FEATURED IN POLICY AT SPSSI
Local- and State-Level Policy Work Awards: Proposals due Friday, November 1, 2019. Each fall, SPSSI gives three awards of up to $2,000 for projects that aim to influence policy at the local and state levels through applied research. This is a great opportunity for students and early career scholars to partner with more seasoned scholars to carry out research that can directly inform local- and state-level policy discussions. Research/policy groups outside of the United States who are looking at local and/or regional issues within their countries are also encouraged to apply. Click here to see examples of previously awarded projects.
NEW IN POLICY WITHIN THE APA COMMUNITY
SCRA tool kit for engaging policymakers on gun violence prevention. The Society for Community Research and Action (APA Division 27) Public Policy Committee has put together a toolkit of resources to support people interested in meeting with their local (in-district) congressional offices in the coming weeks on the topic of gun violence prevention. Given the frequent misconceptions about links to mental health, psychologists’ expert voices are especially powerful at this moment to counter myths and point toward effective solutions.
1. CONTENT: Compiled packet of handouts for Congressional visits (including new fact sheet)
2. PROCESS: Tip Sheet for Visits and Outreach to Your Members of Congress
APA president issues statement on care and treatment of migrant children. On September 5, 2019, APA President Rosie Phillips Davis, PhD issued a statement that migrant children who were separated from their families or arrived to the United States unaccompanied are being retraumatized within the government’s shelters and detention centers. She agreed with a recent government report, emphasizing that facilities "need evidence-based approaches to treating traumatized children, and that they must hire enough qualified caregivers to handle the increasing caseloads."
The epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women. In a recent post for APA's Psychology Benefits Society blog, Iva GreyWolf, PhD and Charlotte McCloskey, PhD explore how "Native American people are often overlooked, considered extinct, romanticized, forgotten, ignored and bear the burden of negative stereotypes. Belonging to a socially invisible community has consequences beyond being misunderstood and stereotyped. It can lead to much more dire outcomes—specifically, the public disregard of the epidemic of violence against Native American women and girls reflects passive cultural genocide."
CALL FOR INPUT
IES director seeks input on topic areas, announces possible request for applications. Mark Schneider, PhD, the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research, evaluation, and statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education, announced in a blog post on August 13, 2019 that he is considering three new topic-specific requests for applications (RFAs) and seeking comment on the topics around which IES research is structured. Input should be sent directly to the IES Director at Mark.Schneider@ed.gov.
SOCIAL AND POLICY ISSUES IN THE NEWS
Legislation would reestablish Science Advisory Board at the Department of Justice. On July 25, 2019, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA) introduced S. 2286 and H.R. 3989, the Improving Justice Programs through Science Act. If enacted, the bill would reestablish a Science Advisory Board at the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) within the Department of Justice to better integrate scientific knowledge to inform crime reduction nationwide and provide scientific backing and evidence-based policies in the OJP's programs and activities, including grants.
Amici briefs filed with SCOTUS in LGBT employment discrimination cases. On July 3, 2019, Williams Institute scholars, joined by other experts who study the LGBT population, filed amici briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in three cases that address whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity.
American Federation of Teachers sues Betsy DeVos over Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. As reported in the Washington Post, the AFT, one of the country’s biggest teachers unions, sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in early July of 2019, alleging gross mismanagement of a loan forgiveness program for public servants.
Science is "key" to pushing forward the 2030 Agenda, UN development forum told. The implementation, follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was front and center at the United Nations (UN) on July 11, 2019 as the third day of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development focused on the important role that science plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
UN releases new flagship report on gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report provides a comprehensive and authoritative assessment of progress, gaps, and challenges in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals from a gender perspective.
OPPORTUNITIES
Nomination opportunity: NSF's Public Impact Award (Closes: September 27, 2019)
RESOURCES & READINGS
Nature editorial: Time to discuss consent in digital-data studies
Grantham Institute report: Global trends in climate change litigation, a 2019 snapshot
NIH extends enforcement delay of clinical trials policy until September 2021
NIH establishes research network on opioid use disorder in the criminal justice system
From NIH: a blog post on achieving gender equity at conferences
New release: Bureau of Justice Statistics report entitled Capital Punishment, 2017
New UN report examining impact of climate change on human rights in the context of poverty
New UN report on gender-responsive climate action
From the National Academies: Artificial intelligence applications for older adults and people with disabilities—balancing safety and autonomy
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