Family policy is in the news these days, as both Republicans and Democrats have become increasingly keen on spending money and tweaking policies for the benefit of parents and children.

While Republicans talk about getting couples to have more babies, and Democrats talk about getting women into the office full time, a more immediate concern of family policy may be the thriving of children: How much are students learning? How healthy and well-fed are our children? Are they growing into well-adjusted, law-abiding adults?