Welfare and Education Policy: Providing for Personal Security and Need Chapter 16

Poverty in America: The Nature of the Problem The poor: who and how many? The poverty line: annual cost of a thrifty food budget for an urban family of four, multiplied by three $24,000 in 2014 Children; single-parent families headed by females Minority-group members Rural and inner-city dwellers Major differences by state

514 Poverty rates by state

515 fig 16-1

Poverty in America: The Nature of the Problem Living in poverty: by choice or by chance? Charles Murray and Losing Ground Many Americans believe poverty is a choice Most poor are in poverty as result of circumstance

Politics and Policies of Social Welfare Social insurance programs Widely supported by public Heavily funded Benefits to individuals of all income levels Seen as an earned entitlement Social security Unemployment insurance Medicare

Politics and Policies of Social Welfare Public assistance programs Less public support Receive less funding Restricted to people of low income Seen as a hand-out Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Head Start Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

523 fig 16-2

Politics and Policies of Social Welfare Public assistance programs In-kind benefits: food stamps and housing vouchers Medicaid The SCHIP program The 2010 Health Care Reform Act

Politics and Policies of Social Welfare Culture and social welfare U.S. has the most inefficient welfare system in the Western world Scores of separate programs that may overlap Large bureaucracy needed to monitor eligibility Inequity Social security and Medicare: many high-income earners receive benefits

528 fig 16-3

Federal Budget by Category 529 fig 16-4

Education as Equality of Opportunity America’s heavy investment in public education Goal is equality of opportunity Federal grants-in-aid 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the cornerstone of the federal government’s public-school efforts The 1965 Higher Education Act Pell Grants Federal loans

Education as Equality of Opportunity Improving America’s schools American students not high performers relative to other advanced countries, though America spends very highly on education Inequality of wealth in communities

Educational Performance 531

Education as Equality of Opportunity Mandatory high-stakes testing No Child Left Behind Controversial increase in weight on testing Race to the Top Competition that rewards performance and innovation Partisan conflict over education policy Federal spending School choice

The American Way of Promoting the General Welfare Democracy and economic security The American way of welfare Differences between the European and American approach

537 fig 16-5