Today’s papers bring grim economic news: the 2009 budget deficit is projected to reach $1.2 trillion, a figure that doesn’t account for President-elect Obama’s proposed $800 billion stimulus spending; pension plans are underfunded by $409 billion; and over one million jobs were lost in November and December alone.

The bad news is that this economic crisis is going to get worse before it gets better, and many families will struggle. The good news is that Obama’s Economic Recovery Package includes increased benefits for food stamps, unemployment insurance and the Earned Income Tax Credit. And while an increase in these benefits must be a priority in any stimulus package, the government must also make sure that everyone who is eligible for current benefits can easily apply.

Some have estimated that $65 billion worth of government benefits targeted to help low-income families and individuals is unused every year. The IRS estimates that each year 20 percent of the $36 billion EITC goes unclaimed. And a study by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) that looked at 24 U.S. cities, found that only 66 percent of the people surveyed who were eligible for food stamps actually received them - leaving $2 billion food assistance benefits unclaimed.

Why is all this money left on the table? Well, some people just don’t know that they are eligible or that the government even provides these benefits. And for others, the process for applying can be extremely complicated, confusing and timely.

All of this brings us to the first What Works post of 2009: single stop organizations that allow people to apply for many government benefits at one location. Two organizations, SingleStop USA and the Benefit Bank, have been extremely successful in helping more people receive assistance. A study on SingleStop found:

that for every dollar invested, the program immediately returned to its clients at least $3 in benefits; $4 to $13 in legal counseling; $2 in financial counseling; and $11 in tax credits.

In 2007, the Benefit Bank helped:

more than 6,100 clients who received more than $7.7 million in tax refunds, including $3.3 million in Earned Income Tax Credits. The federal tax returns filed represent a 95 percent increase over this time last year.

Both of these organizations use technology that allows caseworkers and volunteers to tell clients exactly what they are eligible for with just a click a mouse. By streamlining government services, they help people get back on the road to self sufficiency.

SingleStop USA and The Benefit Bank provide an invaluable service, but they don’t have to be in business. As the federal government looks to expand benefits for low-income Americans through an economic recovery stimulus package, leaders should simplify the application process. Finding jobs may get harder, feeding your family may get harder, but getting federal assistance shouldn’t be.

Graduating from high school is a minimal requirement to succeed in today’s workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, high school dropouts earned on average $428 per week in 2007. Those with a high school diploma earned $604 per week and college graduates earned $987. Thus, it is no surprise that increasing graduation rates is a key priority among education policy experts.

Today’s “What Works Wednesday” post focuses on new research that shows freshman attendance and academic performance predict high school graduation. An MDRC report shows that of students who missed 10-14 days of ninth grade, only 41 percent graduated in high school in four years; of those who missed 15-19 days, only 21 percent graduated in four years; and of those who missed 20-24 days, only 9 percent graduated in four years.

ninth grade is a make-or-break year and that there is much that educators can do to help students navigate the transition into high school.

If high school freshmen succeed, graduation rates go up. That’s why many school districts are focusing their retention efforts on ninth graders. In Maryland’s Prince George’s County, freshmen attend class in a freshman academy annex to help them ease into high school. Students starting ninth grade with a weak academic record attend a “summer bridge” prep program before starting high school.

The research on successful programs is still in it’s early stages, but the link between ninth grade performance and high school graduation is clear. Policy makers and education practitioners should take advantage of this knowledge and implement creative “freshman factor” programs. Researchers Elaine Allensorth and John Easton said it best in their 2007 study:

Knowing that graduation is directly tied with course grades suggests two potential strategies for addressing dropout problems. At the very least, we can use freshman course performance to identify students at high risk of dropping out and target with support and intervention. At the most, if schools and teachers can influence the quality of students’ performance in their coursework, then they have a direct lever to affect graduation rates - a lever that should simultaneously improve student achievement.

