1. family and parenting

Instructor’s Manual
Karen Bogenschneider & Maureen Ittig
Instructor’s Manual
to accompany
Family Policy Matters:
How Policymaking Affects Families and
What Professionals Can Do
Second Edition
Introduction to the Instructor’s Manual
Dear instructors of undergraduate and/or graduate family policy courses:
Congratulations! You will be teaching a course that is one-of-a-kind on most college campuses and, if taught well, has
the potential to benefit students and families alike. A family policy course can “hook” students on the power of policy in
the lives of families and trigger in these budding professionals a life-long passion for influencing family policies in their
community, state, and nation. If we are able to inspire students to action, the ultimate beneficiary will be families who are
shaped by the policy environment as surely as by the other contexts in which they operate.
My co-authors and I have written this manual in the spirit of efficiency so every instructor does not have to “reinvent the
wheel.” This manual provides step-by-step guidelines for teaching a college course on family policy. We do not view this
manual as a blueprint, but rather as a guide that provides a number of student-tested techniques acquired over a decade of
teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. For new instructors, we hope these ideas will jump-start course preparation by
providing teaching aides that come from years of experience. For veteran instructors, we hope that these ideas will bring a
fresh perspective, updated readings, and practical examples that will make a good course even better. As detailed below, we
have strived to include in this manual the stuff from which good courses and high teaching evaluations are made:
• The Teaching Philosophy that undergirds this course is important to any class, but especially to a course like family
policy that is challenging to teach, given its fluid nature and value-laden content. The four-page teaching philosophy,
much of which is shared orally with students, sets clear expectations for the course and helps establish a safe, accepting
classroom climate in which learning can best occur.
• The Teaching Precepts that can make an esoteric topic like family policy come alive for students are summarized
in an article that I published recently in a special Family Relations collection on teaching.
• Sample Syllabi for Both an Undergraduate and Graduate Course supply teaching objectives, guiding
questions, readings, assignments, and activities for every class.
• Readings carefully selected from the Bogenschneider text and beyond are ones that students find engaging and
that never fail to elicit discussion and critical thinking. Some of the readings are cutting-edge and others are
classics that graduates of a family policy course should be familiar with. Others are included because of their
insensitivity to family well-being, a cultural bias, or conceptual inconsistencies in a conscious attempt to help
students become critical consumers of scholarly writing.
• Activities, 14 that I have used in my classes and 12 from other family policy instructors across the country, are
guaranteed to teach class concepts in ways that students tell me they remember years later.
• Discussion questions are provided on the CD and in the daily lesson plans for every assigned reading, which may
be one of the biggest time-savers for instructors as well as a component that I think is fundamental to effectively
teaching a family policy course. Each week I distribute the discussion questions for the following week, which guides
student’s reading of course materials and helps them come to class prepared to critically engage key concepts.
• Presentations are available to enrich your classes, including one talk given at the National Press Club and five talks
prepared for state, national, and international meetings; most are complete with PowerPoint slides and a script.
• Daily Lesson Plans—29 for the undergraduate class and 15 for the graduate class—provide objectives, in-theclassroom teaching techniques, activities, homework, assignments, discussion questions, and instructor insights.
• Instructor Insights for every class are incorporated into the daily lesson plans. For the discussion questions that
are not clearly answered in the class readings, instructor insights are included to equip instructors with provocative
questions, practical examples, and penetrating analysis that will help students gain a deeper, more nuanced
understanding of the course content.
• Assignments from family policy instructors across the country can help you fairly assess mastery of course
concepts, while providing students with knowledge and skills that will be valuable beyond the course.
• The CD includes PowerPoint slides for five presentations, copies of most student handouts and assignments, and
the discussion questions for all 28 undergraduate and 14 graduate classes.
I extend my sincere appreciation to Jennifer Seubert and Maureen Ittig, who worked countless hours to make the idea of
an instructor’s manual become a reality. I want to thank the family policy instructors who gave us permission to include
their ideas in this book and on our Web site. This manual would be incomplete without a mention of those people who
inspired this book and taught me about family policy. First and foremost, I tested the ideas in this manual on the students
in my classes—whose questions sharpened my thinking, insights enriched my writing, and enthusiasm reaffirmed the
value of recording these ideas for other students of family policy. Also, I am indebted to many Wisconsin legislators who
over the years have helped me better understand the policymaking process and the ways that research and analysis can
be most useful in their decision making. I also appreciate the editing of my colleagues at the Policy Institute for Family
Impact Seminars, Heidi Normandin and Mark Lederer.
I have five requests for instructors who use this manual. First, this manual is being provided free to anyone who adopts
my text, so I ask that you do not copy or reproduce it for others who are not using the text in their classes. Second,
please store the manual in a secure location because it includes the answers to student assignments, activities, discussion
questions, and exams.
Third, I am hoping that this manual begins a dialogue and resource exchange on tools for teaching family policy. Please
forward materials that you develop—activities, assignments, syllabi, and teaching techniques—for posting on the Web
site of the Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars to Jennifer Seubert at jseubert@wisc.edu or myself at kpbogens@
wisc.edu. Fourth, the best student-written family impact analysis papers also can be forwarded to us for peer review and
possible publication on our Web site. Finally, the authors would appreciate your feedback on how useful this manual has
been and what we could do to make it better.
Good luck with your course! Teaching family policy is an important responsibility with far-reaching implications for
families and the next generation of family policy professionals.
Sincerely,
List of Contributors
Elaine A. Anderson
Professor, Department of Family Studies
University of Maryland
Barry Flinchbaugh
Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics
Kansas State University
Nancy Wicklund Gonzalez
Public Policy Project Director and CFLE Collegiate Liaison
National Council on Family Relations
Deborah B. Gentry
Professor and Associate Dean, College of Applied Science and Technology
Illinois State University
Beverly Hartberg
Associate Director, Office of Family Ministry
Diocese of Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Tammy L. Henderson
Associate Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Science
Director, Gerontology Institute
Oklahoma State University
Mark Lederer
Associate Director, Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars
Lecturer, Human Development & Family Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Heidi Normandin
National Coordinator, Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars
State Coordinator, Wisconsin Family Impact Seminars
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Denise A. Skinner
Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Margaret E. Wall-Wild
Assistant Grant Writer
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium & Dubuque County Historical Society
Steven K. Wisensale
Professor, Public Policy
School of Family Studies, University of Connecticut
Shirley Zimmerman
Professor Emeritus, Department of Family Social Sciences
University of Minnesota
sample
Undergraduate Family
Policy Syllabus
24 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Undergraduate Course Syllabus
Family Policy
Human Development and Family Studies
The only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject is by
hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion and studying all modes in which it
can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this.
- John Stuart Mill
Course Description
This course will explore the reciprocal linkages between family functioning and public/private policies at the local, state,
and federal levels. Students will explore how families contribute to social problems, how families are affected by these
problems, and whether families should be involved in policy solutions. Students will assess the consequences policies
may have for family well-being with special attention to selected family policy issues. The course will include theoretical
frameworks for conceptualizing family policy, roles professionals can play in building family policy, and approaches
professionals can use in implementing these roles.
Course Objectives
In this course, students are expected to:
• Critically examine theoretical orientations for conceptualizing family policy and for connecting research and policymaking.
• Gain an understanding of how policy is influenced by demographic changes, values, attitudes, and perceptions of the
well-being of children and families.
• Apply a family perspective to policy analysis by assessing current policy issues in terms of their sensitivity to and
supportiveness of diverse contemporary families.
• Explore what roles professionals can play in building family policies that support families across the life cycle.
• Explore how these roles can be implemented using either an educational or advocacy approach.
• Think critically and improve their ability to develop and express clear logical arguments to policymakers, practitioners
and the public.
Undergraduate Syllabus | 25
Required Texts
Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do
(2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ooms, T., & Preister, S. (Eds.) (1988). A strategy for strengthening families: Using family criteria in policymaking and
program evaluation. Washington DC: The Family Impact Seminar. Also available through the Policy Institute for
Family Impact Seminars Web site or by calling (608) 263-2353.
These texts are available at University Book Store and the Underground Textbook Exchange.
Additional readings for each week have been assembled in a reading packet available at the L & S copying center in
6120 Social Science Building. The hours are 7:45 to 4:10. The bibliography of the required readings for the course is
attached to this syllabus.
Course Philosophy
My intent is to encourage students to consider policies from the perspective of families, rather than individuals. To
encourage students to examine ideas critically, some of the course readings are included because of their insensitivity
to family well-being or conceptual inconsistencies. The course purposefully includes writings from across the political
spectrum. My intent in teaching a course on family policy, is not to have the students complete the class espousing
my political views, but rather to explore more fully a range of political perspectives in an attempt to determine their
own views on current family issues. In keeping with this philosophy, there are no right or wrong answers on some of
the assignments. Instead, students are evaluated on their ability to articulate a particular view, identify its theoretical
underpinnings, support it with empirical findings, and refute alternative views.
