Education

Children & Families

January 09, 2002 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Educating Grandparents: Because many grandparents play crucial roles in the lives of their grandchildren—some even serving as parents—a new initiative is aiming to inform them about the latest on child development.

“Grandparenting: Enriching Lives,” a project of Civitas, a nonprofit communications organization based in Chicago, features a video that outlines five guidelines for better grandparenting, including building grandparents’ knowledge of child-development research.

The project is a follow-up to a survey co-sponsored by Civitas in 2000, which found that parents rely heavily on their own parents for information on how to take care of children.

“Because grandparents are so influential on their children and grandchildren, it is essential that we provide them with the best possible information on child development,” said Suzanne Muchin, the chief executive officer of Civitas.

More information on the project, including ordering information for the video, is available on the Web at www.civitas.org.

Helping Fathers: What strategies are most effective at helping low- income fathers, especially those who aren’t living with their children, become better parents?Helping Fathers: What strategies are most effective at helping low-income fathers, especially those who aren’t living with their children, become better parents?

A report from the Manpower Demonstration Research Corp.— a nonprofit social policy research organization based in New York City—provides some answers.

The study focuses on Parents’ Fair Share, a program designed by the MDRC, which began in 1994 in seven cities, including Dayton, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tenn.; Springfield, Mass.; and Trenton, N.J. Parents’ Fair Share is meant to be an alternative to the child-support enforcement system. The MDRC program focuses on helping fathers find better jobs, pay child support on time, and become more involved with their children.

The authors of the study say several lessons have been learned from the program. For instance, there is a need for more job-retention services for fathers, and mothers should be more directly involved in the program.

But some problems remain unresolved, the authors note. They say the mothers in the study reported that while child- support payments increased when fathers’ incomes went up, the program had few positive effects on children’s behavior or academic performance.

“The Challenge of Helping Low-Income Fathers Support Their Children” is available online at www.mdrc.org

—Linda Jacobson ljacobs@epe.org

A version of this article appeared in the January 09, 2002 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz ICYMI: Judge Orders Teacher-Prep Grants Restored And Other Trending News This Week
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of the Supreme Court.
iStock/Getty
Education Briefly Stated: March 19, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz How Much Do You Know: Ed. Dept.'s Mass Layoffs and More This Week
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Illustration of 2 hands cutting paper dolls with scissors, representing staffing layoffs.
iStock/Getty
Education Briefly Stated: March 12, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read