Publications

The food retail environment has been directly linked to disparities in dietary behaviors and may in part explain racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related deaths. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, is associated with improved healthy food and beverage access due to its requirement for minimum stock of healthy foods and beverages in WIC-eligible stores.

Lori’s Hands, founded in 2009, is a service learning organization based in Newark, Delaware. Every year, over 100 community members receive visits from college student volunteers through Lori’s Hands. The organization’s clientele includes individuals who are living at home with a chronic illness and are willing to share their experiences with the student volunteers who assist them. During the period covered by this report, Lori’s Hands volunteers consisted exclusively of University of Delaware (UD) students. (Since the time of data collection, Lori’s Hands’ Delaware chapter has expanded to include students from Wilmington University and Delaware Technical Community College.

Lori’s Hands, founded in 2009, is a service learning organization based in Newark, Delaware. Each year over 100 community members are served by Lori’s Hands with the help of college student volunteers. The organization’s clientele includes individuals who are living at home with a chronic illness and willing to share their experiences with the student volunteers who assist them. During the period covered by this report, only students from the University of Delaware (UD), and from any major, were participating as Lori’s Hands volunteers.

In 2019, CHEER, an organization which provides a full range of services for mature adults, including meals on wheels and congregate meals as part of the Older American’s Act (OAA) Title III Nutrition project, was awarded a grant from the Administration for Community Living to develop a wellness benefit program for home delivered meal recipients. The grant-funded innovation program titled “Innovative Title III Senior Healthcare Program” represents a partnership between CHEER, Education, Health, & Research International (EHRI), the Delaware Division of Services for the Aged and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD), LaRed Health Center (a federally qualified health center), Highmark …

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 calls for revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development and strengthening the means of implementation of strategies, in part through that approach. One of the key and fundamental aspects of SDG 17 is tackling systematic, pervasive issues through synergistic methods (UN 2019). This goal recognizes the greater potential benefit inherent in collaborative partnerships rather than through distinctly separate efforts. Within SDG 17, two targets focus on enhancing and promoting multi-stakeholder and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

HER Default Drinks Brief There is clear and consistent evidence that reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) would improve kids’ health. SSB consumption is closely tied to increased risk for developing overweight and obesity, getting dental caries, and potentially developing insulin resistance among children. In response, many government entities have enacted a range of policies intended to limit kids’ SSB consumption and encourage healthier choices.

Click on the link below to review these reports regarding the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) which was managed and evaluated by the University of Delaware’s Center for Research in Education and Social Policy at 76 farmer’s markets (FMs) in 13 states and the District of Columbia, over a two-year time span. The RCT randomly awarded incentives to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to use to purchase fruits and vegetables at FMs.

This study provides information about the prevalence, living conditions, and demographic characteristics of housing instability among students in the state of Delaware. Data were obtained from the Delaware Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the 2011–2017 academic years and included 23,819 youth respondents in grades 6–12. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted to characterize student demographics.

K12 Teacher Academy Survey Results The Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) at the University of Delaware (UD) was asked by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to examine one of their career pathways: the K12 Teacher Academy. The goal of this pathway is to help students acquire the knowledge and skills needed to sustain their interest in the profession and cultivate the skills needed to be successful educators, thus creating a pipeline of high-quality students transitioning to the teaching profession. Currently, the program features courses in Human Growth and Development, Teaching as a Profession, Foundations of …

Parents of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) want individualized, formal psychosocial support during their children’s in-hospital stays, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. The study by researchers from Nemours Children’s Health System outlines ways to optimize mental health for parents and mitigate the impact of stress on long-term outcomes for children and families. “The post-surgical recovery period for children with CHD is an incredibly stressful time for parents. Uncertainty, communication challenges, and limited opportunities to engage in self-care can impact their mental health,” said Erica Sood, PhD, senior author and pediatric psychologist within the Nemours …

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) such as soda and energy drinks has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, among other negative health outcomes. The consumption of SSBs is of particular concern for children, because they are forming dietary habits that have the potential to last a lifetime, and because overweight children are at high risk of becoming overweight adolescents and adults. In response, many government entities have enacted a range of policies that seek to limit children’s SSB consumption by encouraging healthier choices. One example, and the focal point of this document, are policies that require restaurants …

