When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied: "That's where the money is." Which brings us to community colleges...

As regular readers of this blog are surely aware, fully half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Among single women in their 20s the rate is even higher--fully seven in 10 pregnancies among single 20-somethings are unplanned. Moreover, the rates of teen pregnancy and childbearing are highest among older teens (those age 18-19).

Take the high rate of unplanned pregnancy among young adults and consider this: there are about 11.5 million students in community colleges, representing nearly half (46%) of all undergraduate students in America.

Starting to get the Willie Sutton drift?

Public opinion polling shows that two-thirds of adults (67%) believe most teen mothers come from homes below the federal poverty threshold. A full 70% of adults believe that most teen mothers come from single parent homes.

Not true.

According to new analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health conducted by our wonderful friends at Child Trends and released today by The National Campaign, only 28% of those who report having given birth or fathered a child as a teen lived in families below the poverty level. Only 30% of those teen parents said they were living with a single parent (39% said they lived with both biological parents and 19% said they lived with one biological parent and one step-parent).

Between 1991 and 2005, the teen birth rate decreased 34% to a record low.  Now that's a stat worth celebrating.  Between 2005 and 2006, however, the teen birth rate increased 3%—the first increase in 15 years.  Say it ain't so. 

In an effort to help us all understand this troubling shift, we've published a new paper written by Kristin Anderson Moore, Ph.D. of Child Trends.  Teen Births: Examining the Recent Increase investigates the available data on teen sexual activity and contraceptive use and offers some thoughts on what may have contributed to the increase in the teen birth rate.

Download your copy of the report now.  Questions about the research?  Concerns about the uptick?  Ideas on how to resume the downward trend?  Talk to us.