As part of the Center for Child and Family Policy's 25th Anniversary celebration, we are honoring faculty, researchers, and staff who have contributed to the Center's work, culture, and impact.
Beatrice Chestnutt was an administrative assistant at the Center for Child and Family Policy from 2011 to 2021.
Read on to learn more about Bea’s work with the Center, her favorite books, and receiving the City of Durham’s highest honor, the Carlie B. Sessoms Award.
What year did you start working at the Center for Child and Family Policy and how long did you work here?
I began working at the Center for Child and Family Policy in June 2011. Twenty-one wonderful years with the Center and 33 years with Duke.
What made you want to start working at CCFP?
A friend who worked with CCFP told me how she enjoyed working at the Center. When a position became available, I applied.
Could you briefly describe your role at CCFP?
My role with CCFP was admin assistant, helping with the day-to-day operations.
What were some of your earliest memories of joining the Center?
My first memory of the Center were the people. How they were so welcoming. I was amazed at the work that went on within CCFP.
Why is the work that CCFP does particularly important to you?
Making policies and helping communities change for the better.
What parts of your career with the Center make you proudest to look back on?
I was so proud to be part of many projects, for example: The Grandparent Network, Great Schools and Families; there were many other projects I was associated with.
How did the Center change during your time here?
It was always growing and had many new ideas that changed the lives of others for the better within our communities.
What’s something people might not know about you?
I received the Carlie B. Sessoms Award in 2016. It is the highest and most coveted award that recognizes an individual or an organization that has made a major impact on improving human relations in Durham.
Could you tell us a bit about your community and educational work?
I served on the Board of Directors at Research Triangle Academy for over 15 years. My belief is to help the children along the way.
What is your favorite children’s book and why?
The Little Red Hen. It is the story of hard work and never giving up.
Are there any books that you continue to return to and why?
The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson; The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore. These two books explain how life changes.
What’s one of your favorite local restaurants and what is one of your favorite things on the menu?
Bullock's off Hillandale Road. The pork chops are great.
What was your favorite game as a child?
Jump Rope.
The 2024-2025 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Duke University. In celebrating this significant milestone, we are shining a light on individuals who have been instrumental in shaping the legacy of CCFP. In these 25th Anniversary Spotlights, we’re asking current and former faculty, researchers and staff a series of questions designed to delve into their personal stories and experiences.
by Grace Hayward
On Friday, September 20, as part of their Career Series, the Center for Child and Family Policy hosted three Duke dual-degree graduate students pursuing careers at the intersection of Policy and Law/Medicine/Business.
Allyson Barkley, who is currently pursuing her JD/MP, shared her journey from studying global politics at UNC to developing a passion for state and local government policy. During her undergraduate studies, she wrote an honors thesis on the migrant and refugee crisis in the EU. However, after interning with CWS Durham during her junior summer, her focus shifted “closer to home,” toward understanding state and local funding, systems, and resources for refugee acclimation. She returned to CWS her senior year, working part-time for 25 hours a week. Her position entailed managing a full client portfolio and overseeing the employment program helping refugees secure jobs. Unfortunately, during the Trump Administration, the pipeline of clients was blocked and funding to her program was cut. This led to the closure of resettlement offices nationwide and the loss of her job. Following this, she joined the reelection campaign for Attorney General Josh Stein, where she learned about election finance, traveled across North Carolina, and engaged daily with constituents. This experience deepened her policy interests and love for the state. After the campaign, Allyson took on a role at the North Carolina Department of Justice working with TREC in the criminal legal system while simultaneously applying to the MPP program at Duke. Ultimately, her colleagues encouraged her to apply to the JD program as well, as it would provide her with more tools to make change. Most recently, she interned in the City of Durham’s attorney’s office and is looking to pursue a city attorney role after graduation. This position, which is advisory focused, deals with the political implications of legal decisions within municipal law.
Madeline Brown, who is currently pursuing her MD/MPP, discussed how her gap year with AmeriCorps fueled her passion for primary care and equitable health policy. Between graduating from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in biochemistry and molecular biology and applying to Medical School, Maddie volunteered with the National Health Corps. During her time as a Patient Care Navigator at the Birmingham Free Clinic in Pittsburgh, PA, she noticed that many of the barriers her patients faced could be traced back to policy issues. This insight has been reinforced through her clinical work at Duke Medical School and in the Sanford classrooms. Unlike Allyson, Maddie applied to the medical school first and, in her 3rd year, decided to apply to the Duke MPP program as part of her research project year. She reflected on the solid balance that the dual degree program offers and how she has drawn connections between her clinical experience and policy classes, especially as they relate to population health and health outcomes; everything is interrelated and overlapping. Her experiences in both schools have shaped her desire to pursue a career that integrates clinical practice with policy work. Maddie aims to break down barriers between physical and mental health care systems, focusing on a blend of family/community medicine and psychiatry. At the same time, she hopes to work for a local nonprofit or state Medicaid agency to influence social policy and promote health equity.
Anna, who is currently pursuing her MBA/MPP, shared about how her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal propelled her interest in economic policy. After her graduation from George Washington University, where she earned a B.A. in International Affairs, Anna joined the Peace Corps. While she contributed to malaria prevention campaigns and taught English in schools, her primary focus was on grant writing. Through this work, she came to appreciate the importance of funding and resources in driving economic change. Her Peace Corps experience also revealed her preference for dynamic and collaborative work environments, which ultimately led her to social impact consulting. Like Allyson, Anna applied to the MPP and MBA programs simultaneously. The first year is dedicated to the MPP, the second to the MBA, and the third is a combination of both. Anna expressed gratitude for the special dual degree community and the unique perspectives and cultures she has been exposed to as a member of both school environments. Now, as she is going through the recruiting process for the private sector consulting field, Anna is excited to “work in a lot of industries and wear a lot of hats.” She believes there is a lot to learn from private vs public sector approaches. Eventually, she hopes to transition to public sector work, particularly relating to housing policy.
All three dual degree students emphasized that they value what they are learning in both programs, but warned there can be bumps in the road when getting degrees from different schools at the same time. Alyson mentioned that balancing the schedules for her two degrees is manageable, but the lack of communication between the two institutions around requirements, schedules, aid and other details requires dual degree students to be proactive. Maddie highlighted that while Duke medical school has a built-in research year, not all schools have this opportunity so following a similar path at another school might not be as manageable. Anna pointed out the challenges when the degree programs you are combining do not run on the same academic calendars. All noted that pursuing a dual degree does take some extra effort and patience as you navigate the various requirements of two programs at once. To address these challenges, Anna highlighted the value of having “friend-tors”—mentors a few years ahead on the same dual degree path who can provide guidance.
Grace Hayward is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Journalism. She is passionate about education policy and using research as a tool to drive improvements in the education system.
As part of the Center for Child and Family Policy's 25th Anniversary celebration, we are honoring faculty, researchers, and staff who have contributed to the Center's work, culture, and impact.
Helen “Sunny” Ladd is the Susan B. King Professor Emerita of Public Policy and Economics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and was a professor at the Sanford School from 1986 to 2017.
Read on to learn more about Sunny’s work with the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC) housed at the Center for Child and Family Policy, her first international research trip, and a central takeaway from her research.
How did you first become involved with the Center for Child and Family Policy?
Although my initial research and professional activities centered on state and local public finance, a year at the Brookings Institution in 1994-95 shifted the focus of my research to education policy. The establishment of the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) in 1999 provided a natural home for my growing research interests in teachers, educational accountability, and student achievement. The Center’s data center, the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC), was central to my involvement at CCFP and my research success.
Can you share a bit about the importance of the North Carolina Education Research Data Center?
