Teenage parent programs. A synthesis of the long-term effects of the New Chance Demonstration, Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program, and the Teenage Parent Demonstration.

This article synthesizes the long-term findings from three major evaluations of programs that began in the late 1980s and were designed to improve the self-sufficiency of teenage mothers on welfare. Although each of the programs emphasized a different approach, an important story emerges. Economic outcomes for the mothers improved over time, and the interventions had some positive effects, particularly for the women who began these programs while they were enrolled is school. However, the interventions did not affect fertility, and the data on outcomes for the mothers' children raise concern.