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With funding from the National Science Foundation, engineering schools at Northeastern University, Tufts University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Boston University joined forces in an effort to increase the number of girls who develop an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields during the middle school years, as well as in STEM careers. The 4 schools for Women in Engineering (WIE) strategy was to form all-female teams to train teachers and to serve as in-class resources for them. STEM Teams developed gender equitable engineering units to be used in 8th grade science classrooms and helped middle school teachers implement the new units for the engineering strand of the Massachusetts Frameworks. The strategy was implemented in eight public school districts in the greater Boston area. The evaluation focused on how teachers and STEM team members experienced the program and what the impact of the intervention was on students. Teachers' and STEM Team members' perceptions were assessed through open-ended anonymous questionnaires completed after the implementation of the intervention. The impact of the intervention on students was assessed through comparing attitudes toward engineering, mathematics, science, and STEM fields and careers before and after the intervention.

This research brief is part of the Massachusetts Capacity Study and focuses on the characteristics of the workforce caring for infants and toddlers in licensed or regulated early care and education in Massachusetts. The brief reviews the latest information on workforce education, staff-child ratios, group size, teacher tenure and turnover, and staff wages and benefits. The following are appended: (1) Tables; (2) Detailed Data Sources; and (3) Minimum Requirements for Infant and Toddler Caregivers. (Contains 15 footnotes, 5 tables, and 2 figures.) [Additional funding for this report was provided by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.]

This study assesses the current capacity of Massachusetts' institutions of higher education (IHE) to prepare the early education and care (EEC) workforce, as well as the current state of progress on the elements identified in the Report of the Early Education and Care Advisory Committee as critical to advancing a professional development system. Part of a series of research projects conducted on the EEC workforce, this report provides a detailed analysis of the Massachusetts Capacity Survey, conducted in 2005, of 59 institutions of higher education. Among the recommendations are that the the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care establish a timetable for implementation of higher workforce standards consistent with IHE capacity and that the Board of Higher Education expand articulation agreements among public and private IHEs and community-based training programs. The following are appended: (1) Survey Methods and Response Rates; (2) Tables; and (3) Directory of IHE Programs (available online). (Contains 22 tables and 2 figures.) [Funding for this report was provided by the National Institute for Early Education Research, with additional funding from Strategies for Children, the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and The Boston Foundation.]

This research brief outlines the characteristics of the current workforce serving children ages 3-5 years, and begins the discussion of the needs of the field to implement universal preschool in Massachusetts. Specifically, this brief addresses two questions about the workforce: (1) What are the characteristics, including educational qualifications, compensation, benefits, and turnover or retention of the current preschool early care and education (ECE) workforce in Massachusetts? and (2) How are these characteristics distributed across the various licensed preschool ECE sectors (centers, public school preschools, family child care, Head Start) and geographic regions in the State? This research brief makes findings on the education of the current workforce in centers, public school preschool programs, Head Start programs and family child care homes. These findings provide a description of the current qualifications of the workforce, based on a review and analysis of multiple data sources and serve as a basis for determining the professional development needs across all sectors. Appended are: (1) Tables; (2) Detailed Data Sources; and (3) Minimum Qualifications for Preschool Staff. (Contains 19 footnotes, 7 figures, and 4 tables.) [Funding provided by the National Institute of Early Education Research and Strategies for Children.]

Noting that the quality, continuity, and stability of out-of-school time programs depend, in part, on the presence of a well-trained and fairly compensated staff, this paper examines the unique characteristics of the out-of-school time workforce that contribute to inadequate compensation and explores workforce compensation from an economic perspective. Part 1 of the paper focuses on the need for qualified out-of-school time staff and the need to consider the following factors in workforce development: no unified worker identity, irregular hours, lack of professional recognition, and the need for diversity in leadership. Part 2 describes the compensation problem from a variety of economic perspectives and considers: (1) supply and demand; (2) quality of after-school child care; (3) labor supply; (4) altruism among providers; (5) return on investment in education; (6) pressure to increase productivity; (7) joining forces with a new social movement; (8) educating the consumer to stimulate demand; (9) marketing to diversity; (10) the "flexibility" factor; (11) "systems" thinking; (12) out-of-school time programs as a public good; and (13) finance reform. Part 3 profiles promising compensation strategies and initiatives from the out-of-school and early childhood education fields to provide practical examples of how, in the absence of a national system, compensation is being handled on the state and local levels. Six approaches are detailed: (1) career development; (2) greater investments per child in portable subsidies; (3) direct investments in programs, staff, and quality; (4) better information for consumers; (5) upgrading standards used in licensing and funding; and (6) organizing the workforce and/or the community. (Contains 53 references and 43 endnotes.) (KB)

