RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER

Research & Policy News

Current news articles and other recent publications are posted below to keep you up to date on issues in child studies and policy.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape High School's Discipline Techniques 5/9/2012 11:28:53 AM Figure from CDC's ACEs page. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is an ongoing study examining the impact of negative early life events, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence and family dysfunction, on long-term health and well-being. The ACE study found that more than two-thirds of Americans report at least one ACE and more than one in five report three or more ACEs. The ACE Pyramid, shown above, provided the framework for how the researchers examined the relationship between ACEs and early death from a whole life perspective. During adolescence, people who have had adverse childhood experiences are at higher risk for early initiation of sexual activity, adolescent pregnancy, and substance abuse. ACEs have been linked to a variety of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and depression, in addition to the negative effects during adolescence. Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, Washington has taken the information from the ACEs study and used it to revamp how they approach discipline. Instead of responding with anger, teachers have been trained to examine what is going on in a students' home life that is causing the outburst and to help the student work through their anger response so that they can return to learning. Students also learn about the impact of ACEs and how they can learn resilience factors to overcome them. The new approach has reduced suspensions from nearly 800 a year to 135 a year in the first year alone, especially impressive given that Lincoln is an alternative school for students who had been kicked out of other schools. Schubert Center staff attended Cuyahoga County's Invest in Children Annual Meeting last November. ACES investigator Vincent Filleti provided the keynote address. Watch the address and save the date for next year's Annual Meeting which will take place on November 11, 2012.Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study the long-term impact of violence and chronic stress during childhood. Daniel Flannery researches violence prevention and the impacts of children's exposure to violence. David Miller studies the impact of chronic stress on adolescents and young adults. James Spilsbury researches the impact of community and family violence on children's sleep, health and behavior. Read more about Lincoln High. Read more about the ACE study. Tags: Comments
"Sometimes Hope Is Enough" Addresses Issues of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care 4/25/2012 8:44:07 AM On Thursday April 19, the Schubert Center collaborated with Karamu House, Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, and the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences to host "Sometimes Hope Is Enough," an original play by Michael Oatman, and a discussion by a panel of experts on youth in foster care. "Sometimes Hope Is Enough" follows the story of four siblings who have been in the foster care system, as they say goodbye to their oldest brother Thunder. The play, which is based on interviews with youth currently in and who have recently left the foster care system, was commissioned by Partners for Forever Families to provide a bridge between the arts, research, practice and policy and educate people about the issues of children leaving foster care. Each year in Cuyahoga County, 200 youth turn 18 and "age out" of the foster care system without being adopted, leaving many without essential support, resources and connections. After the performance, community members were invited upstairs for refreshments and to view the Moving Hearts Gallery and Digital Stories, a collaboration between DCFS and Adoption Network Cleveland. The gallery showcases profiles of children currently seeking adoptive families. Following the play, panelists Gregory Ashe of Karamu House, David Crampton of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, LaJean Ray of Fatima Family Center, Gregory Kapcar of Public Children Services Association of Ohio, Lisa Peterka of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, and Melinda Sykes of the Office of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine lead a discussion of the issues raised by the play. With their diverse backgrounds in the field, including one former foster child and one parent of a child adopted from foster care, the panelists were able to discuss the current policy and practice issues for children in danger of aging out of the foster care system. The panelists focused on the importance of finding a permanent, loving family for all children and the role parents continue to play in their children's lives long after age 18. Click here to learn more about this event. Visit our Facebook page to see more photos. Read the Plain Dealer's coverage of this event. Tags: Comments
"Sometimes Hope is Enough" Performance, Moving Hearts Gallery, and Panel Discussion 4/18/2012 8:12:45 AM Thursday, April 19, 2012 5:30 pm Strosacker Auditorium 2125 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio This event is free and open to the public. Click here to register. Parking is available in the Veale Garage (Lot 53) located at the corner of Adelbert Road and Circle Drive. Click here for on-campus parking information. Click here to download the press release. Click here to download a flyer on this event. More than 2,000 foster children in Cuyahoga County have no family to call their own. Each year, roughly 200 youth turn 18 and “age out” of the foster care system, many with few connections or resources to begin living on their own. Often separated, siblings grow up in the foster care system with differing experiences and paths. Sometimes Hope is Enough is an original play written by Michael Oatman about the moving and emotional journey of three siblings who come together to say their final goodbyes to their brother Thunder. After years of separation, the brothers push though the issues of their past to find the strength of family and discover that with help, “sometimes hope is enough.” Following the performance, a panel of experts will discuss the research and policy implications of the realities portrayed in the play. Bridging the arts, research, practice and policy, this event will create a powerful vehicle for the Cleveland community to dialogue about the challenges facing young people in foster care, and the need for parents, mentors, and the cultivation of other connections and support systems. Panelists: Gregory Ashe, MBA Executive Director, Karamu House David Crampton, PhD Associate Professor, CWRU Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences LaJean Ray, Director, Fatima Family Center Gregory Kapcar, MPA, LSW Legislative Director, Public Children Services Association of Ohio Jacqueline McCray, MMG Deputy Director, Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, Resources and Placement Melinda Sykes, JD Director of Children's Initiatives, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine In addition to the performance, young people currently in Cuyahoga County’s foster care system share their stories through the Moving Hearts Gallery and Digital Stories, which highlights the character, warmth and charm of children looking to make a special connection with a family. This event is free to the public, open to community members, youth, adults, policy makers, students, administrators, and educators. The event is supported by a federal Adoption Opportunity Grant (Partners for Forever Families) from the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and co-sponsored by Karamu House, the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services, the Schubert Center for Child Studies, and the Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences . This event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged but not required. Click here to register. CEUs available, pending approval. Tags: Comments
Using Theater for Youth Conflict Prevention in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan 4/13/2012 7:09:30 AM Youth Theater for Peace (YTP), a project funded by USAID, is helping youth in rural, conflict-prone areas of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan use theater to learn conflict prevention and resolution. The program uses a methodology called Drama for Conflict Transformation (DCT) to establish trust through theater games and teach participants how to write and perform plays about issues in their communities. YTP uses summer camps to get diverse groups to interact and work together in a country to combat ethnic tensions and gender based violence. The plays put on by YTP groups address issues such as intra-familial violence, early marriage and lack of access to education for girls. One girl's story, highlighted on IREX's blog and in this video, shows the ability of the program to empower youths to make positive change in their communities. Faroiz came to a YTP camp at the end of ninth grade, with the intention of leaving school and getting married soon after the camp. She and other participants developed a play about child marriage in the region. The year after the play was shown in her community, the number of girls enrolled in tenth grade jumped from zero to 20. Working on the play also helped her gain the courage to ask her parents to allow her to return to school and delay her marriage until she was at least 18, which they did. Theater is a powerful tool for education. On April 19, the Schubert Center, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services will host Sometimes Hope is Enough, an original play developed by Cleveland's Karamu House about three adolescent siblings "aging out" of the foster care system. After the performance, a panel of experts from Case and the community will discuss the research, practice and policy implications of the issues portrayed in the play. Register for this event. Tags: Comments
When Cultures Collide: The Moral Challenge in Cultural Migration 4/10/2012 6:55:50 AM On April 5, the Schubert Center, the Department of Anthropology and the Phi Beta Kappa Society hosted Richard A. Shweder, PhD, cultural anthropologist and the William Claude Reavis Distinguished Service Professor of Human Development at the University of Chicago. Dr. Shweder gave a lecture titled, "When Cultures Collide: The Moral Challenge in Cultural Migration," which addressed the challenges liberal democracies face in their increasingly multicultural societies. Dr. Shweder's recent books include Thinking Through Cultures: Expeditions in Cultural Psychology and Why Do Men Barbecue? Recipes for Cultural Psychology. Dr. Shweder spoke about Wisconsin v. Yoder, a 1972 Supreme Court case on whether compulsory school attendance laws violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The case involved a group of Amish families who argued that Wisconsin laws requiring children to attend school through high school violated their right free exercise of religion. The Court found that compulsory secondary education did infringe upon the Amish parents' sincere religious beliefs and that Amish children continued their education after leaving school though vocational training in their communities. The decision also formed the basis for the legality of homeschooling. Dr. Shweder used the case as an example of how cultural pluralism can come into conflict with the policies of liberal democracies. In an world with increasing migration and multicultural states, many governments are challenged with finding a legal and moral balance between respect for cultural practices and what they regard as universal human rights. Click here to learn more about this event. Visit our Facebook page to see more photos. Tags: Comments