Course Requirements
1. Participating in Class Discussion (10 points) - Regular class attendance and participation is expected. Each week
students are assigned readings from the text or the reading packet. These assignments should be read before class so
students can participate fully in the discussion. The class will be structured much like a study group or policy board
that one might encounter in business, education, or the legislature, in which a group of people grapple with ideas. Each
student is responsible for teaching others in the class, assuming responsibility for locating resources, finding answers to
questions that arise, and being prepared for class as part of an obligation to one’s own learning and that of others.
2. Views of a Controversial Family Policy (45 points) - Prepare a typed 5- to 8-page paper on a policy issue of your
choice. Summarize how this issue would be viewed from the concerned, sanguine, and impatient views as discussed
in Chapter 9 of the Bogenschneider (2006) text. For this assignment, use only the readings from the class. Contrast
the concerned, sanguine, and impatient perspectives of recent changes that have occurred in the family. For each
view, summarize:
• their view of the issue that you select (10 points),
• their policy agenda on this issue (10 points), and
• the values that underlie their argument on your issue (10 points).
Using the theory of paradox, explain how each view can contribute to our understanding of or response to your issue.
(15 points)
3. Analysis of a Current Family Policy (20 points) - Students are expected to keep up-to-date on current family policy
issues being debated or decided in local, state, or federal government; executive, legislative, or judicial branches of
government; businesses; advocacy groups; or nonprofit organizations from a daily newspaper (i.e. state paper, The
New York Times, The Wall Street Journal) or a weekly magazine (i.e. Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report).
26 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Do not read anecdotal or human interest articles to fulfill this assignment. For this assignment, write a 3- to 4-page
summary using this format:
• Title and source of the article (the news story must be attached for grading)
• Brief summary of the article that is accurate, but does not plagiarize (5 points)
• Critical assessment of the article indicating how much confidence you can have in its accuracy and objectivity (5 points)
• Policy implications for families (5 points)
• Your own reaction based upon class readings and, when appropriate, your personal experiences or values (5 points)
This assignment should be written in journalistic style. It can be revised and resubmitted to raise the grade. You have
a choice of when to submit this assignment—Class 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19.
4. Letter to the Editor or Government Official (15 points) - Write a 200-word letter to the editor or a government
official expressing your view on a current family policy issue you analyzed for Assignment 3 or another issue of your
choice. This assignment must be written in journalistic style and can be revised and resubmitted before mailing. If a
letter to the editor is published, 5 points of extra credit will be assigned.
5. Case Study of Family Impact Analysis (30 points) - Write a 5- to 6-page analysis of one of the case studies (selections
will be made in class) in the Ooms and Preister text using the following format. This assignment must be submitted by
Class 21; no late assignments accepted. Use the family impact checklist in Appendix A of the Bogenschneider (2006) text.
Use the following format:
• Using the family impact principles, what are the supportive effects of the policy or program? What are the undermining
or nonsupportive effects? List each principle and indicate if the principle is supported, nonsupported, or not relevant for
the issue. Under each principle, use only those questions that seem appropriate for your case study. (10 points)
• Are there beneficial effects that might have been overlooked without family impact analysis? Are there harmful
effects that a family impact analysis could help avoid? Summarize the conclusions of your analysis. (10 points)
• How well was the particular case study done? Are there family impact principles that the writer overlooked? Point
out specifically the strengths and shortcomings of the analysis. (10 points)
6. Report on Policy Meetings (45 points) - Attend two meetings in which policy issues are being discussed. One of the
meetings must be a hearing of the state legislature and the other can be another legislative hearing or a government
meeting (e.g. county board of supervisors, city council, school board meeting), judicial proceedings (i.e. Supreme
Court trial), advocacy meeting (e.g. Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Children’s Trust Fund), political
forum (i.e. League of Women Voter’s debate, political party caucus, candidate speech), or nonprofit organization (i.e.
child care center board, church or religious council).
Write a 3- to 5-page paper that includes the names of both meetings as well as the place, date, number, and types of
people in attendance, and the total time you attended. For one of the meetings, summarize:
• What happened, how decisions were made or will be made, and what you learned about the policymaking process
(10 points)
• The implications for family policy (10 points)
• What you learned drawing upon class readings and your own experiences (10 points)
Be prepared to give a 5-minute report in Class 25, 26, 27, 28, or 29 (15 points). A one-paragraph summary of the
two policy meetings you plan to attend is due in Class 6. The oral report can be given in collaboration with another
student in the class, but each person must submit their own written report on the day of their oral report.
7. Exam (35 points) - The questions for the final exam will be drawn from the discussion questions used throughout the
semester. The final exam is scheduled for Friday, May 28, at 10 a.m.
Undergraduate Syllabus | 27
Course Grading
You should be familiar with the University’s standards for academic honesty as described in the pamphlet, Academic
Misconduct: Rules and Procedures, published by the Dean of Students’ Office. For individual assignments, you are
expected to work alone. You can consult books, articles, and class notes but ideas from these sources must be cited.
Failure to cite the source of ideas other than your own is plagiarism. Materials incorporated from the Web also require
proper citation.
All written assignments should be well-organized, demonstrate critical thinking, and apply concepts learned in the course
or from other sources. Assignments should be professional in appearance—typed, double-spaced, and proofread for correct
grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Assignments will be graded primarily on what is said (e.g., thoughtful analysis and
application of course content), but some points will also be given for how it is said (e.g., grammar, clarity, and consistency
with journalistic style used to write for policymakers). Citations and references should use APA style. The number of points
and due date of each assignment are given in Table 1 (below).
Table 1. Course Assignment Summary
Points
Assignment
10
Class Participation
Due Date
Paragraph on the Two Policy Meetings You Will Attend
Class 6
45
Views of a Controversial Family Policy
Class 13
20
Analysis of a Current Family Policy Issue
Class 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19
Select Case Study for Family Impact Analysis Class 18
15
Letter to the Editor or Government Official
Class 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19
30
Case Study of Family Impact Analysis
Class 21
45
Report on Policy Meetings
Class 25, 26, 27, 28, or 29
35
Final Exam
Assigned time during
exam period.
200
Total Points
I wish to fully include persons with disabilities in this course. Please let me know if you need any special
accommodations in the curriculum, instruction, or assessments of this course to enable you to fully participate. I will try
to maintain confidentiality of the information you share with me.
Once you have learned how to ask questions—relevant and appropriate and substantial questions—you have learned
how to learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know.
- Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner
28 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Section 1
Overview of the Course
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be.
- Thomas Jefferson
Class 1: Why Take A course in Family Policy
Guiding Questions
• What expectations does the instructor have for the students? What expectations do the students have for the instructor?
• What can students expect to learn in the class and how can they expect to learn it?
• What philosophy of education undergirds the course?
• What collective experience on policy do the instructor and students bring to the class?
Class Activity
• How Demographic Changes in Families Affect One’s Political Views: Three Thought Experiments for Introducing
Family Policy
Class 2: Why Is There A Family Void in Policymaking? Why is Family Policy
So Controversial?
All my life in politics, I have striven to make the necessary working compromise between the ideal and the practical.
- Theodore Roosevelt, Letter to his son, Kermit, January 17, 1915
Guiding Questions
• How much attention have families received in policymaking?
• How would you explain the family void in policymaking?
• Why has family policy been so controversial and difficult to move forward?
Class Activity
• Why Family Policy is so Controversial and Difficult to Move Forward
Class Readings
Chapter 1 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Do we need a family perspective in policymaking? In K. Bogenschneider,
Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 3-14). Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum.
Undergraduate Syllabus | 29
Section 2
The Rationale for Family Policy
Class 3: What Is Family Policy? Is It Focused More On Individuals Or Families?
Perhaps because of the dominance of individualism in our country, we tend to split the individual from the family, just as
we have tended to split the mind from the body.
- Doherty, 1993, p. 98
Guiding Questions
• What is policy? What is family policy? What is a family?
• In what ways have professionals contributed to the lack of family-sensitive policies and programs?
• Does it matter if we focus too much on individualism? Is too much familism possible?
Class Readings
Chapter 2 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Do we need a family perspective in policymaking? In K. Bogenschneider,
Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 15-28).
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Class Activity
• What is a Family and What is Family Policy?
Class 4: Would Policies Be More Effective If They Focused On Families?
... for all those who believe that a strong family is necessary for a decent society.
- Bellah, 1990, p. 228
Guiding Questions
• What qualities does a family impact perspective bring to policymaking?
• What evidence exists regarding whether policies and programs can strengthen families?
Class Readings
Chapter 3 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What is family policy? What is a family perspective in policymaking? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 29-37). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Chapter 4 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Do families matter and what is their value in policymaking? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 39-52). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
30 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Section 3
The Condition of American Families
Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
...there has been a dramatic transformation in the perception of the family. Consequently, we are at a crossroad
between what the family was in the past, what it is now, and what it will and should be in the future.
- Henry J. Sokalski, Secretariat for the International Year of the Family
Class 5: The History of Family Policy—The Way We Were and the Way We Are
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
- George Santayana (1863-1952)
Guiding Questions
• Does the United States have family impact statements?
