This section
offers a variety of information relevant to the developmental
needs and stages of children between the ages of 5 and 13.
It includes
information, resources, and research findings that can help
with the development of sound public policy around issues
such as mental and physical health, education, violence prevention,
and family, care-giver, and community relationships.
Bullying
Makes Life Miserable for Many Kids, Positive Parenting Project
There’s
nothing new about bullies. Most people can remember some
experience with a bully while growing up. Unfortunately,
bullies still
cause psychological and physical damage to other kids.
The report provides a summary of research on bullying
and the victims.
Center
for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW)
The Center
for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) is a part of
the School of SocialWork at the University of Minnesota. CASCW
brings the University of Minnesota together with county and
state social services in a public-private partnership dedicated
to improving the lives of high-risk families and children.
CASCW sponsors workshops, forums, and conferences on emerging
issues in child welfare, as well as supporting ongoing research
on child welfare topics and disseminating information to assist
child welfare practitioners, educators, and policy makers.
Center
for Applied Research & Educational Improvement (CAREI)
The Center
for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) is
a collaborative organization that brings the resources of
the College of Education and Human Development and the University
of Minnesota to bear on educational issues in Minnesota and
across the nation.
Center
for Children with Special Health Care Needs
In response to the growing population of children with chronic
illness and disability, the School of Nursing at the University
of Minnesota developed a graduate focus known as the Children
with Special Health Care Needs area of study. This program
emphasizes a holistic approach to care of children and adolescents
with focus on family and community contexts.
Center
for Early Education and Development (CEED)
The Center
for Early Education and Development (CEED) provides information
regarding young children (birth to age eight), including children
with special needs, in the areas of education, child care,
child development, and family education.
The Web site contains
information about CEED activities, including research, training, and
publications geared toward improving professional practices, supporting
parents, and information policy development.
Center for Neurobehavioral Development
The Center for Neurobehavioral Development is a research center that
houses over a dozen studies about children’s cognitive and neurobehavioral
functioning. Research at the Center is discovering how brain development
affects the way children think, learn and express emotions as they
grow from infants to adults. Our research projects gain support from
nationally recognized grants, such as the National Institutes of Health
and the MacArthur Foundation.
Center for Reading Research
The mission of the Center for Reading Research is to help K-12 teachers help at-risk students read. Currently, a significant focus of the Center is the professional development and school reform of Reading First, the national reading program for K-3. This school year, the Center is working with 33 elementary schools across Minnesota to support reading reform.
Center
for School Change
The Center for School
Change is a program of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
at the University of Minnesota. The Center works with educators, parents,
business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people
throughout the United States to: increase student achievement; raise
graduation rates; improve student attitudes toward learning, their schools,
and their communities; and strengthen communities through building stronger
working relationships among educators, parents, students and other community
members.
Child Welfare
Research Agenda for the State of Minnesota
The MN Child Welfare Research Agenda was prepared by the office of the Gamble-Skogmo
Land Grant Chair. It is a product of many discussions with Minnesota Department
of Human Services workers, supervisors and administrators; various Advisory Groups;
the U of M School of Social Work, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare,
and Children, Youth and Families Consortium; child welfare service provider agencies;
advocates; researchers and experts in the field.
Children
and Money - Income and Expenditures
Children
and money issues are being discussed more and more in recent
years. Within this discussion there is little agreement either
between parents, among sets of parents, or among professionals
in terms of approaches to the issues. This research report
highlights some of the critical issues related to the income
and expenditures of today's youth.
College
of Education and Human Development
The College
of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota
is home to many areas of study. Information about the College
is available at this site. In addition, links to the many
degree, licensure, and certificate programs, such as Elementary
Education and School Psychology are provided.
Empirical
Support for Family Involvement in Education: Success for All
Students
We know
the central role that the home plays in children's school
learning has long been recognized; however, recent years have
seen a surge in the development of programs to increase family
involvement in education (Kellaghan, Sloane, Alvarez, &
Bloom, 1993).
Home-School
Collaboration: Building Effective Parent-School Partnerships
Home-school
collaboration is an attitude not an activity. It occurs when
parents and educators share common goals, are seen as equals,
and both contribute to the process. It is sustained with a
"want to" motivation rather than an "ought
to" or "obliged to" orientation from all individuals.
