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News From Mathematica
August 8, 2006: A Semimonthly Update on New Publications, Presentations, and Other Developments
In This Issue:
Summer Enrichment Program Improves Reading Skills
Price and Income Elasticity in Demand for Health Care and Services Reviewed
New Study Examines School Food Environments, Students' Diets, and Obesity
Infant Care for Parents Making the Transition from Welfare to Work
Welfare Experts Presenting at NAWRS
Career Opportunities at Mathematica
Fact to Consider:
Children attending a well-implemented summer program gained about a month's worth of reading skills. Source: See below. |
Publications
Out-of-School Programs
 "Impacts of a Summer Learning Program: A Random Assignment Study of Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL)." Duncan Chaplin and Jeffrey Capizzano, August 2006. A growing body of evidence suggests that low-income children's test scores drop significantly relative to their higher-income counterparts during the summer months. This study finds that a well-implemented summer learning program can improve reading test scores and increase the extent to which parents encourage their children to read during the subsequent school year. The findings provide some support for investments in out-of-school time programming for low-income children during the summer, such as those currently coming from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and the Supplemental Services provisions of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act.
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Health Care Affordability
 "Price and Income Elasticity of the Demand for Health Insurance and Health Care Services: A Critical Review of the Literature." Su Liu and Deborah Chollet, March 2006. Resolving the national debate on health care affordability is likely to involve determining how consumer demand for health insurance and health care responds to changes in price or income. Estimates of these responses—measured as price and income elasticities—are often the basis for proposals to expand access or curb spending. Existing estimates are more than 30 years old and do not factor in recent demand for prescription drugs or mental health services, or current health care plan designs. This literature review examines the existing estimates, identifying gaps in them as well as in the methods used for estimating demand.
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Preventing Child Obesity
 Mathematica has been awarded a Healthy Eating Research grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct a national study of public school food environments and policies and their relationship to students' diets and obesity. The study will examine the availability of foods and beverages sold à la carte in cafeterias, vending machines, school stores, and snack bars, in addition to school policies that may allow students to leave the grounds for lunch. The goal is to understand the effect of school food environments and policies on students' eating habits and weight, as well as variations along socioeconomic and racial/ethnic lines. Researchers will analyze data Mathematica collected in 2005 for the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Survey, a nationally representative, cross-sectional sample survey of public school districts, schools, and students. The data are drawn from surveys of principals and school food service managers, on-site observations, and school records information.
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Infant Care
 "Welfare-to-Work Transitions for Parents of Infants: Employment and Child-Care Policy Implementation in Eight Communities.” Christine Ross and Gretchen Kirby, 2006. In From Welfare to Child Care: What Happens to Young Children When Mothers Exchange Welfare for Work. Nearly half the states have used the flexibility provided under federal welfare reform law to require parents of infants to work as a condition of receiving benefits, and nearly all states require teenage parents to return to school soon after the birth of a child. Mathematica’s implementation study examined the policy environment (work and school requirements) and practical considerations (child-care and supportive services) that influence the timing and ease of the transition from welfare to work or school for parents of infants. The study was based on staff interviews and focus groups with key informants in eight communities. Researchers found that case managers and program administrators did not view parents of infants as a group that had categorical needs substantially different from those of the broader TANF population and that TANF policies regarding work requirements, sanctions, and time limits were applied in the same way. In contrast, teenage parents were viewed as a subgroup with special needs requiring comprehensive services and support.
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Plan Your NAWRS Calendar
 On August 21 to 23, our welfare research staff will be sharing their findings at the 46th annual National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics conference in Jackson Hole, WY. Please join us to hear the latest findings on home visitation in rural welfare-to-work programs, food stamp participation rates, healthy marriage programs for low-income couples, and other topics. See a list of presenters. Read more about the conference.
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Career Opportunities
For information on career opportunities at Mathematica, visit us at https://careers.mathematica-mpr.com.
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For more information, please contact Publications, 609-275-2350.
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