Data-Driven Decision Making: Documenting Program Progress and Success
This report describes how healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood programs integrate data into daily operations and how evaluation has been used to document program implementation and outcomes. Download Report
Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) Report
Small positive effects found, longer term follow-up planned HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released findings from the Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) study assessing the effectiveness of programs designed to strengthen marriages among low-income married couples with children. The study found that across the eight programs evaluated, the SHM program produced a consistent pattern […]
Administration for Children and Families Healthy Marriage Initiative, 2002-2009. An Introductory Guide
Healthy marriage policy and programs are the ""new kid on the block"" in social policy. In the mid-90s several states and communities began to engage in marriage-related reforms and services designed to strengthen marriage and reduce divorce rates. In 2002, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) launched a Healthy Marriage Initiative and began funding […]
“”Ain’t Nobody in My Family Married””: Social Context and Marital Social Capital
Studies on the barriers to marriage focus on structural and interpersonal factors and largely ignore the influence of social context on marriage beliefs and behaviors. Drawing on social learning and diffusion perspectives, we use qualitative data to examine the ways that families, peers, and communities influence decision-making and behaviors surrounding marriage. The presence and type […]