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Child Well-Being

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Children's Exposure to Violence: Frequency May Not Be the Best Predictor of Negative Symptoms

Whether at home, at school, or in the community, exposure to violence raises concerns about not just the potential for physical harm, but also the longer-term developmental and mental health risks for children.

Commentary (13)

Give Poor Kids a Chance with Early Education — Apr 9, 2013

Federal and state initiatives to advance preschool program quality will further ensure that these investments in early learning programs will achieve their full promise and promote healthy child development — physically, socially, emotionally, and academically, writes Lynn Karoly.

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High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Require High-Quality Teachers — Mar 18, 2013

High-quality early childhood interventions can improve academic achievement, reduce crime and delinquency, and enhance future labor market success, but the operative word is "high quality," says Brian Stecher.

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The President's Early Childhood Expansion Should Take a 'Portfolio' Approach — Feb 21, 2013

An optimal approach to strategically expanding access to early childhood programs is one that helps states and communities identify evidence-based approaches that address their particular needs, within the context of their characteristics, writes M. Rebecca Kilburn.

Commentary

Firearms and Gun Control: Many Questions, Some Answers — Jan 17, 2013

President Obama's task force on gun violence has raised the stakes in the policy debate on gun control and policy in the wake of the recent shootings in Colorado and Connecticut. Some of RAND's top researchers share what is, and what isn't, known about firearms and gun control.

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Responding to Newtown — Dec 21, 2012

Art Kellermann reviews what is known from broad outlines of the Newtown attack and past research on gun violence to offer some preliminary thoughts to the Obama Administration's task force and the public.

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Silencing the Science on Gun Research — Dec 21, 2012

The United States has long relied on public health science to improve the safety, health, and lives of its citizens. Perhaps the same straightforward, problem-solving approach that worked well in other circumstances can help the nation meet the challenge of firearm violence, writes Arthur Kellermann.

Commentary

In Connecticut, Recovery and Healing Will Take Time — Dec 20, 2012

With an event like this, "recovery" doesn't mean a return to normal, because lives have been permanently altered. Recovery can only mean finding a new normal, a new path forward. And schools, those places of safety and healthy development, can help with that process, by providing a structure and community to support healing, writes Lisa Jaycox.

Commentary

Dropping Out, Imprisoned or Killed: Disparities in Outcomes Faced by Young African American Men — Aug 26, 2011

Boys and men of color—in particular, young African American men—are particularly vulnerable to racial and ethnic disparities. That such disparities exist should surprise no one. Nor should the fact that such disparities diminish the life chances of those affected, writes Lois M. Davis.

Worth Its Weight in Gold? — Apr 21, 2011

In terms of healthcare use and chronic health conditions, obesity is comparable to aging 20 years, with the health of a 30 year old resembling that of a 50 year old, writes Roland Sturm.