• What has interfered with the development of family impact statements? Are they a good idea or not?
• What is the history of family policy in the United States? Were its roots apparent in the 1800s?
Class Readings
Tocqueville, A. (1945). Democracy in America, Vol. 2, (pp. 104-106, 109-113, 114-118). New York: Vintage Books.
Ooms, T. (1995, October). Taking families seriously: Family impact analysis as an essential policy tool. Paper presented
at expert meeting on family impact in Leuven, Belgium.
Bogenschneider, K., Kaplan, T., & Morgan, K. (Eds.) (1993). Single parenthood and children’s well-being. (Wisconsin
Family Impact Seminar Briefing Report No. 2) University of Wisconsin-Madison: Center for Excellence in Family
Studies. (Also available at http://familyimpactseminars.org/fis02toc.htm)
Class Activity
• Identifying the Trade-offs Policymakers Face
Undergraduate Syllabus | 31
Class 6: How Are Families Similar and Different Than in the Past?
Caring for and educating children are the cheapest defense of nations.
- Edmund Burke
Guiding Questions
• What changes have occurred in the lives of children and families in the last 150 years?
• In a 1996 poll, why did more Americans choose the 1950s than any other decade as the best time for children to grow
up? What aspects of life in the ‘50s could or should be reinstated?
• Should children or families be the primary unit of analysis?
Class Readings
Hernandez, D. J. (2005). Changes in the demographics of families over the course of American history. In J. Heymann &
C. Beem (Eds.), Unfinished work: Building equality and democracy in an era of working families (pp. 13–35). New
York: The New Press.
Coontz, S. (1997). The way we really are: Coming to terms with America’s changing families (pp. 33-50). New York:
Basic Books.
Class Activity
• How Much Have Families Changed in Your Lifetime?
Assignments
• Paragraph is due indicating the two policy meetings that you will attend. You may not be able to identify a specific
legislative hearing, but you should be able to specifically identify one policy meeting.
Class 7: Are Families a Legitimate Focus of Policymaking?
Our society can never be stronger than the children we raise or the families in which we raise them.
- Office of the Press Secretary (1997)
Guiding Questions
• What evidence exists regarding whether families are a legitimate focus of policymaking?
• Would a family focus in policymaking result in more or less government?
Class Readings
Chapter 5 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Are family issues a legitimate focus of policymaking? In K. Bogenschneider,
Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 53-64). Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum.
Hewlett, S. A., & West, C. (1998). The war against parents: What we can do for America’s beleaguered moms and dads
(pp. 88-97). New York: Houghton Mifflin.
32 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 8: Why Should We Be Concerned About Family Change?
Ah! What would the world be to us,
If the children were no more?
We should dread the desert behind us,
Worse than the dark before.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Guiding Questions
• What are the dimensions and consequences of changes in the family during the past quarter century?
• What evidence does the concerned camp cite about why we should be concerned about families? What alternatives for
social action does this camp propose?
Class Readings
McLanahan, S., & Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps (pp. 1-18). Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press.
Popenoe, D. (1990). Family decline in America. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the
nest: A new commitment to the American family (pp. 39-51). Milwaukee: Family Service America.
Class Activity
• Which Country is This: The Influence of Values in Family Policy
Class 9: Why Should We be Sanguine About Family Change?
It is culture, not politics, that determines the health of a society. That is the conservative’s truth. But, politics can
influence culture. That is the liberal’s truth.
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Guiding Questions
• What kind of changes do the sanguine see in society?
• How do the sanguine define family policy?
• What alternatives for social action does the camp propose?
Class Readings
Schroeder, P. (1984). Changing life cycles: Homemaking and the displaced housewife. Champion of the great American
family (pp. 87-114). New York: Random House.
Orthner, D. K. (1990). The family in transition. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the
nest: A new commitment to the American family (pp. 93-118). Milwaukee: Family Service America.
National NOW Conference Resolutions (1995). Retrieved July 25, 2006, from http://www.now.org/organization/
conference/1995/resoluti.html
Class Activity
• How Family-Friendly is the National Organization for Women?
Undergraduate Syllabus | 33
Class 10: Should We Be Impatient with the Family Changes that Have Occurred?
As Governor, I can tell you that about 80 percent of the problems that hit my desk you can trace back to the breakdown
of family structure in our society, and I think anyone who doesn’t want to admit that is kidding themselves.
- Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, November, 1995
As a family sociologist, I can tell you that about 70 percent of the problems that hit my desk you can trace back to the
breakdown of the economic and social structure in our society (the other 30 percent are probably indelible features
of the human condition), and I think anyone who doesn’t want to admit that is not only kidding themselves but also is
shirking a personal portion of our collective responsibility in the name of the Family.
- Judith Stacey, 1996
Guiding Questions
• What values underlie the impatient view of family change?
• Would the impatient view these values as stable or in flux?
Class Readings
Stacey, J. (1993). Good riddance to “the family”: A response to David Popenoe. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55,
545-547.
Smith, D. E. (1993). The standard North American family: SNAF as an ideological code. Journal of Family Issues, 4(1), 50-65.
Class Activity
• Constructing a Family Policy Map Based on Walljasper’s American Political Landscape
Class 11: How Can We Overcome the Controversy and Move Family Policy Forward?
A national family agenda is “neither liberal nor conservative... the core issues facing the American family...will fit the
strategic need of either party. Thus, it is twice blessed, good policy and good politics.”
- Blankenhorn, 1998a, p. 2
Guiding Questions
• What theoretical perspectives exist to help overcome the polarization that often stymies the development of family policy?
Class Readings
Chapter 9 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). How can we bridge the controversy and move family policies forward?
The theory of paradox. In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what
professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 115-139). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Class Activity
• Flinchbaugh’s Worm Exercise: The Role of Facts, Myths, and Values in Public Policy
34 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 12: What Can We Learn From Past U.S. Successes to Guide Family Policy into
the Future?
Those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat the eleventh grade.
- James W. Loewen
Guiding Questions
• Do Americans believe in social protection, in government investing in social policies, in doing things for one another
through government?
• Has the U.S. been a social policy laggard?
• What approaches exist for moving family policy forward?
Class Readings
Chapter 10 in Text: Bogenschneider, K., & Corbett, T. (2006). What can we learn from the roots of American social
policy about building enduring family policies in the 21st century. In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters:
How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 141-159). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Chapter 11 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What can we learn from the past about methods for moving family
policy forward in the future? In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and
what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 161-173). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Undergraduate Syllabus | 35
Section 4
The Role of Professionals in Family Policy Development
Class 13: How Can Professionals Get Involved in Public Policy— Advocacy or Education?
Knowing is not enough; we must apply, Willing is not enough, we must do.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Guest Lectures
• “How Educators Can Influence State Policy” by Richard Barrows, Associate Dean, College of Agricultural and Life
Sciences, UW-Madison
• “How to Represent the University to Policymakers” by Mark Lederer, former legislative liason, University of
Wisconsin-Extension
Guiding Questions
• Which approach is best for getting involved in policy: advocacy or education?
• Should policy decisions be turned over to experts?
Class Readings
Barrows, R. (1994). Public policy education. Cooperative Extension Service: NCR Extension Publication. (Available at
http://cecommerce.uwex.edu/pdfs/NCR203.PDF)
Assignments
• Views of controversial family policy due
36 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 14: The Advocacy Approach
The intent of the advocate is “self-consciously to shape and influence the debate in line with a preconceived set of
ideas or principles rather than simply pursue research questions in whatever directions they may lead.”
- J. Smith, 1991, p. 206
Guest Lectures
• “How Lobbyists Influence State Policy,” by Roger Cliff, Lobbyist for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau
Guiding Questions
• Is the education model a passive approach?
• Is the education model a politically neutral act?
• What is the process whereby bills become law?
Class Readings
Chapter 13 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Which approach is best for getting involved in family policy: Advocacy or
education? In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals
can do (2nd ed., pp. 227-243). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Guither, H. D., Edelman, M. A., & Yoho, C. B. (1991). Making your views count on public policy issues. Cooperative
Extension Service: NCR Extension Publication.
Class 15: The Advocacy Approach (Continued)
Scientific knowledge, the wisdom of the university, cannot be used to determine the correct policy choice for society
because science cannot supply the value judgements that rank the interests of one group as more important than the
interests of another.
- Barrows, 1994
Guiding Questions
• What roles can the professional play in building family policy?
• What is the role of the professional in implementation?
Class Readings
Chapter 12 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What roles can family professionals play to build family policy? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 177-178, 183-187). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Class Activity
• Case Studies of Advocacy (e.g., The Special Morning Milk Budget Amendment and Wisconsin’s Learnfare Program)
Assignments
• One due date for analysis of current policy issue and/or letter to the editor or government official
Undergraduate Syllabus | 37
Class 16: Roles Professionals Can Play in Building Family Policy
—Research And Evaluation
The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all and incorporated into our
common life.
- Jane Addams
Guiding Questions
• What is the role of the professional in research and evaluation?
• What are the limitations of data analysis for answering policymakers’ questions?
