The Brookings Institution's The Future of Children publication is a wonderful resource. It is free, and the information is always timely and relevant. I like to use it as a reference in some of the classes I teach, and I recommend it to students and colleagues.
I discovered that FOC is keeping track of mention its articles in the blogosphere. So, at the risk of turning this into an endless echo chamber, I decided to holler back.
The Future of Children - FOC in Blogosphere
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The University of Arkansas has a new tool for family life education - Navigating Life's Journey | NCFR
The University of Arkansas's Cooperative Extension Service is offering a new, free resource: Navigating Life's Journey. You can sign up to receive weekly e-mails to help you improve your personal well-being and family relationships. The research-based ideas come from dozens of the world's best family life experts so you can trust that they are credible and will work in your life. There will also be a practical suggestion of how you can apply the idea to your life. Interested?
The University of Arkansas has a new tool for family life education - Navigating Life's Journey NCFR
The University of Arkansas has a new tool for family life education - Navigating Life's Journey NCFR
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
State of the Discipline
Things are changing, and from the looks of it, not for the better.
Membership is down, participation in annual meeting is down, programs are being closed and dismantled. Even worse, no one seems to know what or who we are, or even that we exist. Some even think that cable television is a suitable replacement for our long dead profession.
The state of the discipline is weak and uncertain, but not without hope.
Annual meeting must not simply be a social club, but also a place where serious work gets accomplished, and like-minded individuals can connect. We must leave feeling that we learned something of value that we couldn't have learned someplace else.
Research must be more than a word that is carelessly tossed about, it must be a passion that is rigorously pursued. Research, especially interdisciplinary research, must become a central part of our mission.
Policy, especially family policy, must be something that we take seriously and develop our own positions on (and, dare I dream, advocate for those positions?). Restating other organizations' position statements or recommendations does nothing but prove our own redundancy.
Controversy is not to be feared. It is to be tackled head on. We are adults. And if we're not, we don't deserve to call ourselves professionals.
Looking backward only serves us if we intend to use the past to inform the present and future.
To survive, we must first answer one simple question. What does AAFCS provide that is unique? The answer, in my opinion, has to do with the interdisciplinary and applied nature of the field. Let's focus on doing that well.
Who am I to give the state of the profession? I am the profession. So are all of you out there. Let's not wait for others to define us or write our obituary.
Membership is down, participation in annual meeting is down, programs are being closed and dismantled. Even worse, no one seems to know what or who we are, or even that we exist. Some even think that cable television is a suitable replacement for our long dead profession.
The state of the discipline is weak and uncertain, but not without hope.
Annual meeting must not simply be a social club, but also a place where serious work gets accomplished, and like-minded individuals can connect. We must leave feeling that we learned something of value that we couldn't have learned someplace else.
Research must be more than a word that is carelessly tossed about, it must be a passion that is rigorously pursued. Research, especially interdisciplinary research, must become a central part of our mission.
Policy, especially family policy, must be something that we take seriously and develop our own positions on (and, dare I dream, advocate for those positions?). Restating other organizations' position statements or recommendations does nothing but prove our own redundancy.
Controversy is not to be feared. It is to be tackled head on. We are adults. And if we're not, we don't deserve to call ourselves professionals.
Looking backward only serves us if we intend to use the past to inform the present and future.
To survive, we must first answer one simple question. What does AAFCS provide that is unique? The answer, in my opinion, has to do with the interdisciplinary and applied nature of the field. Let's focus on doing that well.
Who am I to give the state of the profession? I am the profession. So are all of you out there. Let's not wait for others to define us or write our obituary.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Messing with the Six Months Exclusive Breastfeeding Recommendation: Hidden Boobytrap
Irresponsible reporting of findings--shouldn't AAFCS have something to say about this? Research findings funded by baby food companies seem to imply that infants shouldn't be breastfed exclusively for 6 months, as every health organization one can think of (WHO, APA, Health People, ADA, etc.) recommends. This information is going to be misunderstood by mothers and mothers-to-be, and certainly there's enough confusion and misinformation out there already about breastfeeding. We need to give good and accurate health and consumer information to consumers. The 6 month exclusive breastfeeding recommendation still stands. It has not changed. I certainly hope that mothers do not discontinue breastfeeding earlier because of the hype around this study, since the study itself does not suggest that would be wise. Family advocates, health educators...you know what you need to do. Get the word out!
Messing with the Six Months Exclusive Breastfeeding Recommendation: Hidden Boobytrap
Messing with the Six Months Exclusive Breastfeeding Recommendation: Hidden Boobytrap
Friday, November 19, 2010
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