American Autism Diagnoses Up to 1 in 88 4/6/2012 8:49:04 AM Photo by Camp ASCCA, used under Creative Commons license. A recent release from the CDC estimates that 1 in 88 American children born in 2000 has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a 23% increase since their 2009 report. They attribute at least some of the increase to greater awareness and diagnosis, especially among minority children. However, increased screening and diagnoses do not account for all of the increase. Among the sample population, 44% of children had Autistic Disorder, 47% had Autism Spectrum Disorders/Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and 9% had Asperger Disorder. ASDs affect almost five times as many boys as girls. No single cause of autism is known, although children born prematurely or to older parents are at slightly higher risk. Another study identified ten signs of possible autism in children between six and twelve months, including rarely smiling at caregivers and poor eye contact. Common signs among older toddlers include not playing "pretend" games by 18 months, delayed speech, and having trouble understanding others' feelings. Current recommendations are that all children be screened for autism by age 2, as early diagnosis and intervention can lead to better outcomes. A study of children born between 1992 and 2001 found that around 10% children with the diagnosis, labeled "bloomers", move from low functioning in early childhood to high functioning after puberty, with some even no longer fitting the diagnosis for ASD. These children were more often diagnosed before age 3, more likely to have higher-educated, non-minority mothers, and were less likely to have a intellectual disability than children of other trajectories. These findings support other research that some children diagnosed with ASDs will grow out of the diagnosis. The authors suggest that these children might be able to advocate for intervention services for their children. The Case Western chapter of Autism Speaks U lit up the Peter B. Lewis Building blue on April 2 for National Autism Awareness Day. Read the CDC's Community Report. Read a Washington Post article on the report. Read a New York Times article on the report. Tags: Comments
Experiential Learning in Child Policy Course Travels to DC 4/3/2012 11:17:37 AM Each year, the Schubert Center hosts the Experiential Learning in Child Policy (CHST 302) course, as part of the Childhood Studies Minor. The course is designed to interactively teach a small group of undergraduate students the complexities of the policy-making process, particularly pertaining to child policy. During spring break in March, four students traveled to Washington, DC with Child Policy Director and course instructor Gabriella Celeste and Assistant Director Sarah Robinson to meet with important policy players including think tanks, legislators, executive agencies, and advocacy groups. The group also made time to tour the Capitol building and US Supreme Court on their final day in DC. The course met with representatives from the following organizations: First Focus: a nonpartisan child advocacy group, where students learned about the role of advocacy in child-related legislation US Congressional Budget Office (CBO): a legislative budget development and analysis agency that discussed calculating the costs and benefits of proposed federal programs Brookings Institute: a public policy think tank, where students learned about the role of research in policy making Government Accountability Office: a nonpartisan agency that advises the government on cost and efficacy of federal programs, where students learned about the interaction between the GAO, executive agencies, and congress Society for Research and Child Development (SRCD): a nonprofit professional society that promotes the role of research in policy creation and the importance of distributing facts and research to Congress and the general public The Presidential Bioethics Commission: a governmental commission that advises the President on issues related to ethics in research and biotechnology; students learned about the process of investigating research conducted by Americans in Guatemala during the 1940s The Health and Human Services Office of Planning Research & Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families: a government agency that provides guidance to the Assistant Secretary for Family and Children where students learned about conducting research on children and families, and the role of evidence in policy evaluation CATO Institute: a nonprofit, libertarian think tank where students learned their child-related advocacy and ideas about the role of federal government in child-related programs Office of Speaker John Boehner (R-OH8): students met with legislative assistants and spoke about issues affecting Ohio, as well as Representative Boehner’s experience as Speaker of the House Office of Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH11): students met with a senior legislative assistant and spoke about child-related issues and the role of legislative assistants Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP): a governmental agency administered by the Department of Justice that provides national resources to reduce juvenile crime and victimization where students learned about implementing and funding federal programs at the state level, including the Youth PROMISE Act and the Defending Childhood Initiative Campaign for Youth Justice and Justice for Families: advocates for incarcerated youth who taught students about injustice in the juvenile justice system and the importance and effectiveness of advocacy. Heritage Foundation: a conservative think tank where students learned about correlations between marriage and child poverty Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP): nonpartisan think tank that encourages policy makers to consider the needs of low-income families and individuals where students learned about the federal budget and the effects of past and current policies on rising national debt Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO): students met with the senator and a legislative assistant to discuss child-related policy issues including education and juvenile justice Office of Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS): students met with two legislative assistants and discussed issues related to both Kansas and children, in addition to their experiences as legislative assistants Office of Representative Steven LaTourette (R-OH14): students met with a legislative assistant to discuss child-related issues and collaborative processes among legislators Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH): students attended Senator Brown’s weekly constituent coffee and briefly spoke with the senator, followed by discussions with staff members about child-related issues, Congress, and what it means to be a constituent from Ohio Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): an executive agency that provides guidance to ameliorate substance abuse and mental illness where students learned about the impact of these issues on our country and spoke with Administrator Pamela Hyde to discuss challenges and SAMHSA’s goals Check out more photos from the trip on our Facebook page! Tags: Comments
Schubert Center Child Policy Director Nominated for Wittke Award 3/22/2012 9:09:27 AM The Schubert Center congratulates Child Policy Director Gabriella Celeste for her nomination for the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching! The Wittke Award is presented annually to two Case Western Reserve faculty members who are nominated for excellence in undergraduate teaching by their students. Winners will be announced March 26. As part of the interdisciplinary Childhood Studies Minor, Professor Celeste teaches the Child Policy and Experiential Learning in Child Policy courses, and oversees the Mann Child Policy Externship Program. Her research interests include child policy and juvenile justice. Tags: Comments
Faculty Associate Amy Przeworski Blogs about Parenting 3/22/2012 9:01:35 AM Faculty Associate Amy Przeworski, Assistant Professor of Psychology, recently began blogging at Psychology Today about anxiety and parenting. Her blog, titled *Don't Worry, Mom, has addressed issues such as the difficulty of parenting, combating perfectionism, and present-moment focus. Dr. Przeworski's work focuses on anxiety disorders and their treatment across the lifespan. Her current research programs include family functioning in African American families, family functioning in families of deployed veterans, intolerance of uncertainty, present-moment focus, and interpersonal functioning in individuals with OCD. Tags:* Comments
Dr. Mark Votruba and the Implications of Parental Job Loss for Children 3/21/2012 2:20:26 PM On March 20, the Schubert Center hosted Dr. Mark Votruba of the Weatherhead School of Management as the final faculty discussion in the 2011-2012 Schubert Center Conversation Series, Child Well-Being in Challenging Times. Dr. Votruba spoke about his work exploring the impacts on children and families of large-scale layoffs and plant closures in Norway, using the country's large-scale employee databases. He found that the children of displaced fathers suffered modest reductions in academic achievement and increased participation in crimes, especially in areas with weak job markets. Interestingly, these impacts occur even when fathers are able to quickly regain employment at a similar level and mother's job loss did not affect children significantly. He suggests that the negative effect of father's job loss may be related to the societal and psychosocial expectations of the father's role as providing the primary income source, whereas it is potentially more acceptable for a mother to adjust to a new role at home after a job loss. He also discussed a Canadian study of job loss that found paternal job loss had lifetime economic effects on children, especially for children of lower-earning fathers. Dr. Votruba was joined by Amy Hanauer, Executive Director of Policy Matters Ohio, and David Megenhardt, Executive Director of United Labor Agency of Ohio, for a discussion of his research. Ms. Hanauer spoke about the implications of the research in the United States, which has a smaller social "safety net" than Norway, and the policy changes that would lessen the impact of large-scale lay-offs. Mr. Megenhardt discussed his agency's work with recently laid-off people and the challenges job-seekers face after being away from the job market for many years. A number of community members took part in the discussion, providing diverse perspectives on the issue as it relates to Northeast Ohio. Download Dr. Votruba's presentation. Download a policy brief on Dr. Votruba's work. Tags: Comments
Supreme Court Hears Cases on Life Imprisonment for Juveniles 3/20/2012 12:54:52 PM Photo by publik15, used with Creative Commons License. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on March 20th on two cases concerning the constitutionality of sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole. The cases, Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs, involve fourteen-year-olds sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of a homicide offense. Attorneys for Evan Miller and Kuntrell Jackson from the Equal Justice Initiative argue that convicting juveniles violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments' prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Currently, 73 fourteen-year-olds nationwide are serving life-without-parole sentences. Two recent Supreme Court cases, Graham v. Florida and Sullivan v. Florida, ruled that sentencing juveniles to life without parole for crimes not involving a homicide was unconstitutional. Both of these recent decisions relied on critical social science evidence, including studies regarding adolescent brain development, to conclude that juveniles should not be beyond the opportunity for redemption. Read summaries of Jackson v. Hobbs and *Miller v. Alabama. Read New York Times* and NPR coverage of the cases. Schubert Center Policy Director Gabriella Celeste played a key role in authoring the juvenile justice sections of House Bill 86, a recent reform of Ohio sentencing law. Read more about the bill. Download the powerpoint of an October 2011 talk about the reforms and the role Ms. Celeste, Faculty Associate Patrick Kanary, and the George Gund Foundation played in the reform process. Tags: Comments
