Social Work Commons^™

Mental Models, Lucy Chin, Allie Farrell, Min Hu, William Liem, Ellis Ballard

Social System Design Lab

A central principle of the systems thinking perspective is that system structures are supported and held in place by our underlying beliefs, mindsets, and goals (See Brief 1.01 - Systems Thinking Iceberg). Therefore, in order to transform and redesign systems we must also transform our mindsets. The purpose of this brief is to introduce the concept of mental models, and to discuss how system dynamics tools can be used to elicit, negotiate, and transform them.

Understanding Systems From A Feedback Perspective, Allie Farrell, Min Hu, Lucy Chin, Ebuwa I. Evbuoma, William Liem, Ellis Ballard

Social System Design Lab

Systems perspectives encourage us to see the world as an interconnected system of causal relationships. A fundamental idea of system dynamics perspective the focus on feedback thinking – looking at cause and effect as not just moving in one direction. The purpose of this brief is to introduce the concept of feedback thinking through the lens of challenges in K-12 education, and present Causal Loop Diagrams as tools to describe feedback relationships between components of a system

Accumulations, Mikayla Branz, Allie Farrell, Min Hu, William Liem, Ellis Ballard

Social System Design Lab

There are several features of complex systems that make creating change in K-12 education difficult, including: delays between the intervention and outcome, unexpected or confusing responses to interventions, and differences in how individuals and groups experience the same systems. The concept of “accumulation” provides important insight into how misperceptions, delays, and counter-intuitive system responses occur in education change efforts. Stock [BE1] and Flow Diagrams are visual tools to identify and visually describe key accumulations in the systems and facilitate conversations to understand systems better.

The purpose of this brief is to describe how the concept of accumulation can help us …

Financial Outcomes In A Child Development Account Experiment: Full Inclusion, Success Regardless Of Race Or Income, And Investment Growth For All, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

This research summary presents SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment financial outcomes—Oklahoma College Savings Plan 529 (OK 529) account holding and savings—as of December 31, 2019. Wave 3 of SEED OK occurred when children were about 12 years old, nearing the age when they and their families make decisions about high school curricula and, not long after, postsecondary education.

This summary shows that all children can have an asset-building account with resources that grow over time. In particular, the CDA greatly increases the likelihood that disadvantaged children have assets accumulating for their future education. In addition, the CDA in …

A Long-Term Experiment On Child Development Accounts: Update And Impacts Of Seed For Oklahoma Kids, Jin Huang, Sondra G. Beverly, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

How does a Child Development Account (CDA), opened for an infant at the time of birth, shape that child’s trajectory as he or she grows? For 12-year-old children and their families, the CDA in SEED for Oklahoma Kids had very large positive impacts on financial outcomes and some positive impacts on nonfinancial outcomes, even though the experiment had little intervention over the past 9 years.

This report presents findings from the long-running SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment, a randomized Child Development Account experiment. Launched in 2007 with a representative sample of newborns, the experiment provided CDAs with substantial …

Mi-Seed Investment Funds And Account Growth: Implications For Achieving Higher Rates Of Return In Cda Programs, Trina R. Shanks, Patrick Meehan

Center for Social Development Research

In 2004, the Michigan Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship and Down Payment initiative (MI-SEED) recruited 430 families through 14 Head Start centers, enrolling 497 children in Child Development Accounts (CDAs). Designed to begin to address wealth disparities between low- and high-income families, the MI-SEED CDA used the state 529 college savings plan as the investment instrument. This brief presents results on MI-SEED savings and withdrawals through 2019. The results suggest that investment strategy greatly influences account growth, and the authors offer recommendations for ensuring acceptable growth in CDAs.

Toward Finance As A Public Good, Jin Huang, Margaret S. Sherraden, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Financial inclusion is a prerequisite for the financial stability of families and for successful economies, but common conceptualizations of it have not adequately accounted for the financialization of modern life or for the influence of social policy, which increasingly delivers public benefits through financial services. This study proposes a broader conceptualization of financial inclusion, finding support for this new understanding in results from analyses of data from the 2016 National Financial Well-Being Survey and from a case study of Child Development Accounts.

