Blog
Announcing: Aspen Family Prosperity Innovation Community
The unemployment rate is lower than it has been for many years and working parents are and have been key contributors to our nation’s economic growth. With that, we must fully recognize that America’s workforce has changed dramatically over several decades – almost half of all children are being raised in households in which all…
Reinventing the Way We Measure Family Outcomes
Many policies and programs in the United States target either children or their parents. Few keep the whole family in focus, and even fewer have mastered the complex task of measuring outcomes for families. This month, the state of Connecticut took a big step forward when its Office of Early Childhood announced a new way measure when…
Sustaining 2Gen Success During Transitions
Good leaders know when a transition is coming and work to provide a clear roadmap for the future. Transitions at the state level are felt even more acutely these days with staff turnover, retiring leadership, and 2018 gubernatorial elections on the horizon in 36 states. As state leaders think about what comes next, maintaining the…
Welcome to the Aspen Institute’s New President-Elect!
The Aspen Institute Board of Trustees named Daniel R. Porterfield, Ph.D., as the organization’s next president and CEO. Dan is president of Franklin & Marshall College. Dan Porterfield is an innovative, strategic thinker. He brings to the position an intellectual depth, a commitment to inclusivity and diversity, and an ability to lead a complex, mission-driven…
Holistic Coaching: Keeping Families at the Center
“The beauty of [family-centered] coaching is that it can be ongoing or a one-time deal depending on the family’s goals and the place that they are in their life.” – Taneka Thomas, Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan’s Heartland. Ascend recently co-hosted a webinar with The Prosperity Agenda on Family-Centered Coaching (FCC), a coaching model that…
Legislative proposals that could help, or hurt, families
The past few months have been a whirlwind of policy proposals and deliberations at the Congressional level. Most recently, the House of Representatives passed sweeping changes to the US tax code, with the Senate slated to debate and hold a vote on their version of the legislation after Thanksgiving. While this proposal carries numerous implications…