The
impact of caring and connectedness on adolescent health and
well-being
This study
of over 36,000 7th-12th grade students focused on protective
factors against the quietly disturbed and acting out behaviours,
which together represent the major social morbidities
of adolescence. Multivariate models developed separately for girls
and boys
repeatedly demonstrated the protective function of caring
and connectedness in the lives of youth, particularly a sense
of connectedness to family and to school.
Institute
of Child Development
The Institute
of Child Development (ICD), as the department of Child Psychology
at the University of Minnesota, has long been a premier center
of scholarship, teaching, and outreach devoted to the understanding
and fostering of child development. This Web Site provides
about the current research and activities occurring at the
Institute of Child Development.
Minnesota
Child Welfare Research Agenda (pdf) From the UM School of Social Work
On June 3, 2002, researchers, policy makers, legislators,
and child welfare professionals gathered at the University
of Minnesota to participate in developing a child welfare
research agenda for the State of Minnesota. The program included
a presentation of the Illinois experience using research
for program planning and evaluation. In addition, the current
status of child welfare research in Minnesota was reviewed.
Participants then identified critical research questions
for Minnesota and prioritized them by topic. This report
summarizes discussions and lays the groundwork for further
consolidation of the information. All of this work will result
in a joint Child Welfare Research Agenda for Minnesota to
be published by the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota
Department of Human Services. Our plan is that it will reflect
not only the thoughts of the publishers, but also the views
of the citizens of Minnesota who are committed to the constant
improvement of child welfare service delivery. The proceedings are
available in PDF format.
Minnesota
Student Survey
The Minnesota Student
Survey is a triennial report that looks at student attitudes and behaviors.
The report is prepared by the Minnesota Department of Human Services
and the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning.
Publications
on Strategies for Change
Publications
written by academic faculty from the University of Minnesota
through 1997
Reading
List on Parent-School Partnerships (up to 1996)
compiled
by Sandra L. Christenson University of Minnesota, College
of Education and Human Development 1996
School-Age
Program Area, Institute on Community Integration
The School-Age
Services Program Area emphasizes activities that enhance the
full inclusion and support of children with disabilities in
educational and social environments within their schools and
communities.
Activities
include professional and paraprofessional training, development
of cost-effective educational services, support to children
with disabilities and their family members, and extensive
consultation and technical assistance on issues of collaboration
and inclusion. Major programmatic thrusts include research,
evaluation, training and technical assistance on issues of
self-determination, dropout prevention, and peer interactions,
and more.
Supporting
Home-School Collaboration
Although
home-school partnerships to enhance student learning are not
the norm, there is much rhetoric and interest in developing
partnerships.
Teaching
Children Money Habits for Life
The life-long
benefits of teaching children good money habits make it well
worth the effort. Children who are not taught these lessons
pay the consequences for a life-time. Some parents don't teach
children about money because they think they shouldn't talk
about money with children, don't have the time, or think they
don't have enough money. Parents should take the time to teach
children about money regardless of income and should start
when children are young. This publication presents some helpful
guidelines and suggestions parents may follow. It provides
general background and outlines by age group and stage of
development children's understanding and use of money as well
as conflicts about money. It also identifies activities you
can use to teach your child about money.
Teachers’
Professional Development for Vital Middle Schools? What Do
We Know and Where Should We Go?
The Center
for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) makes
available papers assessing issues in education. One paper
addresses the reality of creating a middle school. The paper
is titled, “Teachers’ Professional Development for
Vital Middle Schools: What Do We Know and Where Should We
Go?”
Tucker Center for
research on girls & women in Sport
The first and only one of its kind in the world, the Tucker Center is
an interdisciplinary research center leading a pioneering effort to examine
how sport and physical activity affect the lives of girls and women, their
families, and communities.
Research has discovered important connections between participation in
sport and physical activity and healthy development, yet most sports-related
research has focused on men. The Tucker Center is changing this by exploring
how sport and exercise influence women’s physical, psychological,
and social development, as well as how social, cultural, and economic
factors influence girls’ and women’s participation in sports,
recreation, and physical activity.
What
is the Curriculum of the Home?
At first,
Curriculum of the Home may seem like a strange phrase. Curriculum
sounds like something that belongs not in homes, but in schools
- along with rows of desks and lesson plans and hall passes
and grade-point averages. But, after all, a curriculum is
just a goal for learning and some ways to reach that goal.
A fourth-grade math curriculum, for example, might have a
goal that children should learn multiplication facts. It would
also give teachers some ways to help children learn those
facts.