Support for this publication comes from the Kauffman Foundation (Grant No. 201806-4478).

Two Extraordinary Days For Race And Electoral Democracy In America, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

In this Perspective, Michael Sherraden draws optimism from participation in the January 5, 2021, special election in Georgia, as well as the national repudiation of the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Together, these events create an opportunity to shape a better future.

In The Community: Over 25 Years Of Inquiry, Innovation, And Impact, Center For Social Development, Washington University In St. Louis

Center for Social Development Research

This report marks over 25 years of innovative applied research and the effects of those efforts in society. Founded in 1994, the Center for Social Development continues to generate pathbreaking innovations that broaden opportunity, especially for the marginalized. The report also looks ahead, discussing emerging engagements and potential lines for new inquiry.

Cswe Recommendations For Social Work Educators And Social Workers, Kaleigh Edwards

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

Poster summary of Council on Social Work Education's statement of accountability and reconciliation for harms done to Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Trail Marker Trees, Kaleigh Edwards

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

For arborists and others who study forests and plant life, “Indian trail trees” or “trail marker trees” are an intriguing way to mark a path. But, for Native American people, the trees provided a trail marker that led to essential resources. According to Guy Sternberg (2015), there are several criteria for a tree to be defined as a trail marker tree; such standards are that the “species is Native to the area, long-lived, and point towards a significant location” (Sternberg, 2015). Through traditional deformation, white and red oak trees were the primary species of trail marker trees because of their …

[Withdrawn], Social Policy Institute, Washington University In St. Louis

Social Policy Institute Research

This paper was withdrawn per the request of the authors, May 23, 2024.

Research article available at Jabbari, J., Jackson, J., Roll, S., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2024). Pinching Pennies or Money to Burn? The Role of Grit in Financial Behaviors. Social Psychology, 55(2). https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/abs/10.1027/1864-9335/a000545?journalCode=zsp

Asset-Building Policy In Korea: Innovation For Social Development, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This Perspective is adapted from Michael Sherraden’s keynote address given during the “Ceremony Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Self- Sufficiency & Welfare Policy and 10th Anniversary of Asset- Building Policy” in Korea. The Perspective is presented through a partnership between the Center for Social Development, the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare, and the Korea Development Institute for Self-Sufficiency & Welfare.

Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social And Economic Development: Advancing The Sustainable Development Goals, David Ansong, Moses Okumu, Jin Huang`, Margaret S. Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Li Zou

Center for Social Development Research

The concern for economic well-being undergirds most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This Perspective articulates an agenda for advancing those goals in resource-constrained countries by leveraging financial capability and asset-building (FCAB) strategies. It also specifies a role for financial technology (commonly called “FinTech”) in this work. The authors conclude with a call for better integrating FCAB and FinTech into plans for advancing the SDGs.

Insights From State Treasurers: Developing And Implementing Statewide Child Development Account Policies, Chris Leiker, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

In 2018 and 2019, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Illinois, and California enacted laws creating automatic, universal, at-birth CDA policies, and in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic halted the progress of CDA bills in Missouri. Several states previously adopted CDA policies by administrative rule. This Policy Summary presents insights from four state treasurers based on their direct experience developing statewide CDA policy through legislation.

On July 16, 2020, the treasurers and other professionals gathered virtually for “All Children Can Reach Their Potential: A CDA Conference.” In a panel discussion moderated by Missouri State Treasurer Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Joe Torsella, …

Leadership Through An Indigenous Lens, Kelley Mccall

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

Indigenous leaders are found throughout history, across the globe. Indigenous leaders have been present long before European settlers colonized lands. These leaders possessed qualities, worked within frameworks, and created strategies to successfully lead their people and nations. For the purposes of this brief, examples used will be of American Indians/First Nations leaders.

