Objectives

To examine why families are marginalized in policymaking and what recent changes have occurred in family life.

Required Reading

• Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 2
• Coontz, S. (1997). What we really miss about the 1950s. In The way we really are: Coming to terms with America's changing families (pp. 33–50). New York: Basic Books.
• Hernandez, D. J. (2005). Changes in the demographics of families over the course of American history. In J. Heymann and C. Beem (Eds.), Unfinished work: Building equality and democracy in an era of working families (pp. 13–35). New York: The New Press.
• Tocqueville, A. (1945). Democracy in America, Vol. 2, (pp. 104–106, 109–113, 114–118). New York: Vintage Books.

Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch2.docx)

Bogenschneider (2014)

1. Are family considerations given as high a priority in policymaking as economic considerations? Why or why not? Give examples to support your view.
2. Give three explanations for the marginalization of families in policymaking.
3. Is lack of interest from policymakers a plausible explanation for the marginalization of families in policymaking? Cite examples from current and former policymakers.
4. What changes have occurred in family life during the last half century? Provide data that indicate how extensive these changes have been.

Tocqueville (1945)

1. What are the differences between an aristocracy and a democracy?
2. Why is a democracy more apt to lead to individualism?
3. What are the benefits for a democracy of citizen participation in public associations?

Hernandez (2005)

1. Do you agree or disagree that children should be the primary unit of statistical analysis? Can you reconcile Hernandez's view of a child focus with the emphasis in this course on a family focus?

2. What are the revolutionary changes that Hernandez contends have occurred from the Civil War to World War II?
3. What revolutionary transformations have occurred since World War II?
4. In the 1980s, what percent of children lived in Ozzie and Harriet families? How can this number be deceiving?

5. According to Hernandez's definition of the relative poverty threshold, what percent of families live below the poverty threshold?

6. Why should baby boomers be interested in the economic prospects of immigrant children?
7. What policy recommendations does Hernandez offer? Would you consider these recommendations more liberal or conservative? Does providing policy recommendations from one perspective affect the reader's confidence in the demographic data Hernandez provides?

Coontz (1997)

1. In the 1996 poll, why did more Americans choose the 1950s than any other decade as the best time for children to grow up?
2. Why was the choice of the best decade not universal across all respondents?
3. What aspects of life in the 1950s should be reinstated? What aspects could be reinstated?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch2.pptx)
2. Why Family Policy Is so Controversial. This discussion examines what factors make it difficult to reframe family policy and why gridlock occurs. The nine questions included in this activity never fail to stimulate discussion of the fault lines that make family policy so controversial for students individually and for society as a whole.

   Activity 2: “Why Family Policy Is so Controversial and Difficult to Move Forward” introduces why it is important to study family policy and how controversial it can be. [Activity] (Link to Activity 2.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout For Activity 2.docx)

3. Should Children or Families be the Primary Unit of Analysis? Making data available on a problem or a pending crisis for individuals (e.g., children) can often evoke public interest in an issue; however, one role for family professionals may be pointing out that the best policy response may be family-oriented. See instructor insights for the Hernandez reading (Hernandez (2005) Discussion Question 1).
4. How Family Data Can Be Misleading. Family professionals need to read data carefully to see which kinds of families are included and excluded from the data. See discussion about family structure and relative poverty in instructor insights for the Hernandez reading (Hernandez (2005) Discussion Questions 4 and 5).
5. Implications of Changes in Family Demographics. Changes in family life need to be considered carefully to assess both positive and negative consequences.

Video and Web Resources

1. Examples of presidential candidates speaking to the important functions families fulfill for their members and society:

   In a campaign rally in North Carolina in November 2008, candidate Barack Obama eulogized his recently deceased grandmother, describing the role that she played and that other parents and grandparents play in the lives of their children and grandchildren. The section from 0:47 to 1:50 is quoted in Chapter 2 of the Bogenschneider text. (5:47) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5oMY6_kCoo Presidential candidate John McCain cited the importance of family functions when introducing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. This may be one of the first times that the performance of family roles was cited as one criterion for qualification as the vice president of the United States. The section from 4:56 to 7:10 is quoted in Chapter 2 of the Bogenschneider text. (26:38) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx4XaE9v-pk

2. Six Disruptive Demographic Trends: What Census 2010 Will Reveal. This article from January 2011 presents an overview of some of the major demographic changes that affect family life. [Resource] http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/kenan-institute/publications/census-2010-trends

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch2.docx)

Bellah et al. (1996)

1. Is American culture focused more on individualism or commitment to others? What evidence can you provide? Can you think of examples from your personal experience?
2. Do families influence American individualism? If so, how and why? What other factors play a role?
3. Is a cultural shift toward individualism or familism possible? How would this happen?

Hewlett (1991)

1. What is the main point of the article? Did it surprise you?
2. What facts in the Hewlett reading did you find most surprising?
3. Why do children fare so poorly?

4. How can we meet the needs of children without pitting their needs against those of the elderly? Be specific.

Powerpoint, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch3.pptx)
2. Definition of Family Policy and Family. The following activities lead students through a critique of a number of definitions of family policy and family to help them grasp why definitions can be so controversial.

   Activity 4: “What is a Family and What is Family Policy?” helps students think through the importance of what is and is not included in definitions. [Activity] (Link to Activity 4.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 4.docx)

   Activity 17: “Grandparent Visitation Rights Debate” by Tammy Henderson illustrates the controversy involved in family policy issues when the rights of different individual members of a family conflict with each other. [Activity] (Link to Activity 17.docx)

   Activity 19: “Family Policy Definitions” by Denise Skinner helps students grasp what is within and outside the parameters of the field. [Activity] (Link to Activity 19.docx)

   Activity 20: “Family Policy Dimensions” by Denise Skinner illustrates the broad-ranging dimensions of family policy. [Activity]  (Link to Activity 20.docx)

3. An Elevator Speech for Family Policy. This activity encourages students to think about the rationale for family policy and how to explain it to a friend, a family member, or a policymaker.