Massachusetts has a comprehensive system of early care and education that provides preschool programs for over 165,000 children, an estimated 27,600 of which attend preschool programs administered by public school systems. The second phase of the Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study examined 95 school-based, publicly administered preschool classrooms to determine characteristics, the quality of care and education, whether the quality varies by the family income of the children being served, what characteristics are linked to the quality of the school-based preschool classrooms, and the costs of public preschool education in public schools. Overall findings of this second phase of the study can be summarized as follows: (1) school-based, publicly administered preschool classrooms fill a particular niche in the early care and education market; (2) most of Massachusetts' publicly-administered preschool classrooms provide early care and education that meets or exceeds national standards for good quality; (3) three-quarters of the classrooms met or exceeded the Good benchmark on language and reasoning stimulation, and 87 percent met or exceeded the Good benchmark on social interactions; (4) the level of quality for public-school preschool programs serving lower income children was comparable to that of other public school programs in Massachusetts; (5) while the majority of the programs provide quality early care and education, there is room for improvement in opportunities for outdoor play and in meeting staff needs; (6) additional teacher training in early childhood education, beyond their formal education, such as the training provided by the Community Partnerships Children program, raises the level of language-reasoning stimulation provided to children in a given classroom; (7) teachers in classrooms with fewer children, as well as better ratios of children to instructional staff, provided greater warmth and sensitivity and greater teacher engagement with children; (8) classrooms that were NAEYC-accredited scored higher on both stimulation and warmth and sensitivity; (9) the majority of these preschool classrooms were inclusive classrooms, service both children with special needs and children without, and quality did not vary with the types of special education services offered, or the specific diagnoses of the children with special needs; and (10) per pupil expenditures in these inclusive preschool classrooms are estimated at $11,187 per year, or $21.68 per child hour, for preschool children with special needs and $3,236 per year or $6.27 per child hour, for children in the regular education program. (Contains 21 references.) (HTH)

Afterschool programs supplement students' academic preparation, provide adult supervision when parents are working, and provide an opportunity for adult social and emotional growth. This paper examines how adult educators in these programs can mobilize their inner resources and social-emotional aptitude to achieve good relationships with their co-workers and with the children in their care. Findings of the Bringing Yourself to Work Project, a professional development program for afterschool educators at Wellesley College, provides an empirical foundation for the relevance of emotional intelligence and relational psychology at work. The paper discusses issues of self-awareness, cultural boundaries, and the potential for adults to learn relational skills. (Contains 66 references.) (Author/KB)

There are an estimated 167,000 children in early care and education programs in Massachusetts. In 2000, the state department of education commissioned a study of the cost and quality of early care and education in the state. This report and executive summary are the first from the study, addressing early care and education for preschool-aged children in full-day, year-round centers. The study drew a random sample of 90 community-based centers. To measure the quality of care, a single preschool-aged classroom was chosen in each of the centers in the sample. Data collectors observed classroom for 3 to 4 hours that were typical of the usual care environment for that classroom provider. Data collectors also interviewed providers about their education and training. Center directors or owners were interviewed by a separate research team about center character tics, enrollment, staffing, revenues, and expenditures. Findings include the following: (1) overall, full-time care and education for preschoolers in Massachusetts is comparable to or better than similar preschool care in other states; (2) Massachusetts' preschool classrooms vary considerably in the quality of care and education they provide; (3) centers with lower child to staff ratios, better educated teachers, and that make greater use of teachers rather than assistant teachers provide higher quality care; (4) low- and moderate-income families are less likely than higher income families to have access to quality care and education; (5) labor is the single largest component of center costs, and labor costs are strongly associated with observed quality of care and education; and (6) higher quality early care and education costs significantly more than lower quality care and education. (Contains 22 references.) (HTH)

This paper reviews the literature on the effects of what children do with their time out of school and the impact of various care arrangements. Much of the research has focused on "latchkey children": children who care for themselves. In this paper, a summary of the research findings on the latchkey group is followed by a review of what is known about children in arrangements that are supervised by adults. Methodological limitations and disparate results preclude the drawing of definitive conclusions from the studies. In spite of this, the continued proliferation of school-age programs makes it imperative that current knowledge of child development and the effects of child care arrangements be used to define and measure the indicators of quality child care for school-age children. Sections concern: (1) research on school-age children; (2) children in self-care; (3) programs for children in self-care; (4) school-age child care programs; (5) definitions of program quality in school-age child care; and (6) lessons for program evaluation, including methodological issues and suggestions for future research. A list of 90 references is included. (RH)

