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• Submit Your Proposals for NCFR 2026
• Seeking Half-Day Workshop Proposals
• Social Science Advocacy Day
• Proposal Reviewers Needed
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2026 NCFR Annual Conference | Minneapolis | Nov. 18-21
Family Science in Action: Law, Policy, and Practice
Proposals Due by April 1, 2026
Bring your research, teaching, and practice to the forefront of how law and policy shape families—and how Family Science can shape law and policy in return. This year's theme is Families at the Nexus of Law and Policy: The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Legislating Families and Relationships.
2026 Program Co-Chairs Brian G. Ogolsky, Ph.D., and Jennifer L. Hardesty, Ph.D., CFLE, are organizing each day of the conference around a subtheme and goals that build upon each other over the course of the week.
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Families at the Nexus of Law and Policy: Submit work that positions families within legal, policy, and structural systems, advancing theory, evidence, or practice that informs decision-making.
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Intended and Unintended Consequences: Share research or applied perspectives that examine how laws and policies help, or harm, families and relationships in complex, unexpected ways.
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Untended and Forgotten Issues: Highlight overlooked populations, underexamined policies, or marginalized family experiences that deserve greater scholarly and policy attention.
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Family Scholars as Change Agents: Propose sessions that build skills, models, or partnerships linking Family Science to advocacy, legislation, policy implementation, or professional practice.
New for 2026: We are seeking proposals for half-day workshops for Saturday at the conference. Learn more.
Proposal mentors are available! Email cindywinter@ncfr.org by March 11, 2026.
Submit your proposals by April 1, 2026.
SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSALS |
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NCFR MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES |
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NCFR Grants
Submit Your Research Grant Proposals by April 1
NCFR grant submission period is now open!
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NCFR Olson Grant: Bridging Research, Theory, and Practice: $10,000 annual grant available to NCFR members working to creatively contribute to the discipline of Family Science by bridging research, theory, and practice in their work. Learn more.
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NCFR Darling Family Life Education Research Initiative Grant: $5,000 biennial grant available to NCFR members and Certified Family Life Educators with the purpose of integrating Family Science research into the practice of Family Life Education. Learn more.
Please note: Application for IRB approval must be submitted prior to submitting the grant application and match the project name. |
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NCFR Volunteers
Call for Conference Proposal Reviewers
Sign up by April 1
A large number of proposals is expected for this year's NCFR conference, and your involvement as proposal reviewer is paramount to ensure a high-quality program. All proposals will be blind-reviewed.
Serving as a proposal reviewer is a benefit of NCFR membership.
SIGN UP TO REVIEW
(login required)
Not a member? Join or renew your membership and you too can partake in this volunteer opportunity |
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POLICY |
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Join the NCFR Delegation in Washington, D.C.
Social Science Advocacy Day
March 23-24, 2026
Join NCFR for Social Science Advocacy Day 2026, hosted by the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA). Current registration is $125/members and $50/students. Make sure to register now!
Unable to join in person? Be on the lookout for more ways to participate from home by contacting your members of Congress on why federal funding for research is important. Your voice and expertise is crucial to helping Congress see the value of funding science!
Already registered or plan on attending? Complete this webform so we can plan to gather as a group: COSSA NCFR Delegation. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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CFLE Conversation
Increasing Your Visibility as a Certified Family Life Educator
May 6, 2026 / Noon - 1 p.m. CT / Free for CFLEs
Facilitator: Jody Johnston Pawel, LSW, CFLE, CTSS, CFLC-E
Are you a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) trying to advertise yourself and your services? Join this conversation to engage in active discussion with other CFLEs about ideas, challenges, and tips for increasing your visibility as a CFLE. Come prepared to share and chat with others. The facilitator will share their experiences and guide the conversation.
Ms. Johnston Pawel is an award-winning author of over 100 research-based parenting curricula, programs, and resources. She has trained over 100,000 parents and professionals and has certified over 100 Parent’s Toolshop® trainers and coaches worldwide. She serves as a parenting expert to the media, with 300+ media appearances in the first year of the launch of her award-winning book The Parent’s Toolshop®, and was the Assistant Producer and On-air Parenting Expert of the Emmy-nominated Ident-a-Kid television series.
LEARN MORE & RESERVE YOUR SEAT |
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RESEARCH |
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NCFR Journals
Read the Latest From NCFR Journals
Read 9 Articles Published Feb. 22–28
Catch up on the latest research from NCFR's scholarly journals — Journal of Marriage and Family (JMF), Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science (FR), and Journal of Family Theory & Review (JFTR) — including these open-access articles:
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FR: Dyadic Expectations of Cooperation and Support in the Transition to Parenthood
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JFTR: The Grandparent–Grandchild Relationship and Grandchildren's Developmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis
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JMF: Marriage Mandates: Understanding Parental Pressures to Marry Among Taiwanese Young Adults
SEE ALL NEW NCFR RESEARCH
If you are an NCFR member subscribed to one of our journals, you can access articles by logging into your NCFR account. You can also sign up for email alerts. |
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CALLS FOR PAPERS |
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NCFR Journals
Deadline March 15: JFTR Special Issue Call for Papers
Theme: Theorizing Families and the State
March 15 is the deadline to submit manuscripts for a special issue of NCFR's Journal of Family Theory & Review (JFTR) themed "Theorizing Families and the State."
