Blog

Early Childhood Education Yields High Return: A 30 Year Study

2012-04-18T20:58:34Z

BATON ROUGE, La., April 15, 2012 – Internationally-recognized UNC scholar Frances Campbell, Ph.D., will speak to the Baton Rouge community at a free Distinguished Speaker Series session hosted by Academic Distinction Fund (ADF) on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, Check-in 2 - 2:30 p.m., Program 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. at the Manship Theatre. ADF is a major collaborator among schools, businesses, and the community and acts as a catalyst for private sector leadership in advancing public education in East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS).

Dr. Frances Campbell is best known for her work with the Abecedarian Project, one of the longest running longitudinal studies in the world. The study followed 111 babies, from low-income homes, into adulthood. The research and pattern of results over 30 years provides clear, scientific understanding of how high-quality early childhood education can be an important contributor to academic achievement and social competency in adulthood. Findings from this study are frequently cited by experts and policymakers when discussing the importance of quality early childcare.

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series is designed to provide critical information on the latest early childhood development research and best practices. The Series is the first of its kind in East Baton Rouge Parish to address issues facing infants and children, ages zero-to-five.

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series is directed to East Baton Rouge Parish teachers, pre-K providers and administrators, parents and families, business leaders, education stakeholders, nonprofit organizations and public officials who ultimately impact all prekindergarten children in East Baton Rouge Parish and beyond.

The research-based presentations engage early childhood experts to address what it takes for children to be successful in kindergarten and first grade, regardless of their socio-economic and racial backgrounds.

Martis Jones, Ph.D., ADF Executive Director, stated that by targeting prekindergarten children early in life, high-quality educational experiences can build their development in the areas of cognitive, health and physical, language arts, reading and literacy, social and emotional, as well as creative arts. This will ensure that more students will be prepared for academic success. Dr. Campbell agrees and states that there is little question about quality early care improving the odds for low-income children. She says that what you do to enhance a child’s development when he or she is very, very young has long-term implications.

Funding for ADF Distinguished Speaker Series comes from ADF and ExxonMobil. Additional sponsors include the Manship Theatre and the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. Planning partners include Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, School Aids, Family Behavioral Health Center, Family Service of GBR, Louisiana Department of Education, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, and Dean Laura Lindsay of the LSU College of Education, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and the EBRPSS Title I Parental Involvement Office.

Renowned Child Psychiatrist/Tulane Professor to speak on Long Term Influences of Early Childhood Experiences & Relationships

2012-03-07T16:38:38Z

Academic Distinction Fund Hosts Distinguished Speaker Series Presentation in April

BATON ROUGE, La., March 15, 2012 – Nationally-recognized spokesperson for early childhood mental health, Dr. Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., will speak to the Baton Rouge community at a free Distinguished Speaker Series session hosted by Academic Distinction Fund (ADF) on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Registration 4 - 4:30 p.m., Program 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel, 7000 Bluebonnet Blvd. ADF is a major collaborator among schools, businesses, and the community and acts as a catalyst for private sector leadership in advancing public education in East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS).

Dr. Zeanah is Sellars-Polchow Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and Vice-Chair for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He is also Executive Director of the Institute for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at Tulane. Throughout his career, his clinical and research focus has been on early childhood experiences, relationships and their effects, including abuse and serious deprivation on young children, attachment issues and infant parent relationship assessment and interventions designed to reduce psychopathology in young children.

Martis Jones, Ph.D., ADF Executive Director, stated that 88 percent of the 2114 EBR pre-K students qualify for free or reduced lunch and are considered “at-risk.” By targeting prekindergarten children early in life, high-quality educational experiences can build their development in the areas of cognitive, health and physical, language arts, reading and literacy, social and emotional, as well as creative arts. This will ensure that more students will be prepared for academic success.

Funding for ADF Distinguished Speaker Series comes from ADF and ExxonMobil. Additional sponsors include the Renaissance Hotel Baton Rouge. Planning partners include Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, School Aids, Family Behavioral Health Center, Louisiana Department of Education, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, and Dean Laura Lindsay of the LSU College of Education, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, LASIG, and the EBRPSS Title I Parental Involvement Office.

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2011-09-13T21:47:56Z

Karen Mapp, Ed.D.

Lecturer on Education and Faculty Director of Education, Policy, and Management Master’s Program

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Dr. Mapp holds Doctorate and Master’s degrees in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a noted researcher, lecturer, and author whose work highlights the positive link between family engagement and the academic achievement of students. In addition to her contributions in the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she works closely with the Boston Public Schools and recently served as the Interim Deputy Superintendent for Family and Community Engagement for the school system and as president of the Institute for Responsive Education in Boston. Dr. Mapp’s research on the relationship between family-school partnerships and desirable student outcomes is widely published, and

she has co-authored several books on this topic, with the most recent, Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships. She serves on boards and committees of numerous organizations,including the Center for Collaborative Education, the Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, and the Boston Campaign for Proficiency.

