Triana Kazaleh Sirdenis

Youth Policy Lab has partnered with colleagues at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention to examine the impact of school cellphone policies in Michigan. This study aims to identify variability in district cellphone policies; understand the barriers to and facilitators of implementation; and estimate their impact on indicators of community violence, including fights in school, school discipline, and police incidents; as well as a range of mental health, wellbeing, and academic outcomes. While school cellphone restrictions may improve y...

Since 2022, YPL has led an evaluation of SafeCare, a parental education program implemented by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). In an effort to reduce child maltreatment recidivism and foster care placement, SafeCare is offered to families either at-risk for or have a history of child neglect and/or physical abuse. This in-home program teaches caregivers skills about how to interact in a positive manner with their children; to create a safe home environment; and to recognize and respond to symptoms of illness and injury. To build a larger evidence base for this pro...

Youth Policy Lab is conducting a three-year national study of the impacts of school cellphone policies on academic outcomes and student wellbeing. This initiative was launched at a pivotal moment as districts are rapidly implementing cellphone restrictions. One component of this project involves partnering with Yondr, a company that makes cellphone-blocking pouches for schools, to understand how these pouches affect academic achievement, school engagement, behavioral incidents, chronic absenteeism, and socio-emotional measures.A second component involves partnering with Monitoring the Future (...

YPL partnered with the Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC) at the U-M Law School to evaluate their Counsel at First Appearance pilot in select Michigan counties. Through this evaluation, we assessed the outcomes of providing legal representation to juvenile defendants facing felony charges at their first time in court. Findings from this evaluation were expected to support efforts to scale CAFA for juveniles statewide.