Research-practice-policy partnerships are central to understanding and reducing inequality. For over a decade, IHDSC has aimed to influence policy and practice by conducting rigorous research and generating scientific evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions. In recent years, many faculty affiliates have taken on this goal more directly by forming active partnerships with governmental agencies, non-profit and community-based organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These partnerships span local, national, and global contexts and aim to build capacity and support system-level change effects to increase access to and effectiveness of services for more children and families. The Institute is committed to creating and strengthening partnerships that are mutually beneficial, equitable, and sustainable and that centers the voices of community allies.
Partner News Spotlight
New Research-Practice-Partnership with the Inspired Community Project
IHDSC is pleased to announce a new research partnership with Dr. Anil Chacko, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology, and the Inspired Community Project.
"Inside the Arab Classroom": A New Podcast Series Exploring the Dynamic Landscape of Education in the Arab World
NYU’s Global TIES for Children and afikra are pleased to announce the launch of "Inside the Arab Classroom," a new podcast series that explores education traditions and innovations within Arabic-speaking nations.
Supporting New York City’s Early Childhood Educators in a Global Pandemic: Challenges, Innovations, and Implications for Professional Learning
Researchers from NYU Steinhardt partnered with the NYC Public Schools’ Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE) to examine professional learning (PL) experiences of New York City (NYC) early childhood educators during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021).
Educational Alliance’s SHARP Impact Study Investigates the Temporarily Expanded Child Tax Credit
The Educational Alliance, a long standing partner of IHDSC, collaborated with the United Neighborhood Houses (UNH) and the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) to launch the Settlement House American Rescue Plan (SHARP) Impact Study.
In Solidarity Conversations: A YPAR Approach to Research-Practice Partnerships
Incoming Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology and the Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Lauren C. Mims, partnered with the National Crittenton and the National Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiatives (National YWI) to produce an incredible report on their In Solidarity Conversations.
Deeper Development Comes from Within
Steinhardt faculty leverage research-practice partnerships (RPPs) to improve early childhood education.
What Do We Do in Partnership?
Research and Consultation
Institute researchers work with policy and practice leaders to conduct original research on questions relevant to practice, policy and science. Research projects are developed and executed by the partnered team and supported by internal or external funding. The Institute also facilitates links between researchers and agencies for short-term, targeted guidance.
Internships and Training
Our IES-PIRT program, and related programs, provide opportunities for students to assist partner organizations with “client-driven” research aimed at specific, actionable policy or practice questions. Students design surveys, conduct analysis, translate research findings, and support the work of state agencies, non-profit organizations, and more.
Communication and Outreach
The Institute generates and shares collaborative reports, white papers, policy memos, and blog posts that speak to all sides of the research-practice-policy divide. IHDSC’s blog, On the Ground, highlights how partnerships can address the many pressing social issues we face, both domestically and globally. We welcome partner-initiated communication co-created with research teams.
Networking and Events
Members of partner organizations are invited to Institute events, e.g., talks, workshops, debates, or film screenings. Events aim to encourage knowledge dissemination and network building as well as future research and action. Partner organizations are eligible to reserve university space for community meetings, staff retreats, or other events relevant to research-practice partnership.
What Principles Guide Our Work?
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.
We are committed to partnered work that is mutually beneficial, equitable, and sustainable. We approach each collaboration with our principles of trust and commitment, responsive communication, production of actionable, shared knowledge, and engagement with diverse stakeholders.
We are Faculty, Students, and Staff with Content Expertise in:
- Education
- Child development
- Mental and behavioral health
- Inequality / equity
- Juvenile justice
… and Methodological Skills in:
- Measurement
- Implementation science
- Qualitative & mixed methods
- Descriptive analysis
- Causal methods
Interested in Partnering?
Selected Current Partnerships
Blueprints for Progressive Change in Juvenile Justice
Blueprints for Progressive Change in Juvenile Justice involves faculty working across disciplinary boundaries, and in partnership with public agencies and nonprofit organizations, to understand and address race and gender disparities in youth encounters with the legal system and its pipelines.
Global TIES for Children
Global TIES for Children, an international research center at IHDSC, collaborates with Sesame Workshop, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and partner agencies around the world to generate actionable evidence, communicate and disseminate this evidence, and build capacity of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working to improve children’s development globally.
Good Shepherd Services
Given the need for safe, supportive, and engaging after-school care for school-age children, particularly in low-resource communities, IHDSC and Good Shepherd Services launched a research-practice partnership in 2014 called ACROSS to understand and strengthen NYC’s after-school programming and inform the science and practice of out-of-school time.
Division of Early Childhood Education
Since 2014, IHDSC and the NYC Department of Education (DOE)’s Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE) have partnered to “put science to work” on behalf of the learning and development of young children in NYC’s universal pre-kindergarten program, Pre-K for All, and to build early childhood research and policy nationwide.
Other Partnerships
Our partners include government agencies, NGOs, nonprofits, and other organizations who partner with IHDSC and our faculty affiliates on research and consultation, internships and training, communications and outreach and networking events. Some examples of current partners are listed below.
News & Blogs with our Partners
Research Partnerships: Mentte Cedat and Dr. Anil Chacko
Mentte Cedat, a Mexico-based organization that works with adolescents and policy makers to prevent violence, partners with IHDSC affiliate and NYU Steinhardt Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology Dr. Anil Chacko. IHDSC sat down with them to discuss the work of Mentte Cedat and the benefits of their partnership.
Q&A: Young Women's Freedom Center and Dr. Shabnam Javdani
On the Ground interviewed Young Women's Freedom Center executive Director Jessica Nowlan and NYU Steinhardt professor Dr. Shabnam Javdani about the role of their research and partnership in working with girls, young women, and TGNC young people towards decriminalization, decarceration, abolition, and reimagining the juvenile justice system response.
Research Partnerships: IHDSC and Educational Alliance
IHDSC interviewed Drs. Erin Godfrey (director of IHDSC and associate professor of Applied Psychology at NYU Steinhardt) and Andrew Cavanagh (director of Research and Evaluation at Educational Alliance) to discuss the process of developing their research partnership.
Studying STEM in Sunset Park
IHDSC spoke with Dr. Natalie Brito and Sunset Spark — a Brooklyn-based non-profit— about their partnership, the importance of diverse and representative samples, and the benefit of conducting research in community-based settings.