In 1926, the legendary U.S. Route 66 was established, A. A. Milne published his beloved children's book Winnie-the-Pooh, and Henry Ford implemented a pioneering 40-hour work week at his automobile factory.
Fourteen new PhDs were honored and gifted regalia before the 2026 convocation celebration during the third annual doctoral robing ceremony at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy.
Meaningful change is slow, collective and often outlasts the people who fight for it, and that's OK, Zoe Lewis-Woodson said during her 2026 convocation graduate student remarks.
An educator, scholar, and engineer, Victoria Concepción Chávez is passionate about accessibility, computer science education, and social justice.
Otherie Love (1920–2022) was a trailblazing educator, writer, and historian who was known as a voracious reader and lifelong learner. She made history in 1941 when she became the first African American student teacher in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 while studying at Northwestern University.
Alejandra Frausto Aceves (PhD26) used hands-on, community-involved methods to study how diasporic families engage in sophisticated teaching and learning.
School of Education and Social Policy postdoctoral scholars Karla Thomas and briana rodríguez received 2026 National Academy of Education /Spencer Research Fellowships.
Lara Altman came to SESP after nearly 15 years working at the intersection of education, public health, and social work, leading initiatives focused on improving outcomes for children and families.
Amid growing signals that using smartphones and social media is bad for mental health, some SESP students, alumni, and faculty are seeing the upside of taking a break.
After the 2016 presidential election, Sara Shacter (MS90) felt the need to get out of her blue bubble. Could so many people really have a different set of values than she did? When she learned a friend's husband leaned conservative and loved talking politics, she invited him out for brunch.
Cynthia Coburn, the Margaret Walker Alexander Professor of Human Development and Social Policy, received the Martin E. and Gertrude G. Walder Award for Research Excellence.
School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, the Carlos Montezuma Professor, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
Humans have a habit of dividing life into stages, but are these categories really useful or meaningful? In a recent New Yorker piece, SESP psychologist Dan P. McAdams tells writer Shayla Love that traditional life stages are limiting.
Charles Logan (PhD26) had just finished encouraging his audience to resist using artificial intelligence and “learn from the Luddites” when a voice called out from the back of the room.