Projects

The founders of the Gardner Center realized that helping children thrive was about more than just school — it was also about the entire community around them. 

That’s why our research teams work with many kinds of organizations and on many different projects that address the complexity of youth development. 

Youth-led research
Paid Research Fellowship Engages Students in Problem-Solving
The Gardner Center’s Youth Action Research Fellowship brings new insights to its community partners and helps students develop key leadership skills.
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Students at an alternative high school learn medical skills
Alternative high schools
Case Studies: What Makes a Great Alternative High School?
Successful alternative schools across the state have a few things in common, including multiple pathways for students with different interests and needs and high levels of personalized support.
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Young man speaking at podium with young woman
College and career | Mental health and wellbeing | Youth-led research
Student Research Fellows Share What Matters to Them and Their Peers
From LA to Oakland, over 50 high school and college research fellows have produced recommendations about teaching methods, mental health, college enrollment, and more.
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Cover of the YELL Handbook with photo of Asian teen
Youth-led research
Youth Engaged in Leadership and Learning (YELL): A Handbook for Program Staff, Teachers, and Community Leaders
Want to initiate your own Youth Engaged in Leadership and Learning (YELL) program? This free handbook from the Gardner Center will help you launch your own youth research team.
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Gardner Center Deputy Director Jorge Ruiz de Velasco leads a meeting
Alternative high schools
California Task Force on Alternative Education
Since 2017, the Gardner Center has convened a task force that advises the California Department of Education about how to improve outcomes for youth in alternative school settings.
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Collaborative members talk with each other during the annual conference
Alternative high schools
California Learning Collaborative on Alternative Education
The Gardner Center is home to the California Learning Collaborative on Alternative Education, which brings together school districts across the state to learn from one another and improve the effectiveness alternative high schools in their areas.
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Bar chart shows student outcomes at alternative high schools
Alternative high schools
The Data Is In: How Students Fare in Alternative School Settings
The first comprehensive data about alternative schools in over a decade shows that students have high and steady positive transition rates, such as earning a GED or returning to a comprehensive high school.
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Two girls in the Aim High program work in a greenhouse
Out-of-school programs
The Promise of the Aim High Summer Learning Program
Research shows that the Aim High summer program has measurable, positive effects on key key predictors of student success, like absenteeism, suspensions, and test scores.
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