Dear Lynch School Community,
At last month’s symposium inaugurating the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, three of our colleagues shared stories about their work that exemplify why we added “Human Development” to our name.
Educational policymakers, researchers, and practitioners often focus on individuals, as if learning were something that happens in isolation. But learning and development occur within ecological systems—the families, schools, communities, and societies in which people facilitate and undergo human development.
At the Lynch School, we examine these ecologies of learning and partner with agencies, schools, districts, and organizations that contribute to them. Our partnerships with communities of all kinds—and how these connections facilitate development, open up opportunities, and spur success—are a hallmark of our school. We apply what we learn to make a difference in the lives of young people and families.
The Lynch School of Education and Human Development continues to work deeply in schools. But we do it by exploring ecological systems that extend beyond schools, in partnership with practitioners, applying what we know in order to improve people’s lives.
Sincerely,
Stanton Wortham
Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean