What's New Archive

May 2013

Children's Forum Event (May 8th, NIH/Natcher Conference Center): Measuring and Reporting Social-Emotional Development in Early Childhood

Forum members, federal statistical agency representatives, and child development researchers will share current measurement strategies and discuss opportunities for collecting and reporting information about young children's social emotional development in the federal statistical system. Event Agenda  351 KB

February 2013

EPA releases "America's Children and the Environment, Third Edition"

On January 25, EPA released "America's Children and the Environment, Third Edition," a comprehensive compilation of information from a variety of sources on children's health and the environment. The report shows trends for contaminants in air, water, food, and soil that may affect children; concentrations of contaminants in the bodies of children and women of child-bearing age; and childhood illnesses and health conditions. The report incorporates revisions to address peer review and public comments on draft materials released in 2011. More on "America's Children and the Environment, Third Edition" at http://www.epa.gov/ace/.

December 2012

Highlights From PIRLS 2011: Reading Achievement of U.S. Fourth-Grade Students in an International Context (December 11, 2012)

The Progress In International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011 is the third administration of this international comparison. PIRLS is used to compare over time the reading skills of 4th-grade students and is designed to align broadly with reading curricula in the participating countries. The results, therefore, suggest the degree to which students have learned the reading concepts and skills likely to have been taught in school. In 2011, there were 53 education systems (including countries and other education systems) that participated at grade 4.

Highlights From TIMSS 2011: Mathematics and Science Achievement of U.S. Fourth- and Eighth-Grade Students in an International Context (December 11, 2012)

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 is the fifth administration of this international comparative study. TIMSS is used to compare over time the mathematics and science knowledge and skills of fourth- and eighth-graders. TIMSS is designed to align broadly with mathematics and science curricula in the participating countries. The results, therefore, suggest the degree to which students have learned mathematics and science concepts and skills likely to have been taught in school. In 2011, there were 54 countries and 20 other educational systems that participated in TIMSS, at the fourth- or eighth-grade level, or both.

July 2012

CSPAN features America's Children

America's Children in Brief, 2012 was featured on CSPAN, Friday, July 13th. Hear the taped video program, featuring Forum member Dr. Ed Sondik, Director of the National Center for Health Statistics, at http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/WJEd