Features contributing to the success of six city-wide, comprehensive school-age program models are highlighted. Models are Seattle, Washington's Community Partnerships for School-Age Child Care; Madison, Wisconsin's School-Age Child Care Project; Irvine, California's Irvine Child Care Project; Houston, Texas' After-School Partnership; Los Angeles, California's LA's BEST: Better Educated Students for Tomorrow; and Baltimore, Maryland's School-Age Child Care in the City of Baltimore. Section I presents reasons for city-level involvement in school-age child care. Replicable features of the models are discussed in Section II, including: (1) adoption of a "broker" management and coordination model; (2) hiring of at least one individual to match expertise and resources with needs; (3) government funding matched with private sector donations; (4) multiple agency involvement; (5) public shool involvement; (6) quality enhancement; and (7) funding for low-income families. Section III presents detailed descriptions of each model by describing its goals, administrative structure, program design, and financing. (RH)

The Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study assessed the quality and costs of early care and education services in Massachusetts, the relationship between quality and costs, and the relationship between the family income of children served and the quality of care provided by early care and education programs. This report presents the findings from the final phase of the Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study, which examined the aforementioned assessments in community-based centers serving infants and toddlers. This study was designed to provide an accurate, up-to-date picture of the cost and quality of early care and education services for infants and toddlers, but it does not evaluate the effectiveness of specific regulations, subsidies, or other policies. The study of community-based centers serving infants and toddlers on a full-day, full-year basis found that classrooms with better child-to-staff ratios, more experienced and better educated teachers provided better quality care overall. This includes more developmentally-appropriate stimulation, and better relationships between classroom staff and children. Centers serving different income groups varied considerably in the quality of care they provided. Center directors reported diificulties in hiring qualified teachers. Evidence supports the belief that higher quality care and education costs more than poorer quality care and education. These data present compelling evidence that higher quality early care and education is associated with greater costs. Findings on relationship between labor and quality suggest the importance of hiring enough staff to maintain small group sizes and ratios, and hiring staff with education and experience to provide high quality infant and toddler care. In addition to these findings, this report provides descriptions of the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) benchmarks for early care and education, organized into seven scales: (1) Furnishings and Display; (2) Personal Care Routines; (3) Listening and Talking; (4) Learning Activities; (5) Interaction; (6) Program Structure; and (7) Adult Needs. An appendix provides the measurement and estimation for the cost-quality models. (Contains 3 tables and 22 figures.)

This report, designed for program initiators such as policymakers and advisory committees, is the second of two publications on school-age child care. This document specifically addresses school-age child care policy and focuses attention on various programs offering children a predictable and safe environment of care and informal learning. Sections address (1) what we know about school-age child care, (2) research evidence, (3) the history of school-age child care in America, (4) the special role of the public schools, (5) financing, (6) regulation, and (7) recommendations for policymakers. Appendix A presents school-age child care models of government/parents/community/school partnerships and school-sponsored programs. Appendix B includes an income and expenses comparison of three school-age child care programs. Appendix C provides a tabular comparison of state day care licensing standards and a list of current state day care licensing offices. Appendix D provides a model of legislation for a school-age child care enabling statute. Footnotes, references, and resources are also provided. (BJD)

In some areas of the college curriculum, such as the humanities and social sciences, the process of transforming the curriculum to reflect women's studies has reached a fairly sophisticated level. Other disciplines, however, especially the sciences, have proposed greater dilemmas for feminist scholars. This paper presents a multidimensional framework for feminist curricular transformation, along with a view of what a feminist scientific environment would look like. The framework contains six domains of transformation and three levels of existing and future action taken to achieve a feminist curriculum. As an example of a scientific curriculum transformed to reflect feminist concerns, a research methods curriculum in psychology is outlined. A 152-item reference list is included, as are specific suggestions drawn from teaching experiences. (DB)

In their efforts at curriculum reform, feminist scholars need to take into account the oppression of homosexuals and lesbians. A truly evolved curriculum takes seriously the overlooked lives, action, ideas and products of those whose efforts truly make societies possible. Inclusion of homosexuals and lesbians in the curriculum is important so that the oppression these persons have endured does not go overlooked by students and faculty; so that homosexual and lesbian students feel they have a place in society; and so that courses are made richer and more honest. This paper discusses the steps necessary to establish lesbians and homosexuals in the curricula, including suggestions for changing the college community, changes both in content and teaching methods, and specific examples of classroom techniques. (DB)