In the late 1990s, I was part of a small group of researchers from both Duke and UNC who, with funding from the Spencer Foundation, worked with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction to establish a partnership to store and manage confidential data on the state’s individual students, public schools, and teachers. The intent was to make such data available to university researchers and nonprofit research institutions in North Carolina and elsewhere. Initially a joint project between Duke and UNC, it soon became the North Carolina Education Research Data Center housed at Duke.
As an economist by training, I was well aware of the value of high-quality data. It was clear that the availability of detailed student-level data that could be matched to teachers and classrooms over time would open up new research opportunities and, importantly, strengthen the case for additional research funding from foundations. Right from the beginning, the rich administrative data provided by NCERDC provided the foundation for a highly productive and rewarding collaboration between me and two of my economics colleagues in the policy school, Charles Clotfelter and Jacob Vigdor. With funding from the Spencer Foundation and data from NCERDC, the team of Clotfelter, Ladd, and Vigdor was off and running, first with a series of papers on the segregation of students within and across schools, followed by others on various aspects of teacher quality and teacher mobility. In subsequent years, additional funding from the Spencer Foundation and the Smith Richardson Foundation brought in other collaborators, including Ph.D. students and other faculty researchers, and opened opportunities for new research projects important to North Carolina, including research on community colleges and charter schools.
What is something people might not know about the NCERDC?
What we did not fully appreciate with the initial establishment of the NCERDC was how important a role it would play in the formation and ongoing operation of a national center for education research, known as CALDER – the Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. In the early 2000s, North Carolina was one of only six states in which researchers could gain access to comprehensive administrative data. Researchers at Duke and five other universities (one in each of the other five states) were invited to collaborate with the Urban Institute in Washington D.C. to establish a new consortium to be funded by the National Institute of Education. I was the designated leader of the North Carolina effort and served as a member of the new consortium’s management team. Charles Clotfelter and Jacob Vigdor, as well as Ellizabeth Glennie in her capacity at the time as director of the NCERDC, were initial co-investigators of the North Carolina effort to design and execute studies for this new nationally-funded center.
Through its annual conferences, its publication of working papers, and interactions with policymakers and researchers throughout the country, CALDER has provided nationwide recognition for the NCERDC. Over time, the NCERDC has provided data for many Duke researchers and Ph.D. students, as well as many researchers from other universities.
Can you share a bit about a research project that you are particularly proud of?
Among the many research projects in which I have been involved, one stands out: our initial study of the North Carolina pre-school programs, Smart Start and NC Pre-K (originally called More at Four), published in 2014. This exciting project was a collaboration among three researchers within CCFP who represented three different disciplines: an economist (me), a sociologist (Clara Muschkin), and a psychologist (Kenneth Dodge). We combined our various research perspectives to develop a quasi-experimental study that made use of disparities in funding across counties and over time for the state’s early childhood programs to determine how such investments translated into student achievement in reading and math once the students were in grade 3. This significant research paper was possible because the data center had recently acquired and matched data from detailed birth records to student records for all births occurring in North Carolina since 1987.
This first study, which focused on student outcomes in grade 3, was just the beginning of a series of published papers on North Carolina’s early childhood programs. In subsequent studies, we examined how such programs affected special education placements and student performance in grade 5 and grade 8. Those papers then led to a broader study that explored interactions between the early childhood programs and school characteristics.
There is little doubt that our studies have brought significant attention to North Carolina’s high-quality preschool program at a time when preschool is high on the policy agenda of many states.
What’s one way you’ve seen your research impact policy at a local, state, or federal level?
It is hard to identify specific impacts of my research, given that policy is the result of a complex process that involves multiple decision makers and competing values. My involvement on a number of commissions and task forces, however, is suggestive. In recent years, for example, at the state level, I was a member of Governor Cooper’s Leandro Commission on Access to Sound Basic Education (2017-2019). At the federal level, I was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Financing of Early Care and Education with a Highly Qualified Workforce (2016-2018) and somewhat earlier (2008-2017), I was co-chair of the National Task Force on a Broader Bolder Approach to Education.
Can you share about a memorable international research trip you’ve taken, and what made it stand out?
I have been fortunate to spend extended periods during the past 25 years in four different countries writing books and papers on education policy with my husband, Edward (Ted) Fiske, a former education editor at the New York Times. The first of these adventures – six months in New Zealand in 1998 – was particularly memorable. With financing from a Fulbright Grant, we investigated New Zealand’s bold education reform effort in which they devolved operating authority to individual schools and introduced parental choice and competition among schools. The resulting book, When Schools Compete, A Cautionary Tale (2000) clearly benefitted from the combination of Ted’s reporting skills and my empirical skills. And the topic of school choice was then and has continued to be of great interest to policymakers in the U.S. and other countries.
As an aside, that first joint research project worked out so well that four years later we went to South Africa and wrote our second book: Elusive Equity: Education Reform in Post-Apartheid South Africa (2002).
If you had to choose just one, what is a takeaway from your research that you would want to share?
A central takeaway from my research is the role that values play in the design of good education policy making. In 2018, I coauthored a book entitled Educational Goods: Values, Evidence and Decision Making with two philosophers and another policy-oriented economist in which we emphasized that clear thinking about valued outcomes is essential for good education policy. That is, empirical studies by themselves should not drive policy. Instead, good policy is values driven and evidence informed.
The 2024-2025 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Duke University. In celebrating this significant milestone, we are shining a light on individuals who have been instrumental in shaping the legacy of CCFP. In these 25th Anniversary Spotlights, we’re asking current and former faculty, researchers and staff a series of questions designed to delve into their personal stories and experiences.
Phil d’Almada is an analytic programmer who has been working with CCFP since 2020. He works in the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC), housed within CCFP, preparing data sets for public use by researchers.
Learn more about Phil's work in our CCFP Community Spotlight below.
Can you describe briefly your role and responsibilities at the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC)?
Each year, we receive data files from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI). These files include information on multiple aspects of educating children across all grades and all schools in every county in the state. Some data files come to us as student-based, which include information such as attendance, courses taken, test scores, and behavior issues, while other data files come as teacher-based, which include information such as education, licensing, certification, and salary. Our primary job is to screen each file for multiple occurrences of the same individual and identify all occurrences of the same individual with a new ID number. Finally, after stripping identifying information such as names and original ID’s, we provide copies of the revised files for public use by researchers. In some cases, we accommodate researchers who may want us to create a customized data set consisting of various elements from many of the files we have placed for public use.
What are you most proud of in terms of your work and contributions at NCERDC?
Perhaps the biggest challenge is identifying a unique individual from multiple records pertaining to the same individual. For example, variation in the spelling of names, whether incomplete or incorrect, or name changes may be problematic. Changes in the data structure, whether intentional or accidental, are other issues that pose challenges to providing a highly accurate set of records in any one data file for public use by researchers.
What do you enjoy most about working at CCFP?
Everyone with whom I have interacted has been a source of support, whether directly or indirectly and whether work-related or socially within CCFP. There are various particular vignettes of interaction that may appear innocuous but contribute to an enlightening atmosphere in which to work. One example was Kara Bonneau’s responsibility to share a few words about me at the Service Anniversary Ceremony after I had been with CCFP only a few months and was being honored for 15 years at Duke. Surprisingly to me, she did such a good job that the audience exploded into laughter. Erika Layko’s help with my biographical note and photo selection for the website and Kathy Julian’s headshot photography—that was quite a bit of attention for someone who prefers to sit in the back when guest speakers come to visit. There are other episodes, stay tuned.
What was your first ever job?
Food service worker as an undergraduate (i.e., cleaning food off dishes after student dinner.)
What’s your favorite movie?
