TERC Investigations Teacher Support Project
CHANGES collaborated with 3rd and 4th grade teachers at a public elementary school in Trenton, New Jersey. The Trenton Public School system has adopted TERC Investigations in Number, Data and Space math curriculum for the elementary grades. TERC Investigations is based on a constructivist approach to instruction. For a variety of reasons, teachers have found it difficult to implement the TERC Investigations curriculum in meaningful ways. Accordingly, CHANGES has focused efforts on developing teachers’ practical understanding of the constructivist approach and aligning the lessons with specific educational standards upon which 3rd and 4th graders will be tested. The current approach employs a variety of strategies including but not limited to classroom observation, facilitated discussions about experiences with and lessons learned from use of TERC curriculum to-date, feedback to help teachers recognize constructivist-compatible practices that they already employ, review of relevant research related to constructivist approaches to math instruction, and analysis of relationships between TERC Investigations and activities and specific education standards.

North Philadelphia Head Start
CHANGES has partnered with the North Philadelphia Head Start to better understand the relevant factors (i.e., preparation, confidence, knowledge, expectations) and identify additional supports necessary to increase the capacity of their teachers to teach math concepts to Head Start children. Specifically, CHANGES has developed and administered pre- and post-program surveys to correspond to with the North Philadelphia Head Start’s new constructivist math curriculum initiative funded through the PNC Foundation’s Ready to Grow initiative.

The Carson Valley School Human Development Workshop Series
CHANGES has partnered with the Carson Valley School,an independent, non-profit child and family service agency in Pennsylvania, to provide training in normative human development and issues that influence or hinder normative development for staff who work directly with children and youth. Specifically, CHANGES has developed and implemented a workshop series that includes presentations on theory and research, facilitated discussions and interactive activities designed to help staff that work with children and families to apply up-to-date research based knowledge to their day-to-day work. Workshops include module activities that help participants to use data to better understand the children and families with whom they work.

Investigating Helping Behavior and Depression Among Middle Childhood And Early Adolescent Youth
CHANGES has been commissioned by the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love (Case Western Reserve University) to conduct analyses of data to investigate the relationship between helping behavior and depression among middle childhood and early adolescent youth. Activities include analysis of risk and protective factors, coping behaviors and identity processes associated with helping behavior and depression among a sample of racially- and ethnically-diverse early adolescent youth (i.e., students in grades 4–8).  

Correlates Of Physical Inactivity And Overweight Among Racially-Diverse Middle Childhood And Early Adolescent Youth In Low-Resource Communities
CHANGES has been commissioned by the EXPORT Center (a research center at the University of Pennsylvania whose mission is to build partnerships that will facilitate reduction in health disparities through research, teaching, training, education, and community outreach, with an emphasis on African-Americans and Latinos) to conduct analyses of data to investigate the relationships among physical activity, perceptions of neighborhood, eating behavior and obesity among middle childhood and early adolescent youth. Activities include analysis of risk and protective factors, coping behaviors and identity processes associated with physical inactivity and overweight among a sample of racially- and ethnically-diverse early adolescent youth (i.e., students in grades 4–8).  

Holy Cross Children’s Services
CHANGES has partnered with Holy Cross Children’s Services—a Catholic-oriented, nonprofit child care and family preservation agency that conducts residential and community-based programs throughout the State of Michigan—to use data to better understand the children and youth they serve and refine their own programs and services. CHANGES also provides periodic training and professional development activities.

Monetary Incentives Based Programming Initiative
The Monetary Incentives Based Programming (MP) Initiative is a project designed to consider whether academic resiliency can be promoted by providing modest monthly stipends to high- or marginally-performing ethnically-diverse students from low resource communities in Philadelphia (PA) and Trenton (NJ). Students are provided modest financial assistance. The Center implemented and conducted an evaluation of the program consisting of two major components: The Health Information Providers and Promoters (HIPP) Scholars Program and the Scholarship Through Academic Resiliency (STAR) Scholars Program.

Health Information Providers and Promoters (HIPP) Scholars Program
HIPP is a health-focused intervention program. Participation is limited to marginally-performing students with passing/average grades (C/D). The goal of the program is to transform marginally performing students by facilitating the development of a "new identity" as health advocates through after school classes designed to address health issues facing urban low-resource communities. The scholars are responsible for providing health-related information to their families, peers, schoolmates, and neighbors.

Scholarship Through Academic Resilience (STAR) Scholars Program
STAR awards monthly stipends to low-income, high-achieving high-school students as an incentive for maintaining A/B grades and promoting school completion.

Start-On-Success (SOS) Scholars Program.
SOS is a program supported by a partnership between CHANGES, the National Organization on Disability (NOD), the Philadelphia School District, and the University of Pennsylvania Center for Community Partnerships. The program provides comprehensive, multi-dimensional support to high school special education students. The components of SOS include: small group academic instruction; career development counseling (work etiquette, resume development, public speaking, and leadership); and service learning (e.g., reading to K-2 students). Stipends and mentoring are integral to the program

Trenton Jr. Scholars
CHANGES designed and implemented a cross-sectional study in two elementary schools and one middle school in Trenton, NJ, with students in grades K-8. The Trenton Jr. Scholars project was designed to investigate the factors that influence the socioemotional and physical health of middle childhood and early adolescent youth from low-resource communities.

Neighborhood Assessment of Community Characteristics (NACC) Project
NACC is an alternative strategy for assessing neighborhood characteristics. It has been conducted in both Philadelphia, PA and Trenton, NJ. In addition to using census tracts as proxies for subjects' neighborhoods, trained observers conduct "windshield surveys' of two major cross streets in each census tract. Observers use a 145-item protocol developed specifically as a windshield method for assessing more proximal neighborhood characteristics. The relative contribution of NACC dimensions, census factors, neighborhood challenges, and family economic variables to the prediction of scholastic achievement and behavioral adjustment are assessed.