Can a Growth Mindset Boost Coding Skills?
Introductory computer science classes often have trouble retaining students, perhaps in part because they often promote a fixed mindset or the belief that great programmers are born and not made.
Saving Lives with Social Policy
Income inequality and health inequality are not necessarily connected, according to a new study of U.S. and French death rates examining the often-studied link between poverty and poor health.
Northwestern, CPS Launch Rapid Impact Grants Program
SESP and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have created the Rapid Impact Grants Program -- an accelerated program that will fund small projects that address pressing research needs to help inform practice and propel academic progress in the nation’s third-largest school district.
SESP in the Media: August 2018
An ongoing, monthly roundup of appearances in the news media by School of Education and Social Policy faculty, researchers, and our community.
SESP Graduate Students Win Dev Sci Funding
Northwestern University doctoral students Mollie McQuillian, Jacquelyn Stephens and Courtenay Kessler have been awarded seed grant funding for ambitious research projects that promote health and well-being across the lifespan from the DevSci Center for Transdisciplinary Training and The Graduate School.
SNAP Benefits Reduced When Work Requirements Rise
Expanding work requirements for those participating in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would hurt millions of people already in the workforce, especially those with low levels of education, Northwestern University labor economist Diane Shanzenbach wrote in Brookings.
Hedges Wins World's Largest Education Research Prize
Northwestern University Professor Larry Hedges, a preeminent scholar and global heavyweight in education research, has been awarded the 2018 Yidan Prize, the world’s largest prize in education research.
School Policies: Helping Some While Hurting Others?
Popular school policies and practices that can help some students excel might have the opposite effect on others, Northwestern University researchers David Figlio and Krzysztof Karbownik wrote in Brookings
SESP Undergrads Vie for Research Awards
Ten School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) undergraduates will present their work at the 2018 Undergraduate Research and Arts Exposition on Wednesday, May 30, an annual forum for original research and creative work by Northwestern undergraduates. Prizes are awarded for the best poster, oral presentation, and creative arts entry.
Undergrads Win 2018 Summer Research Grants
Five up-and-coming School of Education and Social Policy researchers have received 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Grants from Northwestern University's Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) to study everything from pediatric palliative care to the rape culture in the Greek system.
SESP in the Media: May 2018
An ongoing, monthly roundup of appearances in the news media by School of Education and Social Policy faculty, researchers, and our community.
Budding Researchers Win AYURG Grants
Eight School of Education and Social Policy students received 2017-18 Academic Year Undergraduate Research Grants (AYURG) to study everything from sound bathing, a mind-body practice that utilizes gongs and meditation, to the development of depression among urban preschoolers.
Simone Ispa-Landa Named William T. Grant Scholar
Northwestern University’s Simone Ispa-Landa, an education sociologist, has been named a 2018 William T. Grant Scholar for her work examining racial inequities in school discipline practices.
Hope in Those Places of Struggle
Natalie Davis’ research examining how school environments inform visions of hope and action for children despite deeply entrenched inequities will be honored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) during its annual conference in New York City.
SESP Heads to AERA 2018
More than three dozen Northwestern University faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and students from the School of Education and Social Policy are scheduled to participate in the 2018 annual American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting in New York City.
Do Disaster-Fleeing Refugees Burden U.S. Schools?
The influx of Haitian refugees in Florida following a devastating 2010 earthquake didn’t hurt the academic performance of incumbent students, School of Education and Social Policy Dean David Figlio wrote in Brookings.
How to Help Anxious Students Cope With Stress
Talking with students about their goals for a successful future can help manage challenges and stress, according to a Northwestern University-led study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion.
Conference Highlights the Power of Social Relationships
The social connections we create throughout life can impact everything from self-esteem and learning to inequality and teacher performance, researchers said during Northwestern University’s international “Social Relationships Across the Life Span” conference.
A Path Out of Poverty and Poor Health
School of Education and Social Policy faculty Lindsay Chase-Lansdale and Terri Sabol are among several Northwestern University psychologists and developmental scientists working to help low-income families beat poverty and improve their health.
Sabol Receives Early Career Fellowship
Terri Sabol, whose research focuses on how schools and families lead to healthy child development, was selected as one of 22 inaugural early career fellows by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD).
Figlio: A Leading Voice on Vouchers
Journalists looking for rigorous studies on vouchers are turning to the work of Northwestern University economist David Figlio, a national expert on school vouchers and their effects.
Four SESP Students Receive Undergraduate Research Grants
Four budding researchers in the School of Education and Social Policy were awarded summer Undergraduate Research Grants from the Northwestern University Office of the Provost to study everything from marital conflict to paranormal folklore podcasts.
Prenatal Exposure to Superfund Sites May Affect Brain Development
Children who live near hazardous waste sites can benefit from environmental cleanups, suggests one of the first large-scale studies to examine the short and long-term effects of prenatal exposure to Superfund sites on brain development.
Pacific Standard Cites Figlio’s Voucher Research
Private school vouchers have shown some modest positive effects, but the difference is not “Earth-shattering,” Northwestern University professor David Figlio said in the recent Pacific Standard article, “What Can Florida Teach Us About School Choice?”
Spillane Finds Teachers Benefit From Proximity
Teachers have long been portrayed as independent contractors, working alone and behind closed doors. But new Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy research suggests teachers may benefit from the chance encounters that stem from working near one another inside the school building.
