Toward a Two-Generation Approach: Innovative Strategies to Improve Education and Training for Parents

By Katherine Saunders - Co-Written with Manuela Ekowo - EvoLLLution. In today’s economy, postsecondary education and workforce training are the gatekeepers for economic mobility — both for individuals and their families. Nearly two-thirds of all jobs will require at least some postsecondary education by 2020. For low-income workers, postsecondary credentials are crucial to obtaining stable, family-supporting employment, entering the middle class and ending the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Evidence indicates that a parent’s economic status is inextricably linked with child well-being; children in poor families are substantially more likely to be poor as an adult compared to children in more affluent families. More...