ASU Sanford School a national leader in social sciences
The T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics is a national leader in social sciences with new human development/family studies rankings lauding the school’s doctoral programs.
Reflected in the excelling work that the Sanford School accomplishes through its faculty, staff and students, the school is ranked No. 3 overall (tied with Cornell University and Auburn University), No. 1 for adolescence/emerging adulthood programs and No. 2 in child development programs. Rankings were compiled for “The Human Development and Family Science Report,” compiled by Ohio State University Human Development and Family Science Professor Claire Kamp Dush, who analyzed survey results compiled from peer faculty throughout the United States and Canada.
“These rankings confirm our belief that the Sanford School is a world-class force of excellence. They reflect the hard work of our faculty and students, and our commitment to training the next generation of scholars, practitioners, policymakers and concerned adults who are interested in making a difference in the lives of children, youth and families,” said Richard Fabes, Sanford School director and professor. “In a relatively short period of time, we have been able to harness the potential of the school, and it is great that this is being recognized. I’m even more excited to see what the future holds for our faculty and students, and for those who benefit from the work they do.”
Consistently innovative in its approach to working on real-world issues that children and families face, a few of the Sanford School’s signature programs include:
• The Dion Initiative for Child Well-Being and Bullying Prevention is developing evidenced-based and easily replicable programs to address this pressing problem in our nation’s schools. The initiative is committed to fostering children’s health, mental health and academic success through the work of academic professionals, direct service providers and private-sector innovators. What began as a personal quest by Nicole Stanton to combat bullying across Arizona has grown into a fully realized ASU resource and research program.
• The Sanford Harmony Program is designed to enhance relationships among girls and boys. Combining cutting-edge research, best practices, tested curricula and training programs, the program is the only one of its kind that is designed specifically to help boys and girls learn more about each other, develop positive attitudes and behaviors toward each other, and inspire mutual respect and cooperation in their everyday lives. The program has been implemented in several early childhood and intermediate classrooms across the Phoenix metropolitan area.
• The Latino Resilience Enterprise serves as a research endeavor that supports a series of initiatives focused on identifying factors and developing programs that promote positive outcomes among Latino youth and their families. Seven initiatives within the enterprise are designed to advance understanding of how to improve the lives of Latino youth and their families. A distinguished speaker series, brownbag series, annual training workshops and research support staff are all elements of the enterprise. Initiatives include STEM, teenage pregnancy and parenting and promoting positive sibling relationships. All initiatives share a strong commitment to advancing scholarship and evidence-based practice for Latino youth and families.
• The Promise Institute is based on fulfilling the promise to help children, young people and families to achieve their potential. The redesigned institute is dedicated to being a solutions-oriented research institute that forges alliances among scholars across social, behavioral and health sciences with community partners and policymakers so that research is relevant to the well-being of children, youth and families, as well as applicable to professional practice and social policy.
“Keeping our promise to promoting positive and healthy lives of those most in need is critically important,” Fabes said.
The Sanford School is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.