Lawrence of Arabia. Crucially, the historical depiction is highly accurate, albeit with some license taken to depart from pure historical fact. The sweeping landscapes have been a cinematic trademark of David Lean, and definitely draw the viewer into the scale and reality of the environment in that campaign against the Ottoman Empire. Peter O’Toole, with his 6’-plus stature, did cast an imposing portrayal of T.E. Lawrence who was not even 5’ 6”! Other actors, such as Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali, a composite character; Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi; and Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal, were all extremely well portrayed.
What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on?
For my birthday, my sons gifted me an airline ticket to South Korea while my younger son was still posted there with the Army. We visited two beautifully restored, historic palaces in Seoul and one temple in Busan on the south coast. North of Seoul, we visited the Third Infiltration Tunnel and, being claustrophobic, I did not think I could make it very far down the interception tunnel, much less into the actual infiltration tunnel. Well, I made it down, all the way! I even made it back out! What a mental exercise that was!
What is your favorite local restaurant, and what is your favorite thing to order there?
Musamun Curry at Asian Harbour in Mebane.
What’s something that most people probably don’t know about you?
If most people don’t read this narrative, they probably won’t know that I’m claustrophobic.
by Grace Hayward, PPS '25
On Friday, September 6th, the Center for Child and Family Policy hosted an engaging panel with three current Duke Master of Public Policy (MPP) candidates: Dominique Beaudry, Ana Earl, and Connor Weis. As part of the CCFP Career Series, the event highlighted their diverse early career paths in popular service programs: AmeriCorps, PeaceCorps, and Teach for America. Their journeys spanned continents and roles, offering valuable insights for students considering similar trajectories.
Dominique began her career as an English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia through the US Fulbright Program. She was driven by a desire to immerse herself in a different culture and gain a deeper understanding of Islam, after growing up in a community where Islamophobia was pervasive, but Muslims were rare. Over the course of a year, she formed meaningful friendships, traveled extensively, and most importantly, embraced the concept of being in service “with people” rather than “for people.” She learned to center her students, focusing on their needs and wants to shape the classroom environment. Dominique also emphasized the importance of critical reflection on service roles and felt fortunate to be part of a supportive Fulbright cohort that engaged in discussions about this sentiment. After completing her Fulbright program, Dominique earned her master’s in teaching and subsequently taught high school social studies in the Durham Public School system for 6 years. Now, she is pursuing her third Duke degree, aiming to influence education policy at a systems level. Dominique’s career underscores the value of immersive experiences, thoughtful community engagement, and diverse involvement in education, from teaching to policy.
Ana Earle’s path similarly led her to teaching. After completing her undergraduate studies in international development at McGill, she was motivated to return to Idaho and serve her home community. Eager to be in a school and work with kids daily, she chose Teach for America (TFA), as it offered the fastest route to the classroom. Following six weeks of summer training, she jumped into teaching social studies to sixth through tenth graders in rural Idaho, creating her own curriculum from scratch. Ana spoke about the steep learning curve and the profound highs and lows of her TFA experience. She found the experience to be both rewarding and exhausting, demanding her full commitment every day. She described putting her “whole self” into the work. Ana spent 2 years with TFA, where her time in the classroom motivated her to address the broader systemic issues affecting education. Here at Duke, she is focusing on K-12 policy and hopes to do system-level work. This past summer, she interned at the Rennie Center in Boston, a nonprofit organization committed to the full spectrum of education reform, from research to policy to in-school implementation.
In a different way, Connor Weis’s transformative experience with the Peace Corps in northern Ghana highlights another facet of service. His background in biology from St. Lawrence University, combined with studying abroad in Nairobi, Kenya during his junior year and conducting independent research at a hospital in Tanzania, broadened his perspective on the world and inspired him to explore more of it. After speaking to Peace Corp alumni, he decided to apply to work as a health volunteer in Ghana. He spent two years working in a community of about 10,000 people with intermittent electricity and no running water. He talked about the concept of "Participatory Analysis for Community Action," a term introduced by the Peace Corps. This approach involves collaborating with the community, utilizing available resources, and working together to address and solve problems. Connor’s role involved projects ranging from water sanitation to agricultural development and youth education. His reflections on the complexity of international service offered valuable lessons on the nuances of service work and the importance of community-led initiatives. After the Peace Corps, Connor continued his service as an AmeriCorps VISTA service member in Vermont, focusing primarily on poverty alleviation. Now, here at Duke, his involvement with Duke’s campus farm illustrates his ongoing commitment to community engagement and development.
For those considering early careers in community service, these stories serve as examples for the complexities and rewards of such paths. All three candidates emphasized the importance of talking to individuals who have participated in the programs you’re interested in to understand how experiences can differ based on location and context.
Grace Hayward is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Journalism. She is passionate about education policy and using research as a tool to drive improvements in the education system.
As part of the Center for Child and Family Policy's 25th Anniversary 
celebration, we are honoring faculty, researchers, and staff who have contributed to the Center's work, culture, and impact.
Joel Rosch was a senior research scholar at the Center from 2000 to 2020,where he led collaborations with many of the Center’s government and non-profit partners.
Read on to learn more about Joel’s early work on Family Connects, favorite memories of the Center, and career highlights.
What year did you start working at the Center for Child and Family Policy and how long did you work here?
I began working at the Center in 2000 and worked for 20 amazing years until age and COVID led me to retire completely in 2020.
Could you briefly describe the focus of your work at CCFP?
The focus of my work was to help connect the research we were doing at Duke with government agencies and the general policy process. As someone who has worked both in academia and in government agencies, I had long been frustrated by how difficult it was to get policymakers to use research that could help them achieve their goals. For me, the job I had at the Center was a perfect fit with my skills and interests.
Most of the impact of my work, both at Duke and before coming to Duke, had to do with finding ways to help government agencies work together and with the public to improve public services. Early in my academic career, I became interested in two related concepts: first, the role frontline workers play in all our service delivery systems; and second, the idea that service systems work best when they are co-produced by agencies working cooperatively with citizens and other agencies. At CCFP I was able to use these insights to help inform a number of our successful initiatives.
What’s one of your favorite stories or memories from your years at CCFP?
I guess my favorite memories have to do with how we all felt when we secured funding or received recognition for one of our initiatives.
What are you most proud of from your time at CCFP?
Where to begin…
- Today I’m most proud of the way my colleagues at the Center play a vital role in how research is used when developing and implementing child policy in North Carolina. That is what I was hired to help make happen and it happened. What I saw working on child policy in state government during the 1990s was an almost total lack of research-based policymaking. Today that has changed, and the Center played a key role in that transformation. Ken Dodge hired the right people and created a climate that made it easy for me to help connect my colleagues to the right people so we could get the best information into the policy process.
- I was very proud of my role in putting together our substance abuse prevention center grant. It was a very competitive process and the section I wrote received a really good score. While I had published academic articles and written some small grants, I had never achieved success in the most competitive of academic settings. I felt really good about what I wrote in that grant and how it was received. To me, this was the best evidence of how the culture at CCFP enabled me to thrive and make a real contribution. It gave me the confidence to try to do more.
- This may sound silly, but I felt really good about coming up with the idea of using emergency room visits as one of the variables we used to measure success in what began as the Durham Family Initiative, which later became Durham Connects and then Family Connects. This was a real synthesis of my detailed, from-the-ground-up knowledge of how social services systems actually worked and my academic interest in measurement.
What’s something people might not know about the Center that you would want people to know?
I’m not sure people appreciate how much the Center created a culture that gave people the opportunity to thrive.
How did CCFP change during your time here?
That’s interesting. The projects changed and the personnel changed but the culture of cooperation across multidisciplinary lines never changed.
What’s something people might not know about you?
I’m not sure. I was a sprinter in high school? I’m pretty open about my life and pretty talkative, so most people at CCFP know most of what there is to know about me. I’ve always believed that we are who we appear to be. Odd as it may sound, I do not think there is a “hidden Joel” people do not know.
