To mark the 50th anniversary year of the publication of The Moynihan Report, Education Next will be publishing a series of articles on the state of the American family.  The report’s author, then assistant labor secretary Daniel Patrick Moynihan, noted that a rising percentage of black children were being raised in households headed by unmarried mothers. The report considered the impact on children of growing up in single parent homes.

Today Education Next released two articles from the new series.

“Moynihan and the Single Parent Family,” by James T. Patterson, explains the context of the Moynihan report, summarizes what the report said, and details the conflict that surrounded the release of the report.

“Was Moynihan Right?” by Sara McLanahan and Christopher Jencks, examines changes in family structure for both blacks and whites over the past 50 years and consider the effect of those changes on the life outcomes of the children raised in single parent families.

All articles from the series will appear in the Spring 2015 issue of Education Next and can be found here.

-Education Next