• How useful is research in setting national policy priorities?
Class Readings
Chapter 12 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What roles can family professionals play to build family policy? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 178-183, 187-193). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Rist, R. C. (1994). Influencing the policy process with qualitative research. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook
of qualitative research (pp. 545-558). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Class Activity
• Case studies of evaluations like Wisconsin’s Learnfare Program
Assignments
• One due date for analysis of current policy issue and/or letter to the editor or government official
38 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 17: Roles Professionals Can Play in Building Family Policy
—Integration, Dissemination, and Teaching
If the methods of social science were utilized, we could develop more scientific lawmaking. Legislatures could operate like
laboratories with laws enacted as a “series of exhaustive experiments.”
- Lester Ward, 1893 (cited in Smith, 1991)
The place of [experts] was “advisors to the leaders”...and politicians were free to use or reject that advice as they saw
fit. “They were leaders”...[and] “I was an intellectual.”
- John Commons, 1934 (cited in Smith, 1991)
Guiding Questions
• What is the role of the professional in integration, dissemination, and teaching?
• What lessons have the organizers learned about working with state policymakers through the Wisconsin Family Impact
Seminars? What implications do these lessons have for theory and practice?
Class Readings
Chapter 12 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What roles can family professionals play to build family policy? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 193-201, 208-212). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Chapter 14 in Text: Bogenschneider, K., Olson, J. R., Mills, J., & Linney, K. D. (2006). How can we connect research with
state policymaking? Lessons from the Wisconsin Family Impact Seminars. In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters:
How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 245-276). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Assignments
• One due date for analysis of current policy issue and/or letter to the editor or government official
Undergraduate Syllabus | 39
Class 18: Communicating Research To policymakers
We are well past the time when it is possible to argue that good research will, because it is good, influence the policy process.
- Ray Rist (1994, p. 596)
Guiding Questions
• Why do reports have to be written differently for policymakers?
• How can reports be written to be more useful to policymakers?
Class Readings
Normandin, H. & Bogenschneider, K. (2006, March). Getting Your Point Across to Policymakers. Family Focus,
FF29, F1-F2.
Deloria, D., & Brookins, G. K. (1982) The evaluation report: A weak link to policy. In J. R. Travers & R. J. Light (Eds.),
Learning from experience: Evaluating early childhood demonstration programs (pp. 254-271). Washington, DC:
National Academy Press.
Class Activity
• Communicating Effectively With Policymakers: Secrets for Success
Assignments
• Select case study for family impact analysis
• One due date for analysis of current policy issue and/or letter to the editor or government official
40 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 19: Roles Professionals Can Play in Building Family Policy
—Family Impact Analysis
... for all who believe that a strong family is necessary for a decent society.
- Bellah, 1990, p. 228
Guiding Questions
• What is the role of the professional in family impact analysis?
• How does family impact analysis differ from program evaluation?
• Why might an agency conduct a family impact analysis?
Class Readings
Text: Ooms, T., & Preister, S. (Eds.) (1988). A strategy for strengthening families: Using family criteria in policymaking
and program evaluation (pp. 5-15). Washington, DC: The Family Impact Seminar.
Chapter 12 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What roles can family professionals play to build family policy? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 201-208). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Appendix B in Text: Gross, E., Bogenschneider K., & Johnson C. (2006). How to conduct a family impact analysis. In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 305-311). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Class Activity
• Critique of the Family Impact Analysis Case Studies
Assignments
• Last due date for analysis of current policy issue and/or letter to the editor or government official
Class 20: Roles Professionals Can Play in Building Family
Policy—Family Impact Analyses (Continued)
If a community values its children, it must cherish their parents.
- John Bowlby
Guiding Questions
• Can families be expected to be totally self-sufficient in performing their responsibilities?
• What public and private institutions help families carry out their functions?
Class Readings
Text: Ooms, T., & Preister, S. (Eds.) (1988). A strategy for strengthening families: Using family criteria in policymaking
and program evaluation (pp. 16-22, 33-44). Washington, DC: The Family Impact Seminar.
Examples of Family Impact Analyses are available at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/familyimpact/analyses.htm
Undergraduate Syllabus | 41
Class 21: Roles Professionals Can Play in Building Family Policy
—University and Citizen engagement
If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I
rise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This
makes it hard to plan the day.
- E.B. White
Guiding Questions
• Why should universities be involved in family policymaking?
• What contemporary examples exist of individualism in the United States?
Class Readings
Chapter 12 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What roles can family professionals play to build family policy? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 212-218, 218-224). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65-78.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community (pp. 402-414). New York:
Simon & Schuster.
Class Activity
• The Ecology of Family Policy: How it Affects Human Development
Assignments
• Case study of family impact analysis due
42 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 22: Roles Professionals Can Play in Building Family Policy
—Citizen engagement
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on
the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
- Bishop Desmond Tutu
Guiding Questions
• How does public problem solving differ from advocacy?
• What does it take for community approaches to be successful?
• How can we promote government that is not “for the people” but “by the people?” How can we engage citizens as
producers of family policy? What principles and theories can guide us?
Class Readings
Chapter 12 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What roles can family professionals play to build family policy? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 212-218). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Chapter 15 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). How can professionals team up with communities to influence local
policymaking? Guidelines from Wisconsin Youth Futures. In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How
policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 277-290). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Doherty, W. J. (2000). Family science and family citizenship: Toward a model of community partnership with families.
Family Relations, 49(3), 319-325.
Class 23: How Can a Family Perspective Aid understanding of
contemporary public issues?
The research evidence reveals that Head Start and similar efforts achieve their constructive effects in two ways. First,
they do so directly, by providing children with certain kinds of expertise that foster their psychological growth. But there
is a second, indirect effect that is equally if not more powerful. Programs like Head Start also succeed because they
enable families to function—to work the magic feat that families do best—making and keeping human beings human.
- Urie Bronfenbrenner (1989)
Guiding Questions
• How do families contribute to problems?
• How are families affected by problems?
• Would policies be more effective if families were involved in the solution?
Class Readings
Chapter 6 of Text: Riley, D., & Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Do we know what good parenting is? Can public
policy promote it? In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what
professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 67-84). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Chapter 7 in Text: Doherty, W., & Anderson, J. (2006). Can a family-focused approach benefit health care? In
K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.,
pp. 85-95). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Undergraduate Syllabus | 43
Section 5
The Content of Family Policy
Class 24: How Can We Address Family Poverty?
I once believed that we were all masters of our fate—that we could mould our lives into any form we pleased...I had
overcome deafness and blindness sufficiently to be happy, and I supposed that anyone could come out victorious if he threw
himself valiantly into life’s struggles. But as I went more and more about the country, I learned that I had spoken with
assurance on a subject I knew little about...I learned that the power to rise in the world is not within the reach of everyone.
- Helen Keller
Guiding Questions
• What are the inherent conflicts in designing welfare policies?
• What needs to be done to counter growing income inequity?
Class Readings
Corbett, T. (1993). Child poverty and welfare reform: Progress or paralysis. Focus, 15(1), 1-17. University of WisconsinMadison: Institute for Research on Poverty.
Hewlett, S. A., & West, C. (1998). The war against parents: What we can do for America’s beleaguered moms and dads
(pp. 88 -97). New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Class Activity
• The Diversity of the Poor Requires Different Policy Responses
Class 25: Do We Need Universal or Targeted Policies?
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.
- George Jean Nathan, (1882-1950)
Guiding Questions
• Why does Wilson say that increases in inner city poverty are due to desegregation?
• What are the consequences of universal and means-tested programs?
Class Readings
Chapter 8 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What current policies and proposals are changing the political landscape for
families? In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can
do (2nd ed., pp.101-104). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Wilson, W. J. (1987). The truly disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass, and public policy (pp. 140-164). Chicago:
The University of Chicago Press.
Assignments
• One due date for report on policy meeting
44 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 26: What Current Policies and proposals are changing the political
landscape for families?
Sometimes when I get home at night in Washington I feel as though I had been in a great traffic jam. The jam is
moving toward the Hill where Congress sits in judgment on all the administrative agencies of the Government...
There are all kinds of conveyances that the Army can put into the street—tanks, gun carriers, trucks...There are the
hayracks and the binders and the ploughs and all the other things that the Department of Agriculture manages to
put into the streets...the handsome limousines in which the Department of Commerce rides...the barouches in which
the Department of State rides in such dignity...I stand on the sidewalk watching it become more congested and more
difficult, and then because the responsibility is mine and I must, I take a very firm hold on the handles of the baby
carriage and I wheel it into the traffic.
- Grace Abbott, Chief, United States Children’s Bureau, 1921-1934
Guiding Questions
• Why is family often a shorthand for the relationship of the parent and the child with less attention to the relationship of
the adults through marriage or other partnerships?
• When we speak of family, why do we often mean the mother and child with little attention to the father?
• Are the elderly part of the family policy picture?
• Why do we so often speak of children with no mention of the family they are growing up in?
