Gift Helps to Address Disabilities & Sports in Play Like a Champion
Thanks to a gift from Shire Pharmaceuticals, Play Like a Champion Today®(PLC) will develop educational materials to assist coaches to work with children with a range of learning disabilities, pervasive developmental disorders, such as Asperger's Syndrome, and health problems, such as asthma.
Blog item from Darcia Narvaez Draws Attention
Darcia Narvaez, associate professor of psychology and an IEI Fellow, reports having received 347,000 hits in the first several days after her Dec. 11, 2011, post on her "Moral Landscapes" blog. The blog is associated with Psychology Today magazine.
Research Tips

Research

Labs, assistantships, and capstone info

Contact ESS

We encourage ESS students to get involved in research well before senior year. Here are tools to help you along the way.

Research Brochure

A list of professors, their disciplines, and research interests

See the Brochure

Choosing an Advisor

Tips for finding and reaching out to a faculty advisor

Go to Tips

ESS Thesis Proposal

For juniors planning to write an ESS Thesis or Thesis in Major (due April 15)

See Thesis Proposal

ESS Capstone and Thesis FAQs

To help you decide which research option to pursue and why

Go to FAQs

Frabutt Prize for Outstanding Education Research in the Community

The Frabutt Prize annually recognizes the most outstanding education research project by a graduating senior working with a Fellow or Affiliate from the Institute for Educational Initiatives. Nominated projects are evaluated for their significance, originality, independence, and ability to address a specific community concern.

2025

  • Tavin Martin and St. Francis Academy
  • The Role of Identity Resources for Learning Trajectories of Emergent Bilinguals in a Low-income, Catholic Middle School

2024

  • Kaylah Staknis  with Partners: Maker Spaces at Marshall Traditional School, Kennedy Academy, and Swanson Traditional School
  • Evaluating the Elements of Effective Character Education in High School Army JROTC

2023

  • Maddie McBride with Partners: Maker Spaces at Marshall Traditional School, Kennedy Academy, and Swanson Traditional School
  • Title: The “Makings” of Elementary School Makerspaces

2022

  • Kate Morse and SBCSC District Office and Riley High School
  • Examining the Effects of COVID-19 on Student Participation and Performance on the 2020 AP STEM Exams

2021

  • Julian Bonds and Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School
  • The Color of the Canon: The Representation of African-American Students in Prominent High School English Texts

2020

  • Paige Curley and Holy Cross Grade School
  • Canon, Curricula, and Classrooms: The Power of Multicultural Latino/a Literature in English Education

2019 

  • Katie Ward and the American Indian Catholic Schools Network
  • The Formation of Catholic Identity and Character in Native American Catholic Schools

2018

  • Moira Stotz and Muessel Primary
  • “To teach in a way that gives opportunities to all my students”: Elementary Teacher Perceptions of Teaching for Social Justice

2017

  • Daara Jalili and Washington High School
  • The Efficacy of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Cultivating Positive Student-Teacher Relationships

2016

  • Madeline Hahn and St. Adalbert’s School
  • Which Classroom is Best? A Comparative Study of Spanish Classes for Heritage Language Learners

Questions? Contact Fr. Kevin Sandberg, CSC, Ph.D., ESS Director of Undergraduate Studies   
 ksandberg@nd.edu  |  Phone 574.631.4517

TJ D'Agostino
TJ D'Agostino
Assistant Professor of the Practice, Pulte Institute for Global Development
Laura Hamman-Ortiz
Laura Hamman-Ortiz
Coyle Fellow; Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island
Alison Cheng develops adaptive testing tool to help high school students increase learning
This story was originally posted on the College of Arts and Letters website. Student engagement has long been recognized as key to academic success. Most research, however, has focused on engagement generally, across the school setting.
The University of Notre Dame’s Track and Cross Country Teams to Lead Sports Workshop for Youth in Mugunda, Kenya
Notre Dame, IN (October 9, 2019) - The Fostering Resilience Initiative, a part of the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives, will host a sports workshop for local youth this fall in Mugunda, Kenya, in conjunction with Notre Dame’s track and cross country teams.
Rev. Tim Scully, C.S.C., to step down as head of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives to become emeritus director
Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) founder Rev. Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C., announced he will step down from his role as director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame and become director emeritus of the institute beginning in January.
Miller-Graff Awarded $2.5 Million Grant from NIH
This article was originally published by Carrie Gates on al.nd.edu. Women are most likely to experience violence from their intimate partners when they are young — and when they are pregnant. 
Berends Awarded Two-Year Grant from IES
Mark Berends, a professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO) at Notre Dame, has been awarded a $540,000 two-year grant from the U.S.