At the Gardner Center, we focus on questions our community partners raise about issues that matter to youth. Our interdisciplinary research team represents expertise in design and methods, schools and school districts, youth development, community engagement, and education policy. We foster a collaborative approach to research in which we work alongside our community partners. Practitioners and policymakers can then use findings from this research to effect change.
Milbrey McLaughlin, the David Jacks Professor of Education and Public Policy, founded the Gardner Center at Stanford in 2000. It is the only organization to which John W. Gardner lent his name.
Why do some students whose primary language is not English struggle more than others to thrive in U.S. schools? What kinds of programs and policies could narrow the achievement gap between these students and their peers—and how can teachers who have very few English learners meet the needs of all of the students in their class?
