Spring/Summer 2004

Volume 33
Numbers 3-4

Learn First:
The Policy of Access

A Smoother Path to Higher Education: Constructing Policies and Programs That Support Low-Income Women
By Fern Marx, MHSM, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Research on Women, Wellesley College

Road Closed: Welfare Reform, Low-Income Women, and Access to Higher Education
According to a recent report by the National Urban League's Institute for Opportunity and Equality and many other studies, higher education has been one of the most promising pathways out of poverty. [Note 1] The poverty rate of minority households decreased by half after women heads-of-household attained only one year of postsecondary education. Women with more postsecondary education were not likely to return to welfare rolls and were most likely to escape poverty. Not only does higher education present an opportunity to individuals; it also presents a cost saving to society. A four-year college degree can reduce the rate of welfare dependency by 88%. [Note 2] A year of college can cut the poverty rate for Latinos and African Americans by more than half. [Note 3] Unemployment rates have been found to be significantly lower for those with a four-year degree: 1.5% for those with a four-year college degree compared to 11.7% for those without a high school diploma. [Note 4]

Not only is it clear that higher education helps women climb out of poverty, it is clear that women, in particular, need pathways out of poverty. According to 2000 statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, one woman in four heads a family that is below or at the poverty level. For low-income women, higher education not only promises self-enrichment but also offers a significant step toward economic security. Median earnings of a woman with only high school education are barely above the official poverty threshold for a family of three. A woman who holds a bachelor's degree can expect to earn 68% more per year than a woman who holds only a high school diploma. [Note 5] Of the new jobs created between 1998 and 2008, 62% are expected to require an Associate's degree or higher. [Note 6]

Despite the wealth of evidence documenting both the need for pathways out of poverty and the success of higher education in leading women out of poverty, federal policies have increasingly limited low-income women's access to higher education. As Vivyan Adair and Lynsey Morris have argued in their respective articles in this issue of OCWW, federal policies regarding welfare reform and student financial aid have limited low-income women's ability to participate in higher education by requiring work first and by reserving Pell grants for students enrolled at least 6 credits hours.

In particular, welfare reform has severely limited women's access to higher education. A recent national study found that college enrollment among welfare recipients declined by 20 percent relative to other low-income women over the first two years after the enactment of Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity and Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). Similar trends for women on welfare have been reported in specific states as well. For example, enrollment of welfare recipients at the City University of New York fell from 27,000 in 1995 to 5,000 in 2000. [Note 7] These declining enrollments represent a huge loss of human capital, with major repercussions for individual women and their families as well as for large sectors of the economy. Spriggs and Cox (2002) note that the current shortage of teachers, nurses, and computer technicians in the U.S. is a visible consequence of welfare's work first agenda.

Recently, new legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives that, if passed, would further limit low-income women's access to higher education. This legislation proposes significant changes to federal guidelines, including provisions that states would receive funding under a block grant; the number of hours of work required would increase from 20 to 40 hours; activities that count for work or training would not include higher education until recipients complete at least 24 hours of work in a given week; and approval for participation would be limited to four months over a 24 month time period.

Alternate Route: Finding New Ways to Support Low-Income Women
Because government policies have been unable to make higher education more accessible for low-income women, community and university programs have been attempting to fill this need. The Wellesley College Center for Research on Women studied 21 college access programs for low-income, female, adult students and found that, when provided the opportunity and supports, low-income parents can succeed in earning college degrees and increase their earnings and self-confidence. The study shows that a combination of financial, academic, and peer support allows low-income parents to break through barriers and successfully complete their college education. [Note 8] The study included programs as diverse as college preparatory programs, Associate Degree programs, and Bachelor Degree programs. The report was commissioned by the Women's Institute for Housing and Economic Development as part of an evaluation of its Women in Community Development (WICD) program, which has a creative approach to providing low-income women with opportunities for higher education.

WICD is a collaborative effort between the Women's Institute for Housing and Economic Development, Project Hope and the College of Public and Community Service (CPCS) at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. The project was created as a response to low-income women's need for increased wages, and as a way to diversify the fields of human services and community development with women who have been consumers of services or live in disinvested communities. It evolved from a participatory action research project, Roofless Women's Action Research Mobilization, and a mentoring program at Project Hope. Participants from both programs, along with agency staff, created WICD in 1997.

