- Faculty & Research
- Research Centers
Research Centers
Led by world-class faculty, USC Rossier’s research centers conduct cutting-edge research in several critical areas: education psychology research, higher education research and K–12 education policy research. The work of our centers is guided by a desire to positively impact educational policy and practice at all levels.
Education Psychology Research
The USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE) brings educational innovation and developmental affective neuroscience into partnership, and uses what is learned to guide the transformation of schools, policy, and the student and teacher experience for a healthier and more equitable society.
Established in 2017, the Center for Empowered Learning and Development with Technology (CELDTECH) is a transdisciplinary research center that promotes equity in digital learning and development among urban populations in formal and informal contexts. CELDTECH takes an intersectional approach to the study of learning with technology and foregrounds the nexus between students’ histories, cultural assets and developmental needs.
Higher Education Research
Established in 2017, the Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice has a compelling interest in eradicating all forms of discrimination based on the intersection of an individual’s identities that include religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and disability. Using rigorous research and legal analysis, we empower educators to utilize laws and policies in order to identify and extricate bias and unequal distributions of power within educational institutions.
Established in 2007, the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) analyzes enrollment issues through the critical perspectives of social science researchers, policymakers and college and university practitioners. As the only independent research center in the U.S. serving admissions and enrollment specialists, CERPP is committed to fostering equity in college access, admission and outcomes.
PK-16 Education Policy Research
Public education in Southern California and across the nation faces a daunting array of challenges: longstanding structural inequities, declining enrollments, staffing shortages, funding shortfalls, political conflicts, and the ongoing effects of the pandemic on student academics and mental health. The challenges are often systemic, with causes and consequences crossing school systems and other boundaries, and disproportionately affecting minoritized and low-income communities.
The USC EdPolicy Hub collaborates with schools, education systems, and community colleges throughout Southern California to conduct rigorous, actionable, boundary-spanning research. Research results—shared with language and formats geared for practitioners and policymakers—inform decisions for educators, policymakers, and families, ultimately improving student outcomes.