Positive Indicators: It’s Important to Look At Strengths, Too

Several recent publications have discussed the importance of “positive indicators.”  What are positive indicators and why are they important? These indicators measure aspects of positive well being, such as the percentage of students who report that an adult at school cares about them, rather than measuring problems, such as juvenile arrests. In the last couple of decades, there has been an increasing focus on understanding how to support children’s positive development – the skills, attitudes, health, and opportunities that young people need to succeed. This is a major shift from the historical focus on understanding and reducing negative behaviors and problems.

While it is important for policymakers to continue monitoring and addressing the problems facing children, it also is critical for leaders to understand the extent to which children are developing in positive ways, so we can develop strategies to promote and sustain those benefits. This is particularly true when governments are faced with tough budget decisions.

A recent UNICEF report discussed the concern that positive indicators may not attract as much attention as negative indicators and suggested that “it is often not the tenor of the indicator, but whether the trend is good or bad, that attracts this attention.” For example, the good news about California’s declining teen birth rate and the not-so-good news about few students reporting meaningful opportunities to participate in school both are worthy of public attention. In the U.S., it certainly is true that programs and policies promoting the positive development of children and youth have received increased attention in recent years, and support seems to be growing for the notion that “problem free is not fully prepared.”

However, there also is wide agreement on the need for additional and improved measures of positive well being, particularly in the area of social and emotional health. The following reports discuss these needs in depth and offer recommendations to improve positive indicators:

Lippman, Laura, H., Kristin Anderson Moore and Hugh McIntosh (2009), “Positive Indicators of Child Well-Being: A Conceptual Framework, Measures and Methodological Issues.” Innocenti Working Paper No. 2009-21. Florence, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.

Dukakis, K., London, R.A., McLaughlin, M., Williamson, D. (Oct. 2009). “Positive Youth Development: Individual, Setting and System Level Indicators.” John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities.

Tags: Data Challenges

Posted by JoAnna Caywood

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