The special issue will highlight the ways in which family privilege and oppression are socially structured and reproduced by the state via laws, policies, rules, and regulations in the modern era and how marriage fundamentalism, in particular, operates alongside structural racism, nationalism, sexism, and heterosexism as an axis of power and control.
SEE CALL FOR PAPERS |
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Family Relations Special Section Call for Papers
Theme: Ukrainian Forced Migrants' Transnational Families
NCFR's Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science (FR) is seeking submissions for a special section themed "Ukrainian Forced Migrants’ Transnational Families: New Relationality and Shared Agency."
Submit letters of intent by April 30. For authors invited to submit, manuscripts will be due Sept. 30.
SEE CALL FOR PAPERS |
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NCFR Nexus
Family Communication and Conflict Resolution
Submission Deadline: May 1
The summer 2026 issue of NCFR Nexus will explore family communication and conflict resolution using the broadest possible definition of "family."
Healthy and effective communication is essential to family well-being and supports NCFR’s vision is of "Every Family Thriving." Yet, communication breakdowns and unresolved conflicts are common challenges across all types of families, regardless of structure, background, or stage in the family life cycle.
NCFR Nexus invites articles from researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers. Submissions are due May 1, 2026, via the NCFR Nexus Article Submission Form.
READ MORE
Questions or ideas? Contact editor Beth Magistad, Ph.D., CFLE, at nexuseditor@ncfr.org. |
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NCFR PUBLICATIONS |
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Wisdom for Parents. Key Ideas from Parent Educators
Edited by Elizabeth A. Ramsey, Ph.D., CFLE
$29.95 retail. $25.95 for CFLEs
Family Science professionals from across the discipline share stories, reflection, and poems in this extensive collection of parenting knowledge that can benefit anyone— teachers, researchers, students, and parents!
A variety of relevant topics on the joys and challenges of parenting are woven together to create a valuable resource both in and out of the classroom setting. This second edition includes updated entries, new contributions, and discussion questions.
Family Life Education: The Practice of Family Science
Edited by Wm. Michael Fleming, Ph.D., CFLE; and Michael J. Walcheski, Ph.D., CFLE
$79.99 retail. $69.99 for NCFR members and CFLEs
Useful and informative for seasoned and emerging professionals, as well as for students, this textbook provides a comprehensive examination of the profession from the perspectives of many leading family scholars and educators.
The second edition includes four sections that consider the knowledge and skills needed for the effective practice of Family Life Education (FLE) and chapters on FLE with various populations and relevant issues. |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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NCFR Members Featured in Science Podcasts
NCFR members Ben Karney, Ph.D., and Megan Haselschwerdt, Ph.D., were recently featured on an episode of the podcast Science Vs to discuss potential signs that a relationship might become dangerous or abusive.
The purpose of Science Vs is to debunk myths and limit the spread of misinformation by reviewing scientific literature and interviewing scientific experts on relevant topics. You can find the episode "Is Your Relationship … OK?" on podcast platforms such as Apple and Spotify. Here is a transcript of the episode.
Dr. Haselschwerdt was also recently featured on the Online Learning Podcast, "Does Allowing AI Reduce AI?" Find it here.
If you or one of your students or colleagues has been on a recent podcast, let us know! Email tripsullivan@ncfr.org.
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NCFR JOBS CENTER |
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Employment Opportunities
Employers: Get your job opening included in Zippy News by posting it in
NCFR's online Jobs Center! Get started here.
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New Mexico State University
The New Mexico State University College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences seeks a 12-month, non-tenure track extension district/area specialist in behavioral health (assistant or associate professor rank). Bilingual skills, and experience with Native American, Hispanic/Latino, and rural populations are preferred. The role provides statewide leadership, professional development, and evidence-based community education on behavioral health topics.
Location: Las Cruces, New Mexico
Required Education: Master's (Doctorate preferred)
Application Deadline: April 25, 2026
SEE FULL DETAILS |
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Georgia Southern University
The Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) program in Georgia Southern University’s School of Human Ecology seeks a lecturer for a 10-month, non-tenure track appointment beginning Aug. 1, 2026. This position is focused on undergraduate teaching, student success, service, and professional development. Candidates must hold a master’s degree in HDFS or a related field and demonstrate strong teaching potential and technological proficiency.
Location: Statesboro, Georgia
Required Education: Master's
Application Deadline: Screening begins March 25, 2026; open until filled
SEE FULL DETAILS
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