The Why, What, and How of Family-School Partnerships

Dr. Mapp will provide information and strategies to create and sustain systemic

school, family and community partnerships that support student learning and

achievement. Participants will learn the current research about the link between

these partnerships and student outcomes based on Dr. Mapp’s research. She

will focus her presentation on three areas: the link between family and

community engagement and student achievement and school improvement;

the characteristics of school, family and community engagement initiatives

that translate to improved student outcomes; and the answers to cultivating

trusting and respectful partnerships that support student learning and school

improvement with diverse families and community members.

ADF

Distinguished Speaker Series

Parental Involvement at School and at Home

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Registration and Continental Breakfast: 9:00 am - 9:30 am

Program: 9:30 am - 11:00 am

EBRP School System

Instructional Resource Center (IRC)

1022 South Foster Drive

Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Free Community Event

RSVP to deniqua.lacour@adfbr.org or (225) 922-4560

Dr. Melinda S. Sothern speaks in Baton Rouge

2011-09-08T14:03:42Z

Dr. Melinda S. Sothern, a national spokesperson for healthy youth, spoke in Baton Rouge yesterday. Her presentation was on treating and preventing childhood obesity. We will be posting video clips of her presentation soon.

You can down load her PowerPoint slide by clicking here.

Childhood Health, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention - September 7, 2011

2011-09-04T15:12:33Z

Dr. Melinda S. Sothern, a national spokesperson for healthy youth, will be speaking in Baton Rouge. Dr. Sothern regularly receives local and national awards for her work in the areas of childhood nutrition and obesity prevention. Her work continues to be highlighted on Good Morning America, Today Show, and in The Wall Street Journal, among many others. Her research is widely published in a multitude of scientific journals and books, including her own interactive guide, Trim Kids, which she senior-authored. Dr. Sothern consults with several national and international corporations. She leads her field in establishing exercise guidelines for children and is best known for her work in promoting active play as a means of treating and preventing childhood obesity.

Wednesday, September 7 · 4:00pm - 6:00pm

East Baton Rouge School System Instructional Resource Center

1022 South Foster Drive

Click here to download the document.

Economics and Return on Investment in Early Childhood Education

2011-06-11T02:25:32Z

Academic Distinction Fund

Distinguished Speaker Series

Economics and Return on Investment in Early Childhood Education

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Registration and Continental Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. - 7:50 a.m.

Program: 7:50 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

The City Club of Baton Rouge, Continental Room

355 North Boulevard

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70801

R.S.V.P.

nicole.naquin@adfbr.org

225.922.4560

The Economic Case for Investing in Young Children

Well-focused investments in early childhood development yield high public returns.
Children who are school-ready by age five are more likely to be productive in the workplace, a key to economic growth.
Taxpayers benefit through reduced need for social assistance, increased income tax revenue, less burden on the criminal justice system and fewer children needing remedial education services.

Distinguished Speaker

Rob Grunewald

Associate Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Rob Grunewald is an associate economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He conducts regional economic research and co-authors the Minneapolis Fed’s “Beige Book” report on current economic conditions. He co-authored “Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return” (January 2003), an economic policy paper, which has been featured in the media, legislative hearings, and seminars throughout the United States. Grunewald serves on the board of directors for the Minneapolis Visiting Nurse Agency, Resources for Child Caring, the advisory board for First Children’s Finance Growth Fund and as secretary for the Minneapolis Economic Association. Grunewald, who joined the bank in 1993, holds a Bachelor in Economics and Religion from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minneapolis, and a Master in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. Sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation with the support of East Baton Rouge Parish School System.

nicole.naquin@adfbr.org

225.922.4560

Building baby’s brain - ADF Speaker Series in The Advocate

2011-06-07T00:25:28Z

Dr. Geoffrey Nagle and Dr. Stewart Gordon spoke on early childhood brain development at the first Academic Distinction Fund Early Childhood Speaker series presentation.

Dr. Nagle is the director of the Tulane University Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, and Dr. Gordon is a professor of clinical pediatrics and chief of pediatrics at the LSU Health Sciences Center/Earl K. Long Medical Center.

Click here to read the article in The Advocate.

