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…

Racial segregation can occur not only between schools but also within schools, and there has been particular concern that gifted & talented (G&T) programs may increase within-school segregation at the primary school level. This paper evaluates the contribution of G&T education to racial segregation using data on the presence and racial…

For students entering Grade 9 in the 2014-15 school year and later, Texas modified its public high school graduation requirements by enacting House Bill 5 (HB 5) during the 83rd Texas Legislature. These changes provided students with greater flexibility in the courses required for graduation (including eliminating Algebra II as a required course)…

Purpose: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are not known for producing a high number of racial activists. On the contrary, scientific discourse often traffics in race-neutral language and ideologies, all the while producing racist science and technologies. This research explored the relationship between racial…

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…

In this study, we asked whether Montessori schools, which tend to have high student engagement, are associated with lower average rates of chronic absenteeism and/or smaller racial disparities therein relative to non-Montessori schools. We use multilevel modeling to answer this question, following an approach proposed in Author et al., (in press)…

Research suggests that achieved ethnic identity has positive implications for the adjustment of Adolescents of Color. However, researchers know very little about whether (or how) the impact of achieved ethnic identity extends into college years. To explore this, our study examined the effects of ethnic identity on both social and academic…

Among the many inequalities associated with racial segregation in schools, one notable disparity is the unequal access to experienced teachers. Schools with high proportions of Black or Latinx students have a disproportionate share of inexperienced teachers, both throughout the nation and in California specifically (Clotfelter, Ladd, &…

Despite a marked increase in study abroad participation in recent decades, first-generation students and Students of Color remain vastly underrepresented. The current study sought to expand the extant literature on first-generation and Latino/a students' study abroad participation by applying an intersectional approach to identifying predictors of…

Hispanic college students typically report a lower sense of belonging than their White peers, citing challenges related to first generation student status, low-income family backgrounds, and academic underpreparedness. The present study asked whether Hispanic students would have a lower sense of belonging than non-Hispanic White students and…

The study tested the effects of priming culture on academic self-concept (ASC) and ethnocentrism, and the relationship between prior intergroup contact (PIC) and familial ethnic socialization (FES) and those two outcomes. The study asked: Does priming culture affect achievement outcomes and manifestations of social identity? Do immigrant…

The present study examined boys' race in moderating the association between teacher-child relationship quality, measured by closeness and conflict, and boys' language gains and conduct problems change scores during Pre-K. The study was conducted using data from the National Center for Early Development and Learning's (NCEDL) Multi-State Study of…

This study examined the associations between parental involvement in adolescents' organized after-school activities and adolescents' motivational beliefs. Data were reported by 231 Mexican-origin and European American adolescents who participated in an organized after-school activity (57% female, M[subscript age] = 12.37, SD = 0.54) and their…

This brief examines which students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) were more likely to choose the STEM endorsement in ninth grade. The study examined STEM endorsement choice among students who began high school in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years. The analyses showed female students were significantly less likely to…

Few studies empirically compare the approaches law enforcement officers (LEOs) and school mental health professionals (SMHPs) use to keep schools safe. Such comparisons are important for improving safety and student wellbeing. A focus on the experiences of racial/ethnic minority students is especially important given evidence that school safety…