Jesse Rhodes, assistant professor of political science, will discuss “Do Social Policies Shape Parental Behavior? Receipt of Means-Tested Social Policies and Parental Involvement in Education,” on Monday, March 7, at 12:00 p.m. in Thompson Hall 620. The talk is part of the Center for Public Policy and Administration’s 2011 Spring Faculty Colloquium and is open to the public.
Rhodes’ talk will draw on his recent research concerning parents who receive food stamps, participate in programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or have children enrolled in Head Start. Rhodes is interested in whether and how participation in these means-tested programs affects parents’ involvement in their children’s education.
Rhodes joined the UMass faculty after receiving his doctorate from the University of Virginia in 2008. His major scholarly interest is social policy, and he currently is completing a book on the political development of educational policy in the U.S. since the 1980s (forthcoming, Cornell University Press).
In addition to his research on parental involvement in means-tested social programs, Rhodes’ launched another project recently that draws on nationally representative survey data to investigate how education accountability policies affect citizenship.
Rhodes also has completed research on political parties and the American presidency, and teaches courses on these subjects as well as on American social policy in comparative perspective. He was a Pi Sigma Alpha Distinguished Professor of the Year in 2009-2010.
For additional or updated information about this event, please visit www.masspolicy.org.