Statement of Research Interest
My research interests are embedded in social equity. As the fourth pillar of public administration, social equity is defined as: "The fair, just, and equitable management of all institutions serving the public... and the commitment to promote fairness, justice, and equity in the formation of public policy" (Standing Panel on Social Equity in Governance, National Academy of Public Administration, 2000). Founded on democratic ideals, social equity is key to promoting a professional democratic public administration. My research examines higher education, diversity, program evaluation, and policy through the lens of social equity.
SOCIAL EQUITY & PROGRAM EVALUATION
YOUTH OUTCOMES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LED NONPROFITS—In my role as senior research associate, I helped lead a grant project funded by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. This project is designed to examine the role of African American led nonprofit organizations in improving life outcomes of youth in their communities. The study compares outcomes between three groups: those who participated in the African American led nonprofits; those who participated in another program or extracurricular activity; and those who did not participate in either. The research examined the philosophies of established African American nonprofit organizations that are leading the dialogue on social equity by advancing important quality of life outcomes for African American youth. Their approach offers an informative way to examine youth outcome measures in program evaluation research. The first year of this evaluation resulted in a technical report and two peer-reviewed journal article submissions—one of which has been conditionally accepted for publication in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
NON-TRADITIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH—The second phase of the sponsored research examines the importance of capturing youth outcomes beyond traditional methods. This second wave of a two-part longitudinal study is designed to evaluate African American youth outcomes relative to self-discovery, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and resiliency. Additionally, this research explores the "old-school" approach of three established African American-led nonprofit organizations. Their unique style offers an informative way to examine youth outcome measures in program evaluation research and impact analysis. The second year of this evaluation will yield a technical report and a peer-review article manuscript based upon the study findings.
EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION—Currently, I am involved in research to identify the different types of learning objectives instructors in public affairs education include in their typical core course and to obtain their perceptions as to the relative effectiveness of specific instructional strategies in achieving their learning objectives. This research has gathered input from faculty in public affairs and has establish an aligned matrix for public affairs educators to better define the best instructional strategies to improve student performance and retention. This manuscript is currently in preparation for peer-review submission.
SOCIAL EQUITY EVALUATION & HIGHER EDUCATION
MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS STUDENT SUCCESS EVALUATION—I have worked on several Achieving the Dream (AtD) research projects funded by MDRC. AtD was a multiyear national initiative to help 100+ community colleges use data-driven decision making to increase student success. AtD was particularly concerned with student groups who traditionally have faced the most significant barriers to success, including low-income students and students of color. This evaluation studied three AtD minority serving universities (MSI) in Houston. It focused on how the MSI implemented the AtD initiative, their successes and challenges, leadership commitment, students' perspectives, and the institutions' approaches to promote student success. This research resulted in a MDRC technical report and in a peer-reviewed book chapter titled, "Promoting Social Equity to Achieve the Dream at Minority Serving Institutions" in Social Equity in a Time of Change: A Critical 21st Century Social Movement (2017).
EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SUPPORT—This evaluation examined the experiences of two rounds of AtD colleges and provided an analysis of the relationship that existed between colleges, their coaches, and data facilitators. This research highlighted the innovative role of the coaches and data facilitators and its contribution to AtD's impact on reducing barriers to student success. This evaluation project resulted in a MDRC technical report and in a peer-reviewed book chapter titled, "Intermediaries of Innovation in Community Colleges: Coaching in Achieving the Dream" in Innovations in the Public and Nonprofit Sector: A Public Solutions Handbook (2016).
STUDENT SUCCESS IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION—Recruiting and engaging our students in the work of the profession is essential to its continuation. This research seeks to examine resources and strategies for public administration and affairs program faculty to enhance the engagement of new students, alumni, and local public servants. The analysis will explore ways to increase the participation of students at the local, regional, national, and international levels through a variety of initiatives.
SOCIAL EQUITY & POLICY ANALYSIS
SOCIAL EQUITY ANALYSIS OF A HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM—I am working on my dissertation research which is focused on analyzing a non-need, merit-based scholarship program for post-secondary education in Georgia; the study measures the distributional equity of this educational funding system. The principal question of this analysis examines whether the program has helped to reduce post-secondary educational inequities within the state. While educational achievement gaps limit opportunity, social equity analysis can bridge disparities and play a central role in examining access to higher education. By applying the Standing Panel's distributional equity framework, this study examines the scholarship's impact on promoting social equity within the state. This fall, I will be defending my dissertation and I expect the findings from my primary research questions to yield three peer-reviewed journal articles. These may be a good fit for the American Review of Public Administration, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Public Administration Review.
REDEFINING COLLEGE ACCESS FROM A SOCIAL EQUITY LENS—I have significant interest in the area of college access, and refining its definition using a social equity perspective. College access is often defined as "admittance" or "acceptance" into an institution of higher learning, but research continues to show that low-income students, first generation college attendees, and students of color, face significant barriers to program completion once they enter. I will conduct research in the area of expanding the term "college access" to a definition that includes the successful completion of the program in which a student enrolls. Once my dissertation research is completed, I will use this same data set to compare the HOPE program with similar states with similar lottery funded programs, and states such as Alabama, without a program to examine differences in educational attainment and educational disparities. I plan to submit the articles from this research to State and Local Government Review and the Journal of Public Affairs Education.
FUTURE RESEARCH
APPLIED MEASURES OF SOCIAL EQUITY—My future research will continue to address identifying social inequities and examining programs and policies designed to eliminate these disparities. The less addressed piece in social equity research has been connecting policies to inequities in order to create and apply tangible strategies that address issues of social equity in public administration. I look forward to making constructive progress towards social equity through research, analysis, and advocating implementation. I would also like to work on bringing in new grants that focus on these topics on collaborative team from multiple perspectives. My research interests fit with a number of organizations including, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation and I am interested in seeking external funding from these and similar organizations.