Schanzenbach Coauthors Op-Ed, New Report On Data
The modern economy has never been more reliant on data. But discretionary budget cuts could dramatically affect federal data collection, costing the economy more money than it saves, according to Northwestern University Professor Diane Schanzenbach, director of the Hamilton Project and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
McQuillan Receives Presidential Fellowship
School of Education and Social Policy doctoral candidate Mollie McQuillan has received a 2017 Presidential Fellowship, the most prestigious award available to Northwestern University graduate students.
Worsley Explores the Origin of Ideas
Inside MakerSpaces and FabLabs, students often try to solve open-ended engineering design challenges using a range of both new and familiar materials. Where do their ideas come from?
Vossoughi Receives Grant to Study Equity and Tinkering
Northwestern University Professor Shirin Vossoughi received a $218,000 grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to continue her groundbreaking work looking at culture, equity and learning in after-school tinkering programs.
Coburn, Spillane’s Published Research Among 'Most Read'
Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy Professors Cynthia Coburn and James Spillane, one of the world’s most prominent education leadership scholars, co-authored two of the most popular journal articles published by the American Educational Research Association in 2016.
Guryan's Work Helps Spark Social Policy Revolution
Northwestern University economist Jonathan Guryan is on the front lines of a social policy revolution in Chicago, according to the latest issue of Chicago Magazine.
Senior to Present Research at Big Ideas Forum
Subin Hwang will present her research examining the public health response to the refuge crisis in Germany during the next Big Ideas forum on Feb. 8.
Are Great Teachers Poor Scholars?
Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro and Professor David Figlio have published research asking the question that has challenged elite universities and liberal arts colleges alike in recent times: “Are Great Teachers Poor Scholars?”
Figlio to Present School Voucher Data
Northwestern University Professor David Figlio will present his recent research on school voucher programs in Ohio and Florida on Feb. 2 during a forum at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington, D.C.
Why Rural Schools Have Become 'Engines of Exodus'
To address the phenomenon of “rural brain drain,” schools must work with their local communities, rather than considering themselves separate from the cycle of economic decline, researchers wrote in a commentary in Education Week.
The Impact of a Strict Criminal Justice Administration
In the wake of a potentially new “law and order” administration, criminal justice reform advocates must “create strong counter-narratives and messaging that stress ineffectiveness of current policies, the human right to dignity, and parsimony,” Northwestern University sociologist Heather Schoenfeld recently wrote in The Hill.
Faculty Recognized in Edu-Scholar Rankings
For the fifth consecutive year, researchers from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy have been named to Education Week’s “Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings,” which recognize 200 of the most influential academics in education policy.
Gifted Students Benefit From Ability Grouping, Acceleration
Schools should use both ability grouping and acceleration to help academically talented students, reports a new Northwestern University study that examined a century of research looking at the controversial subject.
Coburn Receives Grant to Study Educational Gap
Northwestern University Professor Cynthia Coburn has received one-year, $70,000 grant to study how schools are creating stronger and more seamless connections between preschool and elementary school.
Jolie Matthews Explores History Learning in Online Fan Forums
Digital learning expert and SESP assistant professor Jolie Matthews examines how people talk about history in online fan communities.
Washington Post Reports Jon Guryan's Lottery Research: 'No Lucky Stores'
There is no such thing as a "lucky" lottery store, although associate professor Jon Guryan's study found lottery sales jump as much as 38 percent at stores selling winning tickets.
Emma Adam on WGBH: 'How Discrimination Affects Your Hormone Levels'
SESP professor Emma Adam discovered a link between cortisol levels and experiences with racism that showed the long-term effect of being discriminated against as a teenager.
SESP Researchers Undertake Adolescent Stress Study in Dominica
Dominica News reports that postdoctoral researcher Royette Tavernier, who works with professor Emma Adam, is conducting a study to assess stress, coping, health and resilience among youth in Dominica after tropical storm Erika.
Diane Schanzenbach on White House Panel: Food Stamp Program 'Investment, Not Charity'
The federal food stamp program has a strong impact on health, education and economic self-sufficiency, according to leading economist Diane Schanzenbach, who presented at a White House panel on child hunger.
How Early Is Infants' Attention Affected by Culture?
By age two, infants’ attention to objects and events may be shaped by their culture, according to new cross-cultural research by professor Sandra Waxman, comparing infants in the U.S and China.
College Success: Jim Rosenbaum Sees Alternatives to Bachelor's Programs
With nearly half of community college students dropping out, professor James Rosenbaum finds good options to a bachelor's degree for lower-income students.
SESP Studies Show New Funding Improves Schools, Slate Reports
Research by associate professors Diane Schanzenbach and Kirabo Jackson show new funding for schools improves student achievement and school quality.
Ending Mass Incarceration in the United States
SESP assistant professor Heather Schoenfeld is investigating why states are seeking prison reform and how these efforts might help the U.S. reverse mass incarceration.
Mesmin Destin in Boston Globe: Students Who See Path to College Work Harder
Boston Globe in "Pay to Play" reported SESP assistant professor Mesmin Destin's finding that poor students — but not affluent students — who learned about financial aid reported that they would study more and were more likely to consider college.