The purpose of the department is to advance the knowledge base in these fields and to serve the larger College, University, and community by drawing on our expertise in human development across the life span, mental health and well-being, and research methods. ECPY seeks to describe, understand, and explain the formal and informal processes of cognitive, social, and emotional learning throughout the lifespan and how variables of significance affect outcomes in these areas, as related to our fields of study.

ECPY faculty and students conduct research in a wide set of scholarly areas, ranging from measurable elementary school improvement in high-poverty contexts to issues affecting the power of colleges to sustain students to graduation and successful careers. Several ECPY faculty conduct ongoing investigations into methods for improving mental health services to historically under-served and otherwise at-risk populations.