Center Events

Translational Research Goes to School: Action Research at High Tech High
Stephen Hamilton and Mara Jacobs, Human Development, Cornell University

Thursday, February 12, 2015
12:00-1:00PM
Beebe Hall, 2nd floor conference room

This talk is open to all. Lunch will be served. Metered parking is available in the Plantations lot across the road from Beebe Hall.

In this talk Stephen Hamilton will introduce High Tech High and the Graduate School of Education, describe research that has been done and is currently underway, and invite discussion of possible future translational research. Mara Jacobs will share her experiences as a graduate of High Tech High (HTH) and her efforts to integrate the HTH philosophy into other educational settings.

High Tech High is a charter school organization with 12 schools, elementary through high school, in San Diego County, California. Students are admitted by lottery, stratified by zip code to represent the populations of County districts. Nearly all graduate from high school and about 90% have graduated or are still enrolled in college six years later. The HTH Graduate School of Education confers master’s degrees on teachers and principals, who conduct action research on their practice, and disseminate HTH practices and principles locally, nationally, and internationally, promoting practice-based research and creating opportunities for research on dissemination.

Stephen Hamilton is Professor of Human Development and Associate Director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. He has been a high school teacher and Cornell’s Associate Provost for Outreach. He edited a special issue of Applied Developmental Science now in press that includes his essay on “Translational Research and Youth Development” and an article on “Social Inventions to Improve the Transition to Adulthood” (Mary Agnes Hamilton, first author). After retiring from Cornell in June 2015, he will become President of the High Tech High Graduate School of Education.

Mara Jacobs (HD ’17) is a 2013 graduate of High Tech High and currently a sophomore in Human Development with a minor in Education. As part of her Senior Project at High Tech High International, Mara traveled throughout Canada to help integrate the High Tech High philosophy into private schools in the Ontario Province. Currently she is working on developing an inclusive hands-on learning school in Haiti. Partnering with the High Tech High system, the curriculum group is responsible for teacher training, school organizational structure, and curriculum development. Mara is involved with rugby, theater, and education at Cornell.