Our Mission
Our mission is to advance scientific insights that help kids thrive.
Who We Are
Character Lab is a nonprofit organization that connects researchers with educators to better understand the conditions that lead to social, emotional, academic, and physical well-being for young people throughout the country.
What We Do
Science
Character Lab Research Network makes research with youth fast, frictionless, and fruitful. Students and educators in our national consortium of innovative middle and high schools work closely with leading researchers on original studies that illuminate how to help kids thrive.
Practice
Character Lab bridges science and practice by making scientific evidence actionable for parents and educators. We develop strategic partnerships with media, curriculum creators, and technology providers to create evidence-based resources and raise awareness about how kids thrive.
Our History
Character Lab was founded in 2013 by Angela Duckworth, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania; Dave Levin, co-founder of KIPP public charter schools; and Dominic Randolph, the head of Riverdale Country School.
All three were eager to find scientific insights that might help young people lead lives that were good for others as well as themselves. But the pace of scientific discovery was frustratingly slow. And insights that had been uncovered by scientists remained hidden from educators and parents, buried in academic articles filled with technical jargon.
Together, Dave, Dominic, and Angela agreed that a bridge was needed to connect educators and research scientists. That bridge is Character Lab.
What is Character?
At Character Lab, we define character as intentions and actions that benefit other people as well as ourselves.
Our Team
We are a diverse group of individuals united by a shared passion to help kids thrive.
Our Supporters
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