CRHDE Overview

Among some of the Center's more notable achievements are its groundbreaking program of research on fostering educational resilience and the development of the Community for Learning program, a comprehensive approach to school reform that draws from over two decades of educational research. The program is grounded in research that shows students' learning is affected by environments in addition to schools, such as the workplace, church, home, community organizations, and social service agencies. More important, it provides ways that schools can restructure, improve practices and strategies, and involve the community to support educational resilience. It is just one example of how the Center has used an interdisciplinary approach to solve problems in education.

The research and development programs at CRHDE are organized in five units, with interrelated activities ranging from research to information dissemination. These are:

National Center on Education in the Inner Cities

The National Center on Education in the Inner Cities (CEIC), one of the national R & D centers established through initial funding from the U.S. Department of Education in 1990, focuses on transforming research into practical strategies that support student success, especially in inner-city schools. The Center is devoted to examining ways to harness the diverse resources and expertise in our nation's cities to improve education and life circumstances of children and youth. A team of interdisciplinary researchers study how the family, school, and community support student learning and educational resiliency of children and youth, including those who live in even the most dire situations.

Laboratory for Student Success

The Laboratory for Student Success (LSS) was established in 1995 by the U.S. Department of Education as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory and is designated as the lead regional laboratory with a specialty area in urban education. LSS is responsible for transforming research-based knowledge into tools that can assist the educational reform process at the national and regional levels. Building on the diverse strengths of families, schools, and communities, LSS works to provide technical assistance and support professional development activities for educational professionals, conduct outreach to grassroots organizations to ensure their participation in the process, and disseminate and implement educational reform programs such as Community for Learning. LSS researchers work in conjunction with field-based professionals to identify effective educational practices, systems of service delivery, and school environments. The ultimate goal of the LSS is a regional network of schools, parents, community agencies, and institutions of higher learning that supports children's learning and is connected to a nationwide system of information exchange.

Adult Development and Education Program

The goal of CRHDE's Adult Development and Education Program is to develop effective ways to deliver education to disadvantaged adults in urban communities. The Program provides training and technical assistance to literacy service providers and health and human services providers. Through aggressive outreach efforts and coordination with education and related social services agencies, this Program affects the lives of even the most isolated adults who otherwise would not participate. Graduates of the Program go on to pursue higher education and job training in a variety of fields.

Program on Improving Instruction and Learning in Schools

The Program on Improving Instruction and Learning in Schools aims to provide educational leaders and policymakers at the local, state, and national levels with state-of-the-art information on innovative school programs and technical support for instituting and evaluating these programs in their schools. It focuses on topics related to teacher effectiveness, school leadership, policy development, and program implementation. Through demonstration projects with local school systems and universities, the Program offers insight into how research on these topics affects practices and policies.

Child Development and Early Intervention Program

The work of the Child Development and Early Intervention Program focuses on the study of infants and young children who are diagnosed as developmentally delayed and/or otherwise considered to have special needs. It aims to: develop policies and procedures that support and promote family involvement in early identification and use of services for children; assess the effectiveness of evaluation and intervention planning services; and foster collaboration among service providers to develop a family-centered early intervention and prevention system of service delivery.