Social Work Commons^™

Essential Policy Design Elements For Statewide Child Development Accounts, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden, Sondra G. Beverly

Center for Social Development Research

This Fact Sheet defines 10 essential and well-established design elements of state CDA legislation. Several states have adopted CDA policies, some by legislation and others by administrative rule, all using their 529 plans as the financial platform. Those interested in creating a statewide policy can view a full discussion and documentation of sample legislation in full in the Policy Summary from which this work is adapted.

Child Development Accounts At Scale: Sample State Legislation, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden, Sondra G. Beverly

Center for Social Development Research

Statewide Child Development Accounts (CDAs) provide assets and encourage saving for postsecondary education through deposits into investment accounts. Several states have adopted CDA policies, some by legislation and others by administrative rule, all using their 529 plans as the financial platform. This Policy Summary is intended to inform states interested in enacting universal, automatic, statewide CDA legislation.

It presents select examples of legislative from state CDA policies in Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Illinois, and California. Delivering CDAs at scale—to all newborns in families across the full socioeconomic and geographic (rural and urban) spectrum—and in a financially sustainable way requires a sound policy …

Statewide Child Development Accounts And Local Partnerships: A Scalable Model That Can Include All Families, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden, Jim Huang, Sondra G. Beverly, Youngmi Kim

Center for Social Development Research

This brief presents a policy model for partnering statewide Child Development Accounts (CDAs) with other federal, state, city, and community services for financially vulnerable families. Statewide CDAs use 529 plans as the financial platform.

The brief first outlines the different strengths of local municipalities, social service organizations, and statewide CDAs, and then illustrates the benefits of a combined policy model. The model is designed to increase the positive impacts at scale and ensure that statewide CDAs complement but do not replace efforts by local organizations and governments. With partnerships formed and common challenges met, statewide CDAs, local municipalities and …

Lessons And Policy Implications From The Flint Water Crisis, Amy Krings, Dana Kornberg, Shawna Lee

Center for Social Development Research

The results of the Flint water crisis were disastrous. Permanent damage has been done to Flint’s most vulnerable residents, the city’s water system, and residents’ trust in government institutions.

This policy brief describes the shortcomings of Michigan’s emergency management (EM) system and informs policymakers on potential improvements for its eventual replacement. It frames the EM system within the logic and practice of urban austerity politics and demonstrates how emergency manager policies are not race-neutral approaches to solving urban financial crises. It considers what the Flint water crisis suggests about policy mechanisms that might prevent future environmental health crises, outlining the …

Financially Vulnerable Families Reap Multiple Benefits From Child Development Accounts, Jin Huang, Sondra G. Beverly, Youngmi Kim, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Financially vulnerable families face numerous challenges that can adversely affect their children’s development. This brief reports on the effects of Child Development Accounts (CDAs), a financial capability intervention, in families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Head Start. The results show that CDAs positively shape several financial and nonfinancial outcomes for these families.

State License Requirements For Social Workers, Jenifer Van Schuyver Msw, Kyla Woodard Msw, Simona Charles Msw, Kellie Thompson Msw

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

State License Requirements for Social Workers

Will I Be Able To Cast My Ballot? Race, Income, And Voting Access On Election Day, Gena Gunn Mcclendon, Kyle A. Pitzer, Michael Sherraden, Aura Aguilar

Center for Social Development Research

A multimethod study of electoral process and access among registered voters in St. Louis City and County.

This quantitative and qualitative study examines differences in electoral process and access, and how these differences may affect the participation of registered voters, with particular attention to race and income. Disparities in the voting process and access are understood as a form of voter suppression, whether intended or not. The research is community grounded, building on strong researcher–community relationships. Data were collected at a sample of polling locations during the November 2018 elections in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The analysis …

Healing Policies For Black Boys And Young Men In St. Louis: Priorities In 2019, Sean Joe, Robert Motley, Alexandra Ivory, Alyssa Finner, Janet Frederick

Center for Social Development Research

What policy reforms are needed to remove the structural barriers that make it difficult for Black boys and young men to thrive in St. Louis?

Presenting findings from research with social service providers, this Brief Report from the Race and Opportunity Lab’s HomeGrown STL project seeks to inform policy decisions, advocacy efforts, and collective impact strategies in order to improve outcomes for Black boys and young men in the St. Louis region.

Race, Income, And Voting Access On Election Day, Aura Aguilar, Gena Gunn Mcclendon, Michael Sherraden, Kyle A. Pitzer

Center for Social Development Research

This Fact Sheet summarizes findings and recommendations from Will I Be Able to Cast My Ballot? Race, Income, and Voting Access on Election Day, a Research Report from the Voter Access and Engagement initiative’s multimethod study of electoral process and access among registered voters in St. Louis City and County.

Who Will Help Children? Building Brain Regimes, William F. Tate Iv

Center for Social Development Research

“Why can’t we organize public–private partnerships to protect and to nurture the brains of our children?”

In this Perspective, William Tate IV makes the case for constructing brain regimes—public–private partnerships designed to nurture and support the healthy development of children. Illuminating the ways in which communities and schools shape individual outcomes in Missouri, he offers seven evidence-based recommendations for fostering brain development and positive outcomes.

Who Will Help Children? Building Regional Brain Regimes is based in part on “Beyond Education Triage: Building Brain Regimes in Metropolitan America,” Chapter 11 in Facing Segregation: Housing Policy Solutions for a Stronger Society …

Volunteering And Measures Of Human Development, Benjamin J. Lough Phd

Center for Social Development Research

Through volunteering, millions of people actively participate in the work of overcoming challenges to human development. But how do differences in income, gender, access to education, labor-force participation, and other factors influence people’s participation in volunteering? Created as part of a global research agenda to inform connections between volunteering and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this brief reports results on correlations between national rates of volunteering (both formal and informal) and key indicators of human development. The findings suggest that differences in levels of human development, standards of living, and other key indicators play roles in whether a nation’s …

Segregation And A Path Forward To Inclusion In St. Louis, Henry S. Webber

Center for Social Development Research

Segregation and a Path Forward to Inclusion in St. Louis is adapted from an address given during Facing Segregation: Building Strategies in Every Neighborhood, the 2019 annual conference of the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council, on April 12, 2019, at Central Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri. This Perspective is presented here through a partnership between the Center for Social Development and the council.

A Time Of Opportunity, Angela Glover Blackwell

Center for Social Development Research

A Time of Opportunity is adapted from the keynote address given during Race at the Forefront: Sharpening a Focus on Race in Applied Research, the inaugural conference of the Collaboration on Race, Inequality, and Social Mobility in America, at Washington University on March 28, 2019.

Seed For Oklahoma Kids Wave 3: Extending Rigorous Research And A Successful Policy Model, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden, Sondra G. Beverly

Center for Social Development Research

With support from philanthropists, the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis (CSD) is conducting a third wave of research in the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment. A research study of exceptional quality, SEED OK represents an opportunity to assess the long-term potential of Child Development Accounts (CDAS)—a national system of asset-building accounts for children and youth.1 Wave 3, taking place in 2019 and 2020, expands the original CDA in SEED OK with an automatic progressive deposit, and extends the longitudinal research to examine the impacts of the CDA when the children are in middle …

A Bill To Create The Bright Futures Plan Task Force: Testimony On H.B. 2389 Before The House Education Committee, Oregon State Legislature, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Legislation introduced in the Oregon House of Representatives early in 2019 proposed the creation of a task force to develop recommendations for increasing the number of children with savings for postsecondary education. The proposed Oregon Bright Futures Task Force would be obligated to submit its recommendations by January 2020. This document presents remarks prepared by Michael Sherraden and Margaret Clancy. Presented by Sherraden in testimony before the House Committee on Education on March 13, 2019, the remarks identify key design elements of Child Development Account policies and note experiences gained from research and as well as other policy engagements.

Social Mobility: The Necessary Focus Of St. Louis Investment In Black Males, Sean Joe, Robert Motley

Center for Social Development Research

The tragic killing of Michael Brown at the hand of Darren Wilson, a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer, further highlighted the long-standing disparities in health, education, employment, and overall well-being disproportionately burdening Black boys and young men in the St. Louis region. Since that event and the associated developments, actions have centered on attending to structural determinants, racism, and equity. However, less attention has been devoted to the overall well-being of Black boys and young men ages 18 to 29 in the St. Louis region and to the paucity of available economic opportunities. This brief report seeks to shift the focus …

The Meadowlark Scholarship Act: Testimony On L.B. 544 Before The Education Committee 106th Nebraska Legislature, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

In late January 2019, legislators in the state of Nebraska introduced a package of bills designed to broaden access to postsecondary education and to encourage saving in the state 529 college savings plan. The proposed legislation’s central piece, the Meadow Lark Scholarship Act, would create a universal, at-birth, $100 seed deposit for every child born in the state. Other bills would authorize an automatic savings match program for low- and moderate-income families who save in the state 529 plan, exclude 529 contributions in determining eligibility for need-based public benefits, and make other changes to the 529 plan. On February 5, …

Honoring Missouri's First People: The Native Partnerships And Programming Alliance, Jo Malia Milner, Kellie Thompson

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

A new initiative began this year in St. Louis; a group of community organizations united together to advance Native partnerships and programming statewide. This collaborative effort is a product of cooperation between educational and cultural institutions in Missouri.

Nasnti News, Washington University In St. Louis

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

The Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) Pow Wow is a student-run event that brings together the WUSTL community, the broader St. Louis community, and dancers and guests from across Indian Country. The Pow Wow is a gathering in which people dance, sing, socialize, and honor Native American history and culture.

State License Requirements For Social Workers, Jenifer Van Schuyver, Kyla Woodward, Simona Charles, Kellie Thompson

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

State License Requirements for Social Workers