Ruby Takanishi

Ruby Takanishi (1946 – August 8, 2020) was a developmental psychologist known for her efforts in developing early childhood education policies and advocacy work on behalf of the behavioral sciences.[1][2]

Ruby Takanishi
OccupationDevelopmental Psychologist
Awards
  • 1997 APA Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research in Public Policy
  • 2014 AERA Distinguished Public Service Award
Academic background
Alma materStanford University
Academic work
InstitutionsFoundation for Child Development; New America

Takanishi was the Former President/CEO of the Foundation for Child Development[3] and the Founding Executive Director of Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences.[4] At the Foundation for Child Development, Takanishi and her colleagues developed a national index of child well-being, which documented the quality of life of children in the United States.[5][6]

Takanishi was author of the book "First Things First, Creating the New American Primary School" published in 2016,[7] in which she discussed possible changes to the early education system, including conjoining early childhood education with primary education.[8] She engaged in efforts to promote the PreK-Grade 3 movement in elementary education while advocating for the specific needs of immigrant children and dual language learners.[9]

Awards

Takanishi received multiple awards for her contributions to research connecting child development to public policies. In 1997, she received the American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research in Public Policy,[10] with her award citation emphasizing "her outstanding contributions to public policy in the public interest and in recognition of her efforts on behalf of children and adolescents and her work on cognitive, educational, and health aspects of their development that have spanned almost 30 years of untiring work."[11]

Takanishi received the Society for Research in Child Development Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Policy in 2007 and the American Educational Research Association Distinguished Public Service Award in 2014.[12] Other awards included the 2004 Fred Rogers Leadership Award in Philanthropy for Children, Youth, and Families.

Biography

Takanishi was born in Waimea, Hawaii and attended the local high school, Waimea High School.[1] She received her B.A. in Psychology at Stanford University in 1968 and her PhD in Educational Psychology and Child Development at Stanford in 1973.[13] At Stanford, Takanishi studied child development with Eleanor Maccoby.[14]

Takanishi obtained a tenure-track faculty position at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Graduate School of Education in 1973. After receiving tenure in 1980, she left UCLA and a career in academia to serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee as a Congressional Science Fellow representing the Society for Research in Child Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[14] As a Fellow, she worked with Senator Daniel K. Inouye on programs serving military families, focusing her efforts on childcare, mental health, and domestic violence.[14]

Over her career, Takanishi worked as Executive Director of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development (1986-1996),[11] and as a Senior Research fellow with the Early and Elementary Education Policy program at New America.[15] She held teaching positions at Yale University, Teachers College, Columbia University, and Bank Street College of Education.[16]

References
  1. "Ruby N. Takanishi Obituary | Honolulu Star-Advertiser". obits.staradvertiser.com. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  2. "RUBY TAKANISHI Obituary (2020) - New York Times". www.legacy.com. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  3. "Remembering Dr. Ruby Takanishi, Former President/CEO of the Foundation for Child Development". Foundation For Child Development. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  4. "Dr. Ruby Takanishi, Founding Executive Director of FABBS – In Memoriam – FABBS". Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  5. "2013 Child Well-Being Index (CWI)". Foundation For Child Development. 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  6. "Women Leaders: Ruby Takanishi, PhD President, Foundation for Child Development". www.apa.org. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  7. Takanishi, Ruby,. First things first! : creating the new American primary school. New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-8077-5693-5. OCLC 951157979.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "First Things First! Creating the New American Primary School". Foundation For Child Development. 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  9. "Honoring Dr. Ruby Takanishi". Children's Institute. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  10. "Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy". www.apa.org. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  11. No authorship indicated (1998). "Awards for Distinguished Contribution to Research in Public Policy: Ruby Takanishi". American Psychologist. 53 (4): 404–406. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.53.4.404. ISSN 1935-990X.
  12. "AERA Annual Meeting Preview - April 5, 2014". www.aera.net. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  13. Gomez, Barbara (May 2011). "RUBY TAKANISHI CURRICULUM VITAE" (PDF).
  14. Fillmore, Lily Wong. "Ruby Takanishi: Lifelong Advocate for Children's Rights". Mysite. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  15. "Ruby Takanishi". New America. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  16. "Dr. Ruby Takanishi Archives". Children's Institute. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
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