The task of transforming the undergraduate curriculum to reflect feminist concerns should involve a consideration of the way existing curricula are structured. This paper pursues the question of structure and considers two existing and separate courses: the sociology of work (or occupational sociology) and the sociology of the family. Alternative ways of structuring these courses are discussed, including one that would focus on the two spheres of life (work and family) together and the design of a course that has as its core the area where the spheres overlap. An outline for a course on work and families is presented and includes lists of readings for several different topics within the larger concepts. (DB)

Feminist scholarship has given a multicultural, interdisciplinary perspective to education that has produced an impatience with curriculum that is predominantly white, male, Western, and heterosexist in its assumptions. This approach to education tends to see invisible paradigms of the academic system and the larger cultural context that marginalize or trivialize the lives of all those outside the dominant class or culture. To understand the process of curriculum transformation, this research began with the classroom and ended with conceptual models for institutional change. Five key questions were asked: (1) Who can change? (2) What is the stimulus for change? (3) What are the forces and forms of resistance? (4) What is the locus for change? and (5) How do we measure change? Within the changing classroom, the issues focued on rising expectations of women, women-focused classrooms, women teaching, women learning, and conflict as an agent for change. Changing the institution requires an assessment of change in a context of crisis, of women's studies and transformation, and of curriculum transformation. Curriculum transformation projects have at least three common characteristics: (1) long term sources of funding developed within the institution; (2) long range commitment to faculty development at all levels; and (3) a means to continue to involve more faculty and adminstrators in the transformation effort. Three curriculum models, a top-down model, a piggy-back model, and a consortial model, are discussed and analyzed in relation to the five key questions. It was concluded, from the experience with all these models, that when real transformation begins to happen individuals also need to recognize the pervasive and unconscious ways in which the dominant culture is reproduced in the classroom. (KM)

The movement to train and counsel displaced homemakers began in 1975. State legislation for funding was followed by vocational educational and Comprehensive Employment Training Act funding. The Department of Labor has estimated that there are at least 4.13 million displaced homemakers. A total of 354 displaced homemaker programs have been located. Most offer counseling rather than job-specific training. Displaced homemakers need greater support while in training and more training and employment in nontraditional occupations. Most exmployers who have hired displaced homemakers have found them dependable and highly motivated. The term displaced homemaker should be more clearly defined with program focus on middle-aged and older women. More effective outreach to rural and minority women, multiple sources of funding, and training of counselors and instructors in the special needs of displaced homemakers are needed. Criteria for program evaluation should include funding, outreach, and services. (A seventy-page bibliography concludes the report, and appendixes constituting half the document include information on local, state, and federal displaced homemaker legislation and programs, lists of resources, and directory of educational institutions with displaced homemaker programs.) (Related documents are a manual on vocational counseling for displaced homemakers and a resource guide for vocational educators and planners--see note.) (MN)

This study addresses the nature, extent, antecedents, and consequences of fathers' participation in child care and home chores. Data was collected from 160 families with children in kindergarten and fourth-grade classes. The sample was equally divided between the two grade levels and within each grade level by sex. Within each of the four groups thus formed, half the mothers were employed. Dimensions of fathers' participation selected for analysis included total, proportional, and solo interaction time; solo performance of specific child care tasks; and performance of traditionally feminine household chores. Antecedents thought to influence fathers' participation included mother's and father's employment status and pattern, demographics, family structure, parental attitudes, and parental socialization. Consequences of fathers' participation were conceptualized as involving role strain and well-being. Children's sex role-related beliefs and values were measured by assessing attitudes concerning children's activities, adult occupational roles, and adult family roles, and by addressing several dimensions within each domain. Results provide descriptive data on each of the five father participation variables, correlational data describing the relationship between antecedents and the five father participation variables, consequences of fathers' participation for parents, descriptive data concerning children's sex role attitudes, and consequences for children of fathers' participation. A four-page reference list and 28 tables are appended. (RH)