What’s one way you’ve seen your work impact policy at a local, state, or federal level?
One?
I feel really privileged to have been involved in so many projects that had a real impact on people’s lives, so it’s hard to choose one.
Before I came to Duke, I worked on two career-defining projects.
Working with some talented scientists, I helped North Carolina become one of the first states to participate in and use the FBI CODIS system that enables law enforcement to search DNA databases to help solve sex crimes and many violent crimes.
Later, I was part of a small group that played a key role in getting North Carolina to adopt the graduated driver’s license system which reduced the number of young people who die or are seriously injured in car crashes.
Note that it was always as part of a team, alone very little.
At Duke, I worked with my colleagues on projects to reduce school dropouts, reduce substance abuse, and improve the way child protective services and juvenile justice agencies function. All of these had a real impact.
What is your favorite children’s book and why?
Danny, Champion of the World – it is about resilience and creating an opportunity for efficacy.
Are there any books that you continue to return to and why?
One Hundred Years of Solitude – as I age the book changes and there are new insights.
What’s one of your favorite local restaurants and what is one of your favorite things on the menu?
Pizzeria Toro – any basic pizza, the simpler the better, I’m a purist.
What was your favorite game as a child?
Touch football.
If you had to choose just one, what is a takeaway from your work or research that you would want to share?
The key takeaway for me is that our success came from a culture of teamwork working within a multidisciplinary environment. None of us have all the answers, but together, being open to different kinds of ideas, we can do a lot, and we did.
The 2024-2025 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Duke University. In celebrating this significant milestone, we are shining a light on individuals who have been instrumental in shaping the legacy of CCFP. In these 25th Anniversary Spotlights, we’re asking current and former faculty, researchers and staff a series of questions designed to delve into their personal stories and experiences.
by Ella Davis, PPS '25
We live in a world where—in one place—a simple act of parenting, like expectations regarding children’s obligations to their families, could spark outrage and misunderstanding in another. The Parenting Across Cultures (PAC) study, launched in 2008, delves into this complexity, exploring how cultural contexts shape parenting and impact children's psychological and behavioral development across 13 diverse cultures in nine countries.
The motivation for this project stemmed from a lack of previous research on parenting and child development in low- and middle-income countries that have been historically underrepresented in scientific literature, as well as highly publicized media accounts of immigrant parenting incidents considered unacceptable in their country of destination but desirable in their country of origin. There were stories regarding American parents spanking their children in Sweden, where corporal punishment was outlawed. There were also examples of immigrant parents in the United States using healing techniques, such as “cupping,” that were misconstrued as violence. These misconceptions were widespread, so a team of investigators from universities in nine countries worldwide decided to dig into the implications of parenting in different cultural contexts for children as they grow.
Eventually, their study’s goal emerged as one large question:
"How are different forms of parenting related to children's development and adjustment, depending on the broader cultural contexts in which they're implemented?"
Jennifer Lansford, director of the Center of Child and Family Policy and principal investigator of PAC
They began following 1,417 children around the age of 8, annually, choosing the most culturally diverse sample ever assembled, spanning 13 cultures—Jinan and Shanghai, China; Colombia; Naples and Rome, Italy; Jordan; Kenya; Philippines; Sweden; Thailand; and Black, white, and Latino Americans in the United States. Still an ongoing study, researchers gather data on the now-24-year-olds, shifting focus towards young adults’ relationships with parents and major milestones of early adulthood, as they incorporate cultural norms.
The researchers have assessed families through interviews with mothers, fathers, and children about parent-child dynamics, the child’s adjustment, attitudes and beliefs, cultural values, and self-regulation. They also assess adolescents’ reward-seeking, social information processing, and risk-taking via a computerized battery administered at ages 10, 13, 16, and 19.
A key hypothesis addressed in this extensive research is that associations between parents’ behavior and children’s adjustment are affected by whether parents are parenting in a way that is consistent with others in their cultural group.
One example of how this hypothesis has been supported relates to familial obligations. In the United States, white, middle-income children and adolescents do not have high expectations placed on them regarding their obligations to the family. By contrast, in other groups, such as in the Philippines, parents hold higher expectations surrounding their children’s obligations to family, including showing respect and providing care for other family members. Through the PAC study, a child’s adjustment has been found to be worse if their peers have lower familial obligations, but they maintain higher ones. Children would ask,
“Why are my parents doing this, when no one else’s are?”
Another example of PAC’s findings regarding this hypothesis is the global implications of corporal punishment. In 2008, at the start of the study, Kenya, a country included in the analysis, practiced frequent and harsh use of corporal punishment. However, over the past 16 years, researchers found direct correlations between corporal punishment and aggression in children and adolescents. In countries where corporal punishment was culturally viewed as hostile, there was an even stronger correlation between corporal punishment and more child anxiety and aggression. Throughout the course of the PAC project, Kenya outlawed corporal punishment, and PAC findings were cited in the decision that led to Colombia’s outlawing of corporal punishment in 2021.
Although the United States hasn’t moved in the direction that now 66 countries have in outlawing corporal punishment, the Parenting Across Cultures study has played an integral part in the world’s mindset shift surrounding child well-being. Above all else, PAC has expanded research into never-before-seen territories, focusing on understanding the psychological implications of parenting behaviors in diverse cultural contexts around the world. As Lansford states,
"This study adds a perspective from lower- and middle-income countries that have been largely neglected in research literature for a very long time."
As the Parenting Across Cultures study continues, it provides crucial insights into how diverse parenting practices impact child development, in regions that deserve research attention. By examining the effects of these practices, PAC has truly influenced global policies. This essential project highlights the need to respect and understand cultural differences in parenting to protect child well-being worldwide.
Ella Davis is an incoming senior majoring in Public Policy (B.A.) with a Certificate in Documentary Studies. She is interning this summer as a CCFP Research Assistant.
As part of the Center for Child and Family Policy's 25th Anniversary celebration, we are honoring faculty, researchers, and staff who have contributed to the Center's work, culture, and impact.
Barbara Pollock was the associate director for administration at the Center from its founding in 1998 until 2017, and played a key role in the Center's development and growth.
Read on to learn more about her career with the Center, memories of shared service, and favorite children's books.
What year did you start working at the Center for Child and Family Policy and how long did you work here?
I began my role as associate director for administration in December 1998, a week or two before Center Director Ken Dodge moved to Durham. Being part of a startup, particularly one dedicated to children and families, was a perfect fit for me!
In August 2017, I transitioned to a part-time position as a research associate alongside Ken, who had stepped down as Center director. I retired from Duke in December 2018.
Can you briefly describe what the Center was like when you started working here?
We initially operated from temporary space in the Sanford Building while a section of its library was being renovated into suitable offices for our small core team: Ken, a staff assistant, two research scientists, and myself. The staff working on the Durham site of the FAST Track project, which had been ongoing since 1991, joined the Center and were housed in offices above the shops at Erwin Square.
As we secured additional funding for various projects, our team expanded. By fall 1999, we had opened a suite of offices on the second floor of Bay C in the Erwin Square Mill Building.
What were some of your earliest memories of joining the Center?
After seven years at Duke, my new role with the Center was an exciting opportunity to apply my existing skills while also learning new ones. As we were just getting started, I was deeply involved in every aspect of the Center's operations, including finances, grants management, communications, event planning, HR, policy development, and managing our certificate program.
I thrived on the variety of tasks, but I was also grateful when funding from the University and various grants allowed us to bring on additional administrative support.
What parts of your career with the Center make you proudest to look back on?
