OUR RESEARCH LAB

TCS Is Home to an Active UCI Research Lab 

Few private schools have a working research program inside the building. TCS does.

Dr. Schuck's Science of Learning Research Lab operates on-site at The Craig School. It is led by Dr. Sabrina Schuck, Executive Director of TCS and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UC Irvine, and coordinated day to day by Cassie Zeiler, TCS's full-time Research and Training Coordinator.

The lab reflects a relationship with UC Irvine that traces back to the school's founding. It is not ceremonial.

Students with mood lighting

What the Lab is

The Science of Learning Research Lab is an academic research program affiliated with UC Irvine. Each year, a small number of graduate and undergraduate interns from UCI and other local universities complete field study and post-baccalaureate training at TCS under Dr. Schuck's supervision.

These interns observe classrooms, work with students in behavioral support roles, and complete research projects using school data under formal IRB oversight. Their work contributes to the academic literature on ADHD, attention, and executive functioning.

Many go on to join TCS as behavioral specialists.

Research Books at Crinella Library at TCS

What the UCI Connection Means

Dr. Schuck holds a dual appointment: she leads TCS and maintains an active faculty role at UC Irvine. That dual role is what keeps the connection real. She is not a visiting researcher who consults occasionally. She runs the school and the lab.

For TCS, that means a live, credentialed link to academic research in the areas most relevant to our students. It means our intern pipeline comes from university programs in ADHD and child development. And it means the school has operated within a research culture since its founding, not just adopted the vocabulary.

Research Discussions

Research With Rigor and Consent

All research at TCS involving student data is governed by IRB review, the same ethical standard required of academic research at UC Irvine. Families are asked for explicit consent before any student data is used in a research project. You are always welcome to ask what projects are currently active.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the lab separate from the school's regular program

Most schools use the phrase "research-based" to describe their curriculum choices. At TCS, research is active and ongoing, conducted inside the school by UCI faculty and university interns under IRB-approved protocols. That is the difference between drawing on research from elsewhere and doing the work here.

 

Does research involve my child's data?

Possibly. All research involving student data requires explicit family consent and IRB oversight. You will be asked before any data is used. You can decline without any effect on your child's program.

 

Is The Craig School part of UC Irvine?

No. TCS is an independent nonprofit school. Dr. Schuck's dual appointment sustains an active relationship between TCS and UCI, but the school operates independently.

 

Who leads the lab?

Dr. Sabrina Schuck leads the lab. Cassie Zeiler, TCS's full-time Research and Training Coordinator, manages day-to-day coordination, the intern program, and data quality assurance.

 

Does this affect how my child is taught?

TCS uses data-informed practices in how it reviews student progress and adjusts supports. The presence of a research culture at the school reflects the same values. But the lab's research projects are separate from classroom instruction and are not the source of TCS's teaching approach.

 

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