Research

From a sociological perspective, my research agenda seeks to understand why inequality in higher education persists and how interventions and policies can reduce gaps between groups. In particular, I study how behaviors and choices made in PK-12 education affect college preparation, access, and success for students from marginalized backgrounds. Most of my recent work has focused on immigrant and English learner students as well as students from lower-income families. In all my studies, I seek to use the most rigorous quantitative methods available and often construct new datasets or use existing ones in new ways. I am passionate about improving social mobility for historically underserved groups and hope that my research can provide guidance to individuals and organizations interested in working toward social justice and equity.