Consequences of mothers' participation in child care (interaction and child-care tasks) on 160 Caucasian middle-class fathers and mothers were examined in an interview study of parents of kindergarten and fourth grade children. In half of the families, mothers were employed. Three forms of mothers' participation were examined in relation to two categories of consequences: role strain and well-being. Role-strain items referred to immediate and specific problems such as time and energy constraints and role conflicts. Well-being items assessed self-esteem, life satisfaction, and quality of experience in the parental and marital roles. In general, relationships among mothers' participation and both categories of consequences were stronger in dual-earner families. In these families, mothers' role strain was not consistently related to mothers' participation. In contrast, fathers' role strain was correlated with mothers' participation, especially proportional interaction time. The more mothers did, relative to fathers, the less role strain fathers reported. With respect to well-being consequences, for fathers, increased mothers' participation was associated with decrements in feelings of involvement in the role of parent but gains in assessments of the marriage. The opposite pattern emerged among mothers. Increased maternal participation was associated with more positive feelings in the role of mother and less positive feelings in the marital role. (Author/RH)

To investigate dimensions of fathers' participation in family work and to examine the effects of each dimension on children's sex-role related attitudes, this study collected data from 160 fathers of kindergarten and fourth-grade children, their wives, and their children. Fathers and mothers were interviewed jointly as well as separately and they independently filled out a questionnaire. Children were individually interviewed at school. The following categories of data related to dimensions of fathers' participation were reported: (1) intensity of interaction with children; (2) absolute amount of time spent in child care or home chores versus the proportional amount of time spent (i.e., the number of hours spent by the father divided by the number of hours spent by both parents); (3) solo participation versus participation with the mother; (4) performance of household chores versus child care; and (5) responsiblity for tasks versus simply performing them. Children's sex-role sterotyping and attitudes were assessed in three domains: current interests and activities, adult occupational roles, and adult family roles. In addition, children's occupational aspirations were also ascertained. Fathers' participation patterns were associated with maternal employment status and parents' sex-role attitudes (specifically, their attitudes about the male role). (AS)

This document reviews empirical studies concerning the enforcement of the child support obligation and describes recent research on coparental interactions and father/child visitations. The discussion begins with an overview of the incidence of child support awards among demographically eligible women and then focuses on research on factors determining fathers' payment performance. Chambers' (1979) study of payment patterns of divorced males in Genessee County, Michigan is emphasized. Subsequently, attention is given to factors influencing post-divorce visitation arrangements, father involvement in parenting, and the relationship between child support payment and visitation. Major limitations of the studies are pointed out, and the need for research on the dynamic interface between child support payments and post-divorce spousal and father/child relationships is indicated. (RH)

This background briefing paper synthesizes current thinking and practice on the issue of latchkey children and school-age child care (SACC). The paper defines the problem of latchkey children; reviews related literature and programmatic responses to the problem; reports responses of four southern states; and points out implications for policy initiatives. The term "latchkey children" refers to children in self-care or sibling-care during a significant portion of their out-of-school hours. The literature review focuses on the number of latchkey children, origins of the trend, research findings on risks of self-care, children's fears, boredom and other emotional effects, television as surrogate parent, self-esteem and susceptibility to peer pressure, school performance, sexual experimentation, and depression. The review of programmatic responses to the problem discusses attempts to get children into SACC and attempts to reduce risks to latchkey children. Qualities of good SACC programs are pointed out. Seven implications for policy initiatives are discussed, including the responsibility of educators, the need to involve many community sectors, sharing costs of interventions, needed state and federal legislation, use of existing professional expertise and community resources, diversity of solutions, and the relation between primary and back-up solutions. A brief bibliography of related readings is provided. (RH)

The recent rise in premarital sexual experience and in pregnancy and births among unmarried teenage women from all socioeconomic groups has focused public, professional, and governmental attention on the immediate and long-term implications of teenage pregnancy. The assumption underlying the need for adolescent parent programs in general is that if a young mother is to improve her prospects, she must continue her education, vocational training, or work experience, and delay subsequent births. This document, therefore, reviews the literature on the socioeconomic, medical, and psychological consequences of teenage pregnancy and on the role of day care in serving the needs of school-age parents and their children. First, national surveys, interview studies, and research and reports on service programs are reviewed that support the need for day care and other services to young parents. Next, several new approaches to serving the needs of adolescent parents are reviewed, including the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), Project Redirection, school-based programs, and interdistrict programs such as the Family Learning Center in Michigan. Taken together, these national, and local programs and program studies substantiate both the need for and the efficacy of child care as a support service that can improve the life outcomes of both the adolescent mother and her child. Successful programs agree that the necessary components for comprehensive service delivery include education, employment, health and fertility control, and parenting and child development. A bibliography is included. (TE)