WICD is just one of many college/community partnerships around the country that are helping make a college degree obtainable for low-income women. The issues low-income women confront in pursuing higher education are similar across the full range of programs reviewed by the study. The women interviewed for the study spoke about various reasons for continuing their education:

"I came to WICD because they spoke of a pathway out of poverty. I am not out of poverty yet, but I see a path out...." (WICD member, Boston, MA)

"Even though my kids are really young now and don't understand the significance, they see me working hard, saying what my goals are and stressing the importance of education. I'm laying the groundwork for their future. This is what you need to do to succeed." (College program participant)

"The peer support groups provide motivation and support. I feel like I am in school with family. Having the peer support group makes me feel safer and more protected. The process feels less intimidating with the support from my peers in WICD." (WICD member, Boston, MA)

"I want to become a leader of a women's group, and maybe even a group for teenagers, since I feel that there are not enough positive role models in the lives of young, poor women." (WICD member, Boston, MA)

While these women focus on the significance of higher education in their lives, it's not surprising that more low-income women don't pursue higher education. Most are juggling family responsibilities and, often times, employment. Low-income women who return to college have fears about navigating the bureaucracy, fitting in, and facing rusty academic skills. The challenges faced by the women surveyed fell into three main categories:

1) Family responsibilities: 44% of the WICD students said that personal relationships suffered as a result of demands on their time, compared with 27% of the other students surveyed.

2) Employment and financial issues: 90% of all the students surveyed work full- or part-time to support their families, making it very difficult to take a full course load. Inflexible work schedules and the lack of time to do homework were cited as primary reasons for slower progress.

3) Academic challenges: Women in most programs surveyed have been out of school for a long time and cited the need for extra assistance, especially in writing and math, as well as stronger academic advising. The average age of all the women surveyed was 34 at time of starting their respective programs.

Programs surveyed provide varying degrees of academic support including peer tutoring, academic counseling, college preparatory courses, and computer training. Over half of the programs, indicate they provide academic support services. Adult students also require a certain level of personal support geared towards their life experiences. Many of the associate degree programs, and about half of all programs, provide personal counseling, particularly geared toward students recovering from addiction or depression. Fewer than half provide some form of mentoring and approximately 40% provide some type of employment counseling to aid in career planning.

Peer support is a key element of the WICD program and appears to play an important role for the majority of adult students. Peers were credited by respondents for everything from providing information, increasing their self-confidence, and remaining enrolled in college. Seventy percent of WICD members thought the peer support group was beneficial. Half of the programs surveyed reported strong formal and/or informal peer support as an important component in their programs.

The study found that, with one exception, all programs reviewed face restrictive state welfare policies, which at best provide support for a maximum of two years of higher education. Thus the programs reviewed either find themselves needing to provide direct financial support or access to student loans in order to permit low-income adult students to participate in higher education. Other financial support includes scholarships, book stipends, and emergency funds. Almost 75% of responding programs indicated that their colleges and universities provide financial, organizational, and administrative support for the program, including in some instances paying for program directors and funding program faculty. Most of the programs surveyed are heavily supported through state funding and by the host colleges, though many (44%) also receive foundation support.

The College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts, Boston as well as many of the other colleges surveyed offer flexible self-paced programs with evening and weekend classes. These programs also provide credit for work experience, and understand older students' responsibilities outside of school. Few programs, however, offer affordable childcare and subsidized family student housing. In the Data Connection section of this issue of OCWW, Bryan Cook describes the dearth of childcare available at colleges and universities as a primary barrier for low-income women.

The programs surveyed aim to cultivate in adult students the skills, confidence, and earning potential necessary to become self-sufficient and gain financial independence. The programs also focus on helping adult students develop a sense of self-worth and empowerment that benefits them, their families, and their communities.

• The programs surveyed, which have been in operation from 2 to 32 years, have helped more than 1300 graduates.


