Racial disparities exist in autism diagnosis, and yet, the development of most diagnostic tools has not explicitly examined measurement equity between racial and ethnic groups. We examined the validity of the Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory (TASI), a semi-structured interview developed for diagnosis of toddlers, in non-Hispanic Black/African…

This dissertation explored the career aspirations of Black and Latinx undergraduates in underrepresented health fields, crucial due to health disparities and social determinants. Using data from the 2015-2019 Higher Education Research Institute, the research analyzed factors impacting students' pursuit of healthcare careers through logistic…

Objective: To examine whether sexual assault prospectively predicts unhealthy weight management behaviors in college women. Method: Participants were female college students (N = 483) with monthly assessments across the first year, including the frequency and severity of sexual assault and unhealthy weight management behaviors. Results: Frequency…

Students in over 150 countries experienced school closures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In the years following, a growing body of literature seeks to estimate the impacts of these education disruptions on a diverse set of outcomes, including student learning. This article adds to this research by examining causal evidence through a…

Objective: Examine trends in e-cigarette use, and Juul use specifically, among U.S. college students. Participants In 2016, we established a cohort of 529 incoming first-year students to a large Midwestern University. In 2018, these students (now third-years) were re-contacted, and a new sample of 611 incoming first-year students was enrolled.…

Though Latinx students are going to college at an increasing rate, these students are still more likely to attend community college and less prestigious 4-year institutions than other groups. In an effort to understand this pattern, our study investigates how Latinx students prepare for college while in high school. We use nationally…

Although changes in the identification of dyslexia have shifted in recent years, the rate of identification of dyslexia for English Learners (ELs) continues to lag behind that of monolinguals. Using a large sample of student data reported in the Public Education Information Management system (PEIMS) across two school years (2013-14 and 2019-20;…

Gender disparities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) faculty composition remain a major issue in U.S. higher education. Specifically, the underrepresentation of women of color has been described as a crisis. We developed the Workplace Climate and Persistence Scale (WCPS) for STEM faculty to assess departmental-level…

The COVID-19 pandemic closed schools across the country, limiting access to instruction and resulting in learning loss. In this article, we define learning loss and describe the history and complexity of its impact on students.

Autism research tends to exclude racially and ethnically minoritized autistic individuals, limiting the quality of the evidence base for characterizing and diagnosing language impairment in racially and ethnically minoritized autistic individuals. This systematic review examines reporting practices for participant socio-demographics in studies…

Many institutions adopted test-optional policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that nonstandardized parts of the application may play a more influential role in admissions. Our research team examined extracurricular activities reporting in more than six million applications submitted from the Common Application dataset and found that…

This causal-comparative quantitative study investigates learning centers as a cooperative learning instructional strategy in the secondary mathematics setting. The research literature on group work within the secondary mathematics classroom indicates that group work is an effective way to increase academic success if supported with effective…

"Excellence gaps" are the disparities in advanced academic performance that exist between student groups. These gaps have important implications for both academic equity and American economic competitiveness, as the most lucrative jobs often go to those who perform at the highest levels. Although considerable work has evaluated how and…

While existing literature documents disparities in and implications of absenteeism and truant behavior, less is known about truancy as defined in state laws. Habitual truancy, which can trigger external punitive responses, is particularly underexplored. The current study utilizes administrative data from the universe of Pennsylvania schools to…

Colombia is one of the most socioeconomically unequal countries worldwide, with rural regions facing severe poverty, under-resourced schools, precarious economic opportunities, and an unresolved armed conflict. These inequalities are often overlooked in ELT policies and social practices, as rural institutions and educational actors are expected to…