Class Readings
Chapter 8 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). What current policies and proposals are changing the political landscape for
families? In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can
do (2nd ed., pp. 97-100, 104-111). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Wisensale, S. K. (in press). California’s paid leave law: A model for other states? In S. K. Wisensale & L. Haas (Eds.),
Families and Social Policy: National and International Perspectives (pp. 177-195). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
Assignments
• One due date for report on policy meeting
Undergraduate Syllabus | 45
Section 6
Building Family Policy
Whose Responsibility is it?
Class 27: The Role of Employers, advocates, and professionals in Building Family Policy
I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not
enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to
inform their discretion by education.
- Thomas Jefferson
Guiding Questions
• What are the processes whereby policies affect families?
• Is there a way to get work and family into balance?
• How can we support the well-being of our seniors without jeopardizing the development of our children?
Class Readings
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Weiss, H. B. (1983). Beyond policies without people: An ecological perspective on child and
family policy. In E. F. Zigler, S. L. Kagan, & E. Klugman (Eds.), Children, families, & government: Perspectives
on American social policy (pp. 393-414). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Hewlett, S. A. (1991). When the bough breaks: The cost of neglecting our children (pp. 138-167). New York: Basic Books.
Reich, R. B. (1996, November 8). My family leave act [Op-ed]. The New York Times, p. A33. Retrieved July 8, 2006, from
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=10381401&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=15482&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Class Activity
• Getting the Question Right: The Role of Professionals in Reframing Policy Debate
Assignments
• One due date for report on policy meeting
46 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 28: The Role of Nonprofits in Building Family Policy
Science considers what is true... Politics considers what is right... Art is the development of what is beautiful... It has
been humanity’s persistent hope that these three ideals should be consistent with each other.
- Edward Teller, Science, May 1998
Guiding Questions
• Why is the nonprofit sector expanding? How effective are nonprofits in supporting families?
Class Readings
Weisbrod, B. A., (1997). The future of the nonprofit sector: Its entwining with private enterprise and government.
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 16(4), 541-555.
Assignments
• One due date for report on policy meeting
Undergraduate Syllabus | 47
Section 7
the future of family policy
Class 29: Has Family Policy Come of Age?
If you look at the amount of need, we didn’t get the law we wanted. If you look at the amount of effort, we got what
we deserved.
- Sid Johnson, Executive Director,
American Public Welfare Association
Guiding Questions
• Did family policy come of age in the 1990s? Where do we go from here?
• What evidence emerged in the last decade to support the rationale that policymaking should aim to strengthen families?
• Have family issues been a legitimate focus of policymaking in the decade?
• What strategies can help us be more effective in communicating with policymakers?
Class Readings
Chapter 16 in Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). It is time to take family policy seriously? In K. Bogenschneider, Family
policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 291-297). Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum.
Assignments
• Last day for report on policy meeting
• Final exam given on assigned day and time during exam period
What we call the beginning is often the end.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
- T.S. Eliott
48 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Course Readings
Barrows, R. (1994). Public policy education. Cooperative Extension Service: NCR Extension Publication. (Available at http://cecommerce.uwex.
edu/pdfs/NCR203.PDF)
Text: Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Text: Bogenschneider, K., & Corbett, T. (2006). What can we learn from the roots of American social policy about building enduring family policies in the
21st century. In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 141-159).
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bogenschneider, K., Kaplan, T., & Morgan, K. (1993). Single parenthood and children’s well-being (Wisconsin Family Impact Seminar Briefing Report
No. 2). University of Wisconsin-Madison: Center for Excellence in Family Studies. (Also available at http://familyimpactseminars.org/fis02toc.htm)
Text: Bogenschneider, K., Olson, J. R., Mills, J., & Linney, K. D. (2006). How can we connect research with state policymaking? Lessons from the
Wisconsin Family Impact Seminars. In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do
(2nd ed., pp. 245-276). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Weiss, H. B. (1983). Beyond policies without people: An ecological perspective on child and family policy. In E. F. Zigler, S.
L. Kagan, & E. Klugman (Eds.), Children, families, & government: Perspectives on American social policy (pp.393-414). Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Press.
Coontz, S. (1997). The way we really are: Coming to terms with America’s changing families (pp. 33-50). New York: Basic Books.
Corbett, T. (1993). Child poverty and welfare reform: Progress or paralysis. Focus, 15(1), 1-17. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Institute for
Research on Poverty.
Deloria, D., & Brookins, G. K. (1982) The evaluation report: A weak link to policy. In J. R. Travers, & R. J. Light (Eds.), Learning from experience:
Evaluating early childhood demonstration programs (pp. 254-271). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Doherty, W. J. (2000). Family science and family citizenship: Toward a model of community partnership with families. Family Relations, 49(3), 319-325.
Text: Doherty, W., & Anderson, J. R. (2006). Can a family-focused approach benefit health care? In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters: How
policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 85-95). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Text: Gross, E., Bogenschneider K., & Johnson C. (2006). How to conduct a family impact analysis. In K. Bogenschneider, Family policy matters:
How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 305-311). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Guither, H. D., Edelman, M. A., & Yoho, C. B. (1991). Making your views count on public policy issues. Cooperative Extension Service: NCR
Extension Publication.
Hernandez, D. J. (2005). Changes in the demographics of families over the course of American history. In J. Heymann & C. Beem (Eds.), Unfinished
work: Building equality and democracy in an era of working families (pp. 13-35). New York: The New Press.
Hewlett, S. A. (1991). When the bough breaks: The cost of neglecting our children (pp. 138-167). New York: Basic Books.
Hewlett, S. A., & West, C. (1998). The war against parents: What we can do for America’s beleaguered moms and dads (pp. 88-97). New York: Houghton Mifflin.
McLanahan, S., & Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps (pp. 1-18). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Normandin, H. & Bogenschneider, K. (2006, March). Getting Your Point Across to Policymakers. Family Focus, FF29, F1-F2.
National NOW Conference Resolutions (1995). Retrieved July 25, 2006, from http://www.now.org/organization/conference/1995/resoluti.html
Office of the Press Secretary. (1997, February 1). The President’s weekly radio address. Washington, DC: The White House.
Ooms, T. (1995, October). Taking families seriously: Family impact analysis as an essential policy tool. Paper presented at expert meeting on family impact in
Leuven, Belgium.
Text: Ooms, T., & Preister, S. (Eds.) (1988). A strategy for strengthening families: Using family criteria in policymaking and program evaluation. Washington
DC: The Family Impact Seminar. Also available through the Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars Web site or by calling (608) 263-2353.
Orthner, D. K. (1990). The family in transition. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the
American family (pp. 93-118). Milwaukee: Family Service America.
Popenoe, D. (1990). Family decline in America. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the
American family (pp. 39-51). Milwaukee: Family Service America.
Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65-78.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community (pp. 402-414). New York: Simon & Schuster.
Reich, R. B. (1996, November 8). My family leave act [Op-ed]. The New York Times, p. A33. Retrieved July 8, 2006, from http://proquest.umi.com/
pqdweb?did=10381401&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=15482&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Text: Riley, D., & Bogenschneider, K. (2006). Do we know what good parenting is? Can public policy promote it? In K. Bogenschneider, Family
policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 67-84). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Rist, R. C. (1994). Influencing the policy process with qualitative research. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research
(pp. 545-558). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Schroeder, P. (1984). Changing life cycles: Homemaking and the displaced housewife. Champion of the great American family (pp. 87-114). New
York: Random House.
Undergraduate Syllabus | 49
Smith, D. E. (1993). The standard North American family: SNAF as an ideological code. Journal of Family Issues, 14(1), 50-65.
Stacey, J. (1993). Good riddance to “the family”: A response to David Popenoe. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 545-547.
State Legislative Leaders Foundation. (1995). State legislative leaders: Keys to effective legislation for children and families (pp. vi - vii). Centerville,
MA: Author.
Tocqueville, A. (1945). Democracy in America, Vol. 2, (pp. 104-106, 109-113, 114-118). New York: Vintage Books.
Walljasper, J. (November/December 1991). The American political landscape. Utne Reader, 48, 287-289. Minneapolis: LENS Publishing Co.
Weisbrod, B. A. (1997). The future of the nonprofit sector: Its entwining with private enterprise and government. Journal of Policy Analysis and
Management, 16(4), 541-555.
Wilson, W. J. (1987). The truly disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass, and public policy (pp. 140-164). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Wisensale, S. K. (in press). California’s paid leave law: A model for other states? In S. K. Wisensale & L. Haas (Eds.), Families and Social Policy:
National and International Perspectives (pp. 177-195). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
References and Supplemental Readings
Bellah, R. N. (1990). The invasion of the money world. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment
to the American family (pp. 227-236). Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America.
Bellah, R. N., Madsen., R., Sullivan, W. M., Swidler, A., & Tipton, S. M. (1985/1996). Habits of the heart: Individualism and commitment in American
life. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Blankenhorn, D. (1990). American family dilemmas. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the
American family (pp. 3-25). Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America.
Blankenhorn, D. (1998). Propositions newsletter (pp. 4-12). New York: Institute for American Values.
