SRCD President's Update

Welcome to the Presidential Updates. In this space, SRCD's President will provide monthly updates about the Governing Council's activities.

Dear SRCD members,

Starting this month, we will provide a synopsis of SRCD Governing Council (GC) updates in the SRCD newsletter, with a link to the SRCD website to provide additional details. This month, I’d like to highlight two important issues from the September GC meeting, as well as let you know that a new strategic planning process is underway.

First, the GC voted to approve a new Disability Caucus, which joins the Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and SOGIE Caucuses in providing support, networking opportunities, and dissemination venues for research by and about members of groups underrepresented in the study of child development. Using language from documents shared with the GC in proposing the creation of the Disability meeting and Caucus will (1) provide a network to increase the representation of disabled children in developmental science research; (2) offer opportunities for disabled scholars to access mentorship and support; and (3) contribute to social policy recommendations, advocate for increased accessibility within SRCD including at the biennial meeting, and help coordinate and disseminate research priorities and findings related to disability.  

SRCD member Leanna McWood led efforts to poll SRCD members to assess interest in the new Disability Caucus and what members would hope to gain from the Caucus. At the 2025 Biennial meeting in Minneapolis, an interest session was held to discuss the idea of the Caucus further. The elected leadership of the new Disability Caucus includes Chairperson Leanna McWood; Secretary Alaina Brenick; Treasurer Amy Needham; Technology Coordinator Catherine Hoyt; Early Career Representatives Alejandra Reinoso and Rachel Dewald; Members-at-large Jordan Bentz and Cristin McDonough; and Alternate Steering Committee Members Rachelle Johnson, Oya Pakkal, Briana Abarca, and Shana Cohen. The Caucus has already approved bylaws that describe the organization and operations of the Caucus.  

There was strong support for the Disability Caucus both from SRCD members and the GC. I am grateful to the new Caucus leadership for their discernment of this need and their efforts to establish the Disability Caucus. For additional information about the Caucus and details about how to join, please contact Leanna McWood, leanna.mcwood@ndsu.edu. Their website is coming soon.  

The second development from the September GC meeting that I’d like to highlight is the approval of the new Code of Ethics, which replaces the previous Code of Conduct. It is considered best practice for non-profits and scientific societies to have a Code of Conduct or Code of Ethics, and SRCD was attempting to follow this best practice with its original Code. However, members had raised concerns about the previous Code, particularly with respect to how due process would be ensured in the case of alleged violations of the Code of Conduct. These concerns were shared with the Task Force on Publications and Ethical Behavior, which released its final report in 2024, recommending that “A revision of the Code of Conduct is now essential and should be undertaken expeditiously,” “A review and revision are needed to clarify the investigative procedures and sanctions that are available for violations of the Code of Conduct and to guarantee due process for individuals who are accused of behavior that violates the Code,” and “A Code of Conduct should be created for all members of SRCD.”  

The Implementation Task Force that operated from 2024 to 2025 responded to each of the recommendations of the Task Force on Publications and Ethical Behavior, including revising the Code of Conduct. A subcommittee led by Christia Spears Brown reviewed Codes of Conduct from peer scientific societies (e.g., National Council on Family Relations, American Psychological Association, American Sociological Association, Society for Research on Adolescence, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies) and revised SRCD’s Code to address members’ concerns. SRCD’s legal counsel reviewed drafts of the revised Code, and the Code was made available to SRCD members to provide feedback during an open comment period. The Code was further revised to incorporate members’ feedback on the draft.  

The final Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide for professional conduct of SRCD members within the purview of SRCD events, publications, and interactions. The final version was approved during the September GC meeting and is available on the SRCD website.  

GC has also voted to approve a new Publication Ethics Process, which is distinct from the Code of Ethics because it applies to anyone publishing in SRCD journals (not just SRCD members) and covers publication-related concerns involving conflicts of interest, alleged ethical violations, and potential legal liability related to submitted or published manuscripts. The Task Force on Publications and Ethical Behavior recommended: “The Publications Committee (PC) should develop a process for handling manuscripts that violate publication policies or ethical standards of SRCD or raise potential legal liability issues.” This process was developed by the Publications Committee Ethics Process Recommendations Subcommittee, led by Natalia Palacios and Yoonsun Choi. The Publication Ethics Process was vetted by SRCD’s legal counsel, made available to SRCD members to provide comments, and revised to incorporate feedback from SRCD members, including the editors of SRCD journals. The Publications Ethics Process is available here. I appreciate the work of the many SRCD members who developed the Code of Ethics and the Publication Ethics Process, which set the stage for how we interact with one another in ways that uphold the high ethical standards of SRCD.  

Another development that I’d like to highlight is that our new strategic planning process is officially underway. SRCD’s previous strategic plan was approved in 2015 and has been an important vision for SRCD’s work over the last 10 years. SRCD, the scientific landscape, the policy context, and the nature of membership organizations in general have undergone major changes since 2015, all of which necessitate new strategic planning. Guidelines for strategic plans have changed over time. Current best practice is for strategic planning to occur every three years to keep organizations nimble in adjusting to changes within (e.g., member expectations) and beyond (e.g., science funding) the organization. SRCD will try to follow this best practice to have a strategic plan that provides direction and sets priorities but that can adapt as conditions change.  

For the current process, we solicited proposals from external consultants as partners in our strategic planning. After reviewing proposals, conducting interviews, and checking references, we decided to contract with Common Ground Consulting, a DC-based firm that is experienced working with scientific organizations and other non-profit organizations. Common Ground’s work is guided by principles of (1) equity and inclusion, (2) scientific integrity and policy relevance, (3) clarity and accessibility, and (4) practical implementation. Common Ground will work with us toward the goal of creating a clear, actionable roadmap that strengthens SRCD’s identity, aligns its programs and priorities with its mission, and positions SRCD to lead the field of child development research with even greater clarity, influence, and impact in the years ahead.

Key questions will involve:

1. Purpose and vision: How should SRCD’s mission evolve to meet the changing needs of child development researchers, practitioners, and policymakers?
2. Impact and influence: In what ways can SRCD expand its impact—both within the research community and in shaping evidence-based policy and practice—while staying true to its core values?
3. Membership and community: What does a more inclusive, engaged, and globally connected SRCD community look like, and what shifts might be needed to get there?
4. Capacity and sustainability: What organizational capabilities—financial, technological, and human—must SRCD strengthen to deliver on its long-term goals and remain resilient in a rapidly changing environment?

The strategic planning will involve an initial discovery phase that will include a review of documents, interviews, focus groups, and a membership survey to assess members’ values, priorities, and needs. The planning will then turn to intensive work with the SRCD Governing Council and SRCD staff, which will result in iterative drafts of the new strategic plan. An advanced draft will be available for member comments. After incorporating member feedback, we will finalize the new strategic plan. In addition to the plan itself, we will also end with implementation guidance, including who will be responsible for implementing which aspects of the strategic plan and measurable benchmarks to evaluate whether we are meeting our goals. This will be an exciting process, and I look forward to working together as we envision the future of SRCD.

Please feel free to reach out to me with questions or suggestions. Thank you for your engagement with SRCD!

Warm regards,

Jen

Jennifer E. Lansford, PhD 
SRCD President