Preliminary findings from several studies suggest that effective child care services delivered in a manner acceptable to and supportive of teen parents can facilitate school attendance and completion and can increase the chances of beneficial outcomes for young women and their children. Accordingly, in 1987 the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women conducted a survey of 220 child care programs for teen parents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, 14 programs in 3 states were selected for indepth, onsite examination. Objectives of the combined study were (1) to identify a range of model child care services specifically intended for teenage parents; (2) to select programs that represent each of these models for an indepth examination of their components and the context in which they operate; and (3) to disseminate the results of the study to educators and policymakers in a useful form. Results are reported first for the survey and then for the case studies, and policy recommendations are provided that focus on the following themes: funding, age of the teen population, transition support, family day care, local school policies, staffing, and licensing. References are included, and case studies of programs in three states--California, Florida, and Massachusetts--are appended. (TE)

Until recently, adult daughter-parent relationships have received little research attention. This study examined the quality of experiences adult daughters (N=308) have in their current relationships with their mothers and fathers and the effects of the quality of these relationships on the daughter's psychological well-being/distress. The sample of daughters was drawn from a larger, disproportionate, random, stratified sample of women ages 25 to 55, who were employed as social workers or licensed practical nurses, and who resided within a 25-mile radius of Boston. Quality of experience in the daughter role was assessed separately for the daughter-mother and daughter-father roles. Overall, daughters reported positive experiences with each parent. Having a positive relationship with one's parent(s) was associated with daughters' reports of high well-being. Having a poor relationship with one's mother was associated with reports of psychological distress, particularly among daughters who were not themselves married/partnered. Having a poor relationship with one's father was also associated with psychological distress, especially among daughters whose fathers were widowed. Race and social class variables were examined for their main and interactive effects on psychological well-being/distress. (Author/ABL)

This paper contributes to the debate on whether day care is harmful or beneficial to infants by describing some of the realities of child care for infants in Massachusetts circa 1987. Randomly sampled were 750 Massachusetts families with children under 13. Respondents were interviewed by phone about child care arrangements and family demographics. Respondents were statistically representative of all families in the state that had at least one child under the age of 13. Interviewed families had a total of 1,281 children; of these, 252 were infants up to 2 years old. These 252 infants statistically represented the population of infants in the state in 1987. Findings concern: (1) maternal employment and child care; (2) hours of care; (3) the unmet need for infant child care; (4) patterns of infant care; and (5) variations in the use of infant child care. Data revealed that both maternal employment and regular child care were the norm for older infants in Massachusetts in 1987, and were a common occurrence for infants up to 12 months of age. Almost half of infants' mothers were employed in the first year of the infant's life; over half were employed in the second year. Families with employed parents used several techniques to manage employment and child care. Married women were as likely as single mothers to use child care. Social class differences were found in the types of child care used. (RH)

A study examined the effects of participation in three types of federal job programs--classroom training, on-the-job training, and work experience--on the postparticipation employment records of black and white men and women. Using data from the Continuous Longitudinal Manpower Survey, researchers examined the employment records of 3,420 black and white individuals who had been enrolled in a Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program for eight days or more. After making allowances for various sources of statistical error, the researchers determined that program assignment variables did have a significant effect on participants' post-program participation employment rates. For white men and women and for black women, participation in classroom training significantly reduced the odds of being employed on the day after participation in a CETA program. In contrast, on-the-job training significantly increased the odds of employment when compared to participation in work experience programs. Compared to classroom training, the odds of employment after participation in on-the-job CETA programs were 4 times greater for white women, 3 times greater for white men, 2.4 times greater for black women, and 1.7 times greater for black men. For black men and white women, education is a second highly significant variable affecting the odds of employment the day after graduation from a CETA program. After analyzing the pros and cons of policies focusing on increasing the numbers of blacks and women in on-the-job training programs, the researchers recommended the adoption of such policies. (Seven tables and a list of references are appended to this report.) (MN)

