Sanford Harmony Projects

Translational Research

Sanford Harmony Program

(Directors: Fabes, Martin, Hanish)

Over six years, a team of scientists and educators developed The Sanford Harmony Program (SHP). This program provides teachers with tools to effectively promote social-emotional development among Pre-K-6th-grade students; exercises and activities emphasize communication, empathy, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving skills. Available at no cost, Harmony is a social emotional learning program for Pre-K-6 grade students designed to foster communication, connection, and community both in and outside the classroom and develop boys and girls into compassionate and caring adults.

Research Projects

Catalyst Project

(Martin, Hanish, & Fabes)

The Catalyst Project was designed as a research study of how pairs of students varying in gender interact with one another in completing science projects. Over 10 trials, students completed “build a molecule” of various complexity, and the interactions and experiences of the students was videotaped, audio-recorded, and questionnaires were given to understand how they felt during the experiment.

Buddy Up Project

(Hanish, DeLay, Martin, Fabes)

The Buddy Up Project was designed to test the effects of partnering children with classmates on preschool children’s social outcomes using a longitudinal experimental design.

MUBU Project

(Miller, Martin, Hanish, Fabes, DeLay)

The MUBU project was designed to study the effects of two parts of the SHP, Meet UP and Buddy Up, on 4th grade students using a longitudinal experimental design.

SHP in 5th grade Study

(Miller, Hanish, DeLay, Fabes)

The SHP in 5th grade study was designed to study the effects of the relationship building skills in SHP on students’ social and academic performance.