Research News

students demonstrating activities

Math Science Partnership Grant supports math coaching program

The Central Pennsylvania Mathematics Content and Coaching Project at Penn State Harrisburg, made possible by a $1.36 million Pennsylvania Department of Education grant, is helping elementary, middle school and high school teachers improve their mathematics teaching skills in today’s classrooms.
Amish quilts

Not just the Amish

From the Christmas tree to hex signs, the Easter bunny to Groundhog Day, Pennsylvania Germans, have had a profound effect on American culture. Among the earliest American settlers, they still abide as an American folk group. Penn State folklorist and historian Simon Bronner recently spoke with us about current directions in the study of this distinctive culture.
police worn body camera

Researcher examines public opinion on policing issues

Data from a recent survey by the Center for Survey Research at Penn State Harrisburg shows how Pennsylvanians view key policing topics, including what defines police legitimacy and whether or not police wearing body cameras makes us feel safer.
Woman reviews Pennsylvania drug overdose statistics

Researchers, Pennsylvania State Police collaborate on countering opioid epidemic

Researchers at the Justice Center, located in Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts, are exploring multiple options to combat the increasing rates of drug use. One current project is looking to identify distribution networks for illegal and prescription painkillers (opioids) using data from both the Pennsylvania State Police and individual communities, while another project will investigate ways to disrupt the flow of opioids through targeted police action, public outreach, and community partnerships.
Teacher Stress and Health series

Research brief addresses teacher stress and health

The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have released a social and emotional learning brief—Teacher Stress and Health: Effects on Teachers, Students and Schools—the first in a 10-part series. This first brief examines the causes and consequences of teacher stress—a growing problem with nearly one-half of teachers reporting high daily stress and more teachers leaving the profession than ever before.
Ladies on Chicken Bone Beach

A history discovered: Chicken Bone Beach

Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks, a graduate student in Penn State Harrisburg’s American studies program, thought she would do her thesis on the history of hip-hop. But a chance sighting of black-and-white photos in a Philadelphia gallery window in 2014 would eventually change her mind and open up to her a world during the 1930s to 1960s in which African-Americans ruled a section of Atlantic City beach, known as “Chicken Bone Beach.”