Advancing Racial Equity in Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education
The science is clear that the first years of children’s lives set the foundation for their healthy development. A young child’s race, gender, location, language, and ability should not determine their access to needed services, experiences, and outcomes.
FPG Program Update: Equity Research Action Coalition
With its focus on research, translation, public policy, and mentoring, the Coalition—under the leadership of Founding Director Iruka, a research professor in the department of public policy—is committed to addressing the science of early childhood with an anti-racist lens while elevating the brilliance and assets of Black children and other children of color.
Professor Iheoma Iruka Wins American Psychological Association’s 2022 Mid-Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Benefit Children, Youth and Families
The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions in science, policy, and practice that benefit the psychological functioning or well-being of children, youth, and families. Professor Iruka is thrilled and honored to have been selected.
The truth about children’s resilience
Children’s resilience — their ability to thrive in the midst and aftermath of a crisis — depends on who they are, what their lives were like before, and how the adults around them (including parents, other family members, and caregivers) respond.
Working Towards More Equitable Early Childhood Assessments: A Conversation with Dr. Iheoma Iruka
For more than two years now, hundreds of thousands of young children have lived during a global pandemic, experiencing significant disruptions to their early learning. Children from racially and socioeconomically marginalized groups have been disproportionately affected.
Dual Impact of COVID-19 and Systematic Racism and Inequity on Children’s Developmental Trajectories in the Early Years: Interdisciplinary Conversations and Creation of a Research-Policy Agenda for Children in Migrant Families, Child Welfare, Tribal Communities, and with Incarcerated Parents
This event will include presenters speaking on the topics of migrant families, child welfare, and children with incarcerated parents. This workshop is sponsored by the Carolina Seminar Series.
Community Newsletter: Autism training for Black parents, Google’s built-in gender bias
This week’s newsletter is a tale of two tweets, one marking important progress and the other a lack thereof.
Book Babies Randomized Control Study 2021 Final Report: Executive Summary
In March 2019 Book Harvest engaged HighScope Educational Research Foundation to conduct a longitudinal Randomized Control Trial (RCT) evaluation of Book Babies. The goal of this two-site longitudinal study was to examine the impact of the five-year Book Babies intervention on parents’ reading practices, children’s literacy and language skills, and kindergarten readiness.
Iheoma U. Iruka
Iheoma U. Iruka is a research professor in the Department of Public Policy within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences and founding director of the Equity Research Action Coalition within the FPG Child Development Institute. She studies how to promote the health, wealth, and educational excellence of minoritized children and children from low-income households.
The Danger of White Privilege in Schools
Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D., is a research professor of public policy and the founding director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Iruka leads nationwide studies and initiatives to protect, promote and preserve the health, wealth, culture and education of Black children and their communities.
Childhood development researchers call for “anti-racist scientific method
Two University of Noth Carolina Chapel Hill education professors are advocating for an “anti-racist scientific method”.
Black Babies Awerness Month campain shines a spotlight on the health and wellbeing of Black children
Black Babies Awareness Month, a campaign to promote and center the needs of Black infants and toddlers, is well underway and driving much-needed public awareness as the holiday season fast approaches. The initiative is timed to coincide with the earlier release of the first-ever Black Child National Agenda.
Equity Research Action Coalition welcomes new staff
The UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute’s Equity Research Action Coalition recently added two new members to its team: Managing Director Sharron Hunter-Rainey, Ph.D., and Data Scientist Milton Suggs. The Coalition addresses a need for a collaboration of experts who will use strengths-based data to shed light on the impact of historical and contemporary racism and inequities.
FPG hosts 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge to encourage meaningful change
The UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute recently co-hosted a 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge to allow members of its community to not only deepen