Develop a proposal for advocacy actions that will impact the lives of children or adolescents.
Note: You are required to complete and receive feedback on Assessment 1 before moving ahead to Assessments 2–5, which may be completed in any order after Assessment 1.
Understanding the impact of microsystemic and macrosystemic factors on the lives of children and adolescents is important, but understanding alone cannot make change. One way to positively impact the lives of children and adolescents is to apply your understanding of developmental theories and contemporary issues to the world of policy through advocacy. This assessment provides the opportunity to construct a detailed advocacy plan related to a child or adolescent development topic that is important to you.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
*IMPORTANT* MUST BE MET
Competency 2: Analyze legislation and policies in education, health, mental health, technology, institutions, and culture as they relate to children and adolescents.
Summarize a policy or piece of legislation related to child or adolescent development.
Competency 3: Evaluate the consequences of selected legislation and policies for their impact on children and adolescents.
Evaluate the impact of a policy or piece of legislation on children’s or adolescents’ social context.
Evaluate the impact of a policy or piece of legislation on children’s or adolescents’ peer relationships.
Evaluate the impact of a policy or piece of legislation on children’s or adolescents’ educational experience.
Evaluate the impact of a policy or piece of legislation on children’s or adolescents’ mental and physical health.
Evaluate the impact of a policy or piece of legislation on children’s or adolescents’ family and home environment.
Competency 5: Advocate for legislation and policies that improve the lives of children and adolescents.
Develop two detailed outlines for advocacy actions.
Analyze how proposed advocacy actions could influence the future direction of policy or legislation to improve the lives of children.
Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions.
Context *DOCUMENT IS IN SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS*
The Assessment 4 Context document has important information on the No Child Left Behind Act, which is part of what Bronfenbrenner calls the macrosystem—the most remote people and things that have an influence over a child’s life, including laws, values, government, economy, cultures, conventions, and traditions.
Take time to review this document as you prepare to complete this assessment.
Questions to Consider
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
How do current educational, economic, and mental health policies impact child and adolescent development in the domains of family, school, and community, and systems levels?
How does the media cover (or not cover) the impact of policies on domain or systems levels?
Which advocacy efforts on behalf of children and adolescents are you most aware of? Were they successful or unsuccessful? Why?
Resources
Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The PSY-FP6020 – Topics in Child and Adolescent Development Library Guide can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.
Child or Adolescent Development Topic
PSY6020/PSY-FP6020 Library and Research Guide: Choosing a Topic.
Economic Policy Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/
Urban Institute. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.urban.org/
These two think tanks offer papers about politics and related issues in relation to children and adolescents.
Policy
PSY6020/PSY-FP6020 Library and Research Guide: Policy Research.
National Conference of State Legislatures. (n.d.). Human services. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services.aspx
Advocacy
PSY6020/PSY-FP6020 Library and Research Guide: Advocacy
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (n.d.). Advocacy. Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Advocacy/Home.aspx
Optional Additional Resources
Berk, L. E., & Meyers, A. B. (2016). Infants, children, and adolescents (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Available from the Bookstore.
Cauffman, E., & Steinberg, L. (2012). Emerging findings from research on adolescent development and juvenile justice. Victims & Offenders, 7(4), 428–449.
Filindra, A., Blanding, D., & Coll, C. G. (2011). The power of context: State-level policies and politics and the educational performance of the children of immigrants in the United States. Harvard Educational Review, 81(3), 407–437, 617–618.
Lindle, J. C. (2008). School safety: Real or imagined fear? Educational Policy, 22(1). 28–44.
Marques, M., & Ressa, N. (2013). The Sexuality Education Initiative: A programme involving teenagers, schools, parents and sexual health services in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Reproductive Health Matters, 21(41), 124–135.
Shiffman, C. D. (2013). The juggling act: Navigating parent involvement in the welfare reform era. Educational Policy, 27(1), 64–91.
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nlchp.org/
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Legislation. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/edpicks.jhtml
Assessment Instructions
Note: You are required to complete and receive feedback on Assessment 1 before moving ahead to Assessments 2–5, which may be completed in any order after Assessment 1.
Preparation
Conduct research through the Capella University Library and other online resources on a policy or piece of legislation that relates to your area of interest. You may also wish to research organizations that conduct advocacy related to that policy or piece of legislation and to familiarize yourself with their activities.
Directions
Create a 4–5-page advocacy proposal that includes the following elements:
A detailed summary of a policy or piece of legislation related to a child or adolescent development topic of interest to you. You may choose to a focus on legislation that is related to education, the economy, mental health, or another topic you are concerned about.
An evaluation of the consequences of the policy or legislation on the social context, relationships, academics, emotional issues, and family dynamics in children’s and adolescents’ lives.
A detailed outline for two different advocacy actions that could help shape the future direction or implementation of this policy or legislation, including the steps an individual would need to take as part of those advocacy actions.
An analysis of how the advocacy actions you proposed could influence the future direction of policy or legislation to improve the lives of children or adolescents.
Your proposal should be written to inform others who may be able and willing to join your advocacy effort.
Examples of possible advocacy actions include:
Letter or e-mail campaigns to local, state, or federal representatives about the issue and policy or legislation.
Active participation in meetings or other events in your community or a related organization (neighborhood association, school board, social services organization) that addresses your chosen issue or topic.
Outreach campaigns—for example, canvassing, phone banks, or creating and distributing educational materials.
