USC CANDLE

Some moments in the classroom don't end when the lesson does. They stay with students, grow, and quietly shape how they see themselves and the world. A new article from the USC CANDLE team, published in American Educator—the professional journal of the AFT—explores why those moments matter. "When Students Think Beyond the Moment: Enhancing Adolescents' Development by Engaging Their Emotions" By Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, Christina Kundrak, PhD, and Kori Street. Link here: https://lnkd.in/gnRmWTMC This piece explores transcendent thinking—how students connect knowledge to meaning, identity, and values, integrating emotion into deep learning. It highlights how moments of curiosity in the classroom can evolve into sustained reflection that shapes both cognitive and emotional development It's a reminder that education isn't only about what students understand in the moment. It's also about what they carry forward and who they're becoming as a result. #USCCANDLE #Education #Neuroscience #Learning #AdolescentDevelopment USC Rossier School of Education

⏰ Priority deadline approaching: March 30, 2026    Applications are open for the USC CANDLE Summer 2026 Design Sprint, a fully funded, 5-day experience at USC (July 20–24, Los Angeles) where educator teams design research-informed classroom innovations grounded in the science of adolescent development.    This opportunity is for teams working with students ages 12–18 across any subject area.    During the Sprint, teams will:  🧠 Engage with cutting-edge research on adolescent development  🤝 Collaborate with educators from across the country  🛠 Design curriculum or classroom practices for their own context  📅 Develop a plan for implementation in the upcoming school year    👥 Teams must include 3–6 educators + 1 administrator  ✈️ Travel and lodging covered  💡 Honoraria available for educators who implement in Fall 2026    Apply and learn more: https://lnkd.in/gqnntzrK     Let’s design learning experiences that truly reflect how adolescents think and grow.    USC Rossier School of Education #K12Education #EdLeadership #SecondaryEducation #LearningSciences #EducationInnovation

We are excited to share an upcoming CIBM Visitors Talk featuring Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD from USC CANDLE, hosted by Solange Denervaud. Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang will be in Lausanne, Switzerland for this special event hosted by the CIBM Center for Biomedical Imaging. 🧠 Talk Title: Longitudinal neurodevelopmental correlates of mid-adolescents’ psychosocial processing: A path to young adult wellbeing? Dr. Immordino-Yang—founding director of the USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE)—will present longitudinal research examining how adolescents’ social and emotional processing relates to brain development over time, and how these patterns may predict wellbeing in young adulthood. The Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), founded in 2004, is a major collaborative initiative between École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Université de Lausanne (UNIL), Université de Genève (UNIGE), Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV). The center brings together scientists, clinicians, and engineers with state-of-the-art imaging technologies to advance basic, translational, and clinical research. 📅 Date & Time: Friday, April 24, 2026 — 13:00 CEST 📍 Location: CIBM Seminar Room, EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) & Online 🔗 Join in person (for those in Switzerland) or online for this exciting discussion on brain development, education, and wellbeing. https://lnkd.in/gsVVxGtG

🎥 What happens when educators design learning with adolescent development in mind?    Hear directly from educators as they share the challenges they’re navigating in their classrooms and how their experience with USC CANDLE shifted their thinking about teaching and learning.    The USC CANDLE Summer 2026 Design Sprint (July 20–24, Los Angeles) invites teams of middle and high school educators to design research-informed classroom innovations grounded in the science of how adolescents think, feel, and learn.    👥 Teams of 3–6 educators + 1 administrator  🧠 Engage with research on adolescent development and the science of learning  🛠 Design curriculum or classroom practices for your own context  ✈️ Fully funded (travel and lodging included)  💡 Honoraria available for Fall 2026 implementation Apply and learn more: https://lnkd.in/gqnntzrK    ⏰ Priority deadline: March 30, 2026    USC Rossier School of Education #K12Education #EdLeadership #SecondaryEducation #LearningSciences #EducationInnovation https://lnkd.in/gZcgrqVH