Today is hump day, so that means it’s time once again to look at a social mobility success story. For this installment of “What Works Wednesdays” we will focus on the connection between fathers and child development. Research shows that fathers play a vital and irreplaceable role in their child’s wellbeing. It’s is no surprise that children with absent fathers are:

• Five times more likely to be poor
• 54 percent more likely to grow up poorer than their parents
• Have a greater chance of incarceration
• More likely to become pregnant as a teen
• More likely to drop out of school

Absent fathers put a strain not only on their immediate families, but on society at large. A recent study by the late Steven Nock and Christopher Einolf shows that fatherlessness cost society an alarming $99.8 billion in direct and indirect costs during fiscal year 2006.

On the flip side, if absent fathers create hardship, responsible dads create enormous benefits. That’s why a group of more than 450,000 dads have decided to volunteer in more than 800 schools as part of the Watch DOGS (Dads Of Great Students) initiative. These dads serve at least one day each year in a variety of school activities ranging from mentoring, to monitoring hallways and assisting in the lunchroom.

Last week, ABC’s World News Tonight featured this organization started by Jim Moore and Eric Snow, two Arkansas parents. These dads have not only seen a difference in their children, but in the many kids without active fathers. They are convinced:

the program helps many children who don’t have fathers at home.

“We know that when a child has an active male role model who is highly involved in their life, that those children are going to develop more fully — academically, emotionally and socially,” said Snow.

The National Educators Association also heralds the involvement of dad’s in schools. They note:

The more involved a father is with the student’s activities at school the greater the likelihood of the student’s success. The study actually indicated that when a father is involved with activities, the child is more likely to be a straight A student.

Responsible fatherhood and social mobility are inextricably linked.  Obviously, it is most beneficial when a child’s real dad is involved in their lives and their school, but often that is not the reality. Today, there are 25 million children in this country who live apart from their biological fathers.  Watch DOGS is just one example of a program that can help these kids.

Today’s post in the “What Works Wednesday” series focuses on universal school breakfast.

Numerous studies have shown the importance of a balanced breakfast. Children who skip breakfast and experience hunger are more likely to have slower memory recall, score lower on math and cognitive tests, and exhibit behavioral and emotional problems. So it makes sense then, that kids who eat breakfast have improved cognitive function, attention and memory, score better on math and vocabulary tests and are more likely to participate in classroom activities.

Children from low-income families are most likely to skip breakfast, which serves to exacerbate the achievement gap. Even though low-income students are eligible for free breakfast, many do not participate because of accessibility (not every school offers free breakfast) and because of the stigma associated with accepting government provided meals. According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):

Only 44 children eat federally-funded free or reduced price school breakfasts for every 100 who receive free or reduced price school lunch.

However, school districts that provide universal breakfast have a much higher breakfast participation rate. Portland, Oregon has a 98 percent participation rate. Newark, New Jersey serves breakfast to 94 percent of their students. Both school systems have universal free breakfast that is served in the classroom.

Schools that serve universal breakfast have fewer behavior problems and students that are more focused and ready to learn. But there are also other financial benefits. First, a universal policy eliminates bureaucracy and reduces paperwork, saving districts time and money. Also, as the U.S Conference of Mayors notes:

The good news is that school breakfast is a low-cost intervention. When schools reach 80 percent participation, the program pays for itself. And more importantly, school breakfast brings in significant federal dollars into cities and towns that are facing shrinking budgets and severe state cutbacks. With schools under pressure to find innovative and inexpensive ways to demonstrate high performance, it only makes sense for schools to take full advantage of this program.

Universal breakfast not only ensures that every child, regardless of his or her socioeconomic status, starts each day with a nutritious meal, but it also frees up family discretionary income. As the economy continues to sour and pocketbooks tighten, this is a policy everyone can get behind.