Bogenschneider, K. (2000). Has family policy come of age? A decade review of the state of U.S. family policy in the 1990s. Journal of Marriage and
the Family, 62(4), 1136-1159.
Boyte, H. (1993). Practical politics. In B. R. Barber & R. M. Battistoni (Eds.), Education for democracy (pp. 172-178). Dubuque, IA: Kendell Hunt
Publishing Co.
Bradley, B. (1995). America’s challenge: Revitalizing our civil society. Focus on Study Circles, 6(2).
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989). Early childhood education programs: Needs and dangers. Testimony presented at a hearing of the Subcommittee on
Education and Health of the Joint Economic Committee of the House and Senate of the Congress of the United States.
Children’s Defense Fund. (1993, May). Children’s commission “passes the torch.” Washington, DC: Author.
Daly, K. J. (2001). Deconstructing family time: From ideology to lived experience. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(2), 283-294.
Dishion, T. J., McCord, J., & Poulin, F. (1999). When interventions harm: Peer groups and problem behavior. American Psychologist, 54, 755-764.
Doherty, W. J. (1994). I’m O.K., you’re O.K., but what about the kids? The Family Therapy Networker, pp. 46-53.
Eastman, M. (1996). Myths of marriage and family. In D. Popenoe, J. B. Elshtain, and D. Blankenhorn (Eds.), Promises to keep: Decline and renewal
of marriage in America. Lanham, MY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Furstenberg, F. F. Jr., & Condran, G. A. (1988). Family change and adolescent well-being: A reexamination of U.S. trends. In A. J. Cherlin (Ed.), The
changing American family and public policy (pp. 117-155). Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.
Galinsky, E. (1992). Work and family: 1992. Family Resource Coalition Report, 11(2), 2-3.
Haas, L., & Hwang, P. (1995). Company culture and men’s usage of family leave benefits in Sweden. Family Relations, 44(1), 28-36.
Haveman, R. (1994). Generational accounting as an alternative to public budgets and deficits. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 8(1), pp. 95-111.
Kamerman, S. B., & Kahn, A. J. (2001). Child and family policies in an era of social policy retrenchment and restructuring. In T. Smeeding &
K. Vlemincks (Eds.), Child well-being and poverty: Policy in modern nations (pp. 501-525). Bristol, UK: The Policy Press.
McLanahan, S. & Booth, K. (1989). Mother-only families: Problems, prospects, and politics. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 557-580.
Massey, D. S. (1996). The age of extremes: Concentrated affluence and poverty in the twenty-first century. Demography, 33, 395-412.
Olson, J., & Bogenschneider, K. (1999). Long-term care: State policy perspectives (pp. 19-27). Wisconsin Family Impact Seminar Briefing Report.
Madison, WI: Center for Excellence in Family Studies.
Ooms, T. (1990). Families and government: Implementing a family perspective in public policy. Social Thought, 16(2), 61-78.
Ooms, T. (1998). Towards more perfect unions: Putting marriage on the public agenda. Washington, DC: Family Impact Seminar.
Quinn, L. (1992). Using threats of poverty to promote school attendance: Findings from the Wisconsin “Learnfare” evaluation. Milwaukee, WI:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Rappaport, J. (1981). In praise of paradox: A social policy of empowerment over prevention. American Journal of Community Psychology, 9(6), 1-25.
Ross, R., & Staines, G. L. (1972). The politics of analyzing social problems. Social Problems, 20, 18-40.
Sawhill, I. V. (1992). Young children and families. In H. J. Aaron & C. L. Schultze (Eds.), Setting domestic policy: What can government do? (pp. 147184). Washington, DC: Brookings Institute.
50 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Scott, K. G., Mason, C. A., & Chapman, D. A. (1999). The use of epidemiological methodology as a means of influencing public policy. Child
Development, 70(5), 1263-1272.
Seeley, D. (1985). Education through partnership. Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute Public Policy Research.
Shulock, N. (1999). The paradox of policy analysis: If it is not used, why do we produce so much of it? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management,
18(2), 226-244.
Skocpol, T. (1997). A partnership with American families. In S. B. Greenberg & T. Skocpol (Eds.), The new majority: Toward a popular progressive
politics (pp. 104-129). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Smith, J. A. (1991). The idea brokers: Think tanks and the rise of the new policy elite (pp. xi - xxi). New York: Free Press.
Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., & Cabrera, N. (1999). Perspectives on father involvement: Research and policy. Social Policy Report, XIII(2). Ann Arbor, MI:
Society for Research on Child Development.
Uhlenberg, P., & Eggebeen, D. (1986). The declining well-being of American adolescents. The Public Interest, 82, 25-38.
Whitehead, B. D. (1992). Crossing the cultural divide: A new familism? Family Affairs, 5(1-2), 1-5.
Wolfe, A. (1998). Developing civil society: Can the workplace replace bowling? The Responsive Community: Rights and Responsibilities, 8(2), 41-47.
Wisensale, S. (2001). Family leave policy: The political economy of work and family in America (pp. 29-51). Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Young, R. (1992, February). Traditional and other families: How many are there really? Madison, WI: Cooperative Extension Service.
Zigler, E. (1993). Communicating effectively before members of Congress. In K. McCartney, & D. Phillips, An insider’s guide to providing expert
testimony before Congress (pp. 11-15). Ann Arbor, MI: Society for Research in Child Development.
Zigler, E. (1998). A place of value for applied and policy studies. Child Development, 69(2), 532-542.
sample
Undergraduate
Lesson Plan
76 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Class 1 Daily Lesson Plan
Why Take a Course on Family Policy
Objectives
To give students an understanding of the course goals and requirements, to explain the unique perspective that family
policy brings to policymaking, and to encourage personal reflections on the dimensions and consequences of changes in
family life during the last quarter century
HANDOUTS
• Course Syllabus
• Class Contact List
• Discussion questions for Class 2 (on CD)
IN THE CLASSROOM
1. Synopsis of the Course. Provide an overview of the rationale for the course, particularly how individualistic family
policy is in the United States and what benefits a family perspective can bring to policymaking.
Resource Presentation 1, “Research Update for Practitioners: Putting Family Policy on the Political
Agenda;” this is a 60-minute presentation (script and slides) that overviews the whole course and
can be used in whole or part (in the Presentations section with slides on CD).
Resource Presentation 2, “National Council on Family Relations Press Conference;” this talk is a 10 to 15
minute overview (script only) of the rationale for family policy (in the Presentations section).
2. Getting Started. Review syllabus and discuss course expectations and student goals. Explore the range of personal
experiences both you, the instructor, and the students, bring to the course. Review the educational philosophy of the course.
Resource “Philosophies and Strategies for Teaching Family Policy in Undergraduate and Graduate
Classrooms” (located in the front of this manual)
3. Demographic Changes in Family Life. How do perceptions of demographic changes in families affect one’s
political views? The goal of this in-class activity is to reframe class dialogue away from the stereotypic classification
of liberal and conservative that tend to force students into rigid, opposing camps. Instead, this activity poses a
question that defines the policy debate and holds the potential to lend clarity, cooperation, and common ground to
controversial issues. This activity brings into sharp relief three different worldviews of family change.
Resource Activity 1, “How Demographic Changes in Families Affect One’s Political Views: Three
Thought Experiments for Introducing Family Policy” (guidelines for instructors in the Instructor
Activities section)
HOMEWORK
• Readings for Class 2
• Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following class.
sample
Graduate
Lesson Plan
166 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Week 8 Daily Lesson Plan
Connecting Research and Policymaking
Can it Be Done and What Theories Can Guide Us?
Objectives
To discuss ways to connect research and policy making and the challenges of bridging the two communities; to consider
ways of measuring success in bringing research to bear on policymaking
Handouts
• Discussion questions for Week 9 (on CD)
• “Communicating Effectively With Policymakers: Secrets for Success” (student handout in the Student Handouts section)
• “Getting Your Point Across to Policymakers” (student handout in the Student Handouts section)
In the Classroom
1. Strategies for Applying Research to Youth Issues. The following talk, guided by an ecological framework, describes
three interventions designed to bring research to bear on youth issues at the levels of the policy environment (i.e., the
Family Impact Seminars), the community environment (i.e., Wisconsin Youth Futures), and the family environment (i.e.,
parent education newsletters). For each intervention, two to four principles are given that are fundamental to their success.
Resource Presentation 3, “Investing in a Generation: Strategies for Applying Research to Youth Issues;” this
is a 45-50 minute presentation (script and slides) that incorporates class participation and can be
used in whole or part (text and slides in the Presentations section and slides on CD).
2. Communicating Effectively With Policymakers. This activity gives students practical experience in identifying
those characteristics that make an effective and an ineffective presentation for policymakers. This activity includes two
presentations and a handout that summarizes the importance of knowing who the audience is, what information to include,
which approach to use, and how to effectively present information. Using the class readings, ask students to analyze these
two speeches, noting specific examples of tactics or strategies that make the testimonies effective or ineffective.
