Under the leadership of Dr. Anastasia Dimitropoulos, Director of the Schubert Center for Child Studies, the center had a full year of programming, including hosting important dialogues, offering valuable education, facilitating research, and contributing to significant policy changes to enhance child and adolescent well-being. Our Research Director, Dr. Sonia Minnes, played a pivotal role in the center's research efforts, collaborating with community and on-campus partners. Her work also included overseeing another year of our program evaluation collaborative project with and securing an Expanding Horizons Initiative (EHI) grant from the College of Arts and Sciences, which will enable us to expand the Schubert Research Fellows program in the upcoming academic year.
Throughout 2023-2024, our Policy Director, Gabriella Celeste, was a driving force in advocating and supporting children, youth, and their families. Her work was a testament to our center's commitment to advancing policy informed by research on what works best for children and youth. The Ohio Governor's office recognized her expertise and appointed Celeste to the Governor's Juvenile Justice Working Group which will provide recommendations for improving the state’s juvenile justice and corrections system. She also helped secure multi-year funding from The George Gund Foundation to form the Greater CLE Youth Justice Collective, a collaborative effort partnering with the Children's Law Center and the ACLU of Ohio to improve the outcome of youth involved in the criminal justice system. Her ongoing Ohio Lead-Free Kids Coalition (OLFKC) work included written testimony on the HB 388 Bill to protect Ohio children from lead poisoning.
Last spring, our sixth annual Kessler-Freedheim lecture hosted Dr. Laurence Steinberg, a Distinguished University Professor, and Laura H. Carnell, a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Temple University. Dr. Steinberg discussed the pivitol findings in developmental neuroscience over the past few decades that revolutionized our understanding of adolescence. His focus on the underdeveloped prefrontal cortex part of the teen brain, which controls executive function and its connectivity with the limbic system helped drive juvenile justice policy reform. This lecture was a prime example of our commitment to providing presentations on impactful research in child studies.
Students at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ continue to grow as leaders in the field of child research and policy. After a pause due primarily to the Covid-19 pandemic, CHST302, Experiential Learning in Child Policy, was relaunched and students traveled to Washington, DC, in March to learn about state and federal legislation impacting children, youth, and families. As part of this course, students met with policymakers, and observed the interconnected relationships between governmental agencies, non-profits, think tanks, and legislators in Congress and the Senate. This year, our Mann Child Policy extern had placements at, Cleveland's largest refugee resettlement agency. It was also our fourth year in the Schubert Research Fellows program. This program provides students with meaningful research experiences and mentorship. By underwriting the cost of student research assistants for Schubert Center Associates, the program supports career exploration and networking for students with marginalized identities. This effort strengthens the pipeline to graduate school and professional opportunities, fostering an inclusive academic environment that empowers the next generation of scholars.
As 2023-2024 came to a close, we took stock of our achievements and began planning next year's events, policy and research activities, and student research opportunities. We are deeply grateful for your continued support and contributions, which have been instrumental in our success.