%0 Book %A National Research Council %E Feuer, Michael J. %E Holland, Paul W. %E Green, Bert F. %E Bertenthal, Meryl W. %E Hemphill, F. Cadell %T Uncommon Measures: Equivalence and Linkage Among Educational Tests %@ 978-0-309-06279-4 %D 1999 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6332/uncommon-measures-equivalence-and-linkage-among-educational-tests %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6332/uncommon-measures-equivalence-and-linkage-among-educational-tests %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 136 %X The issues surrounding the comparability of various tests used to assess performance in schools received broad public attention during congressional debate over the Voluntary National Tests proposed by President Clinton in his 1997 State of the Union Address. Proponents of Voluntary National Tests argue that there is no widely understood, challenging benchmark of individual student performance in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade mathematics, thus the need for a new test. Opponents argue that a statistical linkage among tests already used by states and districts might provide the sort of comparability called for by the president's proposal. Public Law 105-78 requested that the National Research Council study whether an equivalency scale could be developed that would allow test scores from existing commercial tests and state assessments to be compared with each other and with the National Assessment of Education Progress. In this book, the committee reviewed research literature on the statistical and technical aspects of creating valid links between tests and how the content, use, and purposes of education testing in the United States influences the quality and meaning of those links. The book summarizes relevant prior linkage studies and presents a picture of the diversity of state testing programs. It also looks at the unique characteristics of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Uncommon Measures provides an answer to the question posed by Congress in Public Law 105-78, suggests criteria for evaluating the quality of linkages, and calls for further research to determine the level of precision needed to make inferences about linked tests. In arriving at its conclusions, the committee acknowledged that ultimately policymakers and educators must take responsibility for determining the degree of imprecision they are willing to tolerate in testing and linking. This book provides science-based information with which to make those decisions. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Frontera, Walter %E Spicer, Carol Mason %E Applegate, Austen %T Low Birth Weight Babies and Disability %@ 978-0-309-71287-3 %D 2024 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27375/low-birth-weight-babies-and-disability %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27375/low-birth-weight-babies-and-disability %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 246 %X Approximately 3.6 million live births occur every year in the United States. Between 8 and 9 percent of infants are born with low birth weight (LBW), defined by the medical community as less than 2,500 grams or 5.5 pounds at birth. While most infants born with LBW are not impacted by severe developmental disabilities or major or multiple health conditions, research indicates that these infants often do experience elevated rates of mild to moderate chronic health conditions that have meaningful functional impacts throughout an individuals life course. The Social Security Administration (SSA) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene an expert committee to provide an overview of the current status of the identification, treatment, and prognosis of LBW babies, including trends in survivability, in the U.S. population under age 1 year. SSA also asked the committee to provide information on the short- and long-term functional outcomes associated with and the most common conditions related to LBW, available treatments and services, and other considerations. The resulting report, Low Birth Weight Babies and Disability, presents the committees conclusions. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E McGinnis, J. Michael %E Gootman, Jennifer Appleton %E Kraak, Vivica I. %T Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? %@ 978-0-309-09713-0 %D 2006 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11514/food-marketing-to-children-and-youth-threat-or-opportunity %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11514/food-marketing-to-children-and-youth-threat-or-opportunity %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Food and Nutrition %P 536 %X Creating an environment in which children in the United States grow up healthy should be a high priority for the nation. Yet the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and at worst, a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation. Children’s dietary and related health patterns are shaped by the interplay of many factors—their biologic affinities, their culture and values, their economic status, their physical and social environments, and their commercial media environments—all of which, apart from their genetic predispositions, have undergone significant transformations during the past three decades. Among these environments, none have more rapidly assumed central socializing roles among children and youth than the media. With the growth in the variety and the penetration of the media have come a parallel growth with their use for marketing, including the marketing of food and beverage products. What impact has food and beverage marketing had on the dietary patterns and health status of American children? The answer to this question has the potential to shape a generation and is the focus of Food Marketing to Children and Youth. This book will be of interest to parents, federal and state government agencies, educators and schools, health care professionals, industry companies, industry trade groups, media, and those involved in community and consumer advocacy. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Lynch, Barbara S. %E Bonnie, Richard J. %T Growing Up Tobacco Free: Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youths %@ 978-0-309-05129-3 %D 1994 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/4757/growing-up-tobacco-free-preventing-nicotine-addiction-in-children-and %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/4757/growing-up-tobacco-free-preventing-nicotine-addiction-in-children-and %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 320 %X Tobacco use kills more people than any other addiction and we know that addiction starts in childhood and youth. We all agree that youths should not smoke, but how can this be accomplished? What prevention messages will they find compelling? What effect does tobacco advertising—more than $10 million worth every day—have on youths? Can we responsibly and effectively restrict their access to tobacco products? These questions and more are addressed in Growing Up Tobacco Free, prepared by the Institute of Medicine to help everyone understand the troubling issues surrounding youths and tobacco use. Growing Up Tobacco Free provides a readable explanation of nicotine's effects and the process of addiction, and documents the search for an effective approach to preventing the use of cigarettes, chewing and spitting tobacco, and snuff by children and youths. It covers the results of recent initiatives to limit young people's access to tobacco and discusses approaches to controls or bans on tobacco sales, price sensitivity among adolescents, and arguments for and against taxation as a prevention strategy for tobacco use. The controversial area of tobacco advertising is thoroughly examined. With clear guidelines for public action, everyone can benefit by reading and acting on the messages in this comprehensive and compelling book. %0 Book %A National Research Council %A Institute of Medicine %E Smolensky, Eugene %E Gootman, Jennifer Appleton %T Working Families and Growing Kids: Caring for Children and Adolescents %@ 978-0-309-08703-2 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10669/working-families-and-growing-kids-caring-for-children-and-adolescents %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10669/working-families-and-growing-kids-caring-for-children-and-adolescents %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %P 366 %X An informative mix of data and discussion, this book presents conclusions and recommendations for policies that can respond to the new conditions shaping America's working families. Among the family and work trends reviewed: Growing population of mothers with young children in the workforce. Increasing reliance of nonparental child care. Growing challenges of families on welfare. Increased understanding of child and adolescent development. Included in this comprehensive review of the research and data on family leave, child care, and income support issues are: the effects of early child care and school age child care on child development, the impacts of family work policies on child and adolescent well-being and family functioning, the impacts of family work policies on child and adolescent well-being and family functioning the changes to federal and state welfare policy, the emergence of a 24/7 economy, the utilization of paid family leave, and an examination of the ways parental employment affects children as they make their way through childhood and adolescence. The book also evaluates the support systems available to working families, including family and medical leave, child care options, and tax policies. The committee's conclusions and recommendations will be of interest to anyone concerned with issues affecting the working American family, especially policy makers, program administrators, social scientists, journalist, private and public sector leaders, and family advocates. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Koplan, Jeffrey P. %E Liverman, Catharyn T. %E Kraak, Vivica I. %E Wisham, Shannon L. %T Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? %@ 978-0-309-10208-7 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11722/progress-in-preventing-childhood-obesity-how-do-we-measure-up %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11722/progress-in-preventing-childhood-obesity-how-do-we-measure-up %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 494 %X The remarkable increase in the prevalence of obesity among children and youth in the United States over a relatively short timespan represents one of the defining public health challenges of the 21st century. The country is beginning to recognize childhood obesity as a major public health epidemic that will incur substantial costs to the nation. However, the current level of investment by the public and private sectors still does not match the extent of the problem. There is a substantial underinvestment of resources to adequately address the scope of this obesity crisis. At this early phase in addressing the epidemic, actions have begun on a number of levels to improve the dietary patterns and to increase the physical activity levels of young people. Schools, corporations, youth-related organizations, families, communities, foundations, and government agencies are working to implement a variety of policy changes, new programs, and other interventions. These efforts, however, generally remain fragmented and small in scale. Moreover, the lack of systematic monitoring and evaluation of interventions have hindered the development of an evidence base to identify, apply, and disseminate lessons learned and to support promising efforts to prevent childhood obesity. Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? examines the progress made by obesity prevention initiatives in the United States from 2004 to 2006. This book emphasizes a call to action for key stakeholders and sectors to commit to and demonstrate leadership in childhood obesity prevention, evaluates all policies and programs, monitors their progress, and encourages stakeholders to widely disseminate promising practices. This book will be of interest to federal, state, and local government agencies; educators and schools; public health and health care professionals; private-sector companies and industry trade groups; media; parents; and those involved in implementing community-based programs and consumer advocacy. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Hernandez, Donald J. %T Children of Immigrants: Health, Adjustment, and Public Assistance %@ 978-0-309-06545-0 %D 1999 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9592/children-of-immigrants-health-adjustment-and-public-assistance %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9592/children-of-immigrants-health-adjustment-and-public-assistance %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %P 672 %X Immigrant children and youth are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and so their prospects bear heavily on the well-being of the country. Children of Immigrants represents some of the very best and most extensive research efforts to date on the circumstances, health, and development of children in immigrant families and the delivery of health and social services to these children and their families. This book presents new, detailed analyses of more than a dozen existing datasets that constitute a large share of the national system for monitoring the health and well-being of the U.S. population. Prior to these new analyses, few of these datasets had been used to assess the circumstances of children in immigrant families. The analyses enormously expand the available knowledge about the physical and mental health status and risk behaviors, educational experiences and outcomes, and socioeconomic and demographic circumstances of first- and second-generation immigrant children, compared with children with U.S.-born parents.