During the past few years federal and state governments have made a concerted effort to reorient welfare from income
assistance to employment assistance. With the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996, immediate employment became the primary goal of welfare programs across the nation.
However, the rules and regulations that were developed to create incentives for immediate employment have created
equivalent disincentives for pursuing higher education as a means to achieve economic independence.