Jennifer M. Grossman, Ph.D., Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., Ineke Ceder, B.A., Sumru Erkut, Ph.D: Snapshots from the Evaluation of a Comprehensive Sex Education Program
November 10, 2011
58:51 min.

Jennifer M. Grossman, Ph.D., Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., Ineke Ceder, B.A., Sumru Erkut, Ph.D, provide an overview of their mixed-method, longitudinal evaluation which uses a randomized control design to assess the impact of a middle school sex education curriculum. They describe the project, discuss the current status of this work, and discuss quantitative and qualitative studies that have come out of this project. They also discuss next steps and challenges for this research.

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Peg Sawyer, B.S.Ed.: Using Children’s Literature to Support Social and Emotional Learning
November 3, 2011
42:55 min.

Anyone who has read aloud to children has seen that stories can evoke strong emotional responses and can stimulate new ways children view themselves and others. It is this potential for emotional and intellectual engagement that makes children’s literature such a powerful resource for anyone engaged in children’s social and emotional development. Peg Sawyer, B.S.Ed., presents a brief overview of the field of social and emotional learning, and provided examples of literature that connect to some key developmental skill areas: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, dealing with conflict, and problem-solving. Sawyer is a Trainer and Coach with the Open Circle program.

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• Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Literature List (PDF)

Nan Stein, Ed.D. and Bruce Taylor, Ph.D.: Shifting Boundaries: Findings from a Youth Dating Violence Prevention Program Evaluation in NYC Middle Schools
October 27, 2011
54:18 min.

Nan Stein, Ed.D., Senior Research Scientist, and Bruce Taylor, Ph.D., Principal Research Scientist, NORC at the University of Chicago, discuss the results and implications from the Dating Violence Prevention Programs in Public Middle Schools research project. This project, funded by the National Institute of Justice and conducted in 30 New York City middle schools (6^th& 7^th grades), looked at precursors to teen dating violence, in particular sexual harassment, peer violence, and adolescent relationship violence. This study was the first to use a rigorous scientific methodology with such a young population; most teen dating violence projects look at older students. Schools were assigned to one of four conditions: (1) a classroom-based intervention, (2) a building intervention, (3) both classroom and building interventions, or (4) a no-treatment control group.  Researchers collected program evaluation data from about 2,700 students who completed surveys administered before the intervention, immediately afterwards, and about six months post-intervention.

View presentations:

• Shifting Boundaries: Lesson on Relationships for Students in Middle School (PDF)
• Dating Violence Prevention Programs in New York City Public Middle Schools (PDF)

Allison Tracy, Ph.D. : Social Class from Adolescence to Adulthood
October 13, 2011
58:32 min.

Social class is a pervasive part of individuals’ internal social worlds. During the transition from adolescence to adulthood, individuals are actively accumulating resources that translate into perceived social class. Allison Tracy, Ph.D., presents a study/work-in-progress of the implications of shifts in social class as youths begin to actively contribute to their own social class, rather than to simply assume their parents’ social class.

Georgia Hall, Ph.D. : Getting a Jump on Physical Activity: Investigating Physical Activity Participation during the Out-of-School Time Program Hours
April 14, 2011
55:54 min.

Out-of-School Time Programs offer an opportunity for physical activity. In this presentation, Georgia Hall, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the National Institute for Out-of-School Time at the Wellesley Centers for Women, will share research findings from two studies (NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development; Program Practices: An Investigation of Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Standards and Practices in Out-of-School Time Programs) that help us to understand children’s engagement in physical activity and how to promote involvement on an individual and program level.

Jennifer Grossman, Ph.D.  and Michelle Porche, Ed. D.: Girls' Engagement with STEM Career Options: A Path toward Gender Equity
April 7, 2011
55:00 min.

In this talk, Jennifer Grossman, Ph.D., research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), and Michelle Porche, Ed.D., senior research scientist at WCW, will present mixed-method data on girls’ aspirations for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) work, what draws girls to STEM careers, and their perceptions of career and family roles. The data comes from the National Science Foundation-funded study Research on Gender in Science and Engineering, for which Michelle Porche, Ed.D. served as Principal Investigator.

Sari Kerr, Ph.D. : Do Temporary-Help Jobs Improve the Earnings of Unemployed Women?
March 24, 2011
46:10 min.

Welfare-to-work programs are based on the principle that the best way out of welfare is to be placed in a job that will eventually provide stable employment and higher earnings. Using data on Detroit’s Work First program, Sari Kerr, Ph.D. will show that the nature of the job placement (temporary-help versus direct-hire) during the program is a crucial determinant for the success of that strategy. Kerr, a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women, conducted this research in collaboration with David Autor (MIT) and Susan Houseman (Upjohn Institute for Employment Research).

Tracy Gladstone, Ph.D. : Sibling Relationships in Children of Depressed Parents
March 17, 2011
49:19 min

Research suggests that family variables are involved in the transmission of depression from parents to children. To date, marital and parent/child relationships have been explored in connection to youth depression, but the sibling relationship generally has been overlooked. In this presentation, Tracy Gladstone, Ph.D. will discuss sibling relationships as possible protective factors that moderate the association between parenting behaviors and internalizing outcomes in adolescents. Implications for prevention and intervention also will be discussed. Tracy Gladstone is a senior research scientist and director of the Robert S. and Grace W. Stone Primary Prevention Initiatives at the Wellesley Centers for Women, an assistant in psychology at Children’s Hospital, Boston, and an instructor at Harvard Medical School.

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Amy Banks, M.D. : The Smart Vagus: Understanding the Social Wisdom of the Tenth Cranial Nerve
March 3, 2011
64:04 min.

In this lecture, Amy Banks, M.D. will discuss the “smart vagus” nerve as described by neuroscientist Dr. Stephan Porges. This nerve, part of the autonomic nervous system, is part of a vast network in humans that supports the theory that we are “hard-wired” to connect. Banks is the Director of Advanced Training at the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at the Wellesley Centers for Women and Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.