Melanie Killen’s Mission: Teaching Fairness and Empathy in Schools

In a recent essay, University of Maryland Professor Melanie Killen discusses the crucial role that schools play in teaching children more than just academic skills. She argues that schools also have a responsibility to teach children about the importance of fairness and the harm of excluding others.

Killen, who specializes in human development and quantitative methodology, highlights research from the College of Education that focuses on reducing prejudice and promoting justice in schools. She believes that schools can be more inclusive and welcoming environments for all students, with decades of research on children’s moral development guiding the way.

With her colleagues, Killen has identified strategies to help children navigate the tension between their desire to be fair and the pressure to belong to certain social groups. Through their research, developmental psychologists aim to create a more supportive and equitable school environment. By helping children develop critical thinking skills and encouraging them to stand up against injustice, they hope to foster a sense of empathy and understanding among students.

To learn more about this important work, you can read the full article in Scientific American.