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.
We and many fellow advocates were excited to see that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent budget announcement included $4.6 billion for expanded learning time, including afterschool and summer learning.
We were also encouraged to hear both Newsom and State Board President Linda Darling-Hammond urge Californians to rethink the traditional school calendar, something that has been talked about for decades, but not acted upon.
