Foundation News

DECEMBER 2020
www.fcd-us.org
Foundation for Child Development: Foundation News


** Grantee Spotlight: The RISER Network is Shifting the Narrative About Black Children
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In 2019, the Foundation for Child Development awarded a grant to the HighScope Educational Research Foundation to establish a small collaborative network of Black mid-career researchers. This funding afforded co-founders Dr. Iheoma Iruka at UNC-Chapel Hill and Dr. Stephanie Curenton at Boston University the opportunity to develop and officially launch the Researchers Investigating Sociocultural Equity and Race (RISER) Network. It also allowed them to imagine the true potential of RISER, share in thought leadership, and expand the network to include a diverse set of scholars dedicated to researching the well-being of Black children.

This Grantee Spotlight ([link removed]) describes how the RISER Network is working to change the narrative about Black children in research. RISER's researchers are working to promote and utilize a strengths-based approach in studies about Black children’s development, families, education, health, and well-being. Their work aims to promote the assets of Black children and their families and dismantle the education and health disparities experienced by Black children as a result of systemic racism and discrimination
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“I think that this is so valuable because we don't have these safe spaces,” explained Dr. Curenton. “The other thing that I think is interesting and valuable about RISER and that sets us apart is that it's not just about emotional support. It's really about what we would call instrumental support. The whole network is set up so that people can form writing groups. People are actually working together so that they can write papers together, go for grants together, do things together.”
-Stephanie M. Curenton, Ph.D., Boston University

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“Many people don't look at the nuance within the Black culture,” said Dr. Ibekwe-Okafor. “So, oftentimes in research, they control for race instead of looking at the nuances within race and the complexities of how we might understand the Black family.”
-Nneka Ibekwe-Okafor, Ph.D., Boston University
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“I think that there's finally a push in the field for research teams to understand that in order to study Black children, you need to have Black voices on the research team. So, I think that this is just a really unique time for this opportunity to really take off.”
-Jacqueline Sims, Ph.D., Boston University

Read our Grantee Spotlight on the RISER Network ([link removed])
ABOUT US Research, policy and practice—we connect these pieces to help build early childhood systems that enable children to reach their full potential. Founded in 1900, the Foundation for Child Development identifies needs, fills gaps and integrates knowledge for successful implementation and continuous improvement. Learn more about our focus areas and download resources by clicking these links.

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