Resource Activity 9, “Communicating Effectively With Policymakers: Secrets for Success” (handout in the
Student Handouts section and guidelines for instructors in the Instructor Activities section)
3. Introduction of Assignment. Review assignment on report of policy meeting. Ask students to sign up for the day
that they will give their oral report in class. If students attend the same policy meeting, they can give a joint oral
report, but the written reports must be prepared individually.
Homework
• Readings for Week 9
• Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week.
Graduate daily lesson plans | 167
Assignments
• Last date for family policy issue analysis and letter to editor or government official
Required Reading
Chapter 14 in Text: Bogenschneider, K., Olson, J. R., Mills, J., & Linney, K. D. (2006). How can we connect research
with state policymaking? Lessons from the Wisconsin Family Impact Seminars. In K. Bogenschneider, Family
policy matters: How policymaking affects families and what professionals can do (2nd ed., pp. 245-276). Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum.
Shulock, N. (1999). The paradox of policy analysis: If it is not used, why do we produce so much of it? Journal of Policy
Analysis and Management, 18(2), 226-244.
Ross, R., & Staines, G. L. (1972). The politics of analyzing social problems. Social Problems, 20, 18-32, 37-38. (Note page
numbers that are assigned.)
Normandin, H., & Bogenschneider, K. (2006, March). Getting Your Point Across to Policymakers. Family Focus,
FF29, F1-F2.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989). Early childhood education programs: Needs and dangers. Testimony presented at a hearing
of the Subcommittee on Education and Health of the Joint Economic Committee of the House and Senate of the
Congress of the United States. (This can also be found in the Student Handouts section.)
Miss Dee Pointe Testimony (in the Student Handouts section).
Instructor Insights for Discussion of Class Readings
Bogenschneider, Olson, Mills, & Linney in Bogenschneider Text (2006), Chapter 14
• Describe Kingdon’s theory of political timing.
• What efforts were taken to legitimize the seminars?
• What theoretical implications do the authors draw from their experiences with the seminars? Could the theory
that Bogenschneider and colleagues present be expanded even more?
The theory could be expanded to include several other players in the policymaking process:
• Advocates
• Legislative aides
• Media
• Mid-level policy administrators
• Program deliverers
• In what ways do the seminars inform policymaking? What are the limitations of the seminars?
How the seminars inform policymaking
• Portray research as practical and relevant
• Depict researchers, not as ivory tower number crunchers, but as public servants interested in helping
policymakers develop sound, effective policies
• Provide conceptual frameworks to reframe policy debate
• Helps differentiate fact from myth—an important outcome in an environment in which fact is often treated as myth
168 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
• Provide guidance for policies by indicating what works and what does not
• Strengthen and support policy initiatives already underway
• Provide a message of hope
Limitations
• Research is seldom comprehensive and definitive enough to serve as the sole determinant of a policy decision
• Can describe reality, but can contribute little to what would be ideal
• Decisions are often based on ranking the needs of one interest group in society as more important than
another; research cannot provide these value judgments. For example, research cannot provide the criteria for
ranking the needs of short-term welfare recipients, long-term welfare recipients, and taxpayers.
Shulock (1999)
• What paradox does Shulock address?
The public invests a tremendous amount of resources in policy analysis, yet this analysis is not used by policymakers to
make better policy.
• In what ways are their conclusions similar to Bogenschneider and colleagues? In what ways do their conclusions
differ from those of Bogenschneider and colleagues?
Bogenschneider views research as a tool in the policy development process. That is, policymakers take research
into account, along with many other factors, in making policy decisions. In contrast, Shulock views research as a
tool of the democratic process. Policymakers use research to explain votes they have cast and to seek constituent
approval for their decisions. Thus, Shulock contends that the value of research is its contribution to citizen
perceptions that policymakers make rationale decisions, which ultimately reflects favorably on the political process
and a democratic system of government.
• Shulock sees no reason why an individual analyst must present competing perspectives on an issue. Why does
Bogenschneider say this is necessary?
Shulock believes that multiple perspectives already exist in the policy arena. Bogenschneider believes that it is
necessary to present multiple perspectives to establish oneself as an objective knowledge broker, who is able to
work with both sides of the aisle regardless of which political party is in power.
Ross & Staines (1972)
• When do social problems arise?
• What role can social science play in the definition of social problems?
• How do social problems come to people’s attention?
• Does your explanation for the cause of a social problem depend upon your political position (e.g., whether
you are in or out of office, whether you are an underdog, or in a staff role)? How would authorities, underdog
partisans, the privileged, staff, and idealogues view welfare reform?
• Overall, how do Ross and Staines conceptualize family policy? How does this differ from the theory of paradox?
What are the strengths of Ross & Staines’ conceptualization? The weaknesses?
Ross and Staines contend that the policy process is political and that the nature of the outcomes is related over
the long run to a constellation of power, influence, and authority. The theory of paradox suggests that the policy
process ought to welcome a number of different, equally justifiable solutions and that policy decisions are worked
out through negotiation and compromise.
Graduate daily lesson plans | 169
The strengths of Ross and Staines:
• Helps explain the nitty gritty of the political process
• Shows the role that social science research can play
• Explains the value of problem definition
• Some would contend this theory is realistic in its portrayal of the policymaking process
Weaknesses:
• Discouraging contention that policy rarely results in redistributing resources from the privileged to the masses
• Contends that outcomes are related over the long run to a constellation of power, influence, and authority, but
not what is right, just, true, or statesmanlike
• This theory seems to favor system-blame explanations; however, the theory of paradox would suggest that if
we move too far in the direction of system-blame solutions that person-blame solutions might be necessary
and appropriate.
Normandin & Bogenschneider (2006)
• What tips did the authors provide that you find particularly useful?
Bronfenbrenner and Miss Dee Pointe Testimonies
• Using the class readings, analyze these two testimonies, noting specific examples of tactics or strategies that
make the testimony effective or ineffective.
The Bronfenbrenner and Miss Dee Pointe testimonies can be distributed to students (copies are available in the
Student Handouts section of the manual; Activity 9 includes guidelines for instructors on the ways in which these
speeches are effective and ineffective). The Normandin and Bogenschneider (2006) two-page article “Getting Your
Point Across to Policymakers” can also be handed out to students (copy available in the Student Handouts section).
sample
Instructor Activity
200 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Activity 4
What is A family and what is family policy?
by Karen Bogenschneider
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Defining family and family policy has proven so difficult that it has been likened to “swimming in molasses or nailing
Jell-O to a tree” (Blankenhorn, 1990, p. 5). Settling on a definition for family is not a matter that can be settled by research
or by court cases. Scholars have been unable to agree on how to define family policy but they have agreed that progress in
the field depends upon identifying what the parameters are—what family policy is, what it is not, and what it can achieve.
This activity helps students see the inherent difficulties of defining a family and defining family policy. The activity may
work best before you assign the students to read Chapter 3 on definitions in the Bogenschneider (2006) text. I begin the
discussion by distributing the handout, “What is a Family and What is Family Policy?” which can be found in the Student
Handouts section of this manual.
DEFINITIONS OF POLICY
Policy: The development, enactment, and implementation of a plan or course of action carried out through a law, rule,
code, or mechanism in the public or private sector (Bogenschneider, 2006).
Social Policy: Policies that deal with individuals or groups of people in society (Zimmerman, 1988/1995).
DEFINITIONS OF FAMILY POLICY
I begin by asking students to brainstorm about the limitations of each definition of family policy.
Everything the government does to or for the family (Kammerman and Kahn, 1978)
Critics have contended that defining family policy broadly enough to include defense policy, economic
edicts, or pollution controls results in a concept so elastic that it potentially encompasses everything and
consequently loses any integrity. Moreover, few would argue that family policy is only the actions of government, which disregards the large
number of family policies that emanate from employers and nonprofit organizations.
A widely agreed upon set of objectives for families, toward the realization of which the state (and other major
social institutions) deliberately shape programs and policies (Moen & Schorr, 1987)
Critics have contended that definitions requiring “deliberate” and “widely agreed upon” actions (Trzcinski,
1995a) are so limiting that the definition becomes virtually meaningless. For example, are policies like tax rates,
abortion rights, or location of nuclear waste sites widely agreed upon? Do policies that have a deliberate intent
sometimes have unexpected consequences? For example, when laws were passed to build public housing in the
inner city, did government officials realize the impact that concentrating the poor in certain neighborhoods would
have on the quality of the schools, the exodus of businesses from these communities, and the flight of the middle
class to the suburbs?
Objectives concerning family well-being and the specific measures taken by governmental bodies to achieve them
(Aldous & Dumon, 1990)
Does family policy include only actions taken by governmental bodies?
Instructor activities | 201
Governmental goals and activities directed toward the well-being of families with children (Aldous & Dumon, 1990)
Limiting the definition to only families with children excludes families that providing care and economic
support to adults.
Family policy should focus on the economic functions of family (Seaberg, 1990)
Restricting family policy to only the economic functions of families overlooks other important aspects of
family functioning such as childbearing and caregiving.