In the summer of 2018, the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) at the University of Delaware (UD) was approached to conduct a case study of the implementation of the Bookworms curriculum at a Case Study District (CSD) in rural Southern Delaware. The district, which educates approximately 3500 students and a large percentage of low-income children, has historically struggled in getting students to demonstrate academic proficiency and thus turned to the Bookworms program in their reform efforts. Through our analysis, we consistently found where CSD students were once underperforming the state average, these same students are now …

In the summer of 2018, the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) at the University of Delaware (UD) was approached by staff of UD’s Professional Development Center for Educators (PDCE) to conduct a case study of the implementation of the Bookworms Curriculum at Seaford School District in Seaford, DE. Seaford SD consists of four elementary, one middle, and one high school. The district educates approximately 3500 students in mostly rural southwestern Delaware. Serving a large percentage of low-income children, Seaford SD has historically struggled in getting students to demonstrate academic proficiency and turned to the Bookworms program …

The use of research evidence (URE) in policy and practice is relevant to many academic disciplines; and indeed many policy and practice domains. Different methods and approaches to measuring, evaluating, promoting and describing the various ways in which evidence and policy/practice interact have sprung up, reflecting the broad and diverse areas where this is a concern. There has also been an explosion of research into how evidence is produced and used, with dedicated journals and increased funding for URE work emerging over last 15 years. Yet at the same time, those engaged in the scholarship and practice of URE face …

A new introduction to public health’s most elemental topic Food is baked in to most things that public health is and does. But for a field charged with carrying torches as divergent as anti-hunger and anti-obesity, it’s unlikely, even impossible, to shape a unified approach to complex concepts like food environment, food access, or even nutrition. Food and Public Health,  offers a contextualized, accessible introduction to understanding the foundations (and contradictions) at the intersection of these two topics.  Edited by CRESP Senior Associate Director, Dr. Allison Karpyn, and featuring contributions from twenty-four insightful authors, the book distills the historical, political, sociological, …

The prevalence—as well as social and economic costs—of mental, emotional, and behavioral health disorders among American students is alarming. According to the National Academy of Medicine, nearly 1 in every 5 American students struggles with mental, emotional, and behavioral health each year [National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (NRC & IOM), 2009]. Children with mental or behavioral health problems are at greater risk of falling behind in school and, left untreated, can compound that risk into adulthood. Mental, emotional, and behavioral health disorders disproportionately affect low-income students, students of color, and students with a history of adverse childhood events …

For too many students and teachers, a nurturing, safe, positive school climate is out of reach. Issues such as adverse childhood experiences, bullying, and chronic absenteeism present daily challenges. Measures to address these challenges have fallen short and are often punitive actions that are disproportionately applied to students of color and those with disabilities. Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) approach to teaching that integrates social and emotional skill development with academic instruction. Research shows SEL programs and initiatives like the Responsive Classroom approach are associated with improved academic achievement, school climate, and instructional quality. The …

An overwhelming body of research demonstrates the negative short- and long-term consequences of chronic absenteeism on academic achievement. Students who are chronically absent are missing critical instruction time and are at the greatest risk of falling behind and dropping out of school. Chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects low-income students and students with disabilities, as well as students of color and English language learners. Across the country, millions of students are reported chronically absent each school year. Chronic absenteeism is most commonly defined as missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason, excused or unexcused. As districts and states …

Research supports the long-term use of highly trained instructional coaches for improving the teaching of middle school mathematics and increasing the mathematics achievement of students. Coaches work with teachers, both in and outside of classrooms, through goal setting, modeling, collaborative planning, observation, student data analysis, and reflection. Effective instructional coaching in mathematics has been shown to: Improve student learning in mathematics; Increase teacher knowledge of mathematical content; and Improve mathematics instruction. Research indicates that effective coaching programs have the following components: Support from school leadership; Knowledgeable and skilled coaches; Regular interaction between coaches and teachers; Focus on both content knowledge …

As expectations for research and data to inform educational decision making continue to grow under federal policy, state longitudinal data systems (SLDS) are in place in nearly all states and offer a unique resource for generating evidence to support improvement efforts. However, little is known about whether and how researchers are able to access these data. State processes and procedures for granting researcher access may support or impede the generation of timely and relevant research.  In this paper, we present findings of a content analysis of state education agency (SEA) websites that explain those processes and procedures.  We find great variability in SEA approaches …