Cash Transfers And Health, Sicong Sun, Jin Huang, Darrell Hudson, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Financial resources are known to affect health outcomes. Many types of social policies and programs, including social assistance and social insurance, have been implemented around the world to increase financial resources. As an overall term, we refer to these as cash transfers. In this article, we discuss whether, how, for whom, and to what extent purposeful cash transfers may improve health, both theoretically and empirically. The overall finding is that cash transfers are very positive, but as usual, there are many complexities and variations. Continuing research and policy innovation—for example, universal basic income and universal Child Development Accounts—are likely to …

Child Development Accounts Improve Parenting Practices, Particularly For Financially Vulnerable Families, Jin Huang

Center for Social Development Research

Parenting practices, such as parental involvement and discipline, define parent–child interactions and influence child functioning. Child Development Accounts may have positive impacts on parenting practices by increasing parents’ perceived levels of economic safety, enhancing their optimism regarding the long-term development of their child, and improving parents’ mental health. This research brief synthesizes findings of the CDA effects on parenting practices from three research studies in the SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment.

Findings show that the SEED OK CDA has significantly reduced mothers’ punitive parenting practices, and also increased positive parenting practices among mothers in financially vulnerable families. The size of …

State License Renewal Information For Licensed Professional Counselors And Addiction Counselors, Kelley Mccall, Lindsey Manshack

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

The purpose of this document is to provide an analysis of continuing education requirements for professional counselors and addiction counselors by state. The chart below shows 1) Profession Title(s), 2) Allowable CE sources, 3) CE Hours/Topic Requirements, 4) Training Type/Delivery Methods, and 5) Renewal Fees.

Please carefully read your state licensure renewal requirements. State laws often change, so please remember it is your responsibility for interpreting your state’s laws, licensure requirements, course relevancy, and all requirements for your state. Note: The CE Allowable Sources section listings are not an exhaustive list. Please consult the state’s licensing board for a complete …

Accountable Policing: Policies To Advance The Personal Safety Of Black Boys And Young Men, Robert Motley

Center for Social Development Research

The policies and practices that perpetuate the continual, unjust murder of Black males by the nation’s law-enforcement professionals have gone unchanged for far too long. This Brief Report from HomeGrown StL provides local, state, and federal policymakers with concrete, evidence-based policy recommendations for building an equitable, transparent, and accountable public-safety approach that will serve and protect all.

Social Work And The Future Of Policing: Key Points For Changes In Policy And Practice, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

High-profile police violence and killings have prompted struggles to reconceptualize public order, safety and justice. As reform proposals emerge, this brief proposes key elements for new approach to public safety: an expanded professional partnership between police and social workers.

Improving The Take-Up Of Homecare Services Among Holocaust Survivors In A Jewish Charitable Organization, Olga Kondratjeva, Stephen Roll, Odelya Mantsura, Pini Miretski, Olga Statland-Vaintraub, Hannah Brumbaum, Ariel Tikotsky, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

This research brief is part of a series by the Social Impact Nudgeathon initiative. This initiative incorporated insights from behavioral economics into the design and delivery of social welfare programs. Developed through a partnership between the Joint Distribution Committee in Israel (JDC-Israel) and the Social Policy Institute (SPI) at Washington University in St. Louis, this initiative is among the first of its kind to launch in Israel. Working in close collaboration, research teams from the United States and Israel investigated whether using behavioral insights to make small changes in the delivery of social service programs in Israel and Russia would …

Improving Educational And Career Opportunities For Youth With Disabilities In The Future Trend Program, Yifat Klein, Osnat Elnathan, Mayzahav Itiel Barkai, Miriam Palachi, Anat Halevy, Yair Feingold, Ariel Tikotsky, Guy Hochman

Social Policy Institute Research

This research brief is part of a series by the Social Impact Nudgeathon initiative. This initiative incorporated insights from behavioral economics into the design and delivery of social welfare programs. Developed through a partnership between the Joint Distribution Committee in Israel (JDC-Israel) and the Social Policy Institute (SPI) at Washington University in St. Louis, this initiative is among the first of its kind to launch in Israel. Working in close collaboration, research teams from the United States and Israel investigated whether using behavioral insights to make small changes in the delivery of social service programs in Israel and Russia would …

Child Development Accounts In The Covid-19 Crisis: Lessons From The Great Recession, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an economic downturn that will likely be worse than the Great Recession, especially for financially vulnerable households. Child Development Accounts (CDAs) were rigorously tested in the 2008-09 recession and produced positive financial and family results. Likewise, CDAs can be expected to have positive impacts on children in financially vulnerable households during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

To confront this health and economic crisis, this research and policy report examines how CDA research from the previous recession can inform a new kind of social policy to address the current one. The report draws from in-person interviews …

A Framework For Explaining Black–White Inequality In Homeownership Sustainability, Chunhui Ren

Center for Social Development Research

Why do housing outcomes differ by race?

