Research Advancing Knowledge, Driving Innovation
Our faculty members pursue innovative educational research and projects. They explore the nature of learning that contributes to effective teaching, data-driven classroom interventions and curricula improvements, insightful analysis leading to informed policies, and evidence-based advancements in educator preparation.
![Peabody Hall front with students](https://ed.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Peabody-front-with-students-800x476.jpg)
![Kathryn Leech cover image](https://ed.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/leech_cover.jpg)
Research
Building blocks of child literacy? Conversations.
“How do flowers bloom?” “How do we have a heart?” To adults, these questions sound simple, maybe even silly. To children, they unlock the world, representing the very beginnings of…
![](https://ed.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bkg_clocktower1.jpg)
Fast Facts
5 Leading Journals
edited by our faculty
$22.2 Million
in research expenditures, 2023
Meet Some of Our Researchers
![Matt Bernacki portrait image](https://ed.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/bernacki_portrait-150x150.jpg)
Matt Bernacki
Bernacki’s research agenda includes investigation of the roles that motivations and metacognitive processes play when learners use technologies, and the development of interventions and learning materials.
![Dionne Cross Francis](https://ed.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dionne-Cross-Francis-featured-150x150.jpg)
Dionne Cross Francis
Cross-Francis' research lies at the intersection of mathematics education, educational psychology and teacher education.
![Marisa Maraccinni portrait image](https://ed.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Marisa-Maraccinni-_portrait.JPG-150x150.jpg)
Marisa E. Marraccini
Marraccini’s research aims to promote child and adolescent mental health in the context of their daily lives – school settings, focused on supporting vulnerable populations.