I am extremely proud of the grants management system and the team I assembled to assist faculty with submitting funding requests and managing awarded grants. Additionally, I collaborated with the Social Science Research Institute to establish their grant office. When the University decided to centralize grant services across Arts and Sciences, SSRI ultimately inherited the Center’s team.
I am also proud of my work in developing systems and procedures for hosting a wide range of Center events, including conferences, lectures, certificate graduation ceremonies, School Research Partnership poster events, staff meetings, and holiday gatherings.
What’s one of your favorite stories or memories from your years at CCFP?
With over 60 employees working on Center projects across three different locations, both on and off campus, I always valued the chance to come together for social events. These included our annual holiday party, baby and wedding showers, and Thanksgiving lunch with our Sanford School colleagues.
We also fostered community through various service opportunities, such as delivering Meals on Wheels, building a Habitat for Humanity house, and cleaning up K-ville after the Duke-Carolina men’s basketball game. Additionally, our team once renovated a reading room at the Families Moving Forward house in downtown Durham, where we painted, made curtains, reupholstered furniture, and collected books.
How did the Center change during your time here?
With strong University support and external funding, we experienced rapid growth. Before long, our yearly grant funding exceeded $7-8 million, and our staff included researchers, database analysts, interviewers, and project coordinators, along with faculty fellows from various departments across the University and the medical center. We established the North Carolina Education Research Data Center, hosted Family Impact Seminars, and developed the Child Policy Research undergraduate certificate. Our events featured notable figures, including a Nobel Prize-winning economist and five U.S. Secretaries of Education, among others. One of our most successful initiatives was Family Connects International, a nurse home visiting program that has since transitioned to a non-profit organization.
What’s one of your favorite local restaurants and what is one of your favorite things on the menu?
Our former Center colleague, Lynda Harrison, and I enjoy lunch at Catrina’s Tequila & Taco Bar in Mebane about 4-5 times a year. Lynda joined the Center as a Staff Assistant and worked closely with Ken and me for many years before retiring from Duke. Now in her early 80s, I am deeply grateful for our enduring friendship!
What was your favorite game as a child?
Baseball. I grew up cheering for the Phillies and often asked my dad to hit balls to me in the backyard when he got home from work. I played first base on my high school softball team.
Can you tell us a bit about your family?
I am the oldest of five sisters, and despite our busy lives, we remain close and continue our weekly Zoom calls, a tradition we started during Covid.
I have two amazing children. My son lives in Charlotte with his wife and their 13-year-old daughter, while my daughter resides in Mebane with her husband and their two children, an 11-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter.
What is your favorite children’s book and why?
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey is a favorite book that my mother read to my sisters and me. The beautiful illustrations and suspenseful storyline left a lasting impression. As a pre-teen, I was also an avid fan of the Nancy Drew series, which captivated me with its intriguing mysteries.
What’s something people might not know about the Center that you would want people to know?
The Center is an exceptional place to work, as demonstrated by the fact that many researchers and staff have been with us for over a decade. This enduring commitment speaks volumes, especially considering the nature of our 'soft' funding.
The 2024-2025 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Duke University. In celebrating this significant milestone, we are shining a light on individuals who have been instrumental in shaping the legacy of CCFP. In these 25th Anniversary Spotlights, we’re asking current and former faculty, researchers and staff a series of questions designed to delve into their personal stories and experiences.
by Ella Davis, PPS '25
In 1987 and 1988, researchers John Bates (Indiana University), Kenneth Dodge (Duke University), and Gregory Pettit (Auburn University) launched a study with the goal of better understanding children’s behavioral development. Researchers aimed to study young children growing up in various environments because little was known about how children’s experiences impact their behavior, psychological development, academic performance, and peer interactions. They approached parents during kindergarten pre-registration across Nashville, TN, Knoxville, TN, and Bloomington, IN, inviting their children to participate in a new longitudinal study called the Child Development Project. The study would follow 585 children into adulthood -- monitoring their actions, relationships, and attitudes through age 34.
From the start of the project when participants were approximately 5 years old, researchers conducted yearly assessments of participants’ home life, peer interactions, family dynamics, and school experiences. Data was collected annually from ages 5 to 23, and again at 28 and 34. Jennifer Lansford, director of the Center for Child and Family Policy and investigator on the Child Development Project, describes the all-encompassing data collection process:
“We collected information from parents, teachers, peers and romantic partners. We also accessed grades, standardized test scores, and, eventually, reports from their own children.”
With this extensive data, researchers have been able to tests many hypotheses across a wide spectrum of child behavioral development. A major focus of the study was on social information processing how individuals interpret interactions, make decisions, and form attitudes in social settings.
In early studies, Bates, Dodge, and Pettit were able to identify which children were well-liked and which were rejected by their peers, addressing a central question: how do early home and school experiences impact psychological development? They tested the theory that early peer rejection leads to aggressive social information processing, and their findings confirmed this.
Additionally, the Child Development Project revealed that abuse, particularly in the first five years of life, significantly increases the risk of negative outcomes such as arrests, dropping out of high school, and developing depression.
Another area of particular interest to researchers was determining how childhood experiences impact future substance use. A cascade model for substance use emerged from their findings:
Among the most significant insights gleaned from the study, according to Lansford, was the ability to “identify intervention points.” She explains, “Clearly, preventing behavior problems before they develop is better than intervening once they have developed. However, if issues do arise, you can target peer relationships, work with parents to enhance social skills at home, and develop parenting strategies focused on behavioral management.”
The Child Development Project helped identify critical points where child- and family-focused interventions may be more particularly effective. For example, the study’s findings are being used to develop interventions like the renowned PATHS program, which provides easy-to-implement social and emotional wellness curricula for all ages, teaching students how to reframe the social information they encounter.
The Child Development Project laid the groundwork for CCFP’s other longitudinal studies, such as Fast Track and Parenting Across Cultures. It continues to be cited in media and research papers and has even been adapted for international work. Most profoundly, the study has broadened our understanding of child behavioral development and provided the foundation for ongoing innovative work in the field of developmental psychology.
Ella Davis is an incoming senior majoring in Public Policy (B.A.) with a Certificate in Documentary Studies. She is interning this summer as a CCFP Research Assistant.
As part of the Center for Child and Family Policy's 25th Anniversary celebration, we are honoring faculty, researchers, and staff who have contributed to the Center's work, culture, and impact.
Kenneth Dodge, founding and past director of the Center, is the William McDougall Distinguished Professor of Public Policy Studies at the Sanford School of Public Policy.
Read on to learn more about his founding vision for the Center, his research, and the books he keeps returning to.
What inspired you to initially found the Center for Child & Family Policy?
In the 1990s, faculty members across campus who study child development wanted to collaborate to translate their science into public policy. Leading faculty members included Phil Cook, Vonnie McLoyd, John Coie, Helen Ladd, Bob Thompson, and Phil Costanzo. They convinced the university administration to support a new Center. The first step was to hire a Director. I was at Vanderbilt University at the time and leaped at the opportunity to return to Duke in this capacity.
What are you most proud of from the last 25 years?
I am most proud of supporting the career development of dozens of bright young scholars who launched their careers at the Center. They are an outstanding group.
What’s something people might not know about you?
I captained my high school basketball team.
How is being part of the Center unique compared to your experience at other institutions?
I think of two ways. First, the Center has been entrepreneurial in pursuing unusual grants and projects. For example, we started an “evaluation clinic” in which we contracted with foundations to evaluate their intervention programs, thus giving us extensive experience in evaluation methods as well as an opportunity to generate funds to support our research scientists. As another example, we created the North Carolina Education Research Data Center, which houses all the education records of public school children born in the State since 1989, and we contract with researchers to create data sets for them. We have always been in need of stable funding, and the clinic and data center were ways to address that challenge while making a substantive contribution. Second, the Center has tried to be transformational rather than incremental. For example, we took on the goal of discovering how to reduce the population rate of child abuse in communities, not just to have an impact on a small number of participating families but rather the whole population. As another example, we are trying to create a new idea called primary care for families.