Education Deptartment Data Highlights Disparities for Minority Students 3/7/2012 3:07:49 PM Figure from U.S. Department of Education. Data released this week by the Department of Education shows significant disparities in minority students' punishment, access to rigorous courses, and quality of teachers. The data comes from the Department's Civil Rights Data Collection, a national survey of 72,000 schools. The data show that African American students are disproportionately more likely to be suspended or expelled than students of other ethnicities, with black students making up 18% of the sample population, but 35% of one-time suspensions, 46% of multiple suspensions and 39% of expulsions. Access to rigorous courses was measured by the availability of Calculus in high schools. Calculus was available in only 29% of high schools with the highest percentage of black and Hispanic students, compared to 55% of high schools with the lowest enrollment of black and Hispanic students. Additionally, teachers in high minority schools were paid an average of $2,251 less per year than teachers in schools with the lowest minority enrollment. In a release summarizing the data, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said "The power of the data is not only in the numbers themselves, but in the impact it can have when married with the courage and the will to change. The undeniable truth is that the everyday educational experience for many students of color violates the principle of equity at the heart of the American promise. It is our collective duty to change that." Read the Department of Education's press release. Read the Department of Education's blog post on the findings. Tags: Comments
Northeast Ohio Grieves Following Chardon School Shooting 3/2/2012 10:12:52 AM Three students are dead and two injured after Monday's shootings at Chardon High School. Accused gunman T.J. Lane opened fire Monday morning in Chardon High School's cafeteria while students were waiting for buses. He is currently in custody awaiting sentencing and will likely be tried as an adult. Prosecutors have stated that the killings were random, although other sources suggest there may have been other factors. Students at Chardon returned to classes today, following a week of vigils in the community. Counseling services will continue to be made available for students and staff. Funeral students for the three students killed, Daniel Parmetor, 16, Demetrius Hewlin, 16, Russell King, Jr., 17, will be held this weekend and next week. One injured student has been released from the hospital, while another remains in serious condition. Lockdown drills are being praised for preparing teachers and students for a rapid response to the tragedy and possibly preventing further injuries and deaths. Annual lockdown drills are required by state law. Assistant football coach Frank Hall was praised for his efforts to chase the gunman from the school, even while being shot at. Stephen Sroka, adjunct assistant professor at Case Western's School of Medicine, studies school violence prevention and was quoted in an article on how the lockdown training helped teachers and students know how to respond. He states the importance of making sure parents know what to do in the case of a lockdown. Community-wide violence prevention programs also play a key role in preventing tragic events like this one and responding to violence when it does occur. Schubert Center Faculty Associate and Director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Dan Flannery does work with the Cuyahoga County Defending Childhood Initiative to prevent children's exposure to violence and mitigate the negative effects of violence when it does occur. He joined Faculty Associate Robert Findling on Wednesday's Sound of Ideas to discuss the shooting and it's aftermath. In the program, they highlight the importance of providing counseling resources to students and community members, helping children feel safe and make sure children know that adults are looking out for them. They say that different children will respond to the tragedy in different ways. They also stress the rare nature of school shootings and the importance of school preparedness. Several other Faculty Associates study violence and its impact on children. Jeff Kretschmar studies violence and aggression. Patrick Kanary studies youth violence prevention and childhood exposure to violence. Mark Singer studies substance abuse, mental illness and youth violence. James Spilsbury studies community and family violence and its impact on children's sleep, health and behavior. Christopher Stormann studies mental health and violence prevention. Patrick Kanary, Jeff Kretschmar and Christopher Stormann are all affiliated with Case's Dr. Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Center for Violence Prevention & Education. Read the Plain Dealer coverage of the Chardon shootings. Read a policy brief on Dan Flannery's work with the Cuyahoga County Defending Childhood Initiative. Access trauma resources recommended by Chardon Schools. Tags: Comments
Faculty Associate Andrew Garner & the Impact of Toxic Stress 2/22/2012 12:24:59 PM Faculty Associate Andrew Garner, MD recently published a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics on early childhood adversity, toxic stress, and the role of the pediatrician. The statement encourages pediatricians to play a role in encouraging interventions and community investments that reduce external threats to healthy brain development, while still monitoring for early identification of developmental concerns. Dr. Garner and his co-author use an ecobiodevelopmental (EBD) framework to describe how toxic stress, defined as excessive or prolonged activation of the physiologic stress response systems in the absence of the buffering protection afforded by stable, responsive relationships, can damage the developing brain. Over time, childhood toxic stress can lead to outcomes such as substance abuse, poor eating habits, financial hardship, diabetes and heart disease. Tags: Comments
New Research on Gender Non-Conforming and Transgender Children's Health 2/22/2012 12:20:40 PM Image by ParaDox, used with Creative Commons license. Two new studies published online this month in Pediatrics focus on health issues for gender nonconforming children. A study from Harvard School of Public Health found that gender noncomformity before the age of 11 is associated with childhood sexual, physical, and psychological abuse and a higher lifetime risk of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The researchers examined data from nearly 9000 young adults enrolled in the the Growing Up Today study since 1996. Although the study did not ask about gender identity, they ranked children in the top 10th percentile for gender nonconformity as gender nonconforming. Children who were gender noncoforming during childhood had nearly twice as high rates of PTSD than those who were not. Interestingly, around 85% of children who were gender nonconforming during childhood were heterosexual in adulthood, further establishing the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation. A second study from authors at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School explores treatment options for transgender-identifying children, based on data from 97 patients diagnosed with gender identity disorder. Children's Hospital Boston has the first multidisciplinary gender-identity clinic in North America. The authors treated these children with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a reversible mechanism for suppressing puberty in children. The use of GnRH allows patients and their families time to decide whether irreversible hormone therapy to allow the patient to develop the adult characteristics of another sex is appropriate. The authors highlight the importance of educating pediatricians about gender identity disorder, so that pediatricians might provide referrals to gender-variant children and their families. According to the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), around nine in ten transgender high school students report verbal harassment and half report physical harassment or assault for their sexual orientation gender expression. GLSEN provides materials on teaching respect in the classroom and supporting LGBT students for teachers from elementary through high school. Transgender-identifying children are at a higher risk of depression, attempted suicide and self-injury than cisgender children. The authors of the study on treatment options note that many of their patients' psychiatric symptoms improved after receiving treatment that allowed them to appear their desired gender. Read a press release from Harvard on their study. Read a Cleveland.com article on the rise in children receiving sex-changing hormones. Tags: Comments
Dr. Robert Findling and the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) Study 2/15/2012 1:03:35 PM On February 14, the Schubert Center hosted Dr. Robert Findling of the Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine as part of the monthly Schubert Center Conversations on Children in Research, Policy, and Practice seminar series. Dr. Findling spoke about the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) Study, which has been conducted since December 2005 in Ohio and western Pennsylvania and is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study tested a cohort of 707 children every six months for elevated symptoms of mania (ESM), a hallmark feature of bipolar disorder. Although ESM are a key feature of bipolar disorder, there are no reliable means of predicting whether children who have ESM may eventually develop bipolar disorder. An estimated 1 million youth in the United States currently suffer from bipolar disorder, which is characterized by aggression, attention problems, anxiety, depression and delinquency in youth. Dr. Findling and his colleagues followed cohort of 707 children, 621 with ESM and 86 controls without ESM, who had presented for care at out-patient mental health clinics. The children were screened for ESM using the Parent General Behavior Inventory 10-Item Mania Scale (PGBI-10M) every six months for up to five years. Over time, the researchers found that children who had persistently high or increasing scores on the PGBI-10M, were three times as likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder than children whose ESM had subsided or who did not have ESM. Additionally, persistent ESM did not increase the odds of being diagnosed with other mental health and behavioral disorders. The researchers also found that white and/or privately insured children were more likely to be treated with a medication-therapy combination, the most effective treatment, than ethnic minorities and children covered by Medicaid. In his talk, Dr. Findling additionally suggested that insurance-claims-based data, which are often used to determine prevalence of mental health conditions including those related to Elevated Symptoms of Mania (ESM), may not be completely representative of actual ESM diagnosis and treatment. For example, clinicians may submit insurance claims based on insurance coverage for a particular medication or disorder, which may differ from the actual diagnosis. Parents also may have differing beliefs and perceptions of their child's symptoms or may have difficulty accessing and paying for prescribed treatments. In 2010 the LAMS study was awarded a $7.8 million renewal grant to continue the study for an additional five years. The extension of this study also allows the incorporation of two neuroscience-based technologies, neurocognitive testing and neuroimaging, to better understand how ESM and bipolar disorder are related to brain functioning and to develop better diagnostic tools. Dr. Findling's study highlights the importance of coordination between sectors of care for children, particularly school and outpatient settings, as most participants with ESM began using mental health services at 6 to 7 years old. After his talk, Dr. Findling was joined by Dr. Michael Manos, the head of the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health at the Cleveland Clinic, and Jennifer Blumhagen, Director of Community Services at Bellefaire JCB, who spoke about their experiences working with children's mental health, access to mental health services, and accountable care organizations. Several other Schubert Center Faculty Associates are involved in children's mental health research. Eileen Anderson-Fye conducts research on adolescent mental health cross-culturally. Faye Gary studies prevention of mental health disorders. Jeffrey Kretschmar researches mental health and substance abuse. Gerald Mahoney studies early childhood mental health. Mark Singer researches adolescent behavior and co-existing drug and mental disorders. James Spilsbury studies child mental health and its relationship to family violence. Christopher Stormann researches adolescents diagnosed with severe emotional disturbances. Elizabeth Tracy studies co-occuring substance abuse and mental disorders. Download a policy brief on Dr. Findling's work. Tags: Comments
