U-High’s new Center for the Economics of Human Development club will meet  Nov. 2 to discuss the importance of quality childhood education. The club was formed last year by a group of senior Lab students, with the help of James Heckman, a professor at the University of Chicago and a Nobel laureate. The current focus of the club is to get more Lab students interested in and sign up for CEHD. 

The CEHD club at Lab is partnered with the CEHD club at the University of Chicago and is in close contact with Grace Ford, a predoctoral fellow and student under Professor Heckman.

“You don’t need to be experienced to join the club. Even I don’t understand everything I read about.” Daniel Han, the U-High club’s co-president, said. “So having great co‐sponsors such as James Heckman and Grace Ford, who enjoy conversing with students is an amazing opportunity to learn even more. It’s especially easier when you have other students to talk with.”

The CEHD at Lab bases many of their discussions on analyzing Professor Heckman’s papers. Professor Heckman has worked with scientists around Chicago, including psychologists, to gather data supporting the claim that high quality child care increases children’s chances of pursuing educational opportunities in the future. 

“His research is extremely relevant to today because of what’s going on in the world. Students who come from schools with less resources are being heavily impacted by Covid,” Daniel said. “The consequences of students not learning will impact the future workforce, so it’s important that we understand this.”