The Gardner Center was conceived by Stanford faculty member Milbrey McLaughlin and John W. Gardner, a Stanford graduate, lecturer, and trustee, as well as a prominent civic leader who served as secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare during the Johnson administration.
From the beginning
Perhaps it was serendipity that Gardner moved into the office two doors down from Milbrey McLaughlin when he became a lecturer at Stanford's Graduate School of Education in the 1990s.
McLaughlin soon found herself stopping by his office to chat about their shared interest in supporting vulnerable youth to reach their full potential. The pair believed that Stanford had an important role to play in the health and wellbeing of the communities around it.
“We became conspirators,” she later said.
From inspiration to action
The two laid plans for a center that would harness the immense research capacity of Stanford to find practical, community-based solutions to improve the wellbeing and futures of young people. It would bring together schools, community groups, and government agencies that collectively impact the health, social-emotional wellbeing, and safety of youth.
It was not just about how kids did in school — it would be youth-centered and dedicated to the youth sector, a new term it helped to coin.
And so the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities was established in 2000, conceived by this dynamic pair: an education policy researcher and the architect of the Great Society. It is the only organization that the prominent Gardner would permit to use his name.
The center began its efforts in Redwood City — and continues to support projects there — and has gradually established partnerships with other communities in the Bay Area and beyond.*
John Gardner (third row) joins schoolchildren and Lady Bird Johnson on a school bus during his tenure as secretary of HEW.
Stanford faculty member and Gardner Center co-founder Milbrey McLaughlin shares three principles that inspired the founding of the Gardner Center during a special event commemorating the 100th anniversary of Gardner's birth.
Advancing the legacy
Today, the Gardner Center plays a key role in advancing the understanding and practice of community-engaged research, an increasingly important focus for Stanford University. Faculty Director Tom Dee and Executive Director Amy Gerstein teach a class to extend that knowledge to Stanford undergraduate and graduate students, and the entire Gardner Center team are considered leaders within the university and at the national, state, regional, and local levels.
Gardner Center researchers share a study about multilingual learners in nine local school districts
Gardner Center Faculty Director Tom Dee and Executive Director Amy Gerstein co-teach a graduate seminar about conducting research with community partners.
