The York Research Database

This study explored the interface between policy, the family, and educational outcomes. More specifically, this research examined how the association between single motherhood and children’s literacy achievement is affected by a country’s family policy environment. Using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and national level comparative policy data, the results from the 2-level hierarchical linear models indicate that in those countries that have policies that favor low-income single-parent families, the literacy gap decreases in size between students who reside in single-mother households and their counterparts who reside in two-parent families.