• Several women in all the programs surveyed noted that their personal relationships benefited from their experience. They, in turn, were able to serve as examples to friends and family by returning to school to pursue their education. Several students indicated that their children had learned of the importance of education by their example.


• WICD members stated that personal growth, including the development of leadership skills and a sense of empowerment, had a positive impact on their lives. Throughout the programs, the participants and staff reported increases in self-esteem and confidence.


• About 50% of the WICD members said their careers had directly benefited from the networking, skills, and education about job opportunities provided by the program.

Road Work Ahead: Realigning Public Policy with Women's Needs
Access to postsecondary education for welfare recipients became more difficult after the passage of "welfare reform"--the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) of 1996. These reforms aimed to get more people off welfare and into some type of employment, with the expectation that participants would eventually move out of poverty. There is a lack of congruence between the goals of the PRWORA, to break the cycles of dependency, and policies emphasizing moving recipients into the workforce as quickly as possible by promoting a "work first" approach. Simply having a job has never been a guaranteed way out of poverty, particularly during times of recession.

The flaws behind this philosophy are twofold. First, trends in the economy over the past few years show a significant decrease in the number of manufacturing jobs that use unskilled labor, and an increase in the number of jobs requiring higher education. Second, most participants lack the skills to achieve employment that pays a living wage and is secure. [Note 9] Women without higher education are now steered into service sector jobs, housekeeping, and other positions that offer low wages and little stability.

To ensure the success of welfare-to-work programs, public policies should assist low-income women in increasing their economic security by investing in higher education and related supports. Adult basic education, high school equivalency, college preparation, and postsecondary education and training are essential to build a competitive workforce and to decrease dependency on government assistance. Government funding to operate adult education programs and to provide student financial aid must be vastly expanded. Government and private foundations are needed to provide funding for support services, including emergency funds to avert crises that could result in students dropping out of school.

Partnerships to provide the programmatic features of the 21 programs featured in this report should be replicated. Programs should emphasize exit standards instead of entrance exams, which tend to discriminate against low-income people who were denied quality public education. Academic support such as writing, math and computer support is necessary for the success of many older students. Strong academic and career advising should be provided to enable students to complete college and secure employment. Colleges must be responsive to older students' life situations when family emergencies arise, and assist students to complete, not just access, college.

Community agencies should establish and expand supportive programs that draw on lessons from existing college access programs. Community agencies can provide referrals to college and many other support services such as childcare, counseling, support groups. Employers can support education through flexible work hours, tuition assistance, and by working with colleges to create training and internship programs. Partnerships between two- and four-year colleges, employers, community agencies, private foundations, and government are vital to ensure successful outcomes of low-income women students.

And finally, welfare reform must support education and training in order to be a viable poverty reduction strategy. Supportive policies include counting education toward the work requirement and providing sufficient supports so women can attend college.

Notes
1. Cox, Kenya L.C., and W. Spriggs, Negative Effects of TANF on College Enrollment (Washington, DC: National Urban League Institute for Opportunity and Equality, 2002).
2. Karier, Thomas, "Welfare Graduates: College and Financial Independence" Policy Note 1998/1 (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY: Jerome Levy Economics Institute, 1998).
3. Boldt, Nancy, "From Welfare, to College, to Work: Support Factors to Help Students Persist and Succeed and the Economic and Social Outcomes of Degree Attainment." PhD diss., University of Vermont, 2000.
4. See note 2 above.
5. Calculated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data (2000).
6. Bacon, J, L.H. Russell, and D. Pearce, The Self-Sufficiency Standard: Where Massachusetts Families Stand (Boston, MA: The Women's Educational and Industrial Union, 2000).
7. See note 1 above.
8. Marx, Fern, "Grassroots to Graduation: Low-income Women Accessing Higher Education," Final Report: Evaluation of the Women in Community Development Program, Women's Institute for Housing and Economic Development (Boston, MA: Center for Research on Women, Wellesley College, 2002).
9. Butler, S and L. Deprez, "In Defense of Women's Economic Security: Securing Access to Higher Education Under Welfare Reform," Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society 8 (2001): 210-227.