School of Education Speakers Series: Nadine Finigan-Carr

Description

Nadine M. Finigan-Carr, the assistant director of the Ruth Young Center for Families and Children at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, will give a talk entitled "Adolescent Aggression and Academic Achievement" as part of the School of Education Department Chairs Speaker Series. Reception to follow.

The linkages between a student's health and a student's ability to learn have been well established. Children who are sick stay home, and children at home cannot learn if they are not in school, leading to increased dropout rates among other educational outcomes. However, an understanding of this concept is just the beginning of understanding how education and public health are inextricably linked.

In light of this, Finigan-Carr will discuss how we should examine health disparities and education inequities simultaneously and move beyond a basic understanding of health and education in K-12 school programs. The structural inequalities that lead to reduced academic attainment mirror the social determinants of health. Education is one of the most powerful determinants of health, and disparities in educational achievement as a result of structural inequalities closely track disparities in health. These disparities lead to both sub-standard health care and reduced academic attainment among children from underserved minorities in the U.S., especially African Americans.

Nadine M. Finigan-Carr is a prevention research scientist focused on the application of behavioral and social science perspectives to research on contemporary health problems, especially those that disproportionately affect people of color. She is a nationally recognized expert on domestic minor human trafficking and sexual exploitation. She leads the University of Maryland's Prevention of Adolescent Risks Initiative and is the principal investigator of projects at both state and federal levels designed to intervene with system-involved youth. Finigan-Carr is the editor of Linking Health and Education for African American Students' Success (Routledge Press).