I can’t think of anything more fitting for the “What Works Wednesday” series on this day after the election. Yesterday, 136.6 million people came together in one common act: to peacefully cast their ballots for the next president of the United States. More than 64 percent of registered voters participated - the highest turnout rate since 1908. Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne said it best:

Above all, it is time to celebrate the country’s wholehearted embrace of democracy, reflected in the intense engagement of Americans in this campaign and the outpouring to the polls all over the nation. For years, we have spoken of bringing free elections to the rest of the world even as we cynically mocked our own ways of conducting politics. Yesterday, we chose to practice what we have been preaching.

There were numerous reasons why people voted yesterday and we didn’t all pick the same candidate. Many people woke up this morning excited, some disappointed, but we all agree on what happens next: in January President George W. Bush will hand over power to the new President Barack Obama. There will still be some wounds that need to be healed, but the transfer of power will happen peacefully and gracefully.

Last night John McCain urged his supporters to:

join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.

And Barack Obama reached out to those who didn’t support him:

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

Now we as a nation collectively move forward. Let’s get to work.

Today’s installment of “What Works Wednesdays” seems like a no brainer: removing state income taxes for families below the poverty line. While many of us advocate for an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to create greater economic mobility, some states are actually taxing low-income families further into poverty.

I am sad to say, that my home state of Alabama is among the worst. According to a report released today by Jason A. Levitis and Andrew C. Nicholas at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 18 states levy income taxes on two-parent families of four that earn less than the federal poverty line:

A two-parent family of four in Alabama with income at the poverty line owes $423 in income tax, while such a family owes $409 in Hawaii, $325 in Oregon, and $258 in West Virginia. Such amounts can make a big difference to a family struggling to escape poverty. Other states levying tax of more than $200 on families with poverty-level incomes include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Montana.

The authors’ rational arguments highlight the absurdity of these regressive tax policies:

Taxing the incomes of working-poor families runs counter to the efforts of policymakers across the political spectrum to help families work their way out of poverty. The federal government has exempted such families from the income tax since the mid-1980s, and a majority of states now do so as well.

Eliminating state income taxes on working families with poverty-level incomes gives a boost in take-home pay that helps offset higher child care and transportation costs that families incur as they strive to become economically self-sufficient. In other words, relieving state income taxes on poor families can make a meaningful contribution toward “making work pay.”

Thankfully, there are states that sit on the opposite end of the spectrum and offer a state EITC in addition to the federal benefit. And in many of the states with the most regressive policies, there are experts and advocates  who work tirelessly to change their laws. For more information on some of the state-wide efforts to reform the tax codes check out these websites:

• Alabama Arise
• Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
• Hawaii Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development
• Montana’s Working for Equality and Economic Liberation
• Policy Matters Ohio
• State EITC Online Resource (The best site for all things related to state EITCs)

When writing about social mobility and the problems facing low-income families, the news is often bad. With the economy in the pits, it would be easy to throw our hands in the air and accept defeat. But we can’t tire and must not forget that there are good people on the ground and in government who work every day to make life better for all Americans. So today I am going to start a new series of posts called “What Works Wednesdays.” Every Wednesday I will put the bad news aside and focus on proven programs that help families across the country.

Today, let’s take a look at the proven Nurse-Family Partnerships program that pairs registered nurses with low-income, first-time mothers to foster positive health and development behaviors between the mother and her baby. According to their website:

It is during a first pregnancy that the best chance exists to promote and teach positive health and development behaviors between a mother and her baby.

This 30-year model has a proven track of success. One study of mothers and babies who participated in the program found that when the children reached 15 there was a:

• 48% reduction in child abuse and neglect
• 59% reduction in arrests
• 90% reduction in adjudications as PINS (person in need of supervision) for incorrigible behavior

The program also:

• Improves prenatal health;
• Decreases the likelihood of childhood injuries;
• Decreases the number subsequent pregnancies;
• Increases the intervals between births;
• Increases maternal employment; and
• Improves school readiness for children born to mothers with low psychological resources

Many reputable, bi-partisan policy organizations have praised the Nurse-Family Partnership program and called for its expansion, including The Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation and the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy.

Additionally, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have pledged to, “expand the highly-successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all 570,000 low-income, first-time mothers each year.”