Advisory Board Member Karen Pittman Awarded the NEA’s 2026 Outstanding Service to Public Education Award
Youth Today February 24, 2026
Advisory Board Member Karen Pittman has been awarded the National Education Association’s prestigious 2026 Outstanding Service to Public Education Award. Previous recipients include Kent McGuire, Linda Darling-Hammond, Sesame Street, Mister Rogers, and President Clinton. Frequently referred to as the godmother of positive youth development, Karen has spent her career bringing research on adolescent development into policy and practice to help leaders realize they can do more than help a few young people “beat the odds” — they can make systemic changes that actually “change the odds.”
Recent News
April 20, 2026
The UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent was cited in a New America article highlighting organizations and research that have supported the National Commission on Learning Ecosystems’ understanding of adolescent development and how to build ecosystems that support young people. The National Commission on Learning Ecosystems is a two-year initiative, announced in February 2026, that focuses on making stronger connections between U.S. public schools and out-of-school programs.
April 16, 2026
The Wallace Foundation interviews CDA’s Co-Executive Director Adriana Galvan for an article on how adolescent brain development shapes risk-taking and learning, and why relationships, exploration, and access to out-of-school-time opportunities matter for developing adolescents.
back to top
