We are home to 14 research and outreach units. Our faculty members in these units have a reputation for conducting innovative work in school reform, assessment, school-wide discipline and behavior management, positive youth development, family interventions, special education, early intervention, and culturally responsive educational practices. These programs help children and families of all ages—from infants and toddlers to adolescents and young adults. The work they do is making a difference in Oregon, across the country, and around the world.
Our research culture is field-leading and highly influential with a long tradition of translating research into effective models, methods, and measures that improve lives.
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Brief videos highlighting remarkable research and grant awards within the College of Education
INTERIM DEAN, THOMSON PROFESSOR
Emily Tanner-Smith
Professor Tanner-Smith discusses meta analysis project that focuses on examining the effectiveness of mathematics interventions.
PHILIP H. KNIGHT CHAIR
Beth Stormshak
Professor Beth Stormshak, PhD discusses The Family Check-Up Model and its unique, strength-based approach.
EVERGREEN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Elizabeth Budd
Evergreen Associate Professor Liz Budd, PhD, discusses her project that focuses on addressing health disparities within Latinx communities.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Ilana Umansky
Professor Umansky speaks to her involvement in the National R&D Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners.
Impact and Outcomes
We are the highest-ranked academic unit at the University of Oregon, due largely to a decades-long record of national and international research and development in special education, counseling psychology, educational leadership, and school psychology. Our research culture is unique and highly influential because our faculty have a long tradition of translating research into effective models, methods, and measures that improve lives.
Our innovations have an enduring impact in Oregon and across the nation.
Research News
February 14, 2026
How can AI support research synthesis? A student’s perspective
The HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practice Undergraduate Scholars Program gives future educators and researchers a hands-on look at research and knowledge mobilization while they are undergraduates at the University of Oregon.
January 29, 2026
HEDCO Institute researchers brief the Alaska Senate Education Committee
HEDCO Institute researchers Elizabeth Day and Sean Grant had the opportunity to brief the Alaska Senate Education Committee on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, sharing key findings from recent meta-analysis on four-day school weeks. As school districts across Alaska explore whether to shift to a four-day schedule, many are looking to ground their decisions in rigorous, reliable evidence.
January 14, 2026
How playing a family-favorite game can improve brain function
A UO study, which analyzed 18 previous studies, found a 76% chance that number board games improve early numeracy skills in children. Gena Nelson, PhD, one of the report's authors, highlighted that even brief play sessions with linear-number board games can significantly enhance foundational math skills.
January 7, 2026
Weight stigma hits hard in a diet-focused culture, UO experts say
Nicole Giuliani, PhD, and Nichole Kelly, PhD, sat down with OregonNews for a conversation about what we miss by focusing too much on weight and how we can reframe dieting or weight goals to support a more holistic view of both mental and physical health.
As part of the Autism Data Science Initiative at the National Institutes of Health, associate professor Lauren Cycyk is partnering with collaborators at the Oregon Health & Sciences University on a new initiative that will combine cutting-edge analytic work with direct outreach to the autism community to recommend ways to improve the health of people living with autism.
Strengthening connections between research and practice in K-12 education
The HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practice aims to impact future generations by supporting today’s educators. Using the latest tools and methods to conduct rigorous evidence syntheses that meet the rapid decision-making needs of education leaders, the HEDCO Institute translates the findings from existing research, providing education leaders with trustworthy information to support the implementation of evidence-based practices, and promoting healthy students and schools.