The

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

Center for Child and Family Policy was established on July 1, 1999, with Kenneth A. Dodge, William McDougall Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, as its director. The center brings scientific research on children and families into the policymaking arena.

History

The Center for Child and Family Policy grew out of discussions among a group of Duke faculty members from different disciplines who were interested in child development and child policy. The group, which included John Coie (psychology), Phil Costanzo (psychology), Philip J. Cook (public policy and economics), Jane Costello (psychiatry), and Alan Kerckhoff (sociology), among others, approached

William Chafe William H. Chafe (/ˈtʃeɪf/; born January 28, 1942) is an American historian, and currently Alice Mary Baldwin Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University in Durham, NC. Career Professor Chafe received his PhD from Columbia University in ...

, then dean of the faculty of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, who agreed to support the launching of a new center dedicated to child and family policy. In 1998, Kenneth Dodge, a clinical and developmental psychologist from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

who had earned his Ph.D. at Duke in 1978, was recruited to lead the venture. The Center for Child and Family Policy opened on July 1, 1999. It now includes about 70 employees and more than 40 affiliated faculty fellows. It is affiliated with Duke University's

Sanford School of Public Policy The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University is named after former Duke president and Governor of North Carolina Terry Sanford, who established the university's Institute for Policy Sciences and Public Affairs in 1971 as an interdiscipli ...

an
Social Science Research Institute

Programs

Research

Center research focuses on issues relevant to child and family policy, including early childhood education, early adversity and early interventions,

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

education reform Education reform is the name given to the goal of changing public education. The meaning and education methods have changed through debates over what content or experiences result in an educated individual or an educated society. Historically, t ...

parenting Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a ...

across cultures, changing family structure, effects of job loss on student performance and prevention of adolescent problem behaviors such as violence, mental illness and

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

. The Center houses a large research effort focused on the biology and behavior underlying teen substance abuse, the Center for the Study of Adolescent Risk and Resilience (C-StARR). NC Education Research Data Center The Center is also home to the NC Education Research Data Center, established in 2000 as a partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. It houses data on N.C.'s public schools, which is available to researchers and nonprofit institutions for use in research.

Teaching

The Center offers fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students interested in child and family policy. It also offers a Child Policy Research Certificate program for Duke undergraduates.

Public Engagement

Center faculty and staff consult with policymakers and practitioners, responding to requests for research, information, and program evaluation. Center staff members have presented educational seminars for North Carolina lawmakers on issues such as childhood obesity and juvenile justice. The Center's School Research Partnership facilitates research in local schools, linking school district and other organizations with Duke students and researchers. “Policy and Practice”
, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, retrieved 2014-February-6

References

{{Authority control Non-profit organizations based in North Carolina Child and Family Policy, Center for