Activity 32: “An Elevator Speech for Family Policy” helps students clearly and concisely state why family policy is important for families and for society. [Activity] (Link to Activity 32.docx)  [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 32.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. Robert Bellah Discusses the Link between Individualism and Politics. In this Bill Moyers interview on September 27, 1988, sociologist Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart, lays out the challenge that the next generation faces in creating an interdependent society. He discusses the invasion of the market economy into public life and how it can corrupt the decisions of policymakers and citizens. Bill Moyer’s introduction of the segment through 12:40 includes many of the course concepts. (26:08) [Video] http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/archives/bellahwoi_flash.html
2. Carl Dunst on the Characteristics and Consequences of Family-Centered Practices on Parent, Family, and Child Outcomes. In this 2011 lecture, developmental psychologist Carl Dunst summarizes over 30 years of research on family-centered practices. He defines family-centered practice and the theory on which it is based between 4:00 and 5:30. (1:00:19) [Video] http://vimeo.com/20762730
3. Robert Bellah’s Views on Family and the Future of Family Policy. In this Bill Moyers interview on September 27, 1988, sociologist Robert Bellah discusses a framework for considering the diversity of family forms that exist in the United States today. He also raises the possibility that the United States, like most other nations, could develop a family policy in the short segment between 23:48 and 26:26. (27:45). [Video] http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/archives/bellahwoi_flash.html
4. Theodora Ooms’ Evaluation of Policies to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce. On October 21, 2011, the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation hosted an event to release a new report from the Institute for American Values, "Second Chances: A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce." [Handout] (http://americanvalues.org/secondchances/) Co-authors Professor William Doherty and Justice Leah Ward Sears presented the report's findings with commentary provided by Robert Rector from the Heritage Foundation and Theodora Ooms from the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center. The remarks of Theodora Ooms begin with an historical overview of the marriage and divorce agenda in the context of policy. She specifically addresses why the domestic violence community will resist policies to reduce unnecessary divorce and how to address these concerns. Ooms discusses the policy dynamics between 32:00 and 40:00. (56:55) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFVCpIBw-f0

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch3.docx).

6. Is it possible to focus too much on familism? Would it matter if we did?

Skocpol (1997)

1. Is the United States a social policy laggard? Why or why not?
2. What rationale does Skocpol give for supporting families?
3. What does Skocpol propose to promote family well-being in public policies and programs?
4. Why does Skocpol say we should focus on families rather than children?

Strach (2006)

1. How is family both an end policy goal and a means to other policy goals? Give examples of each.
2. What does it mean that families act as a “shadow government”? Give three examples. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this shadow government for families?
3. Why is family used so frequently in political speeches? Cite examples of what purposes family can serve in public policy discourse.

Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch5.pptx)
2. Comparing Family Policy in the United States with other Countries. The individualistic flavor of policies in the United States becomes apparent when students compare and contrast U.S. family policies with those in other countries. Students can engage in a mini-comparative analysis by identifying the values that underlie the international family policies and the U.S. family policies that are mentioned in the Bogenschneider chapter.    
3. The Influence of Values in Family Policy Decisions. This activity helps students realize how values shape family policies.

Activity 21: “Culture Clash” by Steven Wisensale illustrates a cultural clash based on an incident that actually occurred in New York City in the 1990s. [Activity](Link to Activity 21.docx)

4. The Interplay of Facts, Myths, and Values. This activity examines the role of values in public policy debate. It will help students begin to grasp the complicated process by which policies are made through a weighing of facts, myths, and values. The policy that you think is the best option to address a societal challenge will probably be influenced by research evidence, although seldom can research evidence make a “slam dunk” case. The policy option that you deem most desirable is likely to also be influenced by values—who you think is most affected by recent demographic changes, which values are more important, and what types of policy responses are likely to be the most effective over the long run.

Activity 10: “Flinchbaugh’s Worm Exercise: The Role of Facts, Myths, and Values in Public Policy” illustrates that public policy is influenced, not only by facts and their absence, but also by values; the instructor needs to create a visual for this activity. [Activity] (Link to Activity 10.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. Doing Better for Families. All 34 countries associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) want to give parents more choice in their work and family decisions. This 2011 book from the OECD, Doing Better for Families, looks at the different ways in which governments support families. It seeks to provide answers to questions such as: What is the trend in spending on family benefits and does it vary by the age of the child? Has the economic crisis affected public support for families? Do parental leave programs influence mothers’ labor force participation and children’s well-being? Is the cost of childcare an impediment to parental employment and would flexible workplace options help? What is the best time for mothers to go back to work after childbirth? What policies are most effective in reducing poverty among single mothers? [Resource] http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264098732-en
2. Making a Difference: A European Perspective on Research to Policy. This footage is from the 30th anniversary of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children meeting in St. Andrews, Scotland in June of 2013; during a session entitled "Making a Difference: HBSC Research Data into Policy Action," the host, Professor Peter Donnelly, opens the proceedings by discussing how frustrated the research community gets when policymakers do not hear research findings or act upon them. He then describes how the policymaking community wants to do the right thing and why it is difficult to capture their attention. His analysis of the difficulty of translating research into policy from a European perspective is strikingly similar to the U.S. experience. His analysis runs from 1:52 to 4:40 after which he introduces the speakers—Antony Morgan, Dominic Richardson, and Susan Sawyer. Each of them speak for five minutes starting at minute 8:00 (1:23:13) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok2iPXR9Wk0

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch5.docx)

6. Is it possible to focus too much on familism? Would it matter if we did?

Skocpol (1997)

1. Is the United States a social policy laggard? Why or why not?
2. What rationale does Skocpol give for supporting families?
3. What does Skocpol propose to promote family well-being in public policies and programs?
4. Why does Skocpol say we should focus on families rather than children?

Strach (2006)

1. How is family both an end policy goal and a means to other policy goals? Give examples of each.
2. What does it mean that families act as a “shadow government”? Give three examples. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this shadow government for families?
3. Why is family used so frequently in political speeches? Cite examples of what purposes family can serve in public policy discourse.

Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch5.pptx)
2. Comparing Family Policy in the United States with other Countries. The individualistic flavor of policies in the United States becomes apparent when students compare and contrast U.S. family policies with those in other countries. Students can engage in a mini-comparative analysis by identifying the values that underlie the international family policies and the U.S. family policies that are mentioned in the Bogenschneider chapter.
3. The Influence of Values in Family Policy Decisions. This activity helps students realize how values shape family policies.

   Activity 21: “Culture Clash” by Steven Wisensale illustrates a cultural clash based on an incident that actually occurred in New York City in the 1990s. [Activity] (Link to Activity 21.docx)

4. The Interplay of Facts, Myths, and Values. This activity examines the role of values in public policy debate. It will help students begin to grasp the complicated process by which policies are made through a weighing of facts, myths, and values. The policy that you think is the best option to address a societal challenge will probably be influenced by research evidence, although seldom can research evidence make a “slam dunk” case. The policy option that you deem most desirable is likely to also be influenced by values—who you think is most affected by recent demographic changes, which values are more important, and what types of policy responses are likely to be the most effective over the long run.

