- FPG experts will be presenting at meetings around the world. Visit the FPG website for a complete list of upcoming presentations.
- Visit the FPG websitefor the latest news on FPG projects.
Research has shown repeatedly that poverty affects children’s academic achievement. But what specifically about poverty causes these harmful effects? According to a study by FPG Child Development Institute, it is the well-being of caregivers.
When examined together, parental education, household income, and self perception of financial status accounted for differences in every academic area evaluated. Children from households high in such socio-economic resources entered pre-K with more well developed language and math skills and fewer behavioral problems than their less advantaged peers.
Download a summary of the study.
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James Gallagher, Ph.D., was honored as a leader in gifted education by the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. Gallagher is a former director and current senior scientist emiritus of FPG Child Development Institute and the Kenan Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Gallagher received the 2007 Harry Passow Leadership Award at the Council’s 23rd world conference. The international award recognizes a person whose life and work has significantly influenced policy and practices in gifted education and who has made an outstanding contribution in promoting the cause of gifted education worldwide.
Rebecca New joins FPG Child Development Institute (FPG) and the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a new position focused on education for children under eight.
New will provide a link between FPG’s FirstSchool Initiative and the School of Education’s teacher education program. FirstSchool provides a framework for integrating the best of early childhood and elementary education to serve young children. The initiative, driven by what young children and their families need from school, is being developed through a partnership among families, schools, the community, FPG and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In filling the join position, New will serve as a Fellow at FPG and an associate professor of early education at the School of Education. She will be leaving her position as an associate professor and director of teacher education at Tufts University. She brings extensive early childhood experience, particularly in the area of cultural impacts upon early childhood teaching and learning.
Prior to her appointment at Tufts, New taught at the University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth Medical School and Syracuse University. She received her Ed.D. in Comparative Child Development from Harvard University in 1984, her master’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Florida in 1972, and her baccalaureate degree in elementary education from Florida State University in 1968.
The Promoting Academic Success (PAS) of Boys of Color Initiative has selected four local public school districts to work with to overcome the achievement gap by addressing the combination of factors at its root—family life, the school environment, and the community setting. The districts include Chicago and Peoria in Illinois; Lansing, Michigan; and Polk County, Florida.
PAS is a project of the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is funded by a $6.2 million, five-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Download the press release.
FPG Voices, our new podcast series, is now available on iTunes at http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=261070540. FPG Voices highlights the latest studies on early child development published by researchers at FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The second episode examines how the well-being of a child’s caregiver affects academic achievement.
The newly published Handbook of Developmental Disabilities edited by Samuel L. Odom, director of FPG Child Development Institute, reviews the breadth of current knowledge about developmental disabilities. Leading authorities analyze what works in intervening with diverse children and families, from infancy through the school years and the transition to adulthood. The book is co-edited by Robert H. Horner, Martha E. Snell, and Jan Blacher.
"This well-written and comprehensive handbook is the most thorough and up-to-date volume available on policy issues, research, and evidence-based practice related to developmental disabilities,” said Michael L. Hardman, PhD, Department of Teaching and Learning and Department of Special Education, University of Utah.
The Handbook addresses established and emerging approaches to promoting communication and language abilities, academic skills, positive social relationships, and vocational and independent living skills. Current practices in positive behavior support are discussed, as are strategies for supporting family adaptation and resilience. It is written for clinical, school, and developmental psychologists; special educators and early intervention specialists; speech-language pathologists; child psychiatrists; and child health and education professionals.