Pajarita Charles

Asset Building in Rural Communities: The Experience of Individual Development Accounts.

This study examines the unique experiences of low-income rural participants in an asset building program-the Individual Development Account. Using data from the American Dream Demonstration, this study addresses three main questions: (1) What are the individual characteristics associated with saving outcomes among rural IDA participants? (2) What are the program characteristics associated with savings among rural participants? (3) What are the policy implications for supporting asset building in rural areas? To answer these questions we conduct an Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis. The results suggest that low-income rural participants have the ability and willingness to save toward the accumulation of assets in IDAs. Looking at individual characteristics, home ownership appears to be an important predictor of savings. In addition, this study suggests that program characteristics (financial education, peer group meetings, match rate, direct deposit, and monthly saving target), not merely individual characteristics, are important in explaining saving performance for this group.

The Effect of Marital Status on Home Ownership among Low-Income Households

This research examines whether married low-income renters are more likely to become home owners than comparable single, low-income renters. To do so, it employs data from the Community Advantage Panel Study and discrete-time survival analysis with propensity-score matching. Results suggest that married couples buy homes at higher rates, and buy them more quickly, than do their unmarried counterparts. Estimates in models that use propensity-score matching are robust to the control of selection bias between the married and the unmarried groups. The findings suggest that efforts to encourage marriage among low-income couples may be associated with subsequent economic mobility through home ownership.

Treatment Effects of a Relationship-Strengthening Intervention for Economically Disadvantaged New Parents

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the treatment effects of a relationship skills and family strengthening intervention for n = 726 high-risk, disadvantaged new parents. Method: Hierarchical linear modeling and regression models were used to assess intervention treatment effects. These findings were subsequently verified through two sensitivity analyses using propensity score analysis and growth curve modeling. Results: Analyses indicated 6 of 10 beneficial treatment effects were statistically significant, including relationship satisfaction, relationship quality, communication, conflict resolution, arguing, and emotional abuse. Most of these effects were verified in the more rigorous sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that this intervention is effective in helping disadvantaged couples improve relationship skills and strengthen family bonds.

A Model for Supporting At-Risk Couples During the Transition to Parenthood

Record numbers of children born outside of marriage reflect a dramatic change in U.S. families; this demographic trend concerns policymakers and service providers because of the fragility of parental relationships. Dissolution of these relationships and growing up in a single-parent household leaves many children at higher risk of living in poverty— initiating a risk chain associated with less favorable academic, social, and cognitive outcomes. This article introduces Strong Couples-Strong Children, an innovative and replicable program designed to support expectant and new parents while their relationships are formative. Lessons learned from program implementation suggest that (a) face-to-face interaction served as the most effective form of recruitment; (b) partnerships with community organizations enabled the program to reach underserved populations; and (c) the family-centered model, working with both parents, required flexibility in programming.

Disagreement in Parental Reports of Father Involvement

Despite agreement on the value of father involvement in children’s lives, research has been limited due to the exclusion of fathers in studies, questionable validity of mothers’ reports on father involvement, and simple measures of fathering behavior. Our study extends previous research by comparing reports of father involvement using robust, multidimensional father involvement measures. Data from 113 fathers and 126 mothers reporting on 221 children were used to assess father involvement. Results indicate that fathers reported significantly higher levels of involvement than mothers reported. Findings from hierarchical linear models suggest that race/ethnicity and mothers’ reports of positive relationship quality were associated with smaller discrepancies in reports of father involvement, whereas nonmarried partnerships, older children, father residence, and biological status predicted larger discrepancies. Our study demonstrates the importance of obtaining father involvement reports directly from fathers and why father involvement should be assessed as a multidimensional construct to examine fathering behavior.

Teacher Perspectives on Career-Relevant Curriculum in Middle School.

Abstract Relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory all describe the curriculum desirable in middle school (National Middle School Association, 2010). Careerrelevant curriculum is one prominent strategy used since the 1970s to achieve these goals. Systematic, integrated, and contemporary efforts at career education often engage core teachers who plan and deliver the curriculum. For this study, a measure was created to assess teacher perspectives of career education efforts in middle school. A two-factor structure (career integration and future orientation) was demonstrated in exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the survey. Results from 291 middle school teachers reveal the potential of career education infusion into the core curriculum, with nominal but statistically significant differences in gender, subject matter, and socioeconomic status of the school. Implications for middle school educators are provided.

Designing an Intervention to Promote Child Development Among Fathers With Antisocial Behavior

Objective: This article describes an intervention development focusing on the early design stages of a model to improve psychosocial and behavioral health outcomes among children of fathers with incarceration and antisocial behavioral histories. Method: We use a synthesis of the literature and qualitative interviews with key informants to inform a theoretical model and the next steps in building an intervention. Results: Findings suggest gaps in effective interventions that promote father involvement among men with histories of incarceration and antisocial behavior. Considerations for future interventions include addressing the complex needs of fathers’ post-incarceration, sequencing intervention components using flexible treatment approaches, and employing intentional recruitment and retention strategies. Conclusion: The negative relation between fathers’ imprisonment and antisocial behavior and children’s outcomes calls for interventions to promote positive father involvement. This article proposes a systematized approach to design such an intervention concluding with next steps in the planning for a future intervention study.

Fathers’ Criminal Behavior and Involvement With Children: The Moderating Role of Family Relationships

Objective: Research indicates that fathers’ criminal behavior can be problematic for children through multiple pathways, yet few studies have examined the effect of fathers’ kinship networks in this process. This study examines the association between fathers’ criminal behavior and involvement with their children and the extent to which a father’s relationships with individuals in his extended family network moderate this association. Method: Hierarchical linear modeling was used to predict fathers’ involvement using data from a longitudinal intergenerational study of 335 children and 149 low-income, minority fathers. Measures included 8 father-involvement outcomes, a measure of fathers’ criminal behavior, and 2 moderator variables. Results: High-quality relationships between fathers and their male relatives moderated the negative effect of criminal behavior on measures of fathers’ involvement. Criminal behavior was only associated with decreasing levels of father involvement when fathers had low-quality relationships with male relatives. Conclusions: Strong and affirmative relationships—with male relatives specifically—may attenuate the adverse effects of antisocial and criminal behavior on fathers’ involvement in at-risk families. Implications for tailoring practice to improve relationships between fathers and male relatives and to enhance fathers’ prosocial involvement are noted.