From the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, this research brief provides an overview of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. Since 1999, Oklahoma's Initiative has been in place and successful due to the large public and private collaboration in the State. This brief is the first in a series to define promising strategies from Oklahoma.

From the National Center for Children in Poverty, this article highlights effective programs, policy opportunities, and other strategies to improve educational outcomes for children. This brief is to inform policymakers and other stakeholders on strategies to promote the healthy educational development of children.

Issued by the Census Bureau, this article reviews marriage and divorce data from around the country. Among the data, researchers found that one in five adults has ever divorced, and first marriages that end in divorce last about eight years on average.

This report from the Center for the Study of Social Policy reviews State policies that support families, children and low-wage workers while also contributing to states’ economic stability.

This resource, through the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, outlines key steps to preventing teen pregnancy. Specifically, the paper reviews strategies to teach teens about healthy relationships-- a "success sequence" that will best promote the achievement of their future goals for family and work and practical skills to help teens successfully navigate the transition into adulthood, and engage parents as first teachers.

This brief explores the connection between healthy marriage, responsible fatherhood, and domestic violence to promote the well-being of families and children. Authors discuss barriers to connecting these three disciplines and offer solutions for collaboration.

In 2004, 1.5 million children were born out of wedlock in the United States, reaching a record number. While marriage is important to improving outcomes for low-income families, this article argues that reducing unwed childbearing is a key for healthy marriages as well.

A four-paper series. These papers examine the economic returns to marriage, include a literature review, and review new empirical findings using three different data sets and a variety of statistical models.

The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) funded this project to learn about the status of policies to support and promote marriage at the state level. Policies were inventoried that were enacted and proposed both prior to PRWORA and after the law’s passage. The project did not examine specific programs operating in localities. Nor did it evaluate policies or make recommendations. This document inventories marriage policies in the 50 states and District of Columbia in 10 broad areas.

Authored by Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill. This article is found in the Brookings Institution Policy Brief entitled Welfare Reform and Beyond #28. In this brief, the authors contrast making cash and related forms of public assistance more generous with strategies that encourage work and marriage.