Deborah Temkin, PhD

Decemberists/Colin Meloy concert ~25…. Wearing a shirt that I’m feeling old admitting is 17 years old.

Omg. Hope you’re okay. Texting you now.

Join me in celebrating my mother and all mothers by sharing your story of how your #MomHadTheData.

Donate Child Trends promotes the well-being of all children and youth through applied research that informs public policies, builds the evidence base for what works, and mines data to identify young people w...

It is why I continue to work to make sure other mothers have the research they need to advocate for their kids. It is why, this Mothers’ Day I am donating to @childtrends.bsky.social to help keep that research going. www.childtrends.org/donate

Every day, particularly over the last few months as funding for research continues to be threatened, I think about how much different my life would have been had my Mom not been able to receive her PhD and not had the data to support me.

This year has been a particularly hard year for my Mom. We lost my Dad to a prolonged cancer battle almost exactly a year ago. Just last month, I helped my Mom pack up the house she’s lived in for almost 35 years to move across the country to be closer to my brother and me.

It is because of my Mom that I pursued my doctorate in human development, determined to make sure I had the data to create better conditions for all kids to thrive.

When I was severely bullied in middle school, my mom went to my principal and to the school counselor with almost a full literature review to demand they follow the evidence and help.

As a trained clinical psychologist, my #MomHadTheData to support my brother and me through our childhoods. She knew what mattered for our development and was always in our corner, armed with research, to make sure we got what we needed.

Another tragic school shooting… that wasn’t prevented by school hardening. Students determined to cause harm will know the blindspots.

What Data Tell Us About How Schools Can Amplify Student Voice - Child Trends Students are more engaged when they feel their schools seek their voice; this blog includes data on what strategies might be most effective for schools.

What happens when students are given meaningful opportunities to contribute to the decisions that shape their school experience? Read Samantha Holquist, Dana Mitra, and Jerusha Conner’s new Child Trends blog to find out. www.childtrends.org/publications...

Flying across the country to go help my mom move to DC. The Cap One Lounge at DFW is always a highlight. #sandwichgeneration

Spurious Correlations Correlation is not causation: thousands of charts of real data showing actual correlations between ridiculous variables.

Start with spurious correlations (www.tylervigen.com/spurious-cor...). I’m serious. Understanding that just because there’s a correlation that there is not necessarily causation is rule #1. And I mean some of these are just fun…

And this is the first time I’ve been home while he has traveled. I lived on my own for years before I got married. But I feel super odd being here by myself (well with the kid, but without the spouse…)

Also adding to things just being awful… my husband traveled cross country to help my elderly mother move and now has COVID. Everything is a mess.

It’s only been 3 months. How has it only been 3 months?

I had multiple colleagues today tell me they were numb. Between the HHS RIF today seeing some of our closest partners lose their jobs to waiting for the next show to drop for our own projects it’s just too much. We’re all in survival mode right now.

That was absolutely gorgeous

Jason Brown will always be my favorite skater. Always.

Okay. I needed tonight’s Women’s Figure Skating Worlds to improve my mood. Wow.

April is going to be the month of dystopian tv shows… both You and Handmaids Tale are coming out….

I just finished Severance while simultaneously playing Candy Crush (which over the last 15 years I’ve made it to level 7000…)

The official order is here. Read it all and compare it to the draft!

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

To draw a parallel, I often write about how the first thing many policymakers do in the wake of a school shooting is to push for more school hardening (despite the lack of evidence to support it). They do it to show they're "doing something." That's exactly what's happening here.

The Department of Education does not set curriculum. The Department of Education does not set curriculum. The Department of Education does not set curriculum.

Oh nine year old humor — she realized my name is essentially “the bruh” and this has resulted in endless giggles…. 🫠

I definitely just sat down and said to myself "at least tomorrow is Friday." Oh, wait, tomorrow is Wednesday. Wishful thinking?

I have grown as a researcher and a leader because of Child Trends. It saddens me that as our industry is under siege, the next generation of scientists will have an even harder time finding that support. You can help support our scientists and further our mission to improve the lives of youth.

Pi Day is one of my favorite traditions. Today I ate a slice of apple pie with my nine year old while she recited the first 15 digits of Pi. But that will never top the truly nerdy celebrations I’ve had with my colleagues @childtrends.bsky.social

Having to think about whether we need to furlough staff after just having to do a round of layoffs is just so incredibly painful and nerve wracking