Valentine's Day Provides Opportunity for Parents to Talk to Teens about Dating Violence 2/8/2012 11:32:40 AM Image by Kimberly Darragh Hynd, used with Creative Commons license. Valentine's Day provides an excellent opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about teen dating violence. Teen dating violence will affect one in three adolescent girls, and about ten percent of all youth report physical violence by a partner. Forty-five percent of girls know a peer who has been pressured into having intercourse or oral sex. Warning signs of abuse include a partner's jealousness or possesiveness, excessive emailing or texting, depression or anxiety, dressing differently, stopping participation in extracurricular activities, and spending less time with other friends and family. Teen victims of dating violence are more likely to be depressed, use drugs and alcohol, and have eating disorders. Even parents who do not think their child might be experiencing dating violence can talk to their children about healthy relationships. Promoting positive peer relationships and getting to know teens' boyfriends or girlfriends can also help parents prevent teen dating violence. In 2010, the Schubert Center hosted Dr. David Wolfe of the University of Toronto who spoke on girls in abusive dating relationships. Download a policy brief or slideshow from his talk. Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates also study violence in youth. Daniel Flannery studies violence prevention interventions. Patrick Kanary researches youth violence prevention and childhood exposure to violence. Mark Singer studies youth violence and drug and mental disorders. Read more about talking to teens about dating violence. For more information about teen dating violence, visit That's Not Cool, Love Is Respect, Love Is Not Abuse or the Centers for Disease Control's website on Intimate Partner Violence. Tags: Comments
Faculty Associate Victor Groza Edits Monograph on Adoption 2/3/2012 8:55:51 AM Faculty Associate Victor Groza co-edited the most recent monograph from the Society for Research in Child Development, focusing on the issues of children without permanent parents. The monograph focuses on institutionalized children, primarily those in low resource countries, with chapters on child development in institutionalized care, development of children after transitioning into a family environment, the impacts of institutionalization on attachment, growth and neurological development, the period in which institutionalization is the most damaging, best practices in low-resource circumstances, and the policy challenges for implementing best practices. In addition to editing the volume, Dr. Groza also wrote the chapters on ideal and current alternative care options for these children and strategies for changing the the policy situation regarding these children. The monograph concludes that their are major delays in a variety of developmental areas for institutionalized infants and young children, and that moving into families through adoption and foster programs helps rapidly improve those delays. The monograph also found that family environments can be lower cost than institutional environments, in addition to providing developmental benefits. Additionally, many of the children in institutions have one or both parents who are able to raise their children but lack financial and social support. Finally, the monograph concludes that child welfare systems should operate with respect for children's rights, despite the challenges to developing such a system. Dr. Groza was quoted in a November NPR article highlighting the growing concerns about and subsequent decreasing availability of international adoption. He is the Grace F. Brody Professor of Parent-Child Studies at MSASS and a Senior Research Fellow at the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. He also directs the Adoption PARTners program for adoptive families in the Cleveland area. Tags: Comments
Parents Forgo Booster Seats While Carpooling, Survey Finds 2/2/2012 11:09:41 AM A survey released in this month's edition of Pediatrics found that 76% of parents with children ages 4 to 8 used a safety seat when their child was in their own car. However, when children are riding in another's car, 21% of parents who use a safety seat in their own car do not ask the driver to use a safety seat. Additionally 55% of parents who use a booster seat in their own car do not always require their child to use a booster seat when driving other children who do not have boosters. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14, and NHTSA estimates that child safety seats have saved nearly 9,000 lives since 1975. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that all children ages 4 to 7 ride in a car seat until they outgrow the recommended weight or height limit, and then ride in a booster seat. Children ages 8 to 12 should also ride in a booster seat until they are tall enough to safely use a seat belt. Ohio law requires that all children under age 4 or 40 pounds ride in a child safety seat and that all children ages 4 to 7 and below 4 feet 9 ride in a booster seat. University Hospitals' Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital Injury Prevention Center offers car seat inspections for parents wishing to to ensure that their child's car seat is safely installed. Other car seat inspection stations can be found by visiting NHTSA's website. Read a NPR article on the survey. Tags: Children, Health Comments
Lower Blood Lead Limit Considered, While Cuts to Lead Poisoning Prevention Programs Impact Cleveland Children 2/2/2012 11:04:58 AM Photo by Heinrick Pniok (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). The CDC's Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention is proposing lowering the acceptable blood lead limit at the same time as federal budget cuts are reducing Cuyahoga county's ability to fight childhood lead poisoning. The current blood lead limit is 10 micrograms/deciliter, but the CDC is considering lowering that limit to 5 micrograms/deciliter. Any children under 6 who test positive for elevated blood lead receive mandatory treatment. Elevated blood levels in young children can result in lower IQ, hearing loss, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, and violent behavior. Children can be exposed to lead through paint in homes built before 1978, lead pulmbing, and lead contaminated soil. The Obama administration's plans to merge the National Asthma Control Program and the Health Homes/Lead Poisoning Prevention Program into the new Health Home and Community Environments Program have reduced the funding of the two agencies by half, leading to concerns from local lead poisoning prevention programs. In recent years, Cuyahoga County has received money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reduce lead in homes, but has not received any federal funding for lead screening programs. In 2010, Cuyahoga County has the highest elevated blood lead level prevalence in Ohio, with 4.19% of children having blood lead levels above the current 10 micrograms/deciliter limits. Of 155,765 Ohio children screened for lead poisoning, 1.3% (2,042) had elevated blood levels according to the current limits. Under the new recommendations, an additional 13,394 (8.5%) Ohio children would be considered to have elevated blood lead levels. Read The Atlantic's coverage of the new blood lead level limits. Read The Plain Dealer's article on how new funding impacts Cleveland programs. Read about lead in the environment and lead poisoning prevention from the EPA. Read about lead poisoning prevention and leas poisoning surveillance from the CDC. Tags: Children, Disabilities, Early Childhood, Neighborhoods Comments
Family Violence Changes Children's Brains 1/20/2012 7:31:10 AM A recent study in Current Biology explores the ways in which exposure to family violence changes children's brains. Exposure to violence in the household includes physical abuse, which is experienced by between 4 and 16% of children, and intimate partner violence, which is witnessed by between 8 and 25% of children. The study used MRIs to compare the responses of children exposed to family violence with those of children not exposed to family violence when shown pictures of angry, neutral and sad faces. When shown the angry face, children who had experienced family violence showed greater reactivity in both the amygdala, which moderates emotional responses and preparation for stress, and the anterior insula (AI), which works with the amygdala to anticipate pain, than children who had not experienced family violence. Although this heightened response may be beneficial when faced with an immediate threat, previous research links increased reactivity in these areas of the brain to several anxiety disorders.The authors suggest that this hypervigilance may limit a child's ability to master certain social skills and may even predispose children to future aggression. The study did not include children with symptoms of depression or anxiety disorders, implying that there are neurological consequences of family violence even in children without mental health symptoms. Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study violence and its effects on children. Daniel Flannery researches the effects of violence on children in Cuyahoga County. Read a policy brief on his work. Patrick Kanary studies youth violence prevention and childhood exposure to violence. Jeffrey Kretschmar studies violence and aggression. Judith Lipton studies inter-disciplinary strategies for addressing domestic violence and the rights of immigrant victims of family violence. Mark Singer studies youth violence and the community. James Spilsbury researches how family violence can affect children's sleep and health. *Read The Atlantic's summary of the study.* Tags: Children, Family, Health, Violence Comments