   Activity 10: “Flinchbaugh’s Worm Exercise: The Role of Facts, Myths, and Values in Public Policy” illustrates that public policy is influenced, not only by facts and their absence, but also by values; the instructor needs to create a visual for this activity. [Activity](Link to Activity 10.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. Doing Better for Families. All 34 countries associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) want to give parents more choice in their work and family decisions. This 2011 book from the OECD, Doing Better for Families, looks at the different ways in which governments support families. It seeks to provide answers to questions such as: What is the trend in spending on family benefits and does it vary by the age of the child? Has the economic crisis affected public support for families? Do parental leave programs influence mothers’ labor force participation and children’s well-being? Is the cost of childcare an impediment to parental employment and would flexible workplace options help? What is the best time for mothers to go back to work after childbirth? What policies are most effective in reducing poverty among single mothers? [Resource] http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264098732-en
2. Making a Difference: A European Perspective on Research to Policy. This footage is from the 30th anniversary of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children meeting in St. Andrews, Scotland in June of 2013; during a session entitled "Making a Difference: HBSC Research Data into Policy Action," the host, Professor Peter Donnelly, opens the proceedings by discussing how frustrated the research community gets when policymakers do not hear research findings or act upon them. He then describes how the policymaking community wants to do the right thing and why it is difficult to capture their attention. His analysis of the difficulty of translating research into policy from a European perspective is strikingly similar to the U.S. experience. His analysis runs from 1:52 to 4:40 after which he introduces the speakers—Antony Morgan, Dominic Richardson, and Susan Sawyer. Each of them speak for five minutes starting at minute 8:00 (1:23:13) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok2iPXR9Wk0

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch5.docx)

How Society Shapes Families

A U.S. View

Objectives

To examine how families are shaped by the cultural, economic, political, and social contexts in which they occur by comparing the United States with other Western societies.

Required Reading

• Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 6
• Daly, K. J. (2001). Deconstructing family time: From ideology to lived experience. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(2), 283–294.
• Hewlett, S. A., and West, C. (1998). The war against parents: What we can do for America’s beleaguered moms and dads (pp. 88–97). New York: Houghton Mifflin.
• McLanahan, S., and Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps (pp. 1–18). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch6.docx)

Bogenschneider (2014)

1. In what ways is family life universal?
2. How does family life in the United States differ from that in other Western nations?
3. Provide examples that individualism is held as a cultural ideal in the United States.
4. Give an example of how Americans move back and forth between the cultural ideals of individualism and marriage.
5. In what specific ways is family commitment shaped by a strong market economy?
6. When countries such as the United States have a smaller government safety net, how does this affect family life? Be specific.

Daly (2001)

1. What does Daly say has contributed to the growing urgency about time in families?
2. Do you agree or disagree with Daly’s selection of a sample?
3. How do families develop views about family time? What do they expect?
4. What was the most common complaint about family time?
5. What were some of the impediments to family time?
6. How did families respond when the “real” of family time did not meet the “ideal”? What should be changed—the “real” or the “ideal”?

McLanahan and Sandefur (1994)

1. According to the authors, do children raised by only one parent do just as well as children raised by both parents? Why or why not?
2. What factors do the authors say affect child well-being in single-parent families?
3. Should research on the effects of single parenthood on child well-being control for income? Why or why not?

4. Do McLanahan and Sandefur recommend public debate about single parenthood? Why or why not?
5. Why is the discussion of single parenthood so controversial?
6. Why are the effects of single parenthood on child well-being important?

Hewlett and West (1998)

1. In what ways has the conservative view undermined family life?
2. In what ways has the liberal view undermined family life?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch6.pptx)
2. How a Nation’s Values Are Expressed in Family Policy. This activity helps students realize that considering a nation’s values is more than a theoretical exercise. Values are expressed and embedded in a nation’s family policies and laws in obvious ways.

   Activity 6: “Which Country Is This: The Influence of Values in Family Policy” asks students to figure out the country based on a national family code. [Activity] (Link to Activity 6.docx)[Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 6.docx)

3. How Values Are Expressed in U.S. Family Policy. This activity helps students experience firsthand how values are part and parcel of policy debate. This activity focuses on 29 potential policy choices for single-parent families that express a range of value stances.

   Activity 5: “Identifying the Trade-Offs Policymakers Face” is an exercise that never fails to generate spirited debate as students experience how policies choices are resolved through debate and compromise among diverse interests with divergent values. [Activity] (Link to Activity 5.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 5.docx)

Video and Web Resources

Examples of politicians referencing the importance of individualism in American society:

1. In a 2011 campaign speech, President Barack Obama discusses the country’s approach to capitalism and references America’s history of “rugged individualism” and skepticism of government. (1:02) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBrm_bjrQQ8
2. In this sound clip from a 2012 speech, Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan references the tension in our society between individualism and collectivism, as quoted in Chapter 6 of the Bogenschneider text. (0:16) [Audio] http://www.hark.com/clips/nhnmgzbsnj-paul-ryan-on-individualism-vs-collectivism
3. Marriage as a Status Symbol. Sociology professor Andrew Cherlin examines the modern status of marriage in the United States as compared to other Western countries in this 2008 video clip. (2:30) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aSj5tO-qHU
4. The Outsourcing of Family and Community Life. Arlie Hochschild discusses her book, The Outsourced Self, in this 2012 interview; she describes how the market has impacted what she calls "intimate life." (4:48) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYsr5JmmD5A
5. Parent Views on Time Spent at Work and Home. Parents find their time spent with children more rewarding and also more tiring than time spent at work in this 2013 analysis from the Pew Research Center; the report examines gender differences in which types of activities parents engage in and what meaning they find in these activities. A press release of the report is at this link. [Resource] http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/10/08/parents-time-with-kids-more-rewarding-than-paid-work-and-more-exhausting/. The full report is at this link. [Resource] http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2013/10/parental-time-use_10-2013.pdf
6. The Education of Sara McLanahan. This subsection of the longer article, “Dan Quayle Was Right” by Barbara DaFoe Whitehead, summarizes how Sara McLanahan became interested in studying the effects of single parents on children and why she was surprised by the results of her studies. [Resource] http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1993/04/dan-quayle-was-right/307015/

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch6.docx)

3. How do federal expenditures on children compare to spending on the elderly? How does federal spending on children compare to spending on nonchild portions of the federal budget?
4. Give examples of some of the remarkable changes that family policies have brought about for families in the last decade or so.
5. How have recent trends in policymaking affected which families receive benefits, who provides them, and how generous they are?
6. Do state government investments in policies and programs matter for families? In what ways?
7. Do family policies lead to more or less government? Explain your answer.

Wilson (1987)

1. Why have the social conditions of the ghetto underclass deteriorated so rapidly in recent years?
2. Why does Wilson say that the increases in inner-city poverty are due to desegregation?
3. What is Wilson's hidden agenda?

Corbett (1993)

1. Why has child poverty been so persistent?
2. Describe Corbett’s view of the “hard” and “soft” causes of poverty. What perceptions of the poor emanate from each of these explanations?
3. Corbett suggests a more heterogeneous view of the dependent poor. What data does he provide to support this view?
4. What lessons does Corbett’s view provide for reforming welfare policy? Are new solutions needed? What solutions does Corbett suggest? Be specific.

Searle Grannis and Sawhill (2013)

1. Is intervening early in the life of a low-income child enough to improve life prospects at middle age? Why or why not?
2. If we invested as much as $25,000 each in low-income kids during early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence, would the long-term benefits of this investment exceed the costs? Why or why not?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

• Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint](Link to LectureSlides_Ch7.pptx)
• One Specific Challenge to Family Well-Being—Poverty. Given that poverty is one of the most damaging contexts for individual and family development, it warrants class time discussing the number of families affected, its causes, and consequences. The following article can be assigned as a reading or can provide background for a mini lecture.