The experience of marital infertility is a major biosocial life crisis that also represents a serious threat to the development of psychosocial generativity. Psychological studies of the consequences of involuntary infertility, however, are rare. A study was undertaken to identify variations in the coping patterns used by men who have experienced infertility in their first marriage and to assess the impact of variations in infertility coping strategies upon the men's subsequent success in achieving generativity, the seventh phase of Erik Erikson's model of development. Of a sample of 343 married men, prospectively studied for four decades, 52 (15.2%) experienced infertility in their first marriage. Styles of coping with their difficulty in achieving parenthood were considered across three longitudinal phases: initial substitutes; subsequent parenting resolutions; and final marital outcomes. The ability of coping strategies used in earlier phases to predict the styles used in later phases of adjustment was considered, as was the relationship between coping strategies and the subsequent achievement of generativity as defined by Erik Erikson. Results indicated that the men's parenting resolutions, marital outcomes, and midlife achievement of psychosocial generativity were predictable at statistically significant levels, based on knowledge of their prior infertility coping strategies and outcomes. Their initial style of using parenting-like substitutes was especially powerful in predicting subsequent coping strategies and the achievement of generativity at midlife. A 62-item reference list and three tables are included. (Author/NB)

The growing resistance of professionals to relocate in response to a job offer or transfer is being widely discussed. Revisions in corporate relocation policies may be needed to overcome this resistance. Telephone interviews were conducted with 33 male and 35 female professionals in dual-career households to explore reactions to relocation. The results showed that 68% of respondents had moved in the past 10 years while 15% refused an offer to relocate. Only three respondents said they would never relocate, 60% mentioned salary increase and professional advancement as incentives to move, 51% mentioned a job offer in a desirable location, and 24% cited assurance of suitable employment for their spouse as an incentive to relocate. There were no race differences in having moved in the past or willingness to move. Blacks identified the same incentives to relocate as whites but they had additional considerations, including determining whether the company's interest was more than a token hiring of minorities and finding communities which were receptive to minorities. These findings suggest that companies can assist relocating employees by offering flexible relocation assistance benefits showing that the company cares about their well-being, and staying informed about the changing needs of relocating employees. (Author/NB)

This document is the final technical report of a study concerned with career transitions of women in professional occupations. The report was written to examine: (1) distinctive factors in women's career development related to their occupational concentration in typically female occupations; (2) midlife career transitions in general and in selected typically female occupations; (3) alternative career transition types and their consequences; (4) future trends in the female labor force; and (5) 12 programs which facilitate women's career transitions. Part one examines critical elements in women's prior work and home lives which may compel a midlife career transition. Part two examines in detail the available data on midlife career transitions of women. A detailed analysis of alternative career transition types and their consequences is presented in part three. Part four examines future trends in the female labor force and part five incorporates a survey of programs promoting career transitions for women into the report. Part six describes two basic findings of the report and concludes with a set of policy and program recommendations on how women can benefit from opportunities for career transitions created by technological, economic, and demographic changes to improve their social and economic standing. (NB)

In recent years, the interest in how children spend their out-of-school time has resulted in program development projects at the local and state level and has influenced state and federal policymakers to propose legislation supportive of school-age child care programs. Gubernatorial and legislative efforts have succeeded in several states. Successful policy proposals involve enabling legislation that encourages public school space for before- and after-school programs in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Arizona, and full-scale funding programs for school-age child care in California, Indiana, and New York. Under the federal Dependent Care Grants Program (DCGP), states can apply for funds to set up school-age child care programs. The DCGP has been reauthorized by Congress at 20 million dollars per year for fiscal years 1987-1990. While there are many possibilities for policy initiatives, particular attention should be directed to the needs of children of minority families in poverty. This publication's working list of state policy initiatives on school-age child care provides brief summaries of state initiatives followed by more extensive state-by-state descriptions. (RH)

Research into the experiential determinants of stress-related health measures has progressed dramatically in the last 10 years. Examination of the relationship between life events and psychological distress has been redirected from an early emphasis on major life events to a focus on minor events, i.e., the positive and negative happenings in day-to-day living. This study examined the relationships between rewards and concerns in the employee role and three health measures: psychological distress; psychological well-being; and self-reports of physical symptoms. Subjects (N=403) were a probability sample of health-care providers, i.e., licensed practical nurses and social workers, who varied in partnership and parental status. Subjects were interviewed in their homes or offices about their major social roles, psychological distress, well being, and physical health. The results indicated that the rewarding aspects of day-to-day life in the employee role have an important effect on health measures and that the relationship of work rewards and work concerns differ both for different health measures and for women in different family-role statuses. Work rewards and work concerns have main effects on psychological distress and physical symptoms, i.e., high work rewards buffered the negative effects of high work concerns on these two measures. For each health measure, the relationship between work rewards and concerns was conditioned by family role status. The effect of work rewards and concerns was conditioned by partnership status; the effect on psychological distress was conditioned by parental stress. (Author/ABL)