To understand Black–White disparities in homeownership sustainability, this study proposes a conceptual framework that emphasizes Black homeowners’ socioeconomic challenges, challenges that go beyond the mortgage market, and focuses on the mediating role of liquid assets. Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) enable a test of the framework through an examination of racial differences in the exit rates of homeowners during the recent housing crisis. The findings suggest that liquid assets played a significant role in such disparities.

This is a pre-print of an article published in Demography. The final …

Chıld Development Accounts: A Policy Design And Opportunity For Azerbaijan, Aytakin Huseynli, Michael Sherraden, Daniel Gottlieb

Center for Social Development Research

In Azerbaijan, recent economic growth and sizable oil revenues offer a path for improving the well-being of the nation’s children. This brief makes the case for a national CDA policy in Azerbaijan and suggests viable paths to implementation of such a policy.

Son zamanlar Azərbaycanda baş verən iqtisadi inkişaf və neft gəlirlərinin artamsı, uşaqların rifahının yaxşılaşdırılamsı sahəsində dayanıqlı proqramlar tətbiq etməyə imkan yaradır. Sənəd, Azərbaycanda hər bir uşağa qənaet hesabları olan- Uşaq İnkişaf Hesablarının-açılması üçün yazılan siyasi sənədin qısa xülasəsidir.

The Financial Capability And Financial Well-Being Of Low-Income Entrepreneurs, Jin Huang, Baorong Guo

Center for Social Development Research

Entrepreneurship can offer a path out of poverty, but do low-income entrepreneurs have the knowledge and resources they need to succeed?

Reporting on analyses of data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 2016 National Financial Well-Being Survey, this brief suggests that many would-be entrepreneurs turn to alternative financial products in lieu of mainstream options and could benefit from comprehensive financial guidance designed to bolster financial capability.

The 2020 Washington University In St. Louis Pow Wow Committee Covid-19 Report And Resource Guide, Kellie Thompson

Buder Center for American Indian Studies Research

Every year since 1990, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis students and the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies organizes an annual Pow Wow. A Pow Wow is an event where both Native American and non‐Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian history and culture. The 30th annual event was scheduled to occur on April 11, 2020 with the theme of “Steps to Sovereignty: Decolonize, Indigenize, Revitalize.” The Washington University Pow Wow is critical in bringing the St. Louis community together to honor and celebrate Native traditions. As coronavirus spread in …

Essential Policy Design Elements For Statewide Child Development Accounts, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden, Sondra G. Beverly

Center for Social Development Research

This Fact Sheet defines 10 essential and well-established design elements of state CDA legislation. Several states have adopted CDA policies, some by legislation and others by administrative rule, all using their 529 plans as the financial platform. Those interested in creating a statewide policy can view a full discussion and documentation of sample legislation in full in the Policy Summary from which this work is adapted.

Child Development Accounts At Scale: Sample State Legislation, Margaret M. Clancy, Michael Sherraden, Sondra G. Beverly

Center for Social Development Research

Statewide Child Development Accounts (CDAs) provide assets and encourage saving for postsecondary education through deposits into investment accounts. Several states have adopted CDA policies, some by legislation and others by administrative rule, all using their 529 plans as the financial platform. This Policy Summary is intended to inform states interested in enacting universal, automatic, statewide CDA legislation.

It presents select examples of legislative from state CDA policies in Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Illinois, and California. Delivering CDAs at scale—to all newborns in families across the full socioeconomic and geographic (rural and urban) spectrum—and in a financially sustainable way requires a sound policy …