Current Research Projects

The Effect of Subsidized Child Care and Public School Pre-K on the School Readiness and Long-Term Academic Outcomes of Diverse, Low-Income, Urban Preschoolers: The Miami School Readiness Project (MSRP)

This exciting large-scale, university-community partnership, program evaluation, and applied research project involves maintenance and development of the master database for all child-level, classroom-level, child care center-level, and family-level data involved in the Assessment-Intervention Program, sponsored by the Miami-Dade School Readiness Coalition with support from The Children's Trust. In this project, for 5 years (2012-2007), about 58,000 4-year old low-income children (approximately 60% Latino,30% African American, and 10% white/other) attending state-subsidized child care facilities (center-based, family daycares, informal care, and public school pre-k programs) were individually assessed (in English and Spanish) on their cognitive, language, and motor skills at the beginning (PRE) and end (POST) of the school year. Also, parents and teachers rate children's socio-emotional skills and behavior problems at PRE and POST. The children are still being followed longitudinally as they progress through high school in Miami-Dade County Public Schools with a wide variety of school records outcome data available through 12th grade.

Does immigrant advantage for academic outcomes persist in high school similarly for Black and Latine students?

This undergraduate honors thesis project uses data from the Miami School Readiness Project to examine the presence of the immigrant advantage in grades nine through 12. The “immigrant advantage” posits that first- generation immigrants display better academic outcomes than second-generation immigrants who do better than non-immigrant students. Previous research in the lab have examined the immigrant advantage in elementary and middle school. The studies found an overall general presence of the immigrant advantage, and a stronger immigrant advantage for Black immigrant students than Latine immigrant students. Prior research in the field has produced conflicting results on whether the immigrant advantage is present or not in high school; this project aims to clarify the degree in which the immigrant advantage is present in high schools and if it is stronger for one race over the other. Academic outcomes for this project include end of year GPA, cumulative high school GPA, standardized math and reading test scores, retention, and graduation rates, while controlling for student race, poverty, ELL status, disability, and gender. Generational status will be the key predicator in assessing if and how one’s generational status is related to academic outcomes while controlling for demographic and socioeconomic differences.

Exploring the Longitudinal Patterns of Absenteeism and Engagement in Secondary School: What are Predictors and Outcomes, and do Arts Courses Promote Engagement?

This project examines the dynamic nature of within-student absenteeism over time between 6th and 12th grade. Absenteeism is a critical issue in U.S. schools, and more detailed information about absenteeism and how it changes over time is needed. We also examine predictors of absenteeism over time and resulting 12th grade outcomes from absenteeism. We expect absenteeism to negatively impact student academic success, high school suspensions, graduation, and post-secondary educational aspirations. Information about factors that predict and result from absenteeism can help educators and policy makers better understand the consequences of this critical issue. Finally, we will explore arts participation as a malleable school activity that may contribute to decreased absenteeism. Research suggests arts participation promotes engagement, and we expect arts students to see less absenteeism as a result. We expect this effect on absenteeism will mediate the positive relationship between arts participation and student outcomes. If true, this constitutes a pathway to promote attendance and positive outcomes leveraging an existing part of the education system. 

Predictive Validity of the LAPD Screen: Early Screening as a Window into Later Academic Outcomes

Early developmental screening is critical for identifying children at risk for delays, yet most research emphasizes concurrent rather than predictive validity of popular screening tools. This dissertation examines whether the LAP-D Screen at age three predicts later developmental assessment scores and academic outcomes through third grade in a large, diverse sample of low-income preschoolers. By evaluating predictive accuracy using multiple diagnostic metrics, this study aims to inform more effective early intervention practices for underserved communities.

Middle and High School Arts Electives Among Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Students in Miami: Who Takes Them, for How Long, and What are the Academic Outcomes?

Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), this exciting project is examining 1) child, family, and school predictors of low-income minority youth selecting arts elective courses in middle school, and 2) whether youth who take arts courses do better in school than those who do not, controlling for the selection factors identified in #1. Using data from the Miami School Readiness Project, about 32,000 children (60% Latino, 33% Black, 7% White/Other, 85% in poverty) are reaching 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and 20-25% of them are enrolling in some kind of arts elective course (i.e., band, orchestra, choir, drama, dance, art). Predictor variables include child gender, ethnicity, ELL and disability status, initial school readiness, 5th grade GPA and test scores; family size, marital status, maternal education, free lunch and immigrant status; and school size, quality, resources, and ethnic distribution. We will see if arts classes are linked with better outcomes for at-risk youth (GPA, test scores, attendance, retention, suspension, and drop out).

Arts Elective Course Selection Among High School Students with Disabilities

Previously, our lab has discovered that students with disabilities, within our large, ethnically diverse, low-income sample, are nearly half as likely to enroll in arts elective courses in middle school compared to their non-disabled peers. This masters thesis project analyzes the rates of selection into the arts among students with disabilities to verify if this effect persists into high school. Additionally, this project is the first to specifically investigate art elective selection rates based on specific types of disabilities (i.e., LD, ASD, Speech/Language disorders, etc.) and specific types of arts electives (music, dance, drama, visual art).

Race, Gender, and Income Differences in Primary Exceptionality Status Over Time

This undergraduate honors thesis uses data from the MSRP to examine changes in primary exceptionality status over time from kindergarten through 12th grade, whilst also examining any differences in initial placement and changes in primary exceptionality pertaining to race, gender and income. There has been conflicting research on whether race or income has a greater correlation to exceptionality placement, as well as contradictory research suggesting both over and under-representation for minoritized individuals with primary exceptionalities. This project will help clarify the degree to which race or income impacts exceptionality placement by measuring both race and depth of poverty. There has been little research examining the changes in and / or between primary exceptionality status over time in grade school, and even less research examining said changes whilst including race, gender, and income as potential contributing factors.

Two-Way (Spanish-English) Immersion Bilingual Education Classrooms: Language of Instruction, Student Engagement, Motivation, Student-Teacher Relationships, and Academic and Language Outcomes for Students

This exciting 3-year project just funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), is examining how the language of instruction used in two-way immersion programs (i.e., 50% Spanish 50% English, 90% English 10% Spanish) in North Carolina K-3rd grade classrooms matters for student learning, engagement and motivation in classrooms and their eventual English and Spanish language outcomes. Also examined is whether DLL student initial language competence in Spanish and English moderate all of the above. This research is in collaboration with Drs. Doré LaForett and Ximena Franco at the FPG center at University of North Carolina. See more info related to this project here.

Cumulative effects of poverty stability, duration, and intensity in elementary school on later academic outcomes

Using the Miami School Readiness Project longitudinal data set, this project aims to describe poverty status from Kindergarten through 5th-grade, and across repeated grades for retained students. We describe intensity, stability, and mobility over time for this large and ethnically diverse sample of students. We also examine how the intensity and duration of poverty over time relate to 5th-grade academic outcomes. Essentially, how well do measures of timing, cumulative duration, and intensity of poverty across elementary schools predict 5th-grade academics while controlling for student readiness at school entry?