  Rank, M. R. (2004). The disturbing paradox of poverty in American families: What we have learned over the past four decades. In M. Coleman and L. H. Ganong, Handbook of contemporary families: Considering the past, contemplating the future. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

  The article covers:

  • the official measurement of poverty;
  • its dynamics (e.g., how many people are poor and for how long);
  • comparisons to other nations;
  • likelihood that Americans will experience poverty during their lifetime;
  • three main ways to understand the underlying causes of poverty; and
  • the consequences of poverty.

  The Corbett paper on the rise and fall of poverty policy in the United States (link provided in the section on video and web resources) provides an excellent overview of the trajectory of poverty policy over the last century.

• The Poor Are Not a Monolithic Group. I use Corbett’s “onion” analogy to illustrate that the poor are not a monolithic group. When describing Corbett’s onion analogy, I sometimes cut an onion in half during class. (Warning: This can be such a powerful activity that it brings students to tears.) As I cut the onion, I describe some of the policies that are needed at the outer layer, the middle section, and the core. (Activity 14 that follows provides a number of examples of diverse policy responses that meet different needs of those in poverty.)
• The Diversity of Policy Responses. Because the poor are so diverse, a number of different policy responses often are needed. To dramatically illustrate that one giant, grand policy may not work, I draw the diagram on the blackboard step-by-step, defining a specific subgroup of the population, and identifying targeted policy responses. This activity is based on a drawing presented in a similar manner in a social policy class taught in the late 1980s by policy gurus, Sheldon Danziger and Irwin Garfinkel.

  Activity 14: “The Diversity of the Poor Requires Different Policy Responses” visually portrays how a range of policy responses can respond to different subgroups of the poverty population. [Activity] (Link to Activity 14.docx)

• Measuring and Improving the Life Chances of Low-Income Children. A short paper recently released by the Brookings Institution introduces a new model that examines how socio-economic status affects children and whether policy interventions could change children’s life outcomes (see Searle Grannis and Sawhill reading).
• The Unintended Consequences or Disparate Impact of Policies. Even the best-intentioned policies can have adverse, unintended consequences. Sometimes policies have inadvertent or uneven consequences for families depending upon race/ethnicity, class, disability, or income. For example, the Wilson reading illustrates some of the far-reaching impacts of desegregation that policymakers did not anticipate. The following activity helps students consider the disparate impact of policies for families.

  Activity 16: “Understanding Disparate Impact” by Nancy Wicklund Gonzalez illustrates how policies can have intended or unintended impacts on families. [Activity] (Link to Activity 16.docx)

• Current Policy Issues That Affect and Are Affected by Families. Family policy instructors use a number of activities and assignments to entice students to track and get involved in current policies affecting families. See the assignments section of this instructor’s manual for how current policy events are incorporated into the class.

  Activity 25: “News Analysis: Policy Values” by Shirley Zimmerman breaks students into groups to analyze a news article related to problems affecting families. [Activity] (Link to Activity 25.docx)

  Activity 26: “News Analysis: Problems Experienced by Families in Relation to Society” by Shirley Zimmerman provides a procedure for classroom discussion of news stories. [Activity] (Link to Activity 26.docx)

Video and Web Resources

• Tension Around the Appropriate Size and Role of Government. In a 2009 speech to Congress about health care, President Obama recognizes the tension that continues to exist between the private role of individuals and the public role of government. The segment from 41:35 to 45:32 includes the excerpt quoted in Chapter 7 of the Bogenschneider text. A transcript and video are available at the link.(47:51) [Video] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/10/us/politics/20090910-obama-health.html
• Using Kids Count Data to Inform Family Policy Decisions. This video by Voices for Utah Children was created, in part, by students from the University of Utah in 2013, using information from Annie E. Casey’s KIDS COUNT project; it aims to bring KIDS COUNT data and statistics to life by showing what the state is doing right for kids and where improvements could be made. (3:38) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKDbAoJHHfw
• The Truly Disadvantaged. In this 2009 interview for the Kirwan Institute at the Ohio State University, William Julius Wilson provides an historical overview of race and class inequalities in the Black community, the subsequent focus on affirmative action versus full employment policies, and the importance of framing poverty programs broadly in order to lift up those at the lowest levels of poverty. The first eight and a half minutes of the video clip cover the concepts most relevant to this chapter. (10:00) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQWa73_F5EI
• Black Poverty 50 Years Ago and Today. In 1965, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan authored a controversial report that said the decline of the Black nuclear family was a major contributor to Black poverty. Now, five decades later, a 2013 Urban Institute report indicates improvement for middle-class Blacks but not for the Black poor. This segment from National Public Radio examines the causes of Black poverty with the voices of Senator Moynihan, President Obama, and others. (4:07) [Audio] http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/13/190982608/moynihan-black-poverty-report-revisited-fifty-years-later
• The Rise and Fall of Poverty as a Policy Issue. This well-received presentation, given by UW-Madison Senior Scientist Tom Corbett at a fall 2013 event for the Institute for Research on Poverty, overviews the trajectory of poverty policy in the United States over the last century. This talk can be assigned as a class reading or incorporated into a mini lecture on the origins of poverty policy. [Resource]http://www.irp.wisc.edu/newsevents/workshops/teachingpoverty101/participants/Presentations/Corbett-Pov101-Talk.pdf

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch1.docx)

Reich (1996)

1. Does Reich think there is a way to get work and family into balance? What do you think?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch8.pptx)
2. The Landscape of Family Policy Issues. Deborah Gentry acquaints students with hot-button issues that have relevance for family policy and popular culture by encouraging students to read books from a suggested list or that are approved by the instructor. Sample books include: For Her Own Good; Bait and Switch; Nickel and Dimed; Reefer Madness; Fast Food Nation; Are You There Alone? The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates; Peace Pilgrim; Riding in Cars with Boys; A Child Called “It”; One Child’s Courage to Survive; Girl Interrupted; Whose Face is in the Mirror; Calendar Girls; etc.
3. Activity 15: “Literary Circles” by Deborah Gentry provides a formal process for students to teach each other about hot-button family policy issues by reading relevant books and discussing them in class. [Activity] (Link to Activity 15.docx)
4.  The Conflicting Priorities Policymakers Face When Passing Family Policies. After policies are passed, it is easy to forget the controversies that arose when policymakers originally made the policy decision. Sometimes the controversies stem from the different perspectives of family members and taxpayers. Sometimes the controversies stem from the different perspectives of different generations. This activity shines a light on some of the controversies that can arise when policymakers face difficult decisions about allocating scarce resources.

