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Learning and Leading with Purpose

We are innovators and researchers working to improve lives and transform society.

SESP students become

We value interdisciplinary training and hands-on experiences.

Join us and explore all you can do.

Programs

Get to Know Us

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Since 1926, our school has been a close-knit community of students, faculty, and staff committed to improving lives for individuals and communities. See what makes us special.

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Ranked Education School, U.S. News & World Report
Faculty members elected to the National Academy of Education
%
Undergraduates employed or completing graduate school or fellowships after graduation
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Service hours provided to local communities through the Civic Education Project

Making an Impact

At SESP, we partner with the community, where our research findings can make the greatest difference. These mutually beneficial collaborations let us to test new ideas, develop better practices, and spread discoveries to benefit as many people as possible.

Student walking in Chicago by train

Morton Schapiro Northwestern Academy for Chicago Public Schools

The Morton Schapiro Northwestern Academy for Chicago Public Schools increases access and successful matriculation of underrepresented, academically motivated Chicago Public Schools students. Thanks to the Academy, these talented students are put on a path to attend some of the country’s top-tier colleges and universities. To date, graduates have attended more than 115 different colleges and universities, including Northwestern, Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Marcello Worsley working with high school student

Black Kids Predict

Black Kids Predict gets students interested in data science to revamp the pipeline of talent. The  curriculum expands 6th-12th grade kids' idea of data and computer sciences from a geeky desk job they don’t want, to a superpower. Led by college-aged students from diverse backgrounds, the program emphasizes the practical uses of STEM education and learning to see data differently.


 

Nichole Pinkard working with student

STEAMbassadors

STEAMbassadors trains college-bound 18 to 24-year-olds from under resourced communities to work with youngsters whose neighborhoods lack learning opportunities and role models in the fields of computer science, engineering, and the arts. STEAMbassadors are assigned to a neighborhood organization that partners with Chicago Department of Family Support Services programs in parks, libraries, and schools to help build an out-of-school learning ecosystem across the city.

Evanston Township High School Partnership Office

Northwestern-Evanston Township High School (ETHS) Partnership Office

The Northwestern/ETHS Partnership Office is part of the Good Neighbor, Great University Initiative. The Partnership Office work is supported by Neighborhood and Community Relations and the Office of Community Education Partnerships in the School of Education and Social Policy. Northwestern has more than 100 substantial partnerships with Evanston Township High School. The relationship between the two communities spans disciplines and boundaries, crossing into academics, athletics, health and wellness, identity and social consciousness, college and career education, cultural events, mentoring, arts, and community engagement.

News and Events

SESP's New Home: The Jacobs Center

Mar 15, 2024 4:59 PM

Excitement is building as Northwestern begins preparations on one of the University’s top priorities, to turn the Donald P. Jacobs Center into a new hub for the social sciences and global studies.

Closing the Gender Gap in Computer Science

Mar 12, 2024 7:28 PM

Student-run groups designed to foster a sense of belonging and solidarity among women in computer science may help boost female participation in the field, according to new Northwestern University research.

When Black Boys Have Black Teachers

Mar 8, 2024 11:27 AM

Black teachers are less likely to identify same race students as needing special education services, according to new research by Northwestern University alumni Cassandra Hart (PhD11) and Constance Lindsay (PhD10).

Still Trying to Change the World

Mar 6, 2024 8:07 PM

When Renetta McCann was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame last year, some of her admirers created a website, filled with such tributes to the trailblazer as “Thanks for lifting as you climb,” and “So glad she’s in my corner.”

Events

Mar
19
2024

Higher Education Certificates Information Session (virtual)

4:00 PM
Interested in learning more about SESP's Higher Education Certificates options? Join us for an information session to pr...
Mar
19
2024

MS in Higher Education Information Session (virtual)

5:00 PM
Interested in learning more about the Master of Science in Higher Education Administration and Policy (MSHE)? Join us fo...
Mar
20
2024

Family Action Network (FAN) - Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls

7:00 PM
In Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls – And How We Can Take It Back, communication profes...
Mar
22
2024

Shirin Vossoughi and Sepehr Vakil on Learning and Educational Justice

4:00 PM
What do we know about learning as a science and its relationship to equity and justice? What's the relationship between ...
Mar
25
2024

Spring Break Ends

All day
Spring Break Ends
Mar
27
2024

Narrative In Crisis: Featuring Dan McAdams

2:00 PM
What did we learn from the Spanish flu? How well do experts and journalists understand what those numbers are supposed ...