How to fairly pay children's ministry leaders

Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy, and Associate Professor Cal Halvorsen co-authored an article in The Conversation U.S. on the uncertain future of a federal program that helps older adults get jobs. "For now, there are few alternatives to the Senior Community Service Employment Program. In our view, it’s well worth preserving it at a time when older workers face growing pressure to earn a paycheck" they wrote. Read the full article 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g3xDNgBg

CHILD LABOR! This is a long post! I’d like to share part of my research findings here, as they might provide some useful insights. For this part, It highlights the diverse experiences of former child laborers, including the social and economic factors that drove them to work, experiences of being overworked and underpaid, their struggles in pursuing education, limited opportunities for leisure during childhood, physical and health risks associated with their labor, and the emotional impact of child labor. Working Out of Necessity This theme highlights the factors that drove respondents to child labor. They revealed that their involvement in child labor was often influenced by a combination of social expectations and economic necessity. Many respondents shared inherited and expected roles in agriculture, emphasizing that their fathers or other family members would assign them farm tasks at a young age such as plowing fields, cutting and burning grass, applying fertilizers, and spraying chemicals. For these respondents, agricultural labor was not merely a duty, but a role passed down through generations, especially among families who did not own land and worked only as farm laborers. This emphasizes that respondents’ engagement into child labor happened due to family-imposed expectation, shaped by generational norms and economic necessity. According to Johansen (2006), as referenced by Abdullah et al. (2022), some parents engage their children in labor with the belief that doing so will help improve their children's future. This is evident in agricultural communities where children are assigned tasks at a young age, reflecting both economic necessity and the expectation that they contribute to family livelihood, often at the expense of their education (ILO, n. d). Respondents also expressed a strong desire to support their household financially, reflecting both their sense of economic responsibility and their motivation to learn how to earn a living. Several respondents described how they took care of goats or helped their parents in the fields and were rewarded either with a share of the income or the opportunity to learn how to manage livestock. Some used their earnings to purchase animals like cows, while others viewed early work experience as a form of survival training should their parents no longer be around to provide support. This experience reflects a situation shaped by economic pressures and family beliefs, where children are thrust into adult roles prematurely. In the study of Panaligan         Poverty, hunger, and basic needs were frequently emphasized across the accounts. Respondents described how the daily struggle to secure food and necessities left no room for leisure or education. Attached herewith is the document for your reference. Thank you for providing me with suggestions for improvement and insights/ guidelines on how to publish my research.

*"In microeconomic theory, we often derive demand by maximizing utility subject to a budget — but what if we reverse the approach?* This is where *Hicksian (compensated) demand* steps in: instead of choosing the best bundle within a budget, we *minimize the cost of achieving a fixed utility level*. Recently, I’ve been revisiting this concept through the lens of *dual optimization* — a foundational idea that bridges *consumer theory, welfare analysis*, and *expenditure functions*. Understanding Hicksian demand isn’t just an academic exercise — it’s essential for analyzing *policy impact*, *subsidy effects*, and *income vs. substitution responses*. Appreciating these nuances sharpens how we interpret economic behavior under changing constraints — a skill every economist should carry." #Microeconomics #HicksianDemand #UtilityTheory #Duality #ConsumerChoice #EconomicsTeaching #PhDLife #EconomicModeling #WelfareEconomics

Why do we overcomplicate things in Jewish life? Sometimes, as much as I want to focus on issues like meaning, intentionality, and depth in Jewish life, I recognize that the success of my organization and for me as a professional will depend on fairly simple concepts such as: -Increasing membership or enrollment -Raising more money -Advocating for higher salaries for staff None of these concepts is difficult to understand, although they can be challenging to execute. And, of course, there is no 1:1 relationship between, for example, a synagogue’s membership growth and the synagogue being a vital spiritual community. All that said, I’d like to propose this week that we consider the significant cost of making key performance indicators (KPIs) too complicated. Read more in this week's issue of #MoneyballJudaism: https://lnkd.in/ev78UirH

THE REAL COST OF CHEAP LABOUR When we talk about child labour, it’s easy to fall back on statistics. But behind every number is a child, a face, a dream quietly slipping away. During a recent field trip, I met a boy who spends 12-hour days in a brick kiln to support his siblings. When I asked about school, he looked at me and said words I will never forget: “I want to go to school, but school doesn’t pay for rice.” That sentence still echoes in my mind. It reminded me that child labour isn’t just about poverty, it’s about choices no child should ever have to make, and no parent should be forced into. Initiatives are more than rescue missions; they are about creating real alternatives: Family economic support so parents don’t have to rely on their children’s income. Access to education that doesn’t feel like a luxury. Vocational training for youth to open up dignified, safe livelihoods. Legal reforms that protect children for generations to come. Ending child labour isn’t about telling families what not to do. It’s about building structures that make better options possible. Every parent deserves the hope of providing for their family, and every child deserves the chance to dream. The true cost of cheap labour is a stolen childhood. Let’s work together to ensure that the price is never paid again. #ProjectLeadership #EndChildLabour #UNDevelopment #SocialProtection #ChildRights

"My mum is working 2 jobs. Why would I burden her with my problems?" In 2018, I listened to countless young people, all across the UK tell me how important their families were for emotional support, but how financial stress, working patterns and relentless grind for those at home meant they didn't turn to them when they needed to. Through a pandemic, I and HF colleagues worked to commission research in this. Now published (research timelines eh?) it shows how, above all, it is a policy problem.

A thought-provoking report, offering a range of solutions to the problems of funding and recruitment, and highlighting the potential of technology in the sector.

Spending on education, health and care plans (EHCPs) and child disability living allowance (CDLA) in England is set to reach £21bn by 2029, more than double the real-terms spend in 2016, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Find out more below ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eQVE23F7

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has reached a tentative agreement with the School District that includes paid parental leave for the first time in PFT history—granting members five weeks of paid leave for parental or adoption purposes. This reads as much more than a policy update—it’s recognition that educators are people first, balancing the demands of their careers with the joy and responsibility of family life. Offering parental leave could support teacher well-being, reduce burnout, and help retain talented educators in Philadelphia Public schools. As school leaders, we know that when staff feel supported, it directly benefits our students and the learning environment. https://lnkd.in/eFCuMvwA

📜 New publication: Educational leaders' reports of conditions for supporting SEL implementation: The power of partnerships Highlights: ➡️ County Offices of Education (COEs) representatives report positive well-being and workplace climate. ➡️ COEs report the presence of partnerships, supports, capacities, and routines for SEL implementation. ➡️ Partnership Variety is associated with more levers of transformation to support SEL implementation. 🧠 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gyqEJvuu ✍ Authors: Ashley Metzger, PhD, Justin Caouette, Ph.D., Tiffany M. Jones, CalHOPE Research Committee, Valerie Shapiro #SHIFTteampublications 📝 #californiaeducation #californiateachers #educationpolicy #socialemotionallearning #calhopestudentsupport #preventionscience #SELimplementation University of California, Berkeley Berkeley Social Welfare University of Washington University of Washington - Office of Research University of Washington School of Social Work Sacramento County Office of Education