   Activity 23: “Intergenerational Relations and Policy” by Steven Wisensale illustrates the different perspectives of stakeholders on two public policy issues—issuing fishing licenses and distributing Grandma’s assets. [Activity] (Link to Activity 23.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. A Family Test Applied to All Domestic Policy. In a 2011 speech responding to riots in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister David Cameron declares the need to tackle the moral crisis that led to the riots, and specifically references the importance of a public focus on families and parenting. The quote that introduces Chapter 8 of the Bogenschneider text is included in the segment from 1:27 to 3:13. (4:58) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNE6TZeCBk A transcript of the full speech is included at this link. [Resource] http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/08/society-fight-work-rights
2. Any Excuse But Family. When she chaired the Committee for Children, Youth, and Families, former U.S. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder found employees were more comfortable explaining work absences in terms of car trouble than in terms of family issues; she highlights the tendency of our work environments to downplay family considerations. 2013. (1:48) [Video] http://on.aol.com/video/pat-schroeder--any-excuse-but-family-517674825
3. Impacts of Welfare-to-Work Programs on Children. Drawing from research conducted by the social policy research organization MDRC, this 2011 video describes primary findings about how different welfare reform strategies affected the well-being of children and adolescents. (5:50) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o4_ZqWohZI&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLA0C2F0EA128C414D
4. Impact of Family Involvement on the Education of Children. This 2013 report from MDRC summarizes ten years of research on how families’ involvement in children’s learning and development through activities at home and at school affects the literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills of children ages three to eight. [Resource] http://www.mdrc.org/publication/impact-family-involvement-education-children-ages-3-8?utm_source=MDRC+Updates&utm_campaign=16569d481d-October_31_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_504d5ac165-16569d481d-34966201
5. Impact of Long-Term Care on Family Life. In this 2010 video, a filmmaker and a photo journalist reflect on the family effects of providing long-term care for their aging father. (7:10) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwSPpDNfk-0
6. Assessing the Family Impact of Policies, Programs, and Practices. For resources on (a) assessing family impact, (b) guidelines for conducting family impact analysis, and (c) examples of family impact analyses on a range of policies and programs, see the Family Impact section of the Family Impact Institute website. [Resource] www.familyimpactseminars.org

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch8.docx)

6. How can the theory of paradox be applied to welfare reform?

7. What examples exist of how using the theory of paradox can help build common ground?

Popenoe (1990)

1. As a proponent of the concerned view, what four social trends does Popenoe discuss?
2. Can these changes be conceptualized as decline? Can decline be a good thing? In what ways have the changes that have occurred been beneficial?
3. What does Popenoe mean by civil society?
4. What alternatives for social action does Popenoe discuss?
5. If you wanted to discount Popenoe's argument, what would you need to prove?

Schroeder (1984)

1. As a proponent of the satisfied view, what kind of changes does Schroeder see in society?
2. How does Schroeder define family policy?

3. Why is this view satisfied?

4. What data could she use to better support her arguement?

Orthner (1990)

1. As a proponent of the satisfied view, does Orthner believe that family values are changing? What is his thesis? How has it occurred? What examples does he give?

2. Does his arguement apply equally to all sectors of society?

Stacey (1993)

1. As a proponent of the impatient view, what is Stacey's view of the changes that have occurred in families in the last couple decades?
2. Why does Stacey say that we should work to hasten the demise of the family?
3. Do you notice any inconsistencies in Stacey's argument?

4. In what ways does she agree with the concerned camp?

Smith (1993)

1. As a proponent of the impatient view, how would you describe an ideological code in your own words?
2. What is the SNAF ideological code? What examples do the authors give of the SNAF ideological code?
3. Do you detect any fallacy in her thinking? Is there a potential bias in her argument?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch9.pptx)
2. Proponents of the Concerned, Satisfied, and Impatient Views. Students may find it interesting and enlightening to read the writings and listen to video snippets of proponents from the concerned camp (i.e., Popenoe), the satisfied camp (i.e., Schroeder, Orthner), and the impatient camp (i.e., Stacey, Smith). These views are summarized in Chapter 9, but reading original writing may make the views come alive (see the discussion questions and instructor insights above). Reading publications of the proponents of each worldview may require extending the number of classes assigned to this topic.
3. The Diversity of Values and Perceptions That Underlie Family Policy. Too often family policy is conceptualized in simplistic either/or terms—left versus right, liberal versus conservative, or progressive versus traditional. The following activities underscore the diversity of values and perspectives that exist in a pluralistic society.

   Activity 1: “How Demographic Changes in Families Affect One’s Political Views: Three Thought Experiments for Introducing Family Policy” illustrates the three worldviews through a reaction to a movie plot, a 1950s photograph of a family, and a scenario comparing the quality of life of infants borns in the 1950s versus today. [Activity] (Link to Activity 1.docx)

   Activity 8: “Constructing a Family Policy Map Based on Walljasper’s American Political Landscape” identifies prominent political philosophies and charts their relationship to one another. Visit http://utne.com for permission to reprint “The American Political Landscape” by Jay Walljasper. Instructors will usually receive same-day permission. [Activity]

   Activity 29: “My Political Compass” by Julie A. Zaloudek introduces students to political ideologies and personal beliefs/biases. [Activity] (Link to Activity 29.docx)

4. The Theory of Paradox. Instructors have developed a number of activities to help students understand the theory of paradox and how it can be used to build common ground.

   Activity 18: “Theory of Paradox” by Mark Lederer applies the theory of paradox to retirement security and the federal deficit. [Activity] (Link to Activity 18.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity18.docx)

   Activity 27: “Discerning Among the Concerned, Satisfied, and Impatient Perspectives” helps students differentiate among the three worldviews. [Activity] (Link to Activity 27.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. The Paradox of Welfare Reform—Personal Responsibility and Dependency by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In 1977, after months of pressure from Senator Moynihan, the Carter administration introduced legislation for the federal government to partially take over the local costs of welfare. In support of Carter’s bill, Moynihan argues that welfare reform is all about families. Carter’s bill was debated for three years but never passed. (8:39) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPxkJZsz4Kc
2. David Popenoe as a Proponent of the Concerned View. Students can discuss why David Popenoe of the Rutgers National Marriage Project is considered a proponent of the concerned view. Also, students can discuss the emphasis of the interview on economic considerations of cohabitation and whether it is economics that is uppermost in a couple's decision about cohabitation. 2011. (5:10) [Video] http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3874088/wedding-bliss/
3. Former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder as a Proponent of the Satisfied View. This video will prompt discussions on what life experiences shaped Congresswoman Schroeder’s political views, why she decided to take on women’s and family issues, and what she sees as the role of women in this generation. 2013. (4.22) [Video] http://www.makers.com/pat-schroeder
4. Judith Stacey as a Proponent of the Impatient View. Judith Stacey, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, is a prominent spokesperson for the impatient view and discusses her views on the inevitability of diversity. 2012. (2:16) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0_KJasTQTY
5. President Barack Obama on the Need to Reach Common Ground. In this address to the 2009 graduating class of Notre Dame, President Obama challenges the graduates to find a way to live together as “one human family.” He reviews the challenges facing this generation, none more important that learning how to reach common ground. He illustrates how common ground can be found on even the most divisive of issues—abortion. The section from 6:57 to 17:00 deals with common ground. (31:06) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwJPOfIQKwA
6. Survey Data on Marriage and Families by the Pew Research Center. This 2010 report, The Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families, addresses such questions as whether marriage is becoming obsolete, how marriage is affected by money, whether love trumps money, and how the public defines family. [Resource] http://pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/11/pew-social-trends-2010-families.pdf
7. Annual Kids Count Data by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This annual report, the 2012 Kids Count Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-being, illustrates what a difference a state makes in child well-being with its state-by-state tracking of a number of child indicators. [Resource] http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/123/2012KIDSCOUNTDataBook/KIDSCOUNT2012DataBookFullReport.pdf

