1. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Under Jacobs Foundation funding, Professor Corcoran is PI for reviews of research on school-based social and emotional learning programs. The scope of these reviews are on all types of programs teachers, principals, or superintendents might consider in fostering not only students’ cognitive development, but also their social and emotional development. The review methods are very similar to meta-analysis and to the methods used by the federal What Works Clearinghouse.

2. Glasses in Classes

Under Education Endowment Foundation funding, Glasses in Classes, aims to identify young children in a disadvantaged multi-ethnic community who need glasses and get them wearing them – with the aim of improving their academic, social and emotional learning long-term. It is the first ever UK study to examine the impact of a school-based intervention to support the wearing of glasses in young children and to measure subsequent improvement of the child’s academic and health outcomes. This large-scale randomised controlled trial involving 100 schools is part of a collaboration between the University of Nottingham, NHS Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust and the University of Leeds.

3. Early Career Award, American Psychological Association (APA): Social and emotional learning (SEL) during teacher education

Under APA funding, Professor Corcoran served as PI for a five-year, four-wave, longitudinal study designed to examine SEL during teacher education.

4. Evidence-based policy and provision for social and emotional learning (SEL)

This project involves developing and disseminating a web-based podcast on high-quality research to advocate for evidence-based education policy and practice in the field of social and emotional learning (SEL). Series 1 of the podcast, which is supported by the University of Nottingham and the Economic and Social Research Council, focuses on what works in social and emotional learning and explores a range of contemporary perspectives on SEL research, policy and provision.

5. Evaluation of Dance/Non-Cognitive Program in New York

This was a quasi-experimental study to determine the effectiveness of Mark DeGarmo’s Dance program in improving student learning, and fidelity of implementation.

6. Evaluation of McGraw-Hill Education Reading Wonders Program in Chicago and California

This study used a quasi-experimental design to determine the effectiveness of McGraw-Hill’s “Reading Wonders” program in improving learning and student engagement, along with fidelity of implementation.