Study Finds 42% of India's Children Under 5 Are Malnourished 1/11/2012 2:32:32 PM Photo by Neil Palmer of CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture A recent survey by the Naandi Foundation found that 42% of all Indian children younger than five are underweight, defined as having low weight for their age. Another 59% were found to be stunted, defined as having low height for age. The study surveyed 109,093 children in 3,360 villages in 9 states. The report also notes that 58% of mothers do not exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months, which is important for preventing childhood malnutrition. Key factors in child malnutrition were family socioeconomic status and the educational status of mothers. With recent droughts leading to famine in East Africa, child hunger is increasingly gaining international attention. Doctors Without Borders/Médicins Sans Frontières estimates that 146 million children under the age of five are underweight, with sixty million children considered wasted, meaning below the normal weight for height. Most of these children live in the Sahel, South Asia and the Horn of Africa. UNICEF notes that malnutrition is implicated in 40% of all child deaths under the age of five in developing countries. In addition to deaths from starvation, malnutrition can stunt children's growth, reduce their immunity, and damage intellectual achievement. In 2010, MSF launched the Starved for Attention campaign to draw attention to the issue of widespread child malnutrition and the importance of providing malnourished children with nutritionally adequate foods. According to MSF most food aid provided to malnourished people in crises is a corn-soy blend that does not adequately meet the nutritional needs of growing children. Read a summary of the survey from India. Watch a video on Starved for Attention's work in India. Tags: Children, Early Childhood, Healthy Eating, Poverty Comments
Article Profiles the Success of the Finnish Educational System 1/5/2012 9:55:25 AM This month's issue of *The Atlantic* highlights the success of the Finnish educational system in achieving near the top of international educational assessments while using methods quite different from those in the United States. Finland's schools focus on education as a means of achieving social equality, rather than producing high achieving students. Additionally, Finnish schools eschew extensive drilling and testing for less homework and more creative play. All education is publicly financed, from preschool to university. The article notes that, although Finland has fewer foreign-born residents than the United States, its achievement levels continue to exceed that of Norway, a neighboring country with similar ethnic makeup that uses a more American approach to education. Understanding successful educational models is particularly important as the United States considers how to replace No Child Left Behind, which has long been criticized for its emphasis on standardized testing. In September 2011, President Obama announced that states would be allowed to apply for waivers to NCLB's requirement that all students achieve proficiency in reading and math by 2014, as long as states were willing to replace NCLB with their own accountability measures. The importance of including play in school has been studied by Schubert Center Faculty Associate Sandra Russ. In a previous blog post, she stated that play, especially pretend play, has an essential role in child development and that playtime should be included within children's daily lives. Tags: Children, Development, Education Comments
Recent Studies Find Factors that Improve Outcomes for Teens Struggling with Substance Abuse 12/9/2011 9:57:43 AM Photo by SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget Two recently published studies, one conducted at Case Western Reserve University, show how certain factors can improve outcomes for adolescents struggling with substance abuse. The first study, co-authored by Dr. Maria Pagano of the School of Medicine and published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs found that helping others and lifetime participation in religious activities can improve treatment outcomes for adolescents in a 12-step substance abuse treatment program. Another study by researchers from the University of Missouri found that rural adolescents who are engaged in their community through volunteering and helping others are less likely to engage in risky behavior, such as using drugs or alcohol, as young adults. The study focused on adolescents from rural communities, as previous research indicated that they are at a higher risk than urban youth for using illicit substances due to fewer opportunities for healthy recreational activities. The authors note the importance of these findings given that the recent economic crisis may reduce entertainment options and increase early transition to adulthood, both increasing risk for substance use. Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study substance abuse among adolescents. Dr. Scott Frank studies both substance abuse and the role of religion in medicine. Dr. Jeff Kretschmar researches substance abuse through the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Center for Violence Prevention and Research at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS). Dr. Mark Singer is Co-Director of MSASS's Center on Substance Abuse and Mental Illness. Read the study from Case, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Read a Health.com article on the study from Case, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Read the study from the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Read a Science Daily article on the article from the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Tags: Adolescence, Health, Mental Health, Religion Comments
Michael Wald Speaks On Rethinking Child Protection 12/2/2011 7:49:49 AM On November 29, the Schubert Center hosted Stanford University Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law, Emeritus, Michael Wald as part of the Schubert Center's 2011-2012 lecture series Child Well-Being in Challenging Times. In the talk, titled Rethinking Child Protection, he discussed how child protective services should focus on threats to children's physical well-being and that the development of a second system is needed to serve at-risk families of children with developmental challenges. Additionally, he highlighted key areas of achievement that all children should reach by adulthood, including graduating high school, avoiding criminal conviction and incarceration, and delaying parenthood until age 18 or later. He argued that the current systems and intervention programs during early childhood do not improve these outcomes for the "bottom 20 percent" of children, due to their parents' isolation from the larger community. After his talk, Professor Wald was joined by Patricia Rideout, the Director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Juvenile and Family Services, and Dr. Mark Feingold, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at CWRU's School of Medicine, who discussed their experiences working with maltreated children and the Child Protective Service in Cuyahoga County. The Schubert Center and its faculty associates have long been involved in issues of child maltreatment. Director Dr. Jill Korbin, Dr. Claudia Coulton, Dr. David Crampton, and Dr. James Spilsbury studied the impact of neighborhood conditions on child maltreatment and child wellbeing. Read an article on their findings, co-written by former Child Policy Director Molly Irwin. Learn more about this event. Get information about upcoming Schubert Center lectures. Tags: Children, Family, Parenthood, Violence, Welfare Comments
Ban on Sugary Drinks in Schools Doesn't Reduce their Consumption, Study Finds 11/11/2011 11:36:47 AM Photo by fimoculous. A study published November 7 in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine reports that banning sales of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, fruit drinks, and sports drinks, in schools did not reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages overall. The researchers, from the University of Illinois at Chicago, followed 6900 public school students in states with varying in-school drink sale policies. The students were surveyed at two points, fifth grade and eighth grade, about access to sweetened drinks in school, purchases of sweetened drinks in school and overall sweetened-drink consumption. The study found that states which ban sales of sugar-sweetened beverages in schools did not reduce overall sweetened-drink consumption among students. These findings indicate that bans on the sale of sweetened drinks in schools alone are not an effective measure for combating childhood obesity unless they are also combined with restrictions on sweetened drinks outside of school. Comprehensive bans, which allow milk, 100% juice and water, did not reduce overall consumption of sweetened beverages. However, researchers observed that they were effective in reducing in-school access to and purchasing of sweetened drinks. A number of Schubert Center Faculty Associates are also conducting research related to childhood obesity. Dr. Elaine Borawski researches health behavior interventions for obesity. Dr. Leona Cuttler conducts research on obesity and diabetes in children. In May 2010, Dr. Marilyn Lotas presented her work on childhood hypertension, often associated with childhood obesity, at a Schubert Center talk. Download a policy brief from her talk. Dr. Ellen S. Rome studies eating disorders and obesity. Read a ScienceDaily summary of the findings. Read the study in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Tags: Obesity, School Comments
Ohio Improves Premature Birth Rate 11/4/2011 8:08:09 AM Image from March of Dimes A recently released report from the March of Dimes shows that Ohio's premature birth rate is on a steady decline, from 13.3% in 2006 to 12.3% in 2009. While Ohio's numbers are still lower than the March of Dimes 2020 goal of 9.6%, earning the state a C, the continuing decline is a good sign for Ohio's children. Ohio's rate is comparable to that of the nation as a whole, 12.2%. A more detailed report card shows that Ohio could further improve its score by reducing the percentages of uninsured women and women smoking, both of which contribute to preterm births. Preterm birth statistics include all births of babies before 37 weeks gestation. Although in many cases the exact cause of preterm birth is unknown, risk factors for preterm labor include: obesity, pregnancy with multiples, mothers younger than 17 or older than 35, and high levels of stress. African-American women and low income women are also at a higher risk of preterm labor. Preterm birth has been linked to a variety of negative health outcomes, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and blindness. Prematurity is also the leading cause of newborn deaths in America. In an article in The Plain Dealer on the report, Schubert Center Faculty Associate H. Gerry Taylor commented on his recently published study of premature children that found children born prematurely learn spelling and math skills more slowly than other children during kindergarten. He said, "We had demonstrated previously, as had many researchers, that children born [very early] had problems with memory, executive function and were more prone to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. If we can show that these problems can be documented and that we have the tools to document them, we can do something about these problems before a child starts falling too far behind." Download a research and policy brief from a recent Schubert Center talk given by Dr. Taylor. Dr. Taylor is just one of several Faculty Associates studying premature births. Maureen Hack studies the long term outcomes for very low birth weight children. Download a research and policy brief on her work. Marilyn Lotas researches the health issues of very low and low birth weight infants. Susan Ludington conducts research on the benefit of kangaroo care for preterm infants. Read Ohio's report card for more information on successes and areas for improvement. Tags: Children, Health Insurance, Infancy, Low Birth Weight Comments
