What's Happening

By Marcia Quackenbush | February 7, 2017
Senior Editor, ETR

How do we keep youth engaged in school and community? How do we help them think critically about the issues that affect them? How can we help them raise their voices and speak out as effective citizens? I believe we have reached a time in our history as a nation where these are some of the most important skills we can offer young people.

Education experts have suggested a range of answers to these questions. I recently learned about an approach that is truly promising: Ethics Bowls. 

By Chris Wilson-Smith | February 2, 2017
Project Coordinator, ETR

Are you working with a group that’s ready to laugh, move around a bit and get to know their colleagues at the start of a training? Are you the kind of trainer who likes to start out with something lively and engaging? This may be just the FQT you’re looking for!

By Lizanne Reynolds, JD | January 30, 2017
dfusion

I am excited to be working on a new dfusion program called Live Your Best Life AHORA! This is an innovative teen pregnancy prevention and sexual risk reduction program for rural Hispanic youth and their parents in California’s Central Valley. Our program partner is the California Health Collaborative (CHC), which has worked closely with the community for many years to promote healthy practices.

By ETR | January 23, 2017

Do you know graduate students in public health? Epidemiology? How about education, psychology, sociology or related fields? Do they have an interest in sexual and reproductive health?

We’d love you to let them know about one of the finest summer internship opportunities around: the 2017 Kirby Summer Internship at ETR.

By ETR | January 17, 2017

ETR’s condom holders have consistently been one of our most popular products. They have colorful designs on the outside and instructions for condom use on the inside. We’ve just introduced a new one designed to hold an internal or “female” condom.

That’s a WOW indeed! 

By John Henry Ledwith | January 11, 2017
Senior Sales Manager, ETR

We’ve had some seriously rainy weather in Northern California this past week. The storm outside was a good incentive for me to do a little clean-up and organizing inside.

As I opened file drawers and cabinet doors, I ploughed through several years’ worth of articles, notes, photos and papers. Some were still keepers. And others—ideas past their prime—went off to recycle.

By Jennifer Salerno, DNP | January 5, 2017
Founder, Possibilities for Change

How sexually active—and sexually risky—are today’s teens?

Scientific studies continue to support the notion that teens today actually have less sex than their parents did as teens. Yet nearly one in four teens will become pregnant by age 20, and half of the new STDs in the U.S. each year occur among people between the ages of 15 and 24. 

By Debra Christopher, MSM | January 3, 2017
Director, Professional Learning Systems, ETR

How will participants change their approach to their work, given what they’ve learned in their training? This group activity combines thoughtful reflection with an opportunity to state intentions. A handshake, virtual or real-life, seals the deal!

By ETR | December 22, 2016

It’s holiday time! We hope your plans include some space for rest and relaxation in whatever way you enjoy it best. Go on a grand adventure, read a good book or spend time with family and friends.

The ETR blog will be taking a break until the first week of January, 2017. 

By Karin Coyle, PhD | December 19, 2016
Senior Research Associate, ETR

ETR is delighted to announce the release of our report on the 2016 Kirby Summit. If you work with adolescents to address sexual and reproductive health, I strongly encourage you to check it out.

Here’s why. We deliberately designed this invited Summit to challenge and disrupt what we thought we knew about adolescent health behaviors.

By Laura Perkins, MLS | December 15, 2016
Product Editor, ETR

Thought about menstrual periods lately? Maybe, maybe not. But if you were a pre-menstrual kid, teetering on the edge of puberty, you'd probably be thinking about them a lot.

By BA Laris, MPH | December 13, 2016
Research Associate, ETR | Personal pronouns: She, her, hers

We were excited for the much-anticipated release of The National Center for Transgender Equality’s new 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey Report. 

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | December 8, 2016
Chief Science Officer, ETR

I love gratitude. I try to get a little of it into my life every day. Here’s why.

First, gratitude grounds me in something positive and constructive. It’s so easy to get mired in the details of our daily lives. Like a breath of fresh air, a break for gratitude can get me back into the moment.

Second, it helps me extend and expand my feelings...

By Louise Ann Lyon, PhD | December 1, 2016
Senior Research Associate, ETR

Why isn’t the tech field more diverse? And what can we do to change that?

One of the challenges is the so-called “pipeline” issue. We don’t have enough women and underrepresented minority students pursuing, and then completing, computer science degrees. That means we don’t have enough trained and skilled professionals to do all of the work that needs doing.

By Jill Denner, PhD | November 28, 2016
Senior Research Scientist, ETR

Vocational education is making a comeback! Nationally, we are seeing new attention being brought to career-technical education (CTE). Revitalized efforts are seeking to provide students the mix of technical training and academics that will prepare them for real-world, 21^st century careers. We expect this trend to continue.

Computer science skills—including the ability to code—play a role in a number of the established CTE pathways. 

By Beverly Iniguez-Conrique | November 21, 2016
Research Assistant, ETR

I was three and a half years old on my first day of school. On that crisp September morning, my mother woke up early to dress me and walk me over to the local elementary school.

This was a special moment for my mom. She never had the chance to attend college or immerse herself in her education. 

By John Henry Ledwith | November 17, 2016
Senior Sales Manager, ETR

I love school health advocates! Earlier this month I got to spend time with a whole bunch of them at the School Health Education and Services Section (SHES) of the APHA annual meetings. As usual, joining up with that crowd was an illuminating and inspiring process.

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | November 15, 2016
Chief Science Officer, ETR

ETR is thrilled to see a new article, just released today. It is published by our close colleague, Dr. John Santelli, and his team at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. The Santelli team’s comprehensive work demonstrates that when we narrow income inequality and increase opportunities for education, we positively affect youth health and wellbeing. The study explicitly links increases in investment in education to declines in teen childbearing.