African American youth are more likely to experience racial discrimination, which contributes to greater sensitivity to disrespect and aggressive behavior. However, little is known about possible reciprocal relationships among discrimination, disrespect sensitivity, and aggression. This study investigated these reciprocal relationships and whether…

Criminal activity is seasonal, peaking in the summer and declining through the winter. We provide the first evidence that arrests of children and reported crimes involving children follow a different pattern: peaking during the school year and declining in the summer. We use a regression discontinuity design surrounding the exact start and end…

This study identified student characteristics associated with school year mobility for more than 260,000 students in grades 4 through 8 who began the 2016-17 school year at a school in one of ten Houston area school districts. Of these students, 20,154, or just under 8%, changed schools at least once during the school year. Three characteristics…

Many students across the country experienced a decline in academic performance due to COVID-19. As a result, college readiness measures have fallen short, especially in math. This lack of preparation frequently leads to additional teaching, wasting important class time by going over the prerequisite content again instead of using it to study new…

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…

The present study examined the extent to which parent-adolescent relationship quality and parenting practices were associated with changes in school engagement among racial and ethnic minority adolescents. Participants (58% female) were 208 racial/ethnic minority students (63% African American, 19% Latinx, 18% Multiracial) in grades 6-8 from an…

In this article, we review factors that are associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) achievement and describe the development of the Predictors of Black Outcomes in STEM Survey (PBOSS). We retain a well-fitted three-factor model (engagement, continuity, and guiding functions) and find that the PBOSS scores are…

This preliminary investigation explored associations between African American students' perceptions of racial fairness, dimensions of school engagement (behavioral, emotional, cognitive) and school discipline (office discipline referrals, out-of-school suspensions), and the role of gender as an important social context for these associations. In…

Police stops often perpetuate racial disparities in academic outcomes, yet few studies have examined factors that mitigate these negative consequences. Using two longitudinal studies (Study 1: n = 483, M-age = 12.88, 53% males; Study 2: n = 131, M-age = 15.11, 34% males), this article tests whether parental and school cultural socialization…

This study explores the extent to which student, family, peer, and school factors predict (a) whether students take "Advanced Placement®" ("AP®") courses, International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, and dual enrollment courses and (b) in models limited to course takers, how many courses they completed. Our findings, based on a…

The present study aimed to examine risk and protective factors of African American students at a historically Black university in the southeastern region of the U.S. A total of 326 students participated in a cross-sectional self-report survey as to scores of the Internet Addiction Test, depression, resilience, and socio-demographic information. A…

Without a better understanding of what contributes to racial/ethnic and gender underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, many U.S. citizens likely will not be able to take full advantage of the socioeconomic affordances of STEM occupations. Additionally, the increasingly diverse nation will have a STEM…

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of selected demographic and academic variables on the career decision making process and self-efficacy of African American freshman college students. Specifically, this study was concerned with the relationship between the demographic and academic variables of gender, age, social economic…

This article addresses long-standing data from federal government agencies documenting concerns regarding the use of school discipline and suspension indicating that Black students are referred for discipline and/or suspended at a higher rate than students of other ethnicities. Available data from a local school district reflected similar…

Excessive use of exclusionary school discipline with Black students is a persistent, systemic problem in U.S. schools with potential to affect students' perceptions of their school. For example, students may notice racial differences in out-of-school suspensions, which may relate to how academically engaged they feel and the extent to which they…