Center for Human Potential and Public Policy

Advancing Research and Training on Achievement, Health and Well-Being Across the Lifespan

About Us

The Center for Human Potential and Public Policy, which was founded in 1998 with an endowment from the Irving B. Harris Foundation, is a university-based center that promotes trans-disciplinary research and training on achievement, health, and well-being across the lifespan. The Center is located within the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. In the University of Chicago tradition, the Center encourages innovative research on human potential and public policy that transcends the academic disciplines. The Center thus has three cross-cutting program areas cultivating student and faculty research across a broad spectrum of interests at the Harris School and the University. The Center also has an active training program for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. The research and training activities of the Center are motivated by the goal of understanding the human condition from pre-birth to old age and identifying the public policies and technologies that support achievement, health, and well-being across the lifespan.


News and Announcements

  • CHPPP director, Ariel Kalil, discusses her research on the impact of parental unemployment on children in a recent New York Times article.
  • Center co-sponsored panel discussion on youth violence among school-aged children on November 3 from 4-5:30pm at the Harris School.
  • Center held Third Annual Science, Technology & Society Lecture on October 22, 2009 with keynote by Dr. Heidi Schweingruber on the state of science education on a local and national level.
  • Aaron Sojourner, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Resources and Industrial Relation, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, will spend the week of October 25th as a CHPPP Distinguished Scholar in Residence.  During his time in residence, Sojourner and Assistant Professor Amy Claessens will begin collaborating on research focused on early childhood education and care and child development. Both Sojourner and Claessens have expertise in early childhood education and care; however, both come from different disciplinary perspectives. They plan to capitalize on these differences to evaluate recent early childhood education and care policies in Illinois.
  • CHPPP Postdoctoral Fellow Amy Claessens appointed as Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago.
  • CHPPP Postdoctoral Fellow Rebecca Ryan appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Georgetown University.
  • CHPPP Postdoctoral Fellow Amy Claessens spent ten weeks as a policy intern at the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations with a specific focus on child care policy. Read Amy's blog about her experience.
  • CHPPP Doctoral Student Patrick Wightman awarded MacArthur Foundation Network on Transitions to Adulthood Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Poverty Center, University of Michigan. He will be working on a project entitled "Parental Assistance and Adult Transitions."
  • CHPPP director's letter to the editor about the devaluation of older workers' experience published in the New York Times: "A Life's Work, Devalued," New York Times, April 26, 2009.
  • CHPPP Postdoctoral Fellow Amy Claessen's research on children's early behavior problems and educational achievement featured on the New American Foundation blog: "Some New and Surprising Links Between Early Skills and Later Academic Success," The Early Ed Watch blog, April 3, 2009.
  • CHPPP Postdoctoral Fellow Jane Leber Herr on highly educated mothers in the labor force: "Why do highly educated mothers opt out of the labour force?," VoxEU.org, March 31, 2009.
  • Center director, Professor Ariel Kalil, gives talk at the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations of the Australian Government on the links between parental nonstandard work schedules (working evenings/nights, weekends or an irregular shift), marital instability, and children’s well-being in the United States. (pdf)
  • Center sponsors new student group of future leaders in child and family policy. The new group will provide networking and internship opportunities in child and family policy for Harris School students and will also be engaged in outreach efforts in the community.
  • Professor Robert W. Fairlie gives second Annual Lecture on Science, Technology & Society - November 20, 2008
  • Center Affiliates Ofer Malamud and Ioana Marinescu awarded CHPPP Faculty Development Awards for 2008-2009.
  • Ofer Malamud’s research supported by CHPPP Faculty Development Award on the Effects of Computer Use on Academic Achievement cited in Slate: "The $100 Distraction Device" Slate, June 5, 2008.
  • Ariel Kalil recently visited Australia to make research connections on behalf of the Center and develop plans for exchange programs for the Center’s postdoctoral fellows and affiliated graduate students to spend time in Australian government policy departments focused on social policies with which the Center is concerned. While she was there, she was interviewed on the national radio station of Australia, the ABC. Listen to the interview.
  • CHPPP Postdoctoral Fellow Lindsey Leininger awarded prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship
  • Center becomes home to Harpel Initiative to Improve Educational Outcomes in Brazil
Calendar Highlights

Contact Information
General Inquiries
Email: chppp@uchicago.edu
Phone: 773-702-3402
Fax: 773-702-5999

Director
Ariel Kalil, Ph.D.
Email: akalil@uchicago.edu
Phone: 773-834-2090
Web: Ariel Kalil - Faculty Webpage

Associate Director
Laurel Joy Spindel, M.A., M.A.P.P.
Email: ljspinde@uchicago.edu
Phone: 773-702-3402

Program Assistant/Student Group Facilitator
Elizabeth Sherman
Email: betta@uchicago.edu


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