Aurora P. Jackson

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Dr. Jackson’s scholarship examines the interrelationships among economic hardship, parental psychological well-being, parenting in the home environment (including involvement by nonresident fathers), and child developmental outcomes in families headed by low-income, single-parent mothers with young children.

Dr. Jackson’s research on current and former welfare recipients has been funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the William T. Grant Foundation, the National Center on Minority Health Disparities, and a visiting scholarship at the Russell Sage Foundation.

Her work is published in American Journal of Community Psychology, Child Development, Children and Youth Services Review, Journal of Family Issues, Journal of Social Service Research, Race and Social Problems, Social Service Review, Social Work, and Social Work Research.

SELECTED BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS

Minority Parents’ Perspectives on Racial Socialization and School Readiness in the Early Childhood Period
Anderson, A. T., Jackson, A. P., Jones, L., Kennedy, D. P., Wells, K., Chung, P. J. (2015). Minority parents’ perspectives on racial socialization and school readiness in the early childhood period. Academic Pediatrics, 15, 405-411.

Nonresident Fathers’ Involvement with Young Black Children: A Replication and Mediational Model
Jackson, A. P., Choi, J. K., Preston, K. S. J. (in press). Nonresident fathers’ involvement with young black children: A replication and mediational model. Social Work Research.

Single Mothers, Nonresident Fathers, and Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Development: Social Support, Psychological Well-Being, and Parenting Quality
Jackson, A. P., Preston, K. S. J., & Thomas, C. A. (2013). Single mothers, nonresident fathers, and preschoolers’ socioemotional development: Social support, psychological well-being, and parenting quality. Journal of Social Service Research, 39, 129-140.

Nonresident Fathers’ Parenting, Maternal Mastery and Child Development in Poor African American Single-Mother Families
Choi, J. K., & Jackson, A. P. (2012). Nonresident fathers’ parenting, maternal mastery and child development in poor African American single-mother families. Race and Social Problems, 4, 102-111.

Fathers’ Involvement and Child Behavior Problems in Poor African American Single-Mother Families
Choi, J. K. & Jackson, A. P. (2011). Fathers’ involvement and child behavior problems in poor African American single-mother families. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 698-704.

Single Parenting and Child Behavior Problems in Kindergarten
Jackson, A. P., Preston, K. S. J., & Franke, T. M. (2010). Single parenting and child behavior problems in kindergarten. Race and Social Problems, 2, 50-58.

Poor Single Mothers with Young Children: Mastery, Relations with Nonresident Fathers, and Child Outcomes
Jackson, A. P., Choi, J. K., & Franke, T. M. (2009). Poor single mothers with young children: Mastery, relations with nonresident fathers, and child outcomes. Social Work Research, 33, 95-106.

Parenting Efficacy and the Early School Adjustment of Poor and Near-Poor Black Children
Jackson, A. P., Choi, J. K., & Bentler, P. M. (2009). Parenting efficacy and the early school adjustment of poor and near-poor black children.Journal of Family Issues, 30, 1399-1455.

Low-Wage Employment and Parenting Style
Jackson, A. P., Bentler, P. M., & Franke, T. (2008). Low-wage employment and parenting style.Social Work, 53, 267-278.

Employment and parenting among current and former welfare recipients.
Jackson, A. P., Bentler, P. M., & Franke, T. M. (2006). Employment and parenting among current and former welfare recipients. Journal of Social Service Research, 33, 13-26.

Single mothers’ self-efficacy, parenting in the home environment, and children’s development in a two-wave study.
Jackson, A. P. & Scheines, R. (2005). Single mothers’ self-efficacy, parenting in the home environment, and children’s development in a two-wave study. Social Work Research, 29, 7-20.

Maternal gambling, parenting, and child behavioral functioning in Native American families.
Mumper, S. L. & Jackson, A. P. (2007). Maternal gambling, parenting, and child behavioral functioning in Native American families. Social Work Research, 31, 199-210.

Laura Alongi Brinderson

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Laura Alongi is a licensed clinical social worker whose interests lie in mental health issues with children, adolescents, and their families. She is also interested in parenting education and training, and the early childhood bonding process.

As a field consultant with the California Social Work Education Center program, a statewide program that trains social workers to become professional public child welfare workers, she works with first- and second-year students, and is involved in recruiting promising child welfare candidates.

Alongi has worked as a social worker in community mental health clinics including South Bay Child Guidance, the Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center, and Aviva Children and Family Services. She worked primarily with emotionally disturbed children and their families, both in individual/family and group modalities. She was also a supervisor for several years, and was involved in program development and administration when she served as a program director for the Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center.

Currently, she has a small private practice, and provides supervision and consultation to new and unlicensed social workers.

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Todd Franke

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Trained in social work and educational psychology, Professor Franke seeks to achieve a better understanding of, and improve the responsiveness of service systems in the fields of social services, education and health. Using cognitive theory to better define policy issues related to the integration of these two important fields, Dr. Franke’s research has focused in part on the impact of disability and chronic illness on school-age children. He is currently conducting a study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on the use of personal assistance services for children with disabilities. In addition, Dr. Franke studies how adolescents solve social problems; urban mobility and its impact on children’s education and social development; and how to successfully integrate health and social services in school settings.

Dr. Franke is active in several local and regional efforts to restructure social services in the schools, helping to conceptualize planning and implementation and the design of evaluation measures in Los Angeles Unified School District, the country’s second-largest school district. He also serves as a consultant to local school districts for the preparation of funding proposals for Healthy Start, a state program to establish linkages between community social service agencies and schools. HIs primary work occurs at the intersection of youth violence (child welfare and gang involved youth) and education. In these areas he designs and undertakes evaluative research and has obtained over $9 million in research funding over the past 7 years. He is currently the Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities.

Dr. Franke has been involved with agencies that serve thousands of families representing unique geographic and cultural communities in California, particularly southern California counties. He recently prepared a report for the Los Angeles City Council which examines the measurement issues involved in assessing the success of gang-related and youth development prevention and intervention programs in the city. The link between involvement in the child welfare system and gang involvement is well documented. Dr. Franke is currently the Co-PI of the Best Start LA Initiative which aims to shape, strengthen and support five Los Angeles communities by building resources and providing access to activities that improve the well-being, development and care experienced by pregnant women, parents of newborns and children age 3 and under.

Dr. Franke was also the Principal Investigator for the First 5 LA-funded Partnership for Families Initiative, which is a secondary prevention initiative that is designed to prevent child maltreatment in vulnerable families. Dr. Franke has been the PI for the Small County Initiative, which was designed to systematically examine California’s efforts to build and enhance child abuse and neglect prevention efforts in 11 rural counties in northern California. Additionally, he has numerous years of experience in conducting cross-sectional and longitudinal research in the fields of education, child welfare and adolescent violence.