The Institute of Human Development and Social Change's (IHDSC) mission is to inspire, support, and amplify innovative and equity-driven scholarly research through excellence in individualized grant administration and research development, community engagement, and the promotion of evidence-based research products. By prioritizing principles of social equity, collaboration, and interdisciplinarity, we strive to stimulate social impact locally and globally.
IHDSC represents a dynamic collaboration among four NYU schools: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; Faculty of Arts and Science; Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service; and School of Professional Studies.
Learn more about IHDSC's Seed Award and Partnership Development Programs!
IHDSC Seed Award Program
IHDSC is committed to funding new projects that bridge multiple domains of expertise and further the mission of the Institute.
IHDSC Partnership Development Program
IHDSC'S Partnership Development Seed Award Program is designed to invest in the cultivation of new and existing research-practice-partnerships (RPPs), which we know are central to equity-driven scholarship.
Latest News & Updates
IHDSC Affiliates J. Lawrence Aber, Diane Hughes, Guillermina Jasso, and Hiro Yoshikawa Recognized for Outstanding Scientific Contributions
The interdisciplinary network that makes up the Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) is full of thought leaders and innovators in equity-driven research. Four IHDSC scholarly affiliates have received prestigious awards recognizing their outstanding scientific contributions in the areas of Psychology, Child Development, and Justice research.
Sophia Rodriguez’s New Book Spotlights the Realities of Undocumented Youth in K-12 Public Schools in the U.S. South
Centering youth voice and experience, Dr. Rodriguez's ethnography explores how undocumented youth navigate racialization, segregation, and inequality across community interactions, school settings, and state policy contexts.
NYC Public Schools Leadership Celebrates Path Program at P.S. 105
The NYU Path Program, housed at IHDSC, hosted leaders of New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) for an energizing and celebratory visit at P.S. 105.
IHDSC Hosts Welcome Back Reception to Celebrate Seed Awardees and Look Toward Year Ahead
On October 2nd, 2025, IHDSC community members gathered with old friends, connected with new colleagues, and celebrated the impactful research and partnerships happening across our scholarly network.
Global TIES Co-hosts Interdisciplinary Summit on Harnessing Agency To Promote Sustainable Development Outcomes
This one-day, interdisciplinary gathering set out to foster collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and funders to explore how agency can be harnessed to promote sustainable development outcomes.
NYU Peace Research and Education Program Announced as Winner of the New Commons Challenge for Community-Driven AI Innovation
NYU PREP was honored for its Malawi Voice Data Commons, an initiative that creates and leverages multilingual datasets to enable rural Malawians to report emergencies in native languages.
Recent Blogs
Policies that harm or help?
Amid a rapidly evolving political landscape, undocumented immigrant youth face significant threats to their rights to safety and education. Dr. Sophia Rodriguez outlines how different policies can help or hinder undocumented students' access to education, and how now more than ever, support for schools and school-based personnel is critical.
Data Commons: Building Infrastructure for Peace Technology
As artificial intelligence reshapes global systems, ensuring its benefits reach conflict-affected and crisis-vulnerable populations requires deliberate infrastructure development. Data commons offer a pathway toward peace technology that serves rather than surveils, includes rather than excludes, and empowers rather than extracts.
Co-regulation Strategies in Schools: How Educators Can Support Students’ Learning
In this blog post, we share three core strategies: feeling thermometers, calm corners, and breathing strategies—that are typically used in schools to support both students’ ability to self-regulate and educators’ ability to co-regulate with their students.
Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education for Students with Emotional Disabilities
The phrase “culturally responsive” is increasingly used within educational settings today – but what does it mean to be culturally responsive in school contexts, particularly for students with emotional disabilities (EDs)?
AI Across Sectors: Bridging Technology and Peacebuilding
On September 24th, NYU's Peace Research and Education Program (PREP) hosted an event that brought together experts from diverse fields to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, global development, and peacebuilding.
How to Build Strong Family-School Partnerships
Building strong partnerships between families and schools is essential for fostering a consistent and supportive learning environment for students. In this blog post, Christine Park shares key strategies for creating a welcoming and collaborative relationship with families, and how to sustain these partnerships throughout the school year.
Top 10 Tips for Starting the School Year Strong
The beginning of the school year is a crucial time for teachers to set the tone for a successful academic year and journey, for students, families, school staff, and themselves. Check out our top 10 tips for starting the school year strong!
Beyond the Data: Humanizing Research through Photography
Photographing communities, particularly low income neighborhoods that are too often associated with negative stereotypes, come with the added responsibility of telling their authentic stories with compassion, strength, and beauty. In this blog, Hira Hasson pairs street photography with research to bring a new dimension to traditional research projects.
The Limitation Effect
How can a teacher discuss Jim Crow laws without breaking state law? Should a librarian stop ordering books with LGBTQ+ characters? A new white paper by UC San Diego and NYU researchers reveals the experiences of K-12 educators and parents in Florida grappling with state policies and policy effects restricting access to instruction, books, courses, clubs, professional development, and basic student supports.
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.
Creating New Paths to Success
The Path Program is an inclusion model that creates new paths to success for students who can benefit from focused emotional and behavioral support, specifically those who have the potential to be classified as having emotional disabilities.
ARCADIA
ARCADIA for Suicide Prevention takes a developmentally-informed, population-health approach to adolescent suicide. With the prediction of adolescent suicide barely better than chance, researchers focus on the places where adolescents already are (schools, primary care) and leverage trusted sources of support (peers, parents, trusted adults).
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.
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.