What’s one way you’ve seen your research impact policy at a local, state, or federal level?
Sunny Ladd, Clara Muschkin, and I evaluated North Carolina’s signature early childhood education programs, Smart Start and NC Pre-Kindergarten. Using fairly rigorous methods, we showed that state funding for each program led to sizeable gains in student outcomes, including higher standardized test scores and reduced grade retention. We testified to the North Carolina Legislature at a time it was considering possible cutbacks. Our findings made a difference in saving, even expanding, these valuable programs. As another example, we created and tested a universal program called Family Connects to support families. The program is now being implemented in over 40 communities across the nation.
What’s something people might not know about the Center that you would want people to know?
We generate a profit for the university.
If you had to choose just one, what is a takeaway from your research that you would want to share?
Surrounding parents of newborns with social and material support makes them feel less lonely, improves their parenting, and lowers the population rate of child abuse.
What’s one of your favorite stories or memories from your years at CCFP?
Easily the best decision I ever made was to hire Barbara Pollock as the Center’s first administrator. Even before I arrived on campus, I interviewed her from long distance and hired her right away without interviewing anyone else. I just knew what a gem she was.
How has the Center changed during your time here?
The Center has become more integral to the Sanford School. We administer an undergraduate Certificate Program in Child and Family Policy. We sponsor the North Carolina Education Research Data Center, which has been used by our students in over 50 doctoral dissertations.
What is your favorite children’s book?
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born.
Are there any books that you continue to return to?
Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land and the concept of grok
Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and BBQ shrimp
Thomas Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions and the goal I pursue
What do you like to do in your free time?
Attend college sporting events.
What’s one of your favorite local restaurants?
Wooden Nickel in Hillsborough.
What was your favorite game as a child?
Anything with my Dad. We played a game we made up called, “Diver Outers.” My Dad would throw a football just out of my reach, and I would dive as far as I could to try to catch it.
Do you own any pets?
Three cats, three horses, and three mini-donkeys.
The 2024-2025 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Duke University. In celebrating this significant milestone, we are shining a light on individuals who have been instrumental in shaping the legacy of CCFP. In these 25th Anniversary Spotlights, we’re asking current and former faculty, researchers and staff a series of questions designed to delve into their personal stories and experiences.
Jenneca Graber-Grace is a staff specialist who has been working with CCFP since mid-September 2023. She helps researchers, faculty, and staff process expenses, supports the communications team, and also works on graphic design and photography for Center events.
Learn more about Jenneca's work in our CCFP Community Spotlight below.
What were you doing prior to CCFP?
I moved to Durham in 2019 after getting my Masters of Teaching to be near family, and taught high school English and creative writing for three years at Southern School of Energy & Sustainability (mainly 10th grade). After that, I worked at a local nonprofit for a year managing their youth programs and marketing before making my way to CCFP.
What have you spent most of your time on recently? Is there a part of your job you’re particularly excited about?
Recently, a lot of Concur, but I am definitely more excited about the video I have been working on to promote CCFP's Morris Fellowship! I have been working with the current Morris Fellows, as well as Mark Hart and his team, to create a video comprised mainly of testimonials from students and mentors that will showcase the amazing research projects our students are dedicated to, and hopefully inspire more students to apply for the fellowship in the future.
What are you most proud of so far in terms of your work at CCFP?
After being employed by the center for only a few months, our Communications Director, Sarah Brantley, entrusted me with doing a lot of the work to create CCFP's most recent Annual Report. I appreciate the Communications team for trusting me so immediately with creating such a forward-facing product as such a new member of the team and love how the report turned out. Check it out on our website!
What was your first ever job?
My first job was as a summer camp counselor at 4-H Camp in Virginia! I was on the theater team and now have many fun improv games in my back pocket. I worked at various summer camps since then, my favorite being an all-girls trip-based adventure camp in just outside of Asheville, North Carolina, where I lead multi-day hiking and rock climbing trips for girls ages 7-17.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
When I was in graduate school at UVA working on my Masters of Teaching, we were discussing classroom management when our professor told us that when a student says or does something that may be upsetting or hurtful, it's important to remember that it's almost never personal. I found this to be extremely helpful not only in my years of teaching, but actually applicable to most professional relationships in my life—people always have stuff going on that they bring everywhere, and it is almost never about you.
What’s your favorite movie (or movies)?
I have two favorite movies and they are very different. The first is a childhood favorite for which my love has only grown with time: the 2005 animated classic Robots, starring the iconic Robin Williams and Ewan McGregor. The writing is hilarious and the animation is so creative—I notice new details every time I watch it. My other favorite is Booksmart, directed by Olivia Wilde. It's the perfect combination of funny and heartfelt for me.
Do you have any pets?
I have a nine year old beagle named Mr. Allen Rickman, MFA. He loves to sniff all the smells, eat anything he can reach, and attempt to escape the backyard!
Are there any fun facts about yourself you’d be willing to share?
This fun fact is more about my family, but my dad won a U.S. Supreme Court case defending my mom, and it's the reason people are allowed to publicly assemble in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in D.C. It's called U.S. v. Grace!
Jennifer Lansford told Newsweek in a previous interview that students who end up dropping out of high school could face adverse ramifications well into adulthood, pointing to her research.
Marcos Rangel has been appointed scientific director of the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC), housed in the Center.
The NCERDC was created in 2001 through a partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to store and manage data on the state’s public schools, school districts, students, and teachers. The data, which include information dating back to the late-1990s, are available to university researchers, nonprofit research institutions, and government agencies.
In this newly established role, Rangel will develop a broader scientific agenda for the NCERDC and update the data center’s infrastructure to catalyze future research and policy drawing on the data center’s resources.
“The NCERDC is a treasure trove of data that has led to groundbreaking research discoveries and research-based education policy recommendations,” says Jennifer Lansford, director of the Center for Child and Family Policy. “We are thrilled to have Marcos at the scientific helm as we innovate to bring the data center to a new level of impact.”
On April 18, the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) hosted the School Research Partnership's annual spring event, featuring student poster presentations and an expert panel on Early Care & Education in North Carolina: Pressing Challenges and Future Directions in the Aftermath of COVID-19.
Leslie Babinksi, director of the School Research Partnership, gave opening remarks and introduced panelists, who included:
- Theresa Roedersheimer, M.Ed., Senior Early Childhood Policy Advisor at the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education, NC DHHS;
- Holly Hickson, M.A., Deputy Director for Early Learning at the Hunt Institute;
- Karen Rhinehardt, M.Ed., Early Childhood Consultant at Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies;
- Elizabeth Snyder-Fickler, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at CCFP, and
- Carmen Alban, Senior Program Coordinator at CCFP.
During their discussion, panelists described the current early care and education landscape in North Carolina and the strengths and challenges described by parents and caregivers as part of the North Carolina’s Preschool Development (Birth Through Five) Needs Assessment. They also covered national trends in early care and education, as well as current priorities and activities of the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education supporting parents and caregivers across the state.
Duke students (pictured below) in the Child Policy Research Certificate program and Jacqueline Morris Fellows presented posters of their research projects as part of the event.
From left to right: Alek Mishra, Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan, Samantha Rubalcava, Loey Allen, Alissa Rivero, Imani Hall, Phoebe Ducote, Kenza Slaoui, and Gracie Blackburn
Students shared the following reflections on their experience showcasing their research, engaging with community and school leaders, and hearing from panelists.