A subfield of social policy which specifically focuses on “family business,” (Blankenhorn, 1990, p. 18), specifically
four family functions: (1) family creation, (b) economic support, (c) childrearing, and (d) family caregiving
(Consortium of Family Organizations, 1990; Ooms, 1990)
This definition attempts to overcome the limitations of a scope that is too broad or narrow, a source that
is unnecessarily constraining, a target too exclusionary, and a content unreflective of the many functions
families perform. This definition focuses on four functions. Of course, families also provide members with
love and transmit cultural and religious values, but these intimate functions matter to social policy only
when they interfere with the four main family functions (Ooms, 1990).
DEFINITION OF A FAMILY PERSPECTIVE IN POLICYMAKING
An analysis of any policy or program, regardless of whether it is explicitly aimed at families, for its impact
on family well-being (e.g., family stability, family relationships, and the family’s ability to carry out its
responsibilities)
This companion definition acknowledges the important role that family considerations can play in a broad
range of policy issues.
To clarify the differences between these two definitions, you can write on the board or ask students whether policies
in the following areas could best be characterized as a family policy or as a family perspective in policymaking.
Child Care (Family Policy)
Health Care (Family Perspective in Policymaking)
Child Support
(Family Policy)
Housing
(Family Perspective in Policymaking)
Divorce
(Family Policy)
Poverty
(Family Perspective in Policymaking)
Juvenile Crime
(Family Policy)
Teenage Pregnancy
(Family Policy)
Substance Use
(Family Perspective in Policymaking)
Unemployment
(Family Perspective in Policymaking)
Long-Term Care
(Family Policy)
DEFINITIONS OF FAMILY
I begin by asking students to brainstorm about the limitations of each definition of family. The first two definitions are considered
structural definitions because they focus on who is in and out of the family based on characteristics such as place of residence,
blood ties, or legal contracts. The third definition is a functional definition that focuses on the functions that families perform for
their members. This activity is based on a conversation with University of Minnesota Professor William Doherty.
202 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
A group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who reside together in the same household
(Census Bureau)
This is a structural definition which excludes:
• a child in a divorced family who spends half of the week with one parent and stepparent, and the other
half with another parent and stepparent
• cohabitating couples
• a couple who are legally married, but maintain separate apartments and see each other on weekends
• foster families
• noncustodial parent or unmarried parent who does not reside with the child
• same-sex partners, who are not related by birth, marriage, or adoption, but who nevertheless carry out
many family-like functions over a significant period of time.
Two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption (Ooms & Preister, 1988)
This structural definition would include some of the families excluded above, but still would not include
cohabitating couples, foster families, and same-sex partners.
Any unit in which there exists:
• Sharing of economic property
• A caring and supportive relationship
• A sense of commitment or identification with the other members, and
• Including any children born to or raised by members (Collins)
This functional definition, which seems on the surface to be more inclusive, would exclude a noncustodial
parent who fails to pay child support or a legally sanctioned marriage where the couple no longer cares for
each other, but stays together for economic reasons or for the sake of the child (Doherty & Baird, 1983).
Even a biological parent who fails to provide care and support would probably not be considered family
under this definition.
Trying to identify only one definition of family is like trying to cheat death: It does not work and you end up feeling
foolish for trying (Doherty & Baird, 1983). Rather than seeking a single universal definition, either a structural or
functional definition can be written to reinforce the intent of a specific program or policy (Eshleman, 1991; Moen &
Schorr, 1987). For example, if the issue was child support, a structural definition would require financial support only
from those people related to the child by blood, marriage or adoption, whereas functional definitions would require
support from any committed caregiver. If the issue were care for the elderly, structuralists would provide benefits only to
those who have legal responsibility for the dependent, whereas functional definitions would include any close companion
who provided care. When considered in the context of specific legislation, structural definitions seem more appropriate
for some goals, and functional definitions for others.
The lack of a single preferred definition of family may seem opportunistic or even cowardly, yet precedence exists. No
legal definition of family appears in the U.S. Constitution, the federal statutes, or regulations (Ooms, 1998), or many
state statutes (Bogenschneider, et al., 1993). I believe that definitions will vary over time, across jurisdictions, and in
different political contexts.
sample
Alternative Activity
248 | FAMILY POLICY MATTERS: Instructor’s Manual
Alternative Activity 8
Elections, Candidates, and Family Issues
by Steven Wisensale
University of Connecticut
Purpose of the Assignment
To become familiar with using the Web to become informed about the political views, funding sources, and voting records
of selected legislators in the U.S. Congress. Complete all 20 steps and submit this form.
Directions
Name of state assigned to you: _______________________________________
1. Go to Project Vote Smart at http://www.vote-smart.org/
2. Click on “My State”
3. Then click on “State Facts”
4. Select your state.
5. Read the summary about your state.
6. Return to the home page and click on “U.S. Congress” which is listed under “Current Officials” at the top of the page.
7. Name the two Senators of the state assigned to you and identify their parties. Click on each senator’s name for more
information about them. Circle the name of the Senator or Senators up for re-election this year. If not up for reelection, place the date of their next election in the third column below:
Senator: Party: Election Year: Senator: Party: Election Year: 8. How many members in the U.S. House of Representatives from your state?
Number of Republicans?
Number of Democrats?
Any Independents? If so, how many?
9. How many electoral votes does your state have? __________
10.If one of your Senators is up for re-election, click on his or her site. If both are up for election (very unlikely), click
on one of them (your choice). If neither is up for election, choose one and click on his or her site.
11.Then click on “Biographical” and read about the background of your Senator.
12.How many committees does your Senator serve on? ________ Is he/she the chair of any committees? If so, which ones?
and .
13. Return to your Senator’s main page and click on “Issues Positions (NPAT)”
14. Then click on two issues (Abortion and Education). In a brief paragraph, summarize your Senator’s position on these
two issues. If you don’t understand some terms or issues, raise questions in class.
Alternative activities | 249
15. Then, still on the same page (“Issues Positions NPAT”) click on “Legislative Priorities” (at the end of the list) and
summarize below your Senator’s priorities. Is there anything related at all to families and children?
16. Then click on “Campaign Finances.” Review the information there, particularly under the categories at the top left
(“Total Raised,” “Geographic Totals,” “Sector Totals,” the “Top Industries” and “Top Contributors”). Play around
a bit at this site, but definitely click on “List PAC Contributions.” A PAC is a Political Action Committee that gives
funds to a legislator and expects the legislator to vote in support of the PAC’s interests.
17. Who are the major PAC contributors for your Senator? Not by specific names but by major categories. List the top 3
categories and the total $$ amounts under each category.
1.
$
2.
$
3.
$
18. Now return to previous page. At top right are listed “Current Committee Assignments.” Do you see any connection
between PAC contributions and committee assignments? If so, explain.
19. If you lived in the state assigned to you, would you vote for the Senator you just reviewed if he/she was up for
election? Explain.
Teaching note
This exercise was created for a class of 50 students, thus all states were covered. Although the focus was on U.S.
Senators, the assignment could be adjusted so that half the class study Senators and the other half focus on selected
members of the House of Representatives. This assignment can be particularly interesting during an election year and
certainly during the fall term.
Note. “Elections, Candidates, and Family Issues,” by Steven Wisensale. Reprinted with permission.
sample
Student Handout
Student Handouts | 261
What is a Family and What is Family Policy?
DEFINITIONS OF POLICY
• Policy: The development, enactment, and implementation of a plan or course of action carried out through a law, rule,
code, or mechanism in the public or private sector (Bogenschneider, 2006)
• Social Policy: Policies that deal with individuals or groups of people in society (Zimmerman, 1988/1995)
DEFINITIONS OF FAMILY POLICY
1. Everything the government does to or for the family (Kammerman and Kahn, 1978)
2. A widely agreed upon set of objectives for families, toward the realization of which the state (and other major social
institutions) deliberately shape programs and policies (Moen & Schorr, 1987)
3. Objectives concerning family well-being and the specific measures taken by governmental bodies to achieve them
(Aldous & Dumon, 1990)
4. Governmental goals and activities directed toward the well-being of families with children (Aldous & Dumon, 1990)
5. Family policy should focus on the economic functions of family (Seaberg, 1990)
6. A subfield of social policy which specifically focuses on “family business,” (Blankenhorn, 1990, p. 18), specifically
four family functions: (1) family creation, (b) economic support, (c) childrearing, and (d) family caregiving
(Consortium of Family Organizations, 1990; Ooms, 1990)
DEFINITION OF A FAMILY PERSPECTIVE IN POLICYMAKING
An analysis of any policy or program, regardless of whether it is explicitly aimed at families, for its impact on family
well-being (e.g., family stability, family relationships, and the family’s ability to carry out its responsibilities)
DEFINITIONS OF FAMILY
1. A group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who reside together in the same household
(Census Bureau)
2. Two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption (Ooms & Preister, 1988)
3. Any unit in which there exists:
•
Sharing of economic property
•
A caring and supportive relationship
•
A sense of commitment or identification with the other members, and
•
Including any children born to or raised by members (Collins)