IECAM Newsletter, FY2018 Issue 3

Since 2012, IECAM has featured data on “risk factors.” Some of the early data, such as poverty, child abuse and neglect, and birth characteristics, seemed an appropriate fit for risk factors. We later added data on other indicators often found in research to be correlated with an increased risk of academic failure.

Some of those additions, such as grandparent-headed households and English as a second language, gave us pause. While research suggests they may increase a child’s risk of academic failure, research has found they can be strengths as well. Other additions, such as race and ethnicity, were reluctant additions to our collection of data on “risk factors.”

Thus, we have renamed our “risk factors” section to Child and Family Characteristics. We feel this better describes the diverse types of data found in this section of our website.