I had the privilege of presenting my poster to the CCFP staff, faculty, and collaborators last week. The engaging discussions with fellow researchers and stakeholders highlighted the importance of collaboration in developing impactful policies for children and families. It was incredibly inspiring to see my classmates and other Morris Fellows showcase their diverse projects, demonstrating the wonderful research being done within our community. Personally, the opportunity to present my work felt meaningful and reinforced my dedication to advocating for the welfare of children.
Imani Hall, Jacqueline A. Morris Fellow and Certificate graduate '24
I enjoyed presenting my research at the School Research Partnership event for the opportunity it afforded me to spread awareness about an issue I care deeply about. I also appreciated getting to connect with stakeholders in a variety of fields. Event attendees gave me numerous good questions to consider regarding future research, as well as words of encouragement in my present work.
Loey Allen, Certificate graduate '25
Presenting my research on using Machine Learning to support decision-making in child welfare was a truly fulfilling experience. Engaging with practitioners, researchers, professors, community members, and the broader Duke community brought my work to life, which was very rewarding to me personally. Their enthusiasm and genuine interest in my research were incredibly validating, highlighting the importance and relevance of my topic in the real world in the child welfare context and its implications on policy.
Kenza Slaoui, Certificate graduate '24
The event allowed our team to present to various stakeholders that work in the child policy space both in the Sanford and greater Durham community. We are super appreciative of all that the Morris Fellowship and CCFP has done and we are excited to continue working with the Center in some capacity in the future!
Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan and Alek Mishra, Jacqueline A. Morris Fellows '25
I had the best time presenting at the research partnership dinner! I really cherished the opportunity to share our work with so many interested educators across Duke and Durham.
Alissa Rivero, Jacqueline A. Morris Fellows '25
Presenting at the School Research Partnership event was very fulfilling! This experience brought me full circle, as I was able to see how my work would be received by local leaders in early care and education!
Samantha Rubalcava,Certificate graduate '24
America’s childcare crisis is taking another turn for the worse, now impacting a new group of parents. The employment gap between those who have a four-year college degree and those who don’t is growing larger, which is impacting how parents are seeking out childcare.
[Benforado] inspired me to continue advocating for the cause of putting children first.
Minjee Kim PPS '25
Dr. Adam Benforado, professor of law at Drexel University, discussed the importance of prioritizing child wellbeing in public policy as part of the Robert R. Wilson Distinguished Lecture series on March 7, 2024. Benforado was welcomed by the Duke Centennial, the Sanford School of Public Policy, and the Center for Child and Family Policy.
Benforado began by providing an overview of the history of children’s rights in the U.S. to show that recent improvements in child wellbeing fall short of expected progress, given the explosion of technology, knowledge, and wealth over the last 100 years. He pointed to particular areas of concern, including the recent movement to weaken child labor laws in many states and the still-common practice of treating teenagers like adults in the criminal justice system, despite teenagers not being granted the same rights as adults. Benforado also pointed to other countries as benchmarks, noting that the U.S. remains one of three countries, along with Somalia and South Sudan, that have not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which protects the rights of children 18 or younger.
Benforado emphasized that this was not simply a matter of morality—a failure to ensure child wellbeing today has significant negative impacts on our future economy and society. In the face of such troubling developments, he argued that the purpose of law should be to prioritize the interests of children—not just in children’s issues like education and foster care, but in all areas of law. Doing so, Benforado explained, could remind us of our values and present a more cost-effective way to create the society we want.
Benforado argued that prioritizing youth could also allow us to be more proactive in policy and lawmaking, since children are essentially the canaries in our coal mines. Because children are more sensitive to various hazards, zeroing in on their wellbeing could help us intervene earlier during the critical window of opportunity in childhood, with major benefits for everyone. For example, when considering issues of climate change, water safety or infrastructure, if the wellbeing of children were prioritized, the policy and legal outcomes would be considerably different. Benforado recognized that restructuring the legal system to put children first may feel radical, but he explained that current legal movements such as originalism, were similarly radical when they were conceived. He argues that “children first” is as valid as any other basis for legal and political decision making. He expressed his hopes that this talk and his book, A Minor Revolution, encourage people to think big and push for more ambitious goals.
As a student pursuing the Child Policy Research Certificate at the Center for Child and Family Policy, I appreciated hearing such an inspirational call to action. When I explain my studies to friends and family, I have found that many seem to think of children’s matters as separate from the “bigger issues” facing society. That is evident in Congress as well, where children’s rights are not at the forefront of many of the bills being discussed. But, as Benforado shared with us during his lecture, it is impractical to think of youth as separate from the rest of society.
Benforado’s discussion of children’s rights in the criminal justice context was particularly relevant to me. For the past two years, I have been part of a Bass Connections team exploring trauma-informed approaches to juvenile justice and, as part of our research, I have observed juvenile court proceedings and talked to various actors in the juvenile justice system. Throughout the talk, Benforado explained how promoting the wellbeing of youth used to be seen as a collective goal, but over time, the task of raising children has become the sole responsibility of parents. This reminded me of how, since the late twentieth century, parents continue to be charged exorbitant fees for their children’s incarceration. This policy began under the belief that parents were trying to shift the responsibility of disciplining children to the government. For many parents who are charged these fees, it feels like the government is rubbing salt into the wound of having their child detained for a prolonged period of time. I am sure that Benforado’s message about the collective project of raising the next generation resonated with the future policymakers who attended the event. It certainly inspired me to continue advocating for the cause of putting children first.
Minjee Kim is a junior majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Global Health and a certificate in Child Policy Research. She hopes to pursue a career in law advocating for evidence-based reform.
By Minjee Kim, PPS '25
On February 16, 2024, the Center for Child and Family Policy welcomed two panelists, Libby Doyle, current Duke MPP student and former researcher analyst with the Urban Institute, and Emilia Sotolongo, senior technical assistance analyst at Child Trends. They sat down with a group of undergraduate and graduate students and talked about their experiences working at think tanks. The speakers shared how they began doing policy work, memorable projects, where they see the industry heading, and tips for pursuing a career at a think tank.
During the talk, Doyle explained how she became interested in criminal justice reform after studying the death penalty in college. She knew she did not want to do research for the sake of research, so she began working as a research assistant at the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center. Doyle’s work took her all over the country, but she found that locally based projects allowed her to interact more directly with people than federal contracts. As a result of her time at the Urban Institute, Doyle’s interests have shifted more toward local government initiatives. She now works as a research fellow for the City of Durham to support the new HEART mental health crisis response program.
Sotolongo, on the other hand, talked about her “less traditional track” to a think tank. She started her career as a middle school teacher in the Durham Public School system. Although she had originally wanted to be a direct practitioner, she began feeling burnt out. That led Sotolongo to start pursuing a career more rooted in research, and she worked as a senior research aide for the Center for Child and Family Policy before joining Child Trends. Now, Sotolongo focuses primarily on qualitative research at Child Trends, where she manages projects and conducts interviews with various stakeholders. She continues to draw on her experience as an ESL teacher to guide her research involving immigrant and refugee youth.
Doyle and Sotolongo described some similarities between their respective think tanks. As a whole, think tanks focus on actionable research, and both speakers appreciated being able to see the direct and indirect impacts of their work. Think tanks also produce deliverables on a quicker timeline and for a wider audience than academic research. The policy briefs and memos created by think tanks, however, are often not accessible to a lay audience. Doyle noted that think tanks are making an effort to develop more innovative methods to disseminate information—at Urban, for instance, there is a Research to Action Lab that focuses on translating research into workable information.
As a student considering various policy internships for the summer, I appreciated hearing firsthand what it was like to work at a think tank. Although I had known about think tanks for a while, it had been hard for me to conceptualize what exactly the day-to-day looked like. Both speakers helped clarify, through specific examples from the projects they had worked on, just how wide the range of tasks and policy areas could be. I have always wanted to be involved in policy research while also still being on the ground, engaging with the community, so I was also excited to hear that think tanks have been moving toward more inclusive practices, such as participatory research. Doyle and Sotolongo provided valuable insight into the opportunity for growth and exploration for early career professionals at think tanks.
