From the College Board, this annual progress report provides a roadmap for educators and policymakers to increase postsecondary education retention. The United States is currently lagging behind in the college completion rate from other industrialized countries, especially for minority and low-income students. With a goal of reaching a graduation rate of 55 percent by 2025, this agenda provides key recommendations, providing promising strategies to help meet this goal.

While college attendance has increased over the last thirty years, the proportion of students who complete college has decreased. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago authored this issue brief which provides data on the educational trajectories of Chicago youth from high school to college. Reviewing the paths that youth follow throughout high school and beyond, authors then suggest policies to support these youth as young adults as they pursue their postsecondary educational goals.

The final report is now available! The Administration for Children and Families Regions VI and VIII and the Employment and Training Administration Region IV came together to host the Client Success through Partnership: 2010 TANF and Workforce Meeting in Dallas, Texas from July 25-27, 2010. The meeting contained a series of targeted discussion forums, interactive plenary sessions, and peer-to-peer breakouts coordinated to improve partnership and collaboration among TANF and workforce programs. Over the two and one-half days, attendees were exposed to a variety of sessions presented by more than 20 distinguished experts and peers from the TANF, workforce, social service, and research communities.

From the Center for Law and Social Policy, Maine’s Parents as Scholars (PaS) program provides services to Maine TANF participants who are pursuing two-year or four-year postsecondary degrees. The program is open to all TANF participants who did not previously have a bachelor’s degree in a field with available jobs or do not make 85 percent of Maine’s median income for their family size in their current field. Participants must remain full-time students, maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average, and must be on track to complete their degree programs in the usual two or four years.

The Urban Institute hosted this Web cast with four experts from across the social policy spectrum. Speakers discussed lessons learned from public policies and programs that they have had experienced in the line of their work. Panelists included Greg Berman, the director of the Center for Court Innovation; Martha R. Burt, an affiliated scholar with the Urban Institute and expert in homelessness, welfare, hunger, and social service delivery; Kevin Finneran, the editor-in-chief of Issues in Science and Technology; Olivia Golden, an Institute fellow at the Urban Institute whose work focuses on service delivery, leadership, and political strategies human services programs, and; Susan J. Popkin, an expert on assisted housing and mobility and a senior fellow at the Urban Institute.

As part of Phase 1 of the project (2007-2008), the TANF FBCO team collected information on 139 promising partnerships between Federal, State, or local governments and FBCOs that provide employment and self-sufficiency services to TANF participants and other low-income populations. This Compendium documents the core competencies and organizational components of each local organization. Site profiles identify each organization’s demographics, characteristics of the population served, services and outcomes, and information on their partnership. From this information search, 23 programs were selected for further study.

This innovative program highlight is from the Center on Law and Social Policy, and provides information on Kentucky’s Ready-to-Work program. A collaboration between the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), this program helps TANF participants pursue postsecondary degrees at Kentucky community and technical colleges.

On Wednesday, March 24, 2010, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance- Regions V and VII and the United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration- Region V hosted an interactive videoconference on the uses of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to improve summer employment for youth and low-income Americans. In addition, representatives from Los Angeles County presented on the successful use of ARRA funds, their strong TANF-WIA partnership, providing real life examples of how TANF and WIA agencies can work together to serve low-income youth and families with ARRA funds. HHS and DOL officials were on hand to answer questions and facilitate peer to peer dialogue.

The Economic Mobility Project authored this report on ways that students can increase their long-term earnings and the role of community colleges. Twenty-six percent of community college students come from low-income families, compared to 15 percent of four-year college students. Research shows that by receiving a community college degree, students can increase their earnings by an average of $7,900 annually, which is an earnings increase of 29 percent over those with a high school diploma.

This report is from the Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation. Religion and spirituality play a significant role in the lives of Americans, and this report is focused on how religiosity and spirituality affect outcomes for low-income families. Researchers provide an overview of the role of religiosity for low-income families in the areas of marriage and relationships, parenting, youth outcomes, mental and physical health, substance abuse, and crime and violence, homelessness, and employment.