ADF Distinguished Speaker Series

2011-05-05T21:17:56Z

invites you to
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

EARLY CHILDHOOD BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Registration: 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Program: 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Refreshments to Follow

EBRPSS Instrucitonal Resource Center (IRC)
1022 South Foster Drive • Baton Rouge

FREE AND OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ONLINE or

RSVP to nicole.naquin@adfbr.org or (225) 922-4560

Sponsored by

With the support of

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series in pre-K is designed to provide critical information on the latest early childhood development research and best practices. The series is the first of it's kind in East Baton Rouge Parish. Four research-based presentations will engage nationally-recognized scholars to address and discuss what it takes for all prekindergarten children to be successful in kindergarten and first grade, regardless of their socio-economic and racial backgrounds.

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS

Geoffrey Nagle, Ph.D.

Director, Tulane University Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine
Policy Fellow, Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at Louisiana State University
State Director, BrightStart (Louisiana's Early Childhood Advisory Council)

Dr. Nagle has made numerous presentations around the U.S. on topics including building an early childhood system, designating a state early childhood budget, and analyzing the economic impact of child care. His research interests are the economic benefits of prevention and how the results of research in early childhood influence public policy decisions.

The First Three Years of Life Last Forever - Understanding Brain Development

Dr. Nagle's presentation will provide a broad overview of early brain development. It will detail the threats to optimal and healthy brain development that result from toxic stress. The presentation will conclude with the results of a statewide risk assessment by parish detailing the high-risk environments of young children in Louisiana.

Stewart T. Gordon, M.D., FAAP

Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatrics, LSUHSC/Earl K. Long Medical Center
President, Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Dr. Stewart T. Gordon has been active in pediatrics at LSUHSC/Earl K. Long Medical Center since 1994. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University and LSU Medical School in New Orleans, and he completed his trainig in Pediatrics with LSU Medical School's Department of Pediatrics at Charity Hospital and Children's Hospital. Dr. Gordon's areas of interest include early brain development / early childhood, child advocacy / children's public policy, and juvenile justice reform. Dr. Gordon also studies and reports on prevention of child abuse and neglect as well as prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.

Early Childhood Brain Development: Time to Act!

Dr. Gordon will provide a brief description of the human brain as it develops in the first five years of life. His presentation will include child risk factors, the effects of poverty and other environmental influences. Dr. Gordon will conclude with current facts about early childhood economics.

ADF engages parents, community leaders and resources
to advance public education. As the Baton Rouge area
local education fund, ADF is the force behind enhancing
strong public schools and programs, including prekindergarten.

Academic Distinction Fund Board Members

Jamey Firnberg, Board Chairman

Kwame Asante		Dan Holliday III
Murphy Bell Jr.		Ernie Hughes, Ph.D.
Bill Benedetto		Willie Johnson
Dennis Blunt		Peter Kopfinger
Tee Brown		Carey Messina
Jason El Koubi		Nell McAnelly
Anna Kathryne Kronenberger		Matthew Saurage
Gwen Hamilton

Martis Jones, Ph.D. - Executive Director

8550 United Plaza Boulevard, Suite 301
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809
225-922-4560 • www.adfbr.org

2010 New National Board Certified Teachers

2010-12-15T22:27:29Z

As reported by the Baton Rouge Business Report, Twenty East Baton Rouge Parish School System teachers this year have earned National Board Certification from The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The certification, which is the highest credential teachers can earn, requires one to three years of work. East Baton Rouge now has 146 teachers who earned certification, which allows them to receive an annual salary supplement of $5,000 for 10 years. (The list includes 19 names because one of the teachers opted out of having his or her name disclosed, says Chris Trahan, a spokesman for East Baton Rouge schools.)

Kristin Alfandre – Tara High School

Terri Carley – Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

Laurie Castilaw – Wedgewood Elementary School

Tonya Collins – Woodlawn High School

Angie Courville-Orillion – Southdowns Pre-K Center

Erica Doherty – Howell Park

Mabrouck Faradj – McKinley High School

Sheila Johnson – Forest Heights Academy of Excellence

Monique Juneau – LaSalle Elementary

Marilyn Maillet – Park Forest Middle School

Carrie Marsala – Parkview Elementary School

Kathrin Mundinger – Shenandoah Elementary School

Charles Scarbrough – Broadmoor High School

Isabelle Shirazi– Callens– Baton Rouge Magnet High School

Tonya Sitar – Woodlawn Middle School

Katherine (Kay) Stanzel – Woodlawn Middle School

Mae Stevens – Wedgewood Elementary School

Coretta Thomas – Scotlandville High Magnet School

Udean Weibelt – Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

Congratulations to all of these teachers. National Board Certification takes a lot of work and it’s a big deal. Way to go. We are lucky to have these teachers in our public schools.

Dan Meyer: Math class needs a makeover - TALKS|TED

2010-11-29T01:05:09Z

Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. At TEDxNYED, Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think. Check out this video from TED. Ideas worth spreading.