Study Finds Achievement Gap Between White and Black Children Present as Early as Age 3 10/28/2011 11:35:31 AM Photo by nycstreets This month's issue of Child Development contains an article exploring the origins of a phenomenon known as the Black-White Achievement Gap, which refers to the substantial difference in achievement in reading and mathematics present when African American and White children enter school, which grows throughout schooling. The authors followed 314 lower income American children from birth through fifth grade. Measures of academic achievement, demographic characteristics, childrearing attitudes, depressive symptoms, parenting, neighborhood disadvantage, child care, school characteristics, and early cognitive skills were used to asses children at eight time periods. The authors found that differences in family, child care and schooling experiences accounted for much of the gap, which was present in children by age 3. Instructional quality was especially important for Black children, who made gains in mathematics skills in the presence of certain school characteristics. These findings suggest the importance of early intervention to reduce racial inequalities in school achievement. The authors also note the importance of programs that focus on parenting skills to promote cognitive and social development in children under 3, as well as high quality child-care access for low income families. Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study the importance of early childhood development and interventions, especially for disadvantaged children. Dr. Claudia Coulton studies urban poverty and neighborhood impacts on children and families. Dr. David S. Crampton conducts research on child and family welfare policy. Dr. Gerald J. Mahoney studies the role of family and parental influences on children's development and socio-emotional well being. Dr. H. Gerry Taylor researches the developmental and educational impacts of low birthweight and premature birth. In March 2010, Nobel Laureate James Heckman spoke at at a lecture sponsored by the Schubert Center on the importance of investment in early childhood education. Find out more information about his talk and watch a video of his lecture. Tags: Children, Development, Early Childhood, Education, Family, Neighborhoods, School Comments
Pediatric Emergency Visits for Psychiatric Care Increasing, Study Finds 10/17/2011 12:30:08 PM Photo by Rosser321 A study recently presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference revealed rising rates of psychiatric care in hospital emergency departments for pediatric patients, especially those who are underinsured. A review the records of of 279 million pediatric patients seen in U.S. emergency departments found that the prevalence of patients seen for psychiatric reasons increased from 2.4 percent in 1999 to 3 percent in 2007. The number of underinsured patients among all pediatric patients seen in emergency departments also rose from 46 percent in 1999 to 54 percent in 2007. The authors attribute both increases to fewer treatment options and longer wait times for outpatient care for publicly insured pediatric patients. A number of Schubert Center Faculty Associates study children's mental health. Eileen Anderson-Fye of the Department of Anthropology studies eating and body image disorders among adolescents in Belize. Robert Findling of the School of Medicine conducts research on pediatric bipolar disorder. Download a policy brief on his research. Amy Przeworski of the Department of Psychological Sciences studies emotional eating and anxiety disorders in children. James Spilsbury of the School of Medicine researches the role of sleep disturbances and family violence on child mental health. Read the Science Daily article on the study. Tags: Children, Health Insurance, Mental Health Comments
Some Youth Incompetent to Stand Trial Due to Cognitive Impairments and Immaturity 10/13/2011 8:20:38 AM Photo by publik15. A study published in September's issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law found that many youth in the juvenile justice system are determined as incompetent to stand trial due to cognitive impairments and an inability to understand the long-term consequences of their actions.The authors attribute the high rate of incompetency to stand trial in adolescents, especially those under fourteen, to a "myopic temporal perspective" which leads them to misunderstand or underestimate the consequences of their actions. The researchers used the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Criminal Adjudication (MacCAT-CA), the Judgement in Legal Contexts (JILC) instrument, the Welchsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version (MAYSI-2) to evaluate competence, future orientation, intellectual ability and psychopathy in 453 detained youth and 474 youth in the community who were not involved in the juvenile justice system. They found that competency was strongly associated with both intelligence and age. Additionally, youth with psychiatric symptoms were less competent than youth without psychiatric symptoms. The authors note the importance of these findings in the juvenile justice system, as not all states require a consideration of maturity in evaluating juvenile defendant's competence. Aaron Kivisto, the lead author of the article, states, "When we're teenagers, we're focused on short-term consequences. Teens think about what might happen later today if they do something. Because courts can impose consequences that can affect someone's life for years, it appears that adolescents approach these longer-term and very serious implications blindly." Gabriella Celeste, Child Policy Director, spoke with Faculty Associate Patrick Kanary and Marcia Egbert of the George Gund Foundation on October 11, 2011 about recent reforms to juvenile justice programs in Ohio. These reforms will result in more youth remaining in their communities in evidence-based programs who would have previously been incarcerated. Download the powerpoint of their talk. A number of Schubert Center Faculty Associates study child development, including: Gerald Mahoney, Lee Thompson, Maureen Hack, Amy Przeworski, H. Gerry Taylor, Mark Singer, Elizabeth Short, and Joseph Fagan. Click here to read the article. Tags: Adolescence, Children, Development, Juvenile Justice, Violence Comments
President Obama Announces Waivers for No Child Left Behind 10/11/2011 7:49:33 AM On September 22, President Obama announced that states would be allowed to apply for waivers to be exempt from No Child Left Behind’s requirement that all children be proficient in reading and math by 2014. These waivers would only be granted when states develop standards to prepare students for college and careers and to evaluate teachers and principals. Education secretary Arne Duncan said that the waivers are intended to provide a bridge between the current law and new legislation by Congress. In a speech announcing the decision, Obama criticized No Child Left Behind for requiring teachers to teach to the test and to limit education in history and science. He said “This does not mean that states will be able to lower their standards or escape accountability. If states want more flexibility, they’re going to have to set higher standards, more honest standards that prove they’re serious about meeting them.” Congressional leaders criticized the announcement on the grounds that the president is overstepping his powers. Representative John Kline of Minnesota said “In my judgment, he is exercising an authority and power he doesn’t have.” However, officials from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Idaho, Minnesota, Virginia, and Wisconsin have stated that they would probably seek waivers. To read a New York Times article on the announcement, click here. To read a NPR article on the announcement, click here. Tags: Children, Education, School Comments
Article Brings Insight to How Adolescent Brains Work 10/6/2011 8:18:50 AM This month’s National Geographic Magazine highlights new scientific understanding of adolescent brain development and the neurological changes that occur with adolescence. Although the brain doesn’t grow much between the ages of 12 and 25, massive changes lead to a faster and more sophisticated brain by adulthood. During adolescence, axons, the nerve fibers used to send signals between neurons, become insulated with a fatty substance, myelin, in order to boost the axon’s transmission speed. Heavily used synapses grow much stronger. At the same time the brain goes through a process known as synaptic pruning, whereby infrequently used synapses wither allowing the brain to become more efficient. Studies of impulse control show that although teens at age 15 can perform as well as adults if motivated, they were less able than adults to use regions of the brain that help them resist impulses. Among those performing the test at age 20, these regions of the brain were as easily accessed as adults. However, adults shouldn’t look at adolescents as neurologically inferior. The article also states that from an evolutionary perspective teen brains are “exquisitely sensitive, highly adaptable creature[s] wired almost perfectly for the job of moving from the safety of home into the complicated world outside.” Thrill-seeking behaviors by adolescents, which peak at age 15, leads teens to have an openness to new and exciting experiences. Changes during adolescence also lead teens to seek out people of their own age, building important relationships for success in adulthood. On October 6, Dr. Laurence Steinberg of Temple University, whose research on adolescent risk-taking is described in the article, will be speaking at Baldwin Wallace College on adolescent brain development and risk taking. Learn more about his talk. Schubert Center Faculty Associate Andrew Garner recently spoke at the County Commissioners Association of Ohio about adolescent brain development as part of a panel organized by Voices for Ohio’s Children. He was accompanied by Child Policy Director Gabriella Celeste. View their presentation. Gabriella Celeste will also be speaking at an upcoming Schubert Center event on Tuesday October 11 on her involvement in juvenile justice reform in Ohio. Learn more about this event. Read the National Geographic article. Little known fact: Schubert Center graduate assistant Sarah C. Miller is from Austin, Texas, where National Geographic photographer Kitra Cahana followed teens for a year in the photographs accompanying the story. Tags: Adolescence, Children, Development, Juvenile Justice Comments
Child Abuse Increased During the Recession, Study Says 9/19/2011 12:15:48 PM A study, published this week in Pediatrics and conducted in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Washington, found that the number of children diagnosed with abusive head trauma in hospitals rose from 8.9 in 100,000 before the recession to 14.7 in 100,000 during the recession. Abusive head trauma, such as Shaken Baby Syndrome, is the leading cause of child death, and previous research suggests that times of stress can lead to increases in child abuse. The study found 422 cases of abusive head trauma in hospital emergency rooms, with the average age of the child at 9 months. Sixteen percent of the children in the study died due to their injuries. The authors mention that an important factor in the rise in cases of AHT may be that the recession forced many people who had previously not been caretakers to be the primary caretakers for young children. In a MSNBC article on the study, Dr. Rachel P. Berger, one of the authors, notes the importance of teaching parents that it is ok to leave a crying baby safely in a crib and walk away after all basic needs have been taken care of when stressed. She also says that government decreases in programs to help infants and young children may also contribute to increased parental stress. Schubert Center Director Dr. Jill Korbin has studied child maltreatment for over 35. She is currently editing a volume on C. Henry Kempe, a pediatrician who was the first to identify child abuse in a medical setting. To read the study, click here. To read an NPR article on the study, click here. To read an MSNBC article on the study, click here. Tags: Children, Early Childhood, Family, Parenthood, Violence Comments
