At its March 2015 biennial meeting, SRCD will convene its Inaugural Presidential Pre-Conference: Equity and Justice in Developmental Sciences. The pre-conference will focus on issues of equity and justice and the ways in which they can be addressed by scientific research. These issues include discrimination, social inequality, educational and health disparities, human rights, equal access, and social exclusions. The first goal of the conference is to define, clarify, and synthesize what equity and justice mean in the context of developmental sciences, and to show scientists that using equity and justice to frame their work can be advantageous. The second goal of the pre-conference is to bring together researchers in fields at the intersection of child development, equity, and justice to share ideas and strategies for conducting research related to equity and justice in developmental science. The third and final goal is to develop and share effective strategies to promote the use of research in programs, practices, and polices that reduce inequalities and provide positive environments for young people. Foundation funds will support the participation of invited speakers and will facilitate the attendance of junior scholars.
The Society for Research in Child Development wants to create mechanisms to promote collaborative research that cuts across disciplines, epistemologies, and domains in order to reduce inequality.