Previous research on the relationship between workplace stressors and physical health symptoms in men has generated such important insights as the importance of job demand or overload to physical health. However, research on women, work and health raises several necessary additions to the paradigm: (1) a focus on the positive aspects of the workplace; (2) possible gender differences in the model; and (3) attention to the impact of family roles. This paper addresses these considerations using data from a disproportionate random sample of 403 employed women ages 25 to 55. Subjects were interviewed in their homes or offices about their major social roles, psychological distress, well being, and physical health. The results indicate that work rewards as well as work concerns are related to physical health symptoms; helping others at work is an important work reward for this sample which has not been identified in men; for employed mothers, satisfaction with salary is directly related to physical symptoms; and for women in troubled marriages or relationships, deriving reward from helping others at work reduces the impact of relationship problems on physical health. It is important to recognize that men and women operate in the worlds of work and home and that these two worlds affect each other. (Author/ABL)

In spite of general concern about the impact on women's mental health of multiple roles, most studies have examined only the impact of individual roles. This study examined the relationship between multiple-role occupancy and quality and psychological distress in a disproportionate random sample of employed female health care workers (N=403). Subjects were interviewed in their homes or offices about their major social roles, psychological distress, well being, and physical health. The results indicated that there were no negative spillover effects from work to parenting or from parenting to work. Most importantly, there was evidence of positve spillover effects from work to parenting. Women with rewarding jobs were protected from the negative mental health effects of troubled relationships with their children. Moreover, this protection accrued to employed women regardless of their partnership status or whether they had preschool-age children. These findings suggest mechanisms by which women reap a mental-health advantage from multiple roles, even when some of those roles are stressful. Future research is needed to determine if the findings apply to women employed in non-health care occupations. (Author/ABL)

This study examined work and non-workplace sources of stress in the lives of women (N=403) currently employed as health-care providers. Female licensed practical nurses and social workers were sampled because they met the three criteria determined upon for the study; that is, they were all in high-stress occupations; women predominate in those professions; and these professions had readily identifiable populations which permitted drawing random samples. The aim of this longitudinal study was to assess the relationships between work-role quality, family-role occupancy, and family role quality on one hand and mental and physical health outcomes on the other hand. The results indicated that: (1) among female health-care providers, work-role quality was an important predictor of mental and physical health measures, particularly subjective well-being, physical health symptoms, and cardiovascular disease; (2) family role occupancy had few direct effects on psychological distress, well-being, or physical symptoms; (3) parent role and partner role quality had direct, but not interactive effects, with subjective well-being; (4) family role quality had both direct and interactive effects with psychological distress and physical health; (5) the subjects showed stability with respect to role occupancy, role quality, and health measures. Eight tables, and 16 figures are included. (ABL)

In order to understand the meaning of wives' labor force participation for dual-earner families and the consequences of that participation, the breadwinner role must be conceptualized more clearly and the concept used more precisely. Researchers must abandon their assumption that all wives who are in the labor force are breadwinners and instead treat the allocation of breadwinning responsibility in dual-earner families as a variable. The breadwinner role should be the subject of research in its own right. Much work is needed before basic questions about the allocation of breadwinning responsibility in dual-earner families can be answered. Questions that need to be answered through carefully designed and conducted research include: (1) the extent of breadwinning responsibility assigned to employed wives; (2) variation among dual-earner couples in how breadwinning responsibility is allocated; (3) factors influencing the extent to which breadwinner role is shared; and (4) the relative importance of various factors and their interaction. This research would greatly enhance understanding of the meaning of labor force participation in married women's lives. (ABL)

There is general agreement that subjective experience in a role, i.e. role quality, is a better predictor of both physical and mental health measures than is role occupancy per se. In this study the relationships between two aspects of role quality in women's three social roles (paid employee, partner, and parent) and three health measures (psychological well-being, psychological distress, and physical symptoms) were examined. Subjects (N=403) were women health-care providers, licensed practical nurses and social workers, who varied in partnership and parental status. Role quality was defined as a complex construct consisting of two aspects: level of benefit and level of employment. The results indicated that level of benefit, the rewards minus the concerns women experienced in each of her social roles, was consistently and significantly associated with each of the three health measures. For each social role, those women who reported higher levels of rewards compared to concerns also reported higher levels of well-being, lower levels of psychological distress, and fewer physical symptoms. In sharp contrast, level of involvement, the total amount of rewards and concerns experienced in a role, was a significant predictor in only one model; among employed mothers, higher levels of involvement in the parenting role were associated with reports of more symptoms of psychological distress. (ABL)