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch9.docx)

3. How do individualistic societies such as the United States justify social programs?
4. If your goal is to advance family policy, would you be more likely to reach this goal if you pointed out how well families are doing or the risks that families face?
5. The authors contend that data collection tends to be focused on individuals rather than families. Can you give examples that support or refute this position?
6. To move family policies forward, are individual or structural explanations likely to be more effective? Are political incumbents more likely to use individual or structural explanations? Which explanations are political challengers likely to use?
7. How does the structure of our policy and intellectual worlds affect progress in the field of family policy? What structural change might advance the field?
8. In what ways has political activism changed recently? What effect might this have on advancing family policy?
9. What lessons can be learned from the past about bringing family policy into the mainstream of political debate? Which of these lessons do you think is most compelling? Which is most realistic?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint](Link to LectureSlides_Ch10.pptx)
2. The Need for Family Policy. One underlying question in a course on family policy is whether families are self-sufficient. To help students see the interdependence of families and society, I lead a discussion about the public and private institutions that provide support to the family. I tend to get a lively discussion by writing on the board the five main functions of family from Chapter 3: (a) family formation, (b) partner relationships, (c) economic support, (d) childrearing, and (e) caregiving. Then I ask students to brainstorm about what supports families receive from both the public and private sectors. Numerous examples can be found in the following chart and in Table 4.1 of the Bogenschneider text of how family functions are supported by institutions, providers, services, and systems, both public and private. The bottom line is that families do better when supported by close friendships, good schools, and caring communities.

Video and Web Resources

1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1939 Annual State of the Union Address to Congress. The President argues that, “Our nation's program of social and economic reform is therefore a part of defense, as basic as armaments themselves.” This speech could be discussed in class to determine the themes that are similar to and different from a state of the union address by a current president. [Resource] http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15684#axzz2iTwii6CY
2. Julia Lathrop, Head of the 1912 Children’s Bureau in the Department of Commerce and Labor. Jane Addams and her network of supporters lobbied President William Howard Taft to appoint Julia Lathrop as head of the Bureau. Lathrop became the first woman in charge of a federal government agency. Her impressive career is detailed in this biography from the National Women’s History Museum. [Resource] http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/julia-lathrop/
3. The Activism of Florence Kelley Before Women Had the Right to Vote. In 1899, Kelley became head of the National Consumer's League (NCL), a position she held for over 30 years. She also helped organize the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was a founder of the National Child Labor Committee, and contributed greatly to the creation of the U.S. Children's Bureau. Her activism is detailed in this biography from the Harvard University Open Collections Program. [Resource] http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/kelley.html
4. The 1921 Sheppard-Towner Act. On November 23, 1921, President Warren Harding signed the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act, which contributed matching federal funds to states to establish and run prenatal and child health care centers. The University of Virginia Miller Center provides historical background. [Resource] http://millercenter.org/president/events/11_23
5. The Employment Act of 1946 that Established the Council of Economic Advisers. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan recommended that families are in need of a law such as the Employment Act. Students can read the Social Security Administration Bulletin account of the Employment Act and discuss the ways a similar act could be designed for families. [Resource] http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v9n3/v9n3p25.pdf

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout](Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch10.docx)

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch11.pptx)
2. The Role Professionals Can Play in Getting the Question Right. This activity helps students understand how professionals may be able to move a family issue forward by reframing the policy question. You can ask the students the same question posed to a panel of professionals at a conference several years ago. In Activity 13, three additional examples are given of the importance of getting the question right and of viewing issues through the family impact lens.

   Activity 13: “Getting the Question Right: The Role of Professionals in Reframing Policy Debate” illustrates the fundamental importance of how policy questions are framed and of framing issues from a family impact perspective. [Activity] (Link to Activity 13.docx)

3. The Role of Personal Values and Beliefs in Policy Debate. This activity can be used for students to examine their own personal values and beliefs on family policy. The activity can also be expanded to a classroom discussion where students vote on the issues so they can see how similarity or differences in values and views affects the ability of policymakers to reach consensus on controversial family policies.

   Activity 24: “Legislators and Family Values” by Steven Wisensale illustrates the role that personal values and beliefs play in a range of family policies. [Activity] (Link to Activity 24.docx)

Video and Web Resources

• How a Bill Becomes a Law. This School House Rock video, “I’m Just a Bill,” illustrates how a bill becomes a law. (3:01). [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otbml6WIQPo
• Three Branches of Government. This School House Rock video, “Three Ring Government,” describes the structure of American Government. (3:02) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMY6lOVjQgs
• The Rise of the Tea Party. Theda Skocpol, Professor of Government and Social Policy at Harvard, and Vanessa Williamson, doctoral candidate at Harvard, describe a 2013 book, The New Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism. In this video, they describe Tea Party members as middle-class, older Americans organized in 1,000 grass-roots groups across the country with support from the right-wing media and professional funders. 2012. (10:05). [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8deeSJV0IE
• The Political Agenda of the Progressives. Theda Skocpol, Harvard Professor of Government and Social Policy, describes a new social contract that could position progressives to become a new majority based on a 1977 book that she coauthored with Stanley Greenberg, The New Majority: Toward a Popular Progressive Politics. In this1977 C-Span program, she argues that families raising children are the true heroes of our time grappling with care and support of the elderly at the same time they are making their way in a difficult economy while raising children. The section 34:07 to 40:15 describes her views of the political popularity of a partnership with American families (1:35:05). [Video] http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/92623-1

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch11.docx)

2. In what ways does Kingdon's theoretical framework suggest three different methods for operationalizing the family impact lens?
3. How are relational and participatory practices thought to contribute to family self-efficacy?

4. What are the five principles that undergird the family impact lens? What evidence suggests that each is an important principle for analyzing how sensitive policies and programs are to family well-being?
5. Family impact analysis was first introduced in the 1970s. Why was it not adopted and used more extensively? Do you think the new methods introduced here will be used more frequently and with greater effect?

6. Drawing from specific examples from the chapter, what was learned from the family impact analysis that was not previously apparent? In what ways can the findings of family impact analysis benefit policy and program decisions? Were there beneficial effects that a family impact analysis helped promote? Were there harmful effects that a family impact analysis helped avoid?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch12.pptx)
2. Critiquing Family Impact Analyses. This activity can be used as an assignment to help students learn how to conduct a family impact analysis, or it can be used as the basis for classroom discussion. This activity provides real-world examples of the contributions that family impact analysis can make to policy decisions. The case studies can be found in Ooms and Preister (1988), A strategy for strengthening families: Using family criteria in policymaking and program evaluation, which is available at no charge at www.familyimpactseminar.org in the family impact section under historical documents. Because the thoroughness of these case studies varies, it provides an opportunity to teach about how to conduct a family impact analysis and to point out some of the strengths and shortcomings of each. As an aid to the instructor, the following activity critiques each case study and describes the outcome of the analysis in the real world.

