About the Project

The current project is a follow-up of the INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament study (2008-2012). This project was led by faculty members in the departments of Applied Psychology and Teaching & Learning at New York University. The purpose of the project was to compare how two classroom programs influenced young children’s development. The study evaluation found that children in the INSIGHTS program showed significant gains in math and reading achievement.

Now, we are meeting with the same students to see how they are doing several years after participating in these programs. The information we collect will help us understand how early childhood programs influence students' positive development across elementary and middle school. To learn more about what our current project looks like, take a peek at our INSIGHTS Follow-Up project video!

Few studies have examined long-term impacts of programs that target social-emotional and behavioral skills in early schooling. Understanding how early education programs influence students’ social-emotional, behavioral, and academic development in the long-term can inform program development and resource allocation. It is important to examine long-term impacts of programs, especially into early adolescence given the (a) social-emotional and academic skill development during this time and (b) the strong predictive relation between middle school performance and later life outcomes (i.e. high school completion).

This research project is led by Drs. Erin O'Connor, Elise Cappella, and Sandee McClowry (NYU) and Dr. Meghan McCormick (MDRC). It is being conducted as part of a research-practice partnership between NYU, the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, and the NYC Department of Education.

Be sure to visit our blog for parents and teachers, or watch our short video to learn more about our follow-up project. See the INSIGHTS website for more information.

Questions? Reach our project coordinators, Hope and Samantha, by calling (646) 783-8689 or emailing insightsnyu@gmail.com.