The Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) supports rigorous research and training across social, behavioral, educational, policy, communication, and health sciences. Through collaborative and interdisciplinary research, IHDSC works to bridge the disconnect between the science of human development and policies and practices that affect children, youth, and families in diverse contexts.
IHDSC represents a dynamic collaboration among three NYU schools: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; Faculty of Arts and Science; and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
For Researchers
IHDSC supports rigorous research and training, cultivating research through seed awards, working groups, and individualized grant support from conception through closeout.
For Partners
IHDSC partners with researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to conduct research, develop training, and create mutually beneficial opportunities for networking and professional development.
Recent Blogs:
Q&A: Dr. Diane Hughes and Olga Pagán
How do different spaces feel to people of different races? Take schools, for example: Who are on the posters in the hallway? Who is on the honor roll? What are the disciplinary codes? To whom are they applied? These aspects of spaces (and more) contribute to the concept of racial ecology. On the Ground interviewed Dr. Diane Hughes and IES-PIRT Fellow Olga Pagán to discuss their ongoing scholarship on race and racial ecology.
The State of Black Suburbs
"For many folks, when I start to talk about the Black suburban experience, they think that it's this moment of meeting of white and Black, of distance coming together. But there's a far more nuanced and complicated reality." Drs. L'Heureux Lewis-McCoy and Kimberley Johnson received seed award funding for "The Black Suburban Governance Project" in 2020. Along with PhD candidate Kiara Douds, they discussed their research approach and early findings.
Q&A: Dr. Rachel Atkins
In 2020, Dr. Rachel Atkins received a grant from the Kauffman Foundation to fund the development of the Workshop for Advancement of Research on Racial Equity in Technology Entrepreneurship, through the Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies (a center within IHDSC). On the Ground interviewed Dr. Atkins about what inspired her project and how the research community can contribute to the workshop going forward.
COVID-19 Resources for the IHDSC Community
IHDSC offers a collection of readings and resources we have compiled in an effort to help bridge the disconnect between what we know from research and practice and what we do to support children, families, and communities.
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Unraveling Inequality, Expanding Opportunity
Inequality is prevalent in health, education, justice, and technology — in our own backyard and around the globe. Enriching opportunities that engender positive outcomes are distributed inequitably to children and youth in our communities. To bring groundbreaking, rigorous research and collaborative engagement to bear on this challenge, the Institute’s theme is “Unraveling Inequality, Expanding Opportunity.”
What does this mean for the year ahead?
Select Projects
Global TIES for Children
Global TIES for Children is an international research center at New York University dedicated to designing, evaluating and advising on programs and policies to improve the lives of children and youth in the most vulnerable regions across the globe.
CONNECT
The CONNECT lab at NYU conducts research to understand and strengthen contexts for learning and mental health in low-income education settings. We study natural opportunities for academic, social, and emotional learning via productive relationships and quality interactions.
IES-PIRT
For over a decade, IHDSC and faculty from seven NYU academic units have trained incoming and advanced doctoral students from diverse backgrounds to become outstanding researchers in the educational sciences.
Systems Aligning For Equity
The aim of SAFE Spaces (formerly RISC) is to examine the setting-level characteristics and processes that occur in child welfare settings and explore their association with outcomes for youth.
Partnership
IHDSC's approach to partnership is guided by a set of principles and the aim to create new knowledge of effective policies and practices and their implementation across multiple sectors and settings, and build the capacity to eliminate disparities and foster learning, health, and development for children and youth in our communities.
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