Faculty in the School of Education and Social Policy conduct research that investigates how people learn and develop over the course of the life span. Research themes focus on individual development and the personal narrative; the life course and culture; development, intervention and culture; the life course and policy; analysis of policy effects on lives. The results of such research become powerful tools to shape education and social programs that make a difference in schools and communities and change the lives of children and families. The School of Education and Social Policy is a member of the University-Based Child and Family Consortium.
Current projects:
Distributed Leadership Study
This project is a longitudinal study of urban school leadership. The study is designed to explore and understand leadership as a practice of instructional improvement and to examine the relations between leadership practice and teachers' classroom work. The goal is to construct a theoretical framework that is grounded in the day-to-day practice of leadership.
See James P. Spillane; John B. Diamond
Evaluation of After School Matters
Bart Hirsch and Larry Hedges are evaluating After School Matters' apprenticeship programs using an experimental design. Outcome domains include positive youth development, marketable job skills, academic performance and problem behavior. The research involves both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Foley Center for the Study of Lives
Funded by a grant from the Foley Family Foundation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Foley Center for the Study of Lives is an interdisciplinary research project committed to studying psychological and social development in the adult years.
See Dan P. McAdams.
The Transition to Teaching Study
With support from the Joyce Foundation, this study is designed to gain a better understanding of the role of the student teaching placement in teacher preparation and subsequent entry of individuals into the teacher labor market. Michelle Reininger is working with Chicago Public Schools to investigate a new selection process for identifying pre-service teachers who show promise for becoming effective teachers in the future.
See Michelle Reininger.
Welfare, Children and Families: A Three-City Study
This project involves work by P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale tracking effects of welfare reform on the lives of low-income children and their families in Chicago, Boston and San Antonio.
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