadership of the Federation of American Scientists, including:

Immune Attack! -- an advanced video game teaching human immunology from the 9th grade to the college level;
Discover Babylon -- a cultural, educational and historical virtual reality of ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq);
Mass Casualty Incident Responder -- a high-stress, interactive real-time decision-making training simulation to teach firefighters and serve as a model for other first responder training.

The briefing and demonstration will highlight the potential impact of the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (DO IT) legislation (HR.2512, S.1023) sponsored by Representatives Regula (R-OH), Markey (D-MA), Gillmor (R-OH), Holt (D-NJ), Boucher (D-VA) and Wolf (R-VA) in the House, and Senators Dodd (D-CT), Snowe (R-ME), Durbin (D-IL), and Burns (R-MT) in the Senate. DO IT is a proposal for increased federal leadership and investment in R&D for advanced learning technologies to ensure innovation and competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy. Industry representatives will also speak to the need for federal leadership in investing in research for new technologies for teaching and training.

Beyond Censorship

Communications — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 08:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/07/2006 - 11:00am

With the FCC dramatically increasing fines for indecency over broadcast TV -- and influential members of Congress threatening to extend decency standards to cable and satellite networks -- the debate over how best to protect children from inappropriate media has reached a fever pitch.

The problem is real: A plethora of studies show that repeated exposure to violence in the mass media increases aggression, desensitizes children to acts of violence and heightens their fears of becoming a victim of violence. Even benign entertainment programming is associated with soaring rates of obesity and diabetes among the young due to advertising for junk foods. And while television is today's primary battleground, it won't be long before most children have access to a portable wireless device with 24/7 access to unlimited video content over the Internet.

The main issue becomes: who is responsible for protecting kids from inappropriate media -- industry, the government, or parents armed with new technologies? This policy summit will bring together a diverse group of leading players from industry, government, academia and child and family advocacy groups to discuss and debate the best approach to protecting kids from inappropriate media -- and, ideally, facilitating parents' efforts to identify positive media programming. After brief "provocations" put key proposals on the table, participants will engage in an open discussion and debate concerning regulatory approaches and marketplace/technology approaches, as well as a more futuristic dive into what is to be done as mobile video over the Internet becomes ubiquitous.

Although the regulatory approaches -- V-chips, fines, family hours -- have emphasized the censorship of inappropriate content, less known are emerging technologies that promise to "guide" parents to educational programming and facilitate the filtering of good content from bad. For example, uniform ratings can warn about sex and violence, but they don't do much to guide parents toward the best programming. While the government's focus has been to block harmful programming, other research has established that well-designed educational shows -- such as PBS's Sesame Street, Between the Lions and Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues -- significantly enhance the cognitive development of pre-school-age children. New personal video recorder (PVR) and video on demand (VOD) technologies -- such as TiVo's KidZone -- will be previewed as tools to facilitate parental choice.

Video of Michael Calabrese's opening remarks and the first presentations can be played at right. For all video from this event, please click here. And for additional documents related to this event, please see below.

Meeting the Needs of Today's Families

Communications — Mon, 01 May 2006 18:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/01/2006 - 12:05pm

Workplace Flexibility 2010 of Georgetown University Law Center and the Workforce and Family Program of the New America Foundation are bringing together a panel of researchers studying the mismatch between the needs of America’s families and the way the workplace is currently structured. These experts have studied how this mismatch impacts marital well-being, child-rearing, and caregiving responsibilities, including elder care.

The briefing will also highlight how workplace flexibility benefits families and how one company is using flexibility as a key management strategy.

The Impact of Globalization on Children

Communications — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
03/02/2006 - 10:00am

Globalization is one of the most important, yet least understood, forces shaping our world. In a world of shifting work conditions and family living patterns, it impacts how Americans, and citizens of the world, raise their children. It touches on issues of child health and development, barriers to parents getting and keeping jobs, and problems families confront daily and in times of crisis. There is much that the world learns from America's economic and social strength, and there is much Americans can benefit from learning about how global forces impact families abroad. Dr. Jody Heymann recently finished a decade-long research project about these implications, overseeing over a thousand in-depth interviews with families around the world. Join us for a discussion on how our families and children are influenced by the changing global economy.

Children's Savings Accounts

Communications — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
01/24/2006 - 12:00pm

On January 24th, 2006, the New America Foundation convened a forum of the leading asset development policy architects from around the world to discuss Children's Savings Accounts. Children's Savings Accounts, or CSAs, are savings and investment accounts, often established at birth, and usually restricted to enabling kids to go to college, buy a first home, and build up a nest egg for retirement. Many CSA policies and proposals are progressively funded, meaning that more public resources are available to children from lower-income households.

The U.S. Congress is currently considering creating an American Children’s Savings Account through the America Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education (ASPIRE) Act. The ASPIRE Act is bipartisan legislation that would broaden economic opportunity in America by providing a “Kids Account” at birth for every child in America. When the child turns 18, monies saved in the account could be used to pay for college, provide the down payment on a first home, or begin a nest-egg for retirement. New America’s Asset Building Program is widely credited with advising the drafting of the Act and forging the ideologically diverse coalition of House and Senate leaders that are co-sponsoring the Act. “Children’s Savings Accounts: International Momentum, and Lessons for the U.S.” was convened by the New America Foundation to learn about the successes and setbacks experienced by leaders implementing CSAs in their host countries.

Michael Sherraden, Director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University and widely considered one of the intellectual godfathers of the asset development movement, introduced the discussion. Contextualizing asset building within the larger macroeconomic forces of the times, Sherraden described universal savings tools as the 21st century answer to “a world shifting away from defined benefit plans and toward defined contribution plans.” Calling the trend toward defined benefit plans an “historic, seismic moment,” Sherraden characterized asset building as a response to these shifting forces that will “make these systems and these [economic] changes work for the whole population.” Kids Accounts, such as those proposed in the ASPIRE Act, are a promising step toward that future, he stated.

