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After graduating from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in African American Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Rhiana Gunn-Wright joined IWPR as the Mariam K. Chamberlain Fellow in September 2011. Her undergraduate research interests in intersectionality and public policy culminated in her senior thesis “Breaking the Brood Mare: Representation, Welfare Policy and Teen Pregnancy in New Haven,” an examination of the interplay between popular images of poor black women and state efforts to reform welfare and manage teen pregnancy. Rhiana is excited to continue building her knowledge of education policy and public supports—particularly as they relate to women of color—through her work on the Student Parent Success Initiative here at IWPR. In November 2012, Rhiana was named one of the 2013 Rhodes Scholars. She plans to attend Oxford University in 2013 to study comparative social policy. |
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The Pregnancy Assistance Fund as a Support for Student Parents in Postsecondary Education The Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) is a competitive grant program created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that provides funding to states and tribes to support programs that provide pregnant and parenting women and girls with supportive services to help them complete high school or postsecondary degrees (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010a). Only two states, Minnesota and Virginia, have used their PAF grants to provide services related to postsecondary institutions. This fact sheet describes several of the programs and initiatives created by these PAF grantees. Unless otherwise noted, all program information comes from interviews with program officials and staff.
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Denver Paid Sick Days Would Promote Children’s School Success Paid sick days for working parents can enhance children’s school success. Parents face a difficult choice if their children get sick when they lack paid sick days: staying home with the child and missing pay (and possibly facing discipline at work); sending the child to school sick, which compromises their school performance and spreads illness to others; leaving the child at home alone, putting the child at risk; leaving the child with an older sibling who in turn must stay home from school; or trusting the child to a temporary caregiver. Each of these scenarios has potential costs for schools or for child well-being. The negative effects of inadequate sick days coverage disproportionately affect people of color and low-income adults in Denver, because they are less likely than other Denver residents to be able to earn paid sick days. This paper by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) addresses how children's school success can be improved when working parents have access to paid sick days by reviewing published research, Denver Public Schools data, and information provided in interviews and surveys of Denver Public Schools personnel.1
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#B300, Briefing Paper, 12 pages
$5.00
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