Article Proposes Prenatal and Early Childhood Origins of Violence 9/14/2011 11:08:30 AM In an article published in January 2011 in the journal Aggression and Violent Behavior, Dr. Jianghong Liu of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing proposes a framework for understanding the pre- and early post-natal origins of violence. Dr. Liu argues that the current literature neglects the role of early childhood in child and adolescent violent behavior and lacks long-term studies of how early childhood health impacts later behavior. She proposes a variety of early health risk factors that may increase risk of childhood aggression, including smoking during pregnancy, birth complications, alcohol and drug consumption during pregnancy, teenage pregnancy, maternal depression, malnutrition, lead exposure, head injury, child abuse and maternal stress. These risk factors do the most damage during early childhood, when children’s neuro-development is at its peak. She argues that public health prevention programs targeting these risk factors are a heretofore-unused opportunity for violence prevention. In a news article about her research, Dr. Liu says, “As a society we should invest in better health care for early life – as early as a growing fetus – in order to minimize their health risk factors for violence. It is never too early to intervene in the development of violent tendencies.” Her statement echoes the work of Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate, who advocates for economic investment in early childhood education. A summary of his talk at the Schubert Center in March 2010 can be accessed here. On September 27, Schubert Center Faculty Associate Dr. Daniel Flannery will be giving a talk on Merging Research, Practice, and Policy in Addressing Children’s Exposure to Violence. He is the director of the Semi J. and Ruth J. Begun Center for Violence Prevention at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. His current research projects include Project Tapestry, which studies violence prevention services for youth, and evaluation of the Fugitive Safe Surrender Program. Several other Faculty Associates study violence in children and youth. Dr. James Spilsbury of the Center for Clinical Investigation studies the role of sleep disturbances in children who have been exposed to violence. Dr. Mark Singer of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences studies youth violence and co-existing drug and mental disorders. To read the original article online, click here. To read a Science Direct article on the study, click here. To learn more about and register for Dr. Flannery's talk, click here. Tags: Children, Development, Early Childhood, Family, Infancy, Violence Comments
Announcing the Adoption Network Cleveland Scholars Program 9/7/2011 10:40:49 AM Congratulations to CWRU junior and former “Child Policy” student Mai Segawa, who has developed the new Adoption Network Cleveland Scholars Program. Undergraduate and graduate students who complete the 12-hour program will receive a certificate from Adoption Network Cleveland. Registration deadline is Friday, October 14, 2011. Click here for more information. Tags: Family Comments
Study Finds Secondhand Smoke Exposure Increases School Absenteeism 9/7/2011 10:20:12 AM A study released in June from Massachusetts General Hospital found that children exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes missed significantly more days of school and reported significantly more ear infections and chest colds than children who do not live with smokers. The study was an analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey. Fourteen percent of children surveyed lived with a smoker, representing 2.6 million children in the United States. Households without smokers were more likely to be higher educated, have a higher income and were more likely to be Hispanic than households with smokers. Households with one smoker had higher incomes and were more likely to be white than households with two or more smokers. Children who lived with one smoker had on average one more day absent from school per year and children with two or more smokers one and a half more days absent than children without smokers in their homes. The authors found that eliminating smoking from the homes of children living with smokers could reduce their absenteeism by 24% to 34%. These data suggest that between one quarter and one third of missed school days are the result of secondhand smoke exposure. Additionally, this excess absenteeism resulted in caregivers losing $227 million per year in wages and household production while taking care of sick children. Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study the impact of low birth weight and prematurity, also associated with secondhand smoke exposure. Dr. H. Gerry Taylor studies the neurological implications of low birth weight. A policy brief on his recent talk on school progress in children with extreme prematurity can be downloaded here. Dr. Marilyn Lotas studies the health issues very low and low birth weight infants. Dr. Maureen Hack’s research interests include the outcome of very low birth weight children. Additionally, Dr. Scott Frank studies smoking cessation programs. To read the study on Pediatrics website, click here. To read a Science Daily article on the study, click here. To read a CNN article on the study, click here. Tags: Children, Education, Health, School Comments
Sentencing Reform Bill Changes Youth Sentencing Laws 7/18/2011 9:04:55 PM On June 29, 2011, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed House Bill 86 into law. In addition to sentencing changes for adult offenders, the bill contains changes for sentencing juvenile offenders. Schubert Center Child Policy Director Gabriella Celeste played a key role in authoring the juvenile justice sections of the bill and supporting its passage. In April 2011, she provided testimony to Ohio’s House Finance Transportation Sub-Committee on the positive community and fiscal implications of reducing the number of youth in correctional facilities on the one hand, and increasing treatment- and community-based programs for delinquent youth on the other. In June 2011, Ms. Celeste provided further testimony to the Ohio Senate Judiciary/Criminal Justice Committee, in which she argued in support of the new sentencing reform bill. According to her testimony, HB 86 1) Promotes research-supported, outcome-based programs and practices that maximize results and provide greater public safety per dollar spent, 2) revises ineffective and costly sentencing schemes by permitting greater judicial discretion and addressing court procedural issues such as competency, and 3) reflects an overall recognition that being “smart on juvenile crime” requires developmentally-appropriate treatment and accountability measures. The following is a summary of the juvenile justice provisions of Amended House Bill 86: 1. HB 86 promotes research-informed practices. Specifically, in reference to how RECLAIM dollars should be spent, it adds new language that states: “Research-supported, outcome-based programs and services, to the extent available, shall be encouraged.” 2. HB 86 extends juvenile court authority to allow for judicial release throughout a youth’s term of commitment. Currently, judges can only grant an early release during a youth’s minimum sentence time period, after which any release decision rests solely with the Department of Youth Services (DYS). Under this reform, judges maintain jurisdiction to consider early release opportunities throughout a youth’s commitment, including instances in which juveniles are serving mandatory sentences. 3. HB 86 revises sentencing specifications to allow for judicial discretion in instances involving a gun where the youth was not the main actor. Specifically, juvenile judges have more discretion in sentencing for youth accomplices under certain conditions where the youth did not possess, dispose of, or otherwise use the weapon. 4. HB 86 adopts a uniform juvenile competency code that applies to all delinquency proceedings using a juvenile-specific standard. A juvenile is incompetent if, “due to mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental disability, or otherwise due to or a lack of mental capacity, the child is presently incapable of understanding the nature and objective of proceedings against the child or of assisting in the child’s defense.” A child who is 14 or older who is not otherwise found to be mentally ill, intellectually disabled, or developmentally disabled, is presumed to “not have a lack of mental capacity”. 5. HB 86 creates a reverse waiver provision for youth automatically transferred to adult court (mandatory bindover) that would permit transfer back to juvenile court. This reverse waiver procedure would only apply in those circumstances where a youth is convicted of an offense that would not have originally qualified as a mandatory bindover offense. In this instance, the case would go back to juvenile court for juvenile sentencing or an amenability hearing to determine whether the adult sentence should be invoked. 6. HB 86 creates an Interagency Mental Health Juvenile Justice Task Force to address the challenges of delinquent youth who “suffer from serious mentally illness or emotional and behavioral disorders.” The six month Task Force has representation from the state Supreme Court, the Governors office, the House, the Senate, ODYS, ODMH, juvenile judges, public defenders, prosecutors, academic institutions, and numerous other experts, such as NAMI. It must submit a report with findings and recommendations to the legislature by March 31, 2012. Click here to read an article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the law. Click here to read Gabriella Celeste's testimony to Ohio’s House Finance Transportation Sub-Committee Click here to read Gabriella Celeste's testimony to the Ohio Senate Judiciary/Criminal Justice Committee Tags: Juvenile Justice, Mental Health Comments
Three Recent Studies on Eating Disorders Show New Trends and Concerns 6/22/2011 8:46:49 AM Three recent studies on eating disorders show new trends in prevalence of eating disorders internationally and new comorbidities of eating disorders in the United States. A study from Taiwan published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that 16% of boys and 10% of girls ages 10 to 18 had vomited in order to lose weight. Younger children were more likely to report inducing vomiting to lose weight, as 16% of 10 to 12 years olds vomited to lose weight compared to 15% of 13 to 15 year olds and 8% of 16-18 year olds. Self-induced vomiting was more common in adolescents with a sedentary lifestyle, who slept less and who ate unhealthily. Using a computer screen for more than two hours a day, eating fried food everyday and having nighttime snacks increased the odds of vomiting. Another recent study from the University of North Texas found that pressure from peers to be thin accounts for a significant amount of lost sleep for white female adolescents. Author Katherine Marczyk said “There is a significant amount of research on other areas regarding pressure on adolescent females to minimize body weight, but this pressure as it relates to sleep health is a less-explored topic and its consequences are mostly unknown.” The Journal of Women’s Health published a study this month on the relationship between pregnancy related depression and eating disorders. A survey of women receiving treatment in a perinatal psychology clinic found that one third of patients reported a history of eating disorders. Postpartum depression has serious consequences for both mothers and their children. Author Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody stated “Children of depressed mothers are more likely to develop mental health problems, and children of mothers with an active eating disorder may also be more likely to develop an eating disorder themselves.” The authors also note that pregnancy is a key time for mental health screenings and for helping women get access to mental health treatment services. Dr. Lucene Wisniewski of the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders recently gave a talk on current best practices for girls with eating disorders as a part of the Schubert Center’s Girlhood Series. A policy brief on her talk can be downloaded here. Schubert Center Faculty Associate Dr. Eileen Anderson-Fye joined discussants from the Cleveland Clinic and the University School to talk about her work studying eating disorders in adolescent girls in Belize. To read the study from Taiwan, click here. A press article on the study is also available here. To read an article on the study on eating disorders and sleep loss, click here. To read the article on pregnancy-related depression and eating disorders, click here. A popular article on the study can be found here. Tags: Adolescence, Children, Healthy Eating, Girls, Mental Health, Parenthood Comments