   Activity 12: “Critique of the Family Impact Analysis Case Studies” provides an analysis of the strengths and shortcoming of some real-world family impact analyses. [Activity] (Link to Activity 12.docx)

3. Applying Family Impact Analysis to the 14th Amendment. Considering the family impacts of part of the 14th Amendment can generate some provocative, insightful, and nonideological discussion on immigration and deportation.

   Activity 31: “Applying the Family Impact Lens to the 14th Amendment” by Jill Steinberg helps students see the value of the family impact perspective on a current, hot-button issue. [Activity] (Link to Activity 31.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. Assessing the Family Impact of Policies, Programs, and Practices. For resources on (a) assessing family impact, (b) guidelines for conducting family impact analysis, and (c) examples of family impact analyses conducted on a range of policies and programs, see the Family Impact section of the Family Impact Institute website. [Resource] www.familyimpactseminars.org
2. Carl Dunst on the Characteristics and Consequences of Family-Centered Practices on Parent, Family, and Child Outcomes. In this 2011 lecture, developmental psychologist Carl Dunst summarizes over 30 years of research on family-centered practices; he defines what family-centered practices are, how they are measured, and their consequences for parent, family, and child outcomes. The family impact rationale and checklist were heavily informed by this work. He defines family-centered practice between 13:18 and 14:57; he provides an overview of the findings between 36:30 and 39:36; and he summarizes conclusions from 49:23 to 52:12. (1:00:19) [Video] http://vimeo.com/20762730
3. Focusing on Families in Congress. Former U.S. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder speaks to the importance of incorporating the voices of women and families in Congress, in order to ensure that policymakers remain in touch with the family issues faced by everyday Americans. 2013. (1:14) [Video] http://on.aol.com/video/pat-schroeder--congresss-millionaires-517674807
4. Focusing on Families in Australian Policymaking. The Australian Institute of Family Studies is a research institute within the Australian government charged with providing an evidence base for developing policy and practice related to the well-being of families. Former director Harry McGurk, one of the pioneers of family impact analysis, promoted its use within the Institute; in this brief report from 1994, he discusses the ways in which family considerations are being raised on the public and political agenda. [Resource] http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm/fm39hm.pdf

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch12.docx)

2. If you were the evaluator of the Family Impact Seminars, would you focus primarily on how research presented at the Seminar influences a policy decision? Why or why not? What other outcomes might you track?
3. Do policymakers value the role that research can play in policy decisions? What evidence supports your view?

4. Bogenschneider contends that connecting research and policy is a two-pronged process—encouraging policymakers to become more research-minded and encouraging researchers to become more policy-minded. What impacts have the Seminars had on researchers, on universities, and on our scientific understanding of how research can be used to influence policymaking?

Shulock (1999)

• What conundrum does Shulock address?

1. In what ways are Shulock's conclusions similar to those of Bogenschneider in Chapter 13? In what ways are her conclusions different from those of Bogenschneider?

1. 3. Shulock sees no reason why an individual analyst must present competing perspectives on an issue. Why does Bogenschneider say this is necessary?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch13.pptx)
2. Communicating Effectively with Policymakers. This activity gives students practical experience in identifying those characteristics that make an effective and an ineffective presentation for policymakers. This activity includes a two-page handout that summarizes the importance of knowing who the audience is, what information to include, which approach to use, and how to effectively present information. The activity also includes two testimonies, one by exemplar policy communicator Urie Bronfenbrenner (that was originally presented to Congress), and a second by Miss Dee Pointe (that was designed for this activity). Students find it interesting and illuminating to analyze these two testimonies noting what makes them more or less effective.

   Activity 9: “Communicating Effectively with Policymakers: Secrets for Success” by Heidi Normandin engages students in analyzing two testimonies to identify how they are less effective than they could be and what strategies could make them more effective. [Activity] (Link to Activity 9.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout A for Activity 9.docx) [Handout 2] (Link to Handout B for Activity 9.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. Is Partisanship and Polarization Increasing in the U.S.? Advancing the use of evidence in policymaking may be one way to build common ground amidst rising polarization and declining civility within U.S. politics; this webpage overviews the evidence of declining civility and increasing political polarization in recent years. [Resource] http://www.civilpolitics.org/content/has-civility-declined
2. Understanding the Partisan Divide. In this 2012 interview with The Economist magazine, moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt discusses the differences between liberal and conservative moralities; he touches on several interesting issues, including the importance of trust in communicating information and why polarization has increased in the U.S. (7:02) [Video] http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/08/jonathan-haidt-conservative-and-liberal-morality?bclid=0&bctid=1797521486001
3. Translating Research in Ways People Can Understand. In a 2009 speech to researchers at the Institute for Education Sciences, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan notes the importance of translating data and research in ways people can understand. Leading up to this video excerpt, he states: “One of our collective challenges is to talk about data and research in ways that people understand . . . to take complicated ideas and make them understandable. That is the only way that good ideas can lead to action and not just remain on a shelf somewhere.” Then he goes on to challenge researchers to make data more accessible in the first minute and a half of this video. (5:24) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9frsExQgxVo. A full transcript of the speech is at this link. [Resource] http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/robust-data-gives-us-roadmap-reform
4. Federal Evidence-Based Social Policy Initiatives. This 2011 paper, written by Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution and Jon Baron of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, outlines the Obama Administration’s plan to promote and strengthen the use of rigorous research in U.S. social policy decisions, by focusing on and funding evidence-based social policy initiatives. [Resource] http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/articles/2011/4/obama%20social%20policy%20haskins/04_obama_social_policy_haskins.pdf
5. Family Impact Seminars. Researchers and policy experts have presented to state legislators on a range of family-relevant topics at Family Impact Seminars convened in states throughout the country; a variety of seminar topics, presentations slides, and seminar audio/video recordings can be viewed at the State Seminars section of the Family Impact Institute website. [Resource] http://familyimpactseminars.org/

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch13.docx)

6. Which organization is most popular with U.S. citizens?
7. What evidence does Putnam give of civic disengagement? Why is civic disengagement surprising? Why does it matter?
8. Why does Putnam contend that social capital is declining in America?
9. Can policy promote social capital?

Weisbrod (1997)

1. Can nonprofits make a profit?
2. Are nonprofits growing or declining in the United States? Why?
3. What competition and tension exists between nonprofits and government?
4. What is the key to understanding the interrelatedness of nonprofits with other parts of the economic system?
5. What evidence exists about the quality of the services provided by nonprofits and for-profits? Do all nonprofits provide the same quality?
6. As you read this article, identify researchable questions. Please identify general research questions as well as research questions emanating from the family impact lens.

Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch14.pptx)
2. How Political Activism is Shaped by the AAMFT Code of Ethics. This activity illustrates how political activism is shaped by one’s profession.

   Activity 28: “Linking Political Involvement to the AAMFT Code of Ethics” by Julie A. Zaloudek discusses the ethical obligation to engage in political activism. [Activity] (Link to Activity 28.docx)

3. The Role Advocacy Organizations Can Play in Building Family Policy. The Bond in Belgium provides an impressive example of a family movement working for and with families to provide services and to advocate on behalf of their political, material, social, and cultural needs. A 15- to 20-minute PowerPoint summarizes the way that the activist organization works. This can spark lively discussions about whether an organization like this could work in the United States and how it differs from current U.S. advocacy organizations.

   Activity 33: “Belgium’s League of Families: The Bond,” presents an overview of Belgium’s grass-roots family advocacy organization. [Activity] (Link to Activity 33.docx)

4. Promoting Social Capital and Civic Engagement. For a more in-depth discussion on social capital and civic engagement, the following pages from Putnam’s book, Bowling Alone, can provide fodder for fostering a fruitful discussion. Putnam proposes that six spheres will need attention—youth and schools; the workplace; urban and metropolitan design; religion; arts and culture; and politics and government.

   Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community (pp. 402–414). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Video and Web Resources

1. The Role of Social Capitol in Moving Citizens from Passion to Action. Harvard Professor Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, discusses the power that social networks plays in moving people to social and political action by transmitting information, developing trust and mutual obligation, creating a wider sense of our own self-interest, and so forth. The segment from 31:38 to 38:45 addresses social capital. 2007. (1.30.09) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xD4nzLFVE
2. Tools for Family Impact Analysis. The Family Impact Institute’s website includes a theoretical and empirical rationale for the family impact lens and a handbook for viewing policies and programs through the family impact lens. In addition, there is a family impact toolkit that includes checklists, procedures, tips, and so forth. Further, there are examples of Family Impact Analyses that have been conducted. [Resource] Check out the family impact section of www.familyimpactseminars.org.
3. Tools for Teaching Family Policy. On the Family Impact Institute’s website, there are resources for about the precepts and philosophies from which good courses and high teaching evaluations are made including undergraduate and graduate syllabi, definitions, activities, assignments, etc. [Resource] Check out the teaching family policy section of www.familyimpactseminars.org.

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch14.docx)

8. Select a policy issue that interests you. Develop a list of criteria that would help you determine whether to approach the issue as an advocate or educator. Which approach would you use and why?

Barrows (1994)

As background, this reading has become a classic for those who subscribe to the education or alternative/consequences approach. Dr. Richard Barrows is trained as an agricultural economist, the discipline from which the educational approach emerged. He retired in summer of 2006 as Associate Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He previously served in a number of positions including Interim Vice Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Associate Vice Chancellor responsible for undergraduate education improvement at UW-Madison, acting Dean for International Studies and Programs, Interim Associate Dean for University of Wisconsin-Extension, and Director of the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program. Barrows says that he has used the educational approach in the university and beyond. At the university, Barrows used the educational approach to revise the undergraduate curriculum in his stint as Associate Vice-Chancellor. Beyond the walls of the university, he has used the educational model to work on a number of issues including the development and implementation of natural resource and economic development policies and rural leadership. He has been credited with the leadership in providing education throughout the state prior to the passage of Wisconsin's innovative Farmland Preservation Law in 1977, much of which is still in effect today. As he has demonstrated in his own career, Dr. Barrows recommends that students and professionals get involved in policy in a number of different venues on a variety of issues using the education approach.

1. How does Barrows suggest injecting knowledge into a democracy?
2. How does the alternative/consequences model of public policy education differ from the advocacy model?
3. Would Barrows support turning over policy decisions to experts? Why or why not?
4. Does the alternative/consequences model have any shortcomings? If so, what are they? 

Grisso and Steinberg (2005)

1. At what point in the research process do Grisso and Steinberg say that a researcher's motives are appropriate? At what point are they inappropriate?

2. What do Grisso and Steinberg say is the proper role of science? What is the proper role of advocacy?

3. Would Grisso and Steinberg recommend talking to the press before the study is completed? Why or why not?
4. Given the recent buzz about evidence-based policy, can scientific studies tell policymakers what to do?

5. The research shows that the risk of incompetent participation in a trial is considerably greater for youth 15 and younger than for adults. What policy does this research finding suggest should be put in place?

PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts

1. Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch15.pptx)
2. The Practice of Education and Advocacy—Straight from the Horse’s Mouth. To make this topic come alive, I often invite an advocate and an educator to discuss the role they play in the policy arena. In Wisconsin, some of the leading advocacy organizations are the Farm Bureau, the Wisconsin Association of Manufacturers and Commerce, and the Wisconsin Education Association Council (the teacher’s union). For educators, I have featured Cooperative Extension Service state specialists or county/area educators. If your state is involved in the Family Impact Seminars, the seminar director would be a good choice to describe the education role. In the Q & A, I often ask the advocate if he/she ever uses education in his/her advocacy work.
3. Moving Course Concepts from the Ivory Tower to the Real World. To help students apply the ideas in this class, I use these two real-life examples described in Zigler’s (1998) article in Child Development.

   Activity 30: “Moving Course Concepts from the Ivory Tower to the Real World” helps students see how researchers and organizations have grappled with decisions about education or advocacy, often with different conclusions. [Activity] (Link to Activity 30.docx)

Video and Web Resources

1. Separating Ideology from Analysis. In a 2009 speech to researchers at the Institute for Education Sciences, during the section from 1:39 to 3:07, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan emphasizes the need to “separate ideology from analysis” and calls on researchers to distill facts and evidence in a dispassionate way in order to improve education. (5:24) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9frsExQgxVo. A full transcript of the speech is at this link. [Resource] http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/robust-data-gives-us-roadmap-reform
2. Academics and Policymakers: The Role for Research. Professor Peter Urwin, Director of the Centre for Employment Research at the Westminster Business School in the United Kingdom, talks about how academics engage with policymakers; he speaks to the importance of maintaining long-term relationships with policymakers to ensure continued impact. 2011. (4:01) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5gTbFNEkZ4 
3. Using Evidence to Advance Advocacy Efforts. Audrey Schremmer-Philip, Executive Director of Three Rivers Center for Independent Living in Wamego, Kansas, talks about several ways the Center has used evidence-based research to advocate for people with disabilities. 2011. (11:09) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHZNH0MATQ
4. Presenting Unbiased Information on Both Sides of an Issue. ProCon.org is nonprofit organization with the mission of providing resources for critical thinking and educating the public without bias; the goal of their website is to highlight a number of high-profile, controversial policy issues and present background information along with pro and con arguments on each side of the topic in a balanced, comprehensive, straightforward, and transparent way. [Resource] http://www.procon.org/

Homework

Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch15.docx)