Minjee Kim is a junior majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Global Health and a certificate in Child Policy Research. She hopes to pursue a career in law advocating for evidence-based reform.
By Phoebe Ducote, PPS '25
On January 19, 2024, the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) welcomed panelists from three nonprofit policy organizations for its Exploring Careers in Child and Family Policy Speaker Series. Neil Harrington from NC Child, Brennan Lewis from Equality NC, and Elizabeth Paul from the Public School Forum of North Carolina gave students insight into working at nonprofit policy organizations. The panelists shared how they landed their current positions, what they enjoy and find challenging about advocacy work, and tips for pursuing non-profit policy careers.
- Neil Harrington is the current research director for NC Child, where he works on issues including early care and education, child health and safety, and family economic security.
- Brennan Lewis works as an education policy associate at Equality NC, supporting and implementing education policy strategy to improve school environments, create stronger advocates for LGBTQ youth, and inform inclusive school board policies and state laws.
- Elizabeth Paul is the policy and research manager at the Public School Forum of North Carolina, where she leads research, advocacy, and publication work focusing on school finance and student outcomes.
The speakers began by acknowledging that it can be hard to identify opportunities because child and family policy nonprofits are typically small, and one must seek them out. The panelists talked about looking for how their interests intersected with different non-profit policy organizations to identify places they would be interested in working. Each had different pathways into child policy, including starting in political campaigning, working internships while in school to make connections, and networking with friends.
Listening to the panelists talk about their work opened my eyes to opportunities I had not thought much about. As Duke students, we often aim for the highest level of whatever we want to pursue. For most students in policy work, that means aiming to work in DC. However, as the panelists talked, it was clear how much policy work happens at the state and local level. Many students overlook this level of policy work because of our own bias to the “size of the work.” The panelists highlighted how many policies are determined by states, counties, and cities, and how one’s work can have direct, tangible impact at this level.
Policy change happens where there’s opportunity. Part of this work is recognizing that the (political) window is sometimes closed. And during that time, it is just as important to hold on to the work, so you do not fall behind.
Elizabeth Paul
When they talked about their work, one thing that stuck with me was they all talked about how working in advocacy can be a struggle at times because policy change is impacted by so many factors. Elizabeth Paul spoke about this, explaining that “policy change happens where there’s opportunity. Part of this work is recognizing that the (political) window is sometimes closed. And during that time, it is just as important to hold on to the work, so you do not fall behind.”
For me, one of the most impactful parts of the panelists’ discussion was when they talked about their academic paths and the importance of taking time to figure out what you want to do. When asked about their decisions to pursue an MPP rather than attending law school, two panelists highlighted the importance of taking time after a bachelor's degree to figure out how to “create change for yourself and allow yourself to think about what your next steps will be.” This opened my eyes to a world beyond the common Duke student path of going straight to graduate school and helped me realize the importance of introspection regarding my own educational path.
These perspectives and conversations are exactly why the Center for Child and Family Policy offers these speaker series and opens the opportunity to receive invaluable glimpses into different careers within child and family policy. The panelists’ shared experiences provided a rich overview of the complexities and rewards of pursuing a career in nonprofit and advocacy while underscoring the necessity of perseverance, creativity, and strategic thinking within policy advocacy. This inspired reflection on leveraging personal and academic experiences toward meaningful employment opportunities and provided helpful advice for every student contemplating careers in public policy.
Phoebe Ducote is a junior majoring in Public Policy (B.A.) with a minor in Education and a certificate in Child Policy Research. She is getting her teaching license and is planning on attending law school.
Phoebe Ducote is a junior majoring in Public Policy (B.A.) with a minor in Education and a certificate in Child Policy Research. She is getting her teaching license and is planning on attending law school.
Ann Skinner is a research scientist working with CCFP and C-StARR. She has been with CCFP for just over 22 years, working for much of that time on Parenting Across Cultures. Recently, her research has been aimed at understanding the impact of COVID-19 on families around the world and how families cope when exposed to other community stressors like violence and war.
Learn more about Ann's work in our CCFP Community Spotlight below.
What were you doing prior to CCFP?
For about nine years before I came to Duke I worked as a special education teacher and supervisor for students with behavioral and learning challenges. I worked in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for a bit, but most of those years were with a residential wilderness program for youth with court involvement in Rhode Island and North Carolina. I also helped facilitate re-entry of those students back into their home school districts.
What have you spent most of your time on recently, in terms of research?
I am honored to be working on a new project collecting data in Ukraine. Along with a wonderful colleague in Lviv and her team across Ukraine, we are collecting data from adolescents, young adults, and their parents. We have connected with five universities throughout the country to examine both risk and protective factors in their lives, including their individual experiences, their family relationships, and the larger community stressors stemming from their war experiences, which vary across the country. In just two months, over 1,500 young people and many of their parents across Ukraine have joined the study and completed the survey. We have also received hair samples from youth so that a future project can examine biological stress markers, which in turn are linked with many health outcomes. One interesting thing about the survey we are using is that we capture a lot of young people’s experiences not just with anxiety, moral injury, and PTSD, but about the strategies they are using to cope, their feelings of hope and optimism, and whether they feel they are experiencing post-traumatic growth.
My hope is that this project can inform recovery efforts in Ukraine and other places where traumatic experiences have impacted individual safety, adolescent and young adult development, and relationships.
What do you consider your greatest recent accomplishment while working at CCFP? Or, what are you most proud of in terms of your work and research at CCFP?
I love being able to build new international relationships with researchers around the world. Working with people in my field, who view development and adjustment through different cultural lenses is such an important part of what motivates the work I do. I have been fortunate to be part of a few fellowships and small projects that have allowed me to meet researchers in many countries and work with them to collect new data, or analyze existing data through a new framework.
What do you enjoy most about working at CCFP?
One of the things I love about CCFP is that I have a lot of people I can talk to with different areas of expertise and experience. It is hard to find a truly collegial community and such diverse talents who are willing to talk through challenges with you.
What was your first-ever job?
My first official job was working in our local library during high school. I would go to work after track practice and shelve books until the library closed. For a long time, my resume read: “Job title: Shelver. Job duties: Shelved books." I’m glad to be doing something a lot more exciting these days!
What’s your favorite book?
It’s hard to pick a favorite book, but I recently (and finally!) read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and stayed up far too late to finish it. The writing and the storyline were so compelling.
What’s something that most people probably don’t know about you?
While I was an undergraduate, I worked as a server at a colonial tavern in Williamsburg, VA, complete with 18th-century costume. During my senior year, a group of us were hired to be in a commercial to advertise Colonial Williamsburg, but I never got to see if our scenes ever made it to television.
Four newly released research briefs, Parent and Provider Voices on Early Care and Education in North Carolina, present parents’ and providers’ insights into the strengths, needs, and ideas for improvement on four topics:
- All Aboard: Parent and Provider Feedback on Meeting Early Care and Education School Readiness Goals
- Building Resilience: Nurturing Social and Emotional Health in Young Children
- Family Perspectives on Availability and Affordability: Improving Access to Quality Early Education
- The Seeds of Success: Investing in Early Childhood Workforce
Parent and provider perspectives come from 18 focus groups comprised of more than 250 diverse parents and child care providers from across the state, including both rural and urban/suburban counties. Focus groups were conducted by the Center for Child and Family Policy, in partnership with the Hunt Institute, as part of the 2023 update to the North Carolina’s Preschool Development (Birth Through Five) Needs Assessment. Development of these briefs was supported by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.