✨ Check out USC CANDLE’s very own Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD featured in this Perception Box video exploring the science of glimmers and gratitude—highlighting how brief moments of meaning and emotional connection support wellbeing and learning. ✨

Thank you to USC Rossier School of Education for highlighting the launch of the USC CANDLE Innovation Lab and our first cohort of COLABS! We are grateful to share this work, which brings together neuroscience, education, culture, and lived classroom experience in a genuinely collaborative way. The COLABS initiative brings together educators and researchers to explore how adolescents make meaning of their experiences and how that meaning-making shapes brain development. By looking closely at emotion, culture, and context, the program supports educators in transforming scientific insights into classroom practices that nurture curiosity, reflection, and deep engagement. We are excited for the journey ahead and deeply appreciative of the educators who are joining us in this work. Together, we are building spaces where young people can understand “the way it feels to think”—and grow because of it. 🔗 Full article: https://lnkd.in/gzVDt-S5 #Neuroscience #Education #Learning #USCCANDLE USC Rossier School of Education

🎉We are thrilled to share that Dr. Cheyeon Ha, USC Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE), has co-authored a major new study published in the Review of Educational Research — one of the education field’s leading journals. The study, “Disentangling the Effects of Social and Emotional Learning Programs on Student Academic Achievement Across Grades 1–12: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” provides compelling evidence that school-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs not only enhance students’ social and emotional growth but also lead to measurable gains in academic performance. Analyzing data from over 33,000 students across 12 countries, Dr. Ha and colleagues found that universal SEL programs — those offered to all students in classroom contexts— supported students in achieving higher academic achievement, such as grades and standardized test scores. Furthermore, students who participated in longer duration SEL programs (programs that last a whole school year or longer, rather than up to half a school year) showed greater gaps in academic achievement compared to those who did not. Congratulations to Dr. Ha and her collaborators at Yale University (The Education Collaboratory at Yale) for this impactful contribution to education science! 🎉 🔗 Read the full press release from the American Educational Research Association (AERA): https://lnkd.in/eEHaQB8F #CANDLE #EducationResearch #SocialAndEmotionalLearning  USC Rossier School of Education

What does it really mean to prepare students for an AI-driven world? With rapid advances in technology reshaping learning, how can educators ensure students build the real skills that machines can’t replace? Join Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, along with Jon Valant, Rebecca Winthrop, Ellen Galinsky, and John Malloy, for a thought-provoking Brookings Institution webinar on “The Importance of Real Skills for the AI World.” 🗓️ Friday, October 24, 2025 🕐 1:00 – 2:30 PM EDT 📍 Online 👉 Register and learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g9pHMVWn USC Rossier School of Education #Education #AI #USCCANDLE #Neuroscience

What does it mean to grow into our fullest potential in today’s complex world? And how can we design opportunities that help young people not just learn new information now, but also discover new possibilities for who they could become? Neuroscientist Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, professor of education, psychology, and neuroscience at the University of Southern California, joins New View EDU to explore the science of transcendent thinking—the process of making sense of our experiences by connecting them to deeper values, identity, and purpose. In conversation with National Association of Independent Schools President Debra P. Wilson, Dr. Immordino-Yang unpacks: - How transcendent thinking predicts long-term brain development and well-being - Why students who find meaning in learning show greater satisfaction and growth into adulthood - What neuroscience reveals about teachers who inspire identity formation and deeper understanding 🎧 Listen to Episode 78: “The Power of Transcendent Thinking” https://lnkd.in/gpT9Mvks #Neuroscience #Education #Learning #USCCANDLE USC Rossier School of Education

The team at USC CANDLE congratulates Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD on her induction into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and Sciences. See the full list of new members here: https://lnkd.in/gZrKGGA8 USC Rossier School of Education #Neuroscience #Psychology #Education  #BrainDevelopment #AdolescentDevelopment #EmotionsInLearning