Education and Human Development
How does school spending impact students’ long-term outcomes? Which education interventions are most effective in terms of cost and achievement? How can caregivers best support children’s social-emotional growth? The wellbeing of families and children is shaped not just by what happens at home and work, in classrooms, and on playgrounds, but also by broader forces, such as federal and state policies and programs. In this area, IPR faculty study how social, economic, and governmental factors interact to affect family dynamics, with a particular focus on the development of children and young adults.
A Message From Jonathan Guryan, Program Chair
Every day around the nation, teachers, school leaders, social workers, and families face major challenges dealing with limited funding, varied learning needs, mental health crises, and developmental issues, among others. Such complex challenges require rigorous research across academic disciplines and different life stages. IPR’s Education and Human Development faculty take an integrative approach to their research, reaching across disciplines, to fully understand what children and families need to thrive.
Working Papers
Recently published articles and working papers in this program area include:
Noam Angrist, Sarah Kabay, Dean Karlan, Lincoln Lau, and Kevin Wong. 2024. Human Capital at Home: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in the Philippines (WP-24-28).
Max Schanzenbach and Kimberly Yuracko. 2024. Promising the First Amendment: (De)Regulating Speech in Higher Education (WP-24-27).
Joseph Ferrie, Claudia Goldin, and Claudia Olivetti. 2024. Mobilizing the Manpower of Mothers: Childcare Under the Lanham Act During WWII (WP-24-19).
Faculty Experts
Faculty consider issues associated with education from different vantage points that include economics, sociology, psychology, biomedical sciences, and quantitative research methods.
Events
Attendance Metrics in the Lonely School: A Case Study of Chronic Absenteeism at Franklin High
By Simone Ipsa-Landa, associate professor of human development and social policy and of sociology and IPR fellow
Building a New Multi-Measure Toolkit
By Sandra Waxman, Louis W. Menk Chair in Psychology, professor of cognitive psychology, and IPR Fellow