In Sherraden’s view, CSAs have two advantages over IDAs (matched savings accounts for the working poor now serving some 20,000 low-income persons in the U.S.); since they begin early in life, they acculturate individuals to the world of savings and sophisticated financial transaction from an early age, not to mention allow participants to benefit from the advantage of compound interest on savings from birth. And since CSAs benefit children, they are in some ways more politically appealing than other types of IDAs. Sherraden encouraged the audience to envision a world where every child on the planet is automatically established with an account at birth. “Why not, for every kid, an account?”

David White, Chief Executive of the Children’s Mutual, administers the United Kingdom’s savings plan for children, called the Child Trust Fund, or CTF. The idea behind CTF is to create a “financial springboard into adulthood” that will ensure that “not some but all children have the best possible start in life,” he explained. Each family chooses a provider, or bank, through which to service the account, and all children receive at least 250 pounds from the government to start the account. The amount is doubled for the poorest one-third of children. Anyone, including family members, friends, participating children, and even organizations, can contribute to a child’s account.

Applicable to all U.K. kids born since September 2002, roughly 1.25 million CTF accounts have been opened as of the end of 2005. In an encouraging show of success, the percentage of those in the U.K. who electronically deposit monthly savings in bank accounts for children has doubled, from 20% pre-CTF to 40% post-CTF, according to White. This means that in less than a year, the Child Trust Fund has doubled the number of U.K. families saving for their children’s future—a tremendous success for a program still in its early stages.

White made several recommendations for the ASPIRE Act in the U.S based on the U.K.’s experiences with CTF. He emphasized the importance of financial literacy in creating a successful universal savings program. In the U.K., CTF is currently implementing a larger grassroots initiative to educate participants and their families about the benefits and nuts and bolts of participation. “Accounts alone” are not enough, he told the audience; they must be supplemented with financial education to build familiarity and confidence with financial planning.

Marc LeBrun, Director of Canada’s federal CSA program—called the Canada Educational Savings Program, or CESP—echoed Mr. White’s recommendations when relating his country’s experiences with CSAs. Mr. LeBrun first described the evolution of Canada’s two CESP programs, both of which use Registered Education Savings Plans, or RESPs. The first, Canada Education Savings Grants, or CESGs, were introduced in 1998 and establish a tax-deferred savings account for a child’s post-secondary education to which the Canadian government will contribute up to $7,200 (in Canadian dollars). The second, called Canada Learning Bonds, was established in 2004 and is directed at low-income children under age 16. CLBs provide a $500 initial payment and up to 15 annual payments of up to $100 per child.

Canadian researchers have found that the program has been successful in promoting family savings for education, and that ownershipo of an account is positively correlated with grade performance, even when controlling for factors such as parental educational attainment. To date, the CESP has paid out $2.5 billion in grants and reaches 2.1 million children, or 31% of all Canadian children. LeBrun expects this number to rise as the Canadian government increases outreach to lower and moderate-income communities.

LeBrun identified the two greatest obstacles to universal participation in CESP as lack of financial literacy and lack of trust (of large financial institutions and/or of the government). Like White, LeBrun noted that it is essential to build support for savings programs through outreach and education. “It is not enough to have ad campaigns,” he warned. “You need to have grassroots efforts” at the local level to make programs accessible and understandable.

LeBrun noted that Canada is currently taking steps to overcome the lack of trust that may be preventing further participation among certain sectors of the population by partnering with faith-based and other existing local organizations. He further recommended that in addition to building outreach and awareness campaigns into any CSA program, program design should be as simple as possible, and the government should partner with a variety of financial institutions to offer accessibility for participants.

The final presenter, Fred Ssewamala of Columbia University, described the CSA program he is spearheading for orphans of AIDS victims in Uganda. In contrast to the U.K. and Canadian programs, his project is not currently implemented or funded on a national scale. Yet Ssewamala’s perspective on the benefits of children’s accounts provided the audience with a poignant perspective on why CSAs are a life-altering tool whose benefits can be useful to children no matter where they are from. In a country where hope is difficult to come by, Ssewamala spoke of Children’s Savings Accounts as both an anti-poverty tool and a means to a paradigmatic shift in worldview for the children. He bets that young account owners will look at life differently, and that new hope nurtured by the account will engender future-oriented behavior among orphans left parentless and otherwise largely adrift by the devastation of the AIDS epidemic.

Ssewamala’s program provides a 2:1 match rate for every Uganda shilling that a child and his or her caregivers save. Each month, a savings account statement is generated for each child in the group to see his or her accumulated savings. The project, still on-going, has gathered some encouraging preliminary data. In the first 6 months of the program, child participants saved a total of 4,168,000 Uganda shillings, or roughly 83,400 shillings per family. Translated into U.S. dollars, this is an equivalent of $50.52 saved per participant, or an $8.42 average monthly deposit—a huge triumph in a country where annual per capita income is less than $300 (World Bank, 2000). Perhaps most importantly, participants are demonstrating important psychological benefits from participation, articulating specific future goals such as professional aspirations, and how they plan to achieve them.

The panelists provided the audience with more than the sum of their practical insights and rationales for Children’s Savings Accounts. Their descriptions of the benefits already observed among young account holders in other countries underscored the importance of establishing similar accounts in the U.S. “New America is grateful to our panelists for sharing their knowledge with us today,” said Ray Boshara, Director of New America’s Asset Building Program. “This was both an inspiring and practical discussion, and we’re eager to share these encouraging results and stories with policymakers here in the U.S."

-Sarah Brennan