School of Social Work News

Andy Grogan-Kaylor’s team won a Breakthrough Award at the inaugural Psych Tank Funding Competition, hosted by the U-M’s Eisenberg Family Depression Center. The team came in second place, winning $75,000 for their project “Mental health care for ALL kids! What are we waiting for?”

Professor Andrew Grogan-Kaylor’s review of 50 years of research on corporal punishment was cited in a Chicago Tribune article about the return of corporal punishment to a Missouri school district. The review was also cited in an editorial in the Washington Post.

Professor Andy Grogan-Kaylor’s corporal punishment research was cited in the Guardian. Wales and Scotland have recently banned hitting, smacking and slapping children – and the children’s commissioner for England wants to introduce the same ban in England.

The 2016 meta-analysis of more than 160,000 children found that hitting as a form of discipline is ineffective at positively changing a child’s behavior, in the short and the long term. The analysis also found that children who were disciplined with physical punishment were more​​ likely to become aggressive, display antisocial behavior and exhibit mental health problems.

Andrew Grogan-Kaylor has been appointed the Sandra K. Danziger Collegiate Professor of Social Work. His research focuses on scientific knowledge development and intervention research on children and families with the aim of reducing violence against children and improving family and child well-being. He also examines the dynamic interplay of parenting behaviors and their effects on child health and mental health outcomes across socioeconomic contexts, neighborhoods and cultures.  A collegiate professorship is a University of Michigan advanced professorial title, which recognizes: a national, or preferably international, reputation in research; a record of exceptional teaching quality and of innovation; and a history of service to the School, the university and the community.

Professor Andy Grogan-Kaylor has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Doctoral Student Organization Faculty Award. Since 2019, doctoral students have collectively selected one professor to honor with the recognition. "Andy has taught and mentored many doctoral students. His approach to teaching methods courses is engaging for students across a range of methodological backgrounds. His courses help us see how methods can be leveraged as a tool to advance social justice. In addition to supporting students through teaching, Andy provides a great deal of support outside the classroom. Throughout my years in the program, I have consistently noticed that doctoral students go to Andy with complex methodological questions. We always come away better equipped to move forward with our research."

Associate Professor Andrew Grogan-Kaylor's meta-analysis of 50 years of research on corporal punishment was key in the recent American Academy of Pediatrics policy update on corporal punishment. The Academy - the largest professional organization for US pediatricians - is taking a strict stance against parents, caregivers and other adults using spanking, hitting or slapping to discipline children. The updated policy statement is the first major revise since 1998.

The New York Times features the American Academy of Pediatrics new most strongly worded policy statement against spanking children. The latest statement stems from a body of research including Associate Professor Andrew Grogan-Kaylor's "Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses".

Associate Professor Andrew Grogan-Kaylor was cited in Germany’s Zeit Online for his meta-analysis of 50 years of research on corporal punishment.