Nursing School Researcher Studies Mental Illness Stigma Among Adolescents 6/10/2011 1:43:48 PM “About one in five Americans has a mental illness, with half of these individuals first experiencing symptoms of mental illness in their teen years, “ says Dr. Melissa Pinto-Foltz of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. She recently published a study in Social Science and Medicine on educational programs for adolescents aimed to reduce the stigma of mental illness and improve mental health literacy. The study followed the reactions of 156 girls in 9th and 10th grade, half of whom had seen an educational program called In Our Own Voice and half of whom had not. The program invites people who have experienced mental illness to tell their stories. At four and eight weeks after the program, Dr. Pinto-Foltz conducted follow-up interviews. In these interviews, she found that participants enjoyed the program and that those who had seen the program scored significantly better on a test of mental health literacy at 4 and 8 weeks. However, the intervention was too short to change some girls stigmas about mental illness. Many Schubert Center Faculty Associates study mental health in children and adolescents. Dr. Eileen Anderson-Fye of the Department of Anthropology studies eating disorders and other mental health issues among adolescent girls in Belize and the use of psychiatric drugs among college students. A policy brief on her research on students with mental illness transitioning to college can be downloaded here. Dr. Faye Gary of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing studies the prevention of mental health disorders in children and adolescents and child and adolescent psychiatric nursing. Dr. Gerald Mahoney of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences studies early childhood mental illness. He currently has two grant supported projects, including one studying the impact of Responsive Teaching on the social emotional functioning of young children with mental health concerns. Dr. David Miller of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences studies chronic stress in adolescents and young adults. A policy brief on his research on urban hassles and adolescent mental health can be downloaded here. Dr. James Spilsbury of the School of Medicine studies sleep disturbances and child mental health. Click here to read Dr. Pinto-Foltz's study. Click here to read an article summarizing the study. Click here to learn more about In Our Own Voice, the program studied by Dr. Pinto-Foltz. Tags: Adolescence, Education, Mental Health Comments
USDA Unveils New Dietary Standards 6/3/2011 3:05:17 PM On June 2, First Lady Michelle Obama and Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin unveiled the USDA’s new dietary guidelines, called MyPlate, which will replace the previous food pyramid. MyPlate aims to make making healthy food decisions easier by replacing the previous standards which used daily numbers of servings with a graphic depiction of a plate filled on one half with fruits and vegetables, with whole grains and lean protein occupying a quarter each, and a small serving of dairy. MyPlate is an extension of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to reduce childhood obesity. At the unveiling, Mrs. Obama remarked that the new icon is “simple enough for children to understand, even at the elementary level. They can learn to use this tool now and use it for the rest of their lives." While the website launching MyPlate has not yet converted the child-oriented sections from the food pyramid, it does provide more specific guidelines for pregnant and breastfeeding women. The changes have been applauded by a number of groups, including the American Bakers Association and the United Fresh Produce Association. Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study childhood obesity and related health problems. Dr. Leona Cuttler of the Department of Pediatrics studies diabetes and childhood obesity. Dr. Elaine Borawski of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods studies various health behavior interventions aimed at obesity and diet modification. Dr. Marilyn Lotas of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing recently spoke at the Schubert Center on her research on childhood hypertension and obesity in Cleveland public schools. A policy brief on that study can be downloaded here. Click here to visit the official MyPlate website and learn more about the new recommendations. Click here to read an NPR article on the changes. Click here to read a Washington Post article on the changes. Tags: Children, Healthy Eating, Obesity Comments
Children with Public Health Insurance Less Likely to Get Emergency Appointments with Dentists & Ohio Falls Behind in Important Dental Health Markers 5/24/2011 10:05:38 AM A study published this week in Pediatrics found that children who have public health insurance are less likely than children with private health insurance to get an appointment in a dental emergency. The study had six research assistants call 85 Illinois dental practices twice pretending to be mothers of a 10-year-old boy with a fractured front tooth, with the only difference in the two calls being whether the child was enrolled in the public Medicaid and CHIP dental program or private Blue Cross dental coverage. Only 36.5% of calls regarding children in the Medicaid and CHIP program were able to obtain an appointment, compared to 95.4% of calls regarding children with private insurance. The difference remained even when only considering the 41 dental practices enrolled in the Medicaid program, as children with public insurance were 18.2 times more likely to not receive an appointment from Medicaid enrolled providers compared to children with private insurance. An article in US News on the study notes that Medicaid reimburses all emergency dental care, regardless of whether the provider seen is enrolled in a Medicaid program. Ohio recently received a grade of “B” for access to dental care for children from the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign. An article in The Plain Dealer states that while Ohio scores better than the national standards in sealant programs in high-risk schools, fluoridated water access, dental care used by Medicaid-enrolled children, payment for preventative services and keeping records on children’s dental health, Ohio children lack access to primary dental care providers, and Ohio dentists are insufficiently reimbursed by Medicaid. Some policymakers suggest licensing a new type of dental care provider, called a dental therapist, to address the shortage of dentists in Ohio and other states. Schubert Center Faculty Associate Dr. James Lalumandier directs the Healthy Smiles Sealant Program in conjunction with Cleveland Metropolitan School District to improve dental health and sealant coverage for second, third and sixth grade students. A policy brief on his work can be downloaded here. A video on the Healthy Smiles Sealant Program can be viewed here. Tags: Children, Dental, Health, Health Insurance Comments
Improving Access to Books in Poorer Neighborhoods 5/20/2011 11:36:50 AM Research consistently shows the importance of access to reading materials for children, especially low-income children. A meta-analysis published last August by Reading is Fundamental found that access to print materials, and in particular access to print materials to own, improves children’s reading performance, helps children learn the basics of reading, causes children to read more and for longer lengths of time, and produces improved attitudes towards reading and learning. A recent report by the Annie E. Casey foundation found that children who were not reading proficiently in third grade are four times more likely to not graduate high school on time. An 2001 study from the University of Michigan and Temple University comparing access to reading materials in low-income and middle-income urban neighborhoods found that while middle-income neighborhoods had as many as 13 book titles available for every child, low-income neighborhoods had as few as 1 title for every 300 children. Additionally, both public and school libraries in low-income neighborhoods had fewer hours and fewer books than libraries in middle-income neighborhoods. This finding follows an earlier study that found that classroom, school and public libraries combined in a high-income neighborhood had an average of nearly 261,000 books, while libraries in low-income neighborhoods had between 113,000 and 106,000 books. However, the limited access to books in these neighborhoods does not indicate that parents are unwilling to buy books for their children. Susan B. Newman, a co-author of the 2001 study, said in a recent New York Times article “When poor people, even those at low literacy levels, have a little extra money, they will buy inexpensive books. But some families have so little disposable income, they can’t afford any books.” The New York Times recently profiled an organization that works to increase the number of books in the homes of low-income children, First Book Marketplace. First Book Marketplace sells books discounted far below their retail prices to programs that serve low-income children. Their website shows classic titles such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Where the Wild Things Are, and A Very Hungry Caterpillar, as well as SAT preparatory materials and nonfiction, discounted by 50% or more. A number of Schubert Center Faculty Associates study children in low-income households and literacy: Schubert Center Associate Director Dr. Elizabeth Short studies cognitive development in school-aged children as well as cognitive and academic consequences of attention deficit disorder, language disabilities, and reading disabilities. A policy brief on her work on assessing developmental differences through play can be downloaded here. Dr. Lee Thompson is currently conducting two research studies on development of twins. One explores on early environmental influences on reading skills in twins, while the other studies math skills in twins and their parents. Dr. Thompson recently gave a Schubert Conversation on other findings from her study of twins on children’s development of mathematical skills. A research and policy brief describing her work can be downloaded here. Dr. Barbara Lewis studies a variety of genetic, medical, and neurological conditions that impact speech and language development. She is currently heading the Family Speech and Reading Study. The FSRS has followed 275 families with early childhood speech sound disorders (SSD) and found that children with SSDs are more likely to encounter challenges with reading writing and spelling later in life. A policy brief on her work can be downloaded here. Dr. David Crampton studies family and child welfare policy and is a member of a national team evaluating the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Family to Family Initiative. A policy brief on his work with the Casey Foundation can be found here. Additionally, the Schubert Center was privileged to host Nobel Prize Winner Dr. James Heckman of the University of Chicago in March 2010 for a lecture on the economic case for investing in early childhood education. A video of Dr. Heckman’s lecture as well as other resources related to his talk can be found from our website. More information about First Book Marketplace can be found on their website. For those interested in improving access to books in their communities, the Corporation for National and Community Service provides a toolkit for starting a book distribution team. Tags: Children, Development, Early Childhood, Education, Poverty, School Comments