Are Economists Measuring the Wrong Things?
Nobel Prize–winning economist James Heckman discusses what really drives economic mobility, the failures of universal preschool, and how AI is transforming his research.
Family
The War on Gifted Education Is Hurting Poor Kids
Schools are ending gifted and talented programs in low-income areas, leaving “kids who are poor but academically gifted” to “suffer the worst of both worlds,” says education researcher Michael Petrilli.
There's No Market Failure in Choosing to Stay Home. So Why Subsidize It?
J.D. Vance would like to give money to people for choices they're already making—without a workable plan to actually pay for it.
Study: Most Mealtime Screen Time Is TV, Not Social Media
What a new study of mealtime screen time does—and does not—say.
The War on Free-Range Kids Makes The New York Times
For too long, the government has acted as if any child venturing out unsupervised is in danger—and has negligent parents.
How Do We Feel About Women's Work?
Plus: Rampant illiteracy, teen-suicide rates and screens, and more...
Pronatalists Want To Boost Fertility With Blue Laws and Government-Enlisted Fertility Influencers
The Institute for Family Studies wants to increase America's birth rate. Some of its ideas are a little far out.
The Marriage Gap Is America's Most Overlooked Source of Inequality
Every dollar of well-intentioned government assistance comes with a behavioral price tag that we've largely refused to count.
Why Homewrecking in North Carolina Could Cost You Millions
Some states still allow vengeful spouses to sue a third party for destroying their marriages.
Conservatives Want the Government To Pay Americans To Get Married and Have Kids
A Heritage Foundation report proposes tax credits and family accounts to incentivize family formation.
The Hidden Costs of Elizabeth Warren's 'Ultra-Millionaire' Tax
The Massachusetts senator fails to consider how her tax would harm middle class Americans and slow economic growth.
How a Kids' Soccer Game Became a Child Welfare Case
A routine neighborhood soccer game was escalated into a state investigation, illustrating how ordinary parenting disputes are increasingly routed through government systems.
She Let Her 6-Year-Old Ride to the Park Alone. Georgia Called It Neglect.
Despite a new state law protecting childhood independence, child welfare officials accused these Atlanta parents of neglect—and put their family under surveillance.
Research Suggests People Who Work From Home Are Having More Babies
"Flexibility at work has the power to drive fertility decisions," according to researchers running a survey in the U.S. and 38 other countries.
New Legal Trouble for a Father Still Mourning His Son
Months after his 7-year-old was struck and killed, prosecutors are still treating a tragedy as a crime—holding a bereaved father under surveillance and keeping the grieving family apart.
The Dell-Trump Alliance
Plus: Casino revenue, another Heritage scandal, and more...
The Poverty Line Isn't a Vibe
A more robust welfare state won't change the fact that tradeoffs exist, even for relatively wealthy Americans who choose to have kids.
Chicago Is the Latest Example of How Public School Spending Doesn't Prioritize Students
Misused pandemic funds, luxury travel, and declining achievement reveal a crisis of priorities—one only school choice can fix.
Tradwives Are Feminists, Too
Tradwives are fighting the cultural stigma that still remains around being a homemaker. That makes them damn good feminists.
Ambivalence About Marriage Grows—Among Girls
Twelfth grade boys are now more likely than their female counterparts to say they are likely to get married.
An Indiana Mom Left Her Kids Home for an Hour. Her Husband's Ex-Wife Called Child Services.
After her husband’s ex repeatedly called child protective services over harmless parenting decisions, Hannah Bright is advocating for a new law to protect families from weaponized reporting.
Make America Fertile Again: The Strange Bedfellows of the New Baby Boom Agenda
The pronatalist movement is selling bad policies and rigid ideas about gender. There is a better way.
Florida Boy Walked to Chick-Fil-A Alone. Police Returned Him Home and Didn't Arrest His Parents.
Five-year-old William woke early and snuck out for Chick-n-Minis. When cops were called, they spared the boy’s parents, breaking from their all-too-common habit of arresting and charging parents with neglect.
Should We Take More Kids From Their Homes or Fewer?
When children are abused, we want government to step in. But Child Protective Services sometimes goes too far.
Visit Your Ancestral Homeland
The best sort of travel is that which confounds our expectations rather than confirms our prejudices.
What If TikTok Therapists Are Making People Less Happy?
Lena Dunham's new show is a send-up of internet therapy culture.
How Portuguese Culture Makes It Easier To Parent
The Portuguese recognize that having children shouldn't relegate people to explicitly kid-friendly spaces.
Americans Don't Party Enough. Here's How To Change That.
In our increasingly antisocial world, the best way to bring people together is a good party. This weekend, if possible.
Give Your Teen Some Freedom on Their Summer Vacation
Most parents say they wouldn’t let their teen wander alone on vacation. But a study shows that declining independence in children could be feeding anxiety and depression.
Socialists Don't Understand Motherhood
To the socialist mind, families are not forces for good; they’re competitors to the state.
FTC Pivots From Competition to Children
The result is the same: attacks on tech companies and attempts to violate Americans' rights.
A Car Hit and Killed Their 7-Year-Old Son. Now They're Being Charged for Letting Him Walk to the Store.
Letting children walk alone isn’t a crime. But in North Carolina, prosecutors are treating it like one.
Mothers Are Losing Custody Over Sketchy Drug Tests
Some hospitals are even reporting women for testing positive for drugs that were given to them during labor.
Postnatal Drug Tests Turn Mothers Into Felons
A Mississippi mom was charged with a felony years after she gave birth for drug use early in her pregnancy.
Their Kids Said They Were Trans. Then CPS Came Knocking.
Across the country, parents of gender-dysphoric kids are confronting state intrusion.
Surrogacy Is the New Battleground in Reproductive Freedom
Critics on both the left and the right decry surrogacy as exploitative, especially when carriers are compensated.
Review: Laura Marling Mixes Songs With Snippets of Life as a Mom
The album Patterns in Repeat portrays motherhood in an almost exclusively positive light.
A Shopping List for a Free-Range Family
These products can give kids independence and parents peace of mind.
Abolish ICE
The federal immigration agency disrupts communities and families, for no good.
Is Being a Mom Bad for Your Career?
A recent study showed women experience a short-term "motherhood penalty" but their earnings rebound within a decade.
Kids Should Be Blindfolded and Dropped in the Woods at Night
In the Netherlands, kids grow up with more independence than in the United States.
The Government Is Taking Babies Away Because Their Moms Ate Poppy Seeds
Unreliable drug tests are sparking unnecessary child welfare investigations.
Season 2, Episode 2 Health Care
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Who Decides What Health Care Is 'Needed'?
Too often, it's government bureaucrats acting under the influence of special interests and against the wishes of doctors and patients, with sometimes tragic results.
U.S. Officials Tried To Block Baby Formula Imports—During a Shortage
One official was concerned that lifting tariffs would lead to "lots of questions from domestic dairy producers."
