Current Projects

Project RESTORE: Restorative Environments Supporting Teens’ Opportunities, Relationships, and Equity

Punishment like suspension and expulsion create lasting harm for youth, and are disproportionately used against racially minoritized youth and those from low-income families. Restorative practices offer an alternative – by building community and focusing on repairing relationships after harm occurs, they are linked to numerous adaptive educational, behavioral, and socio-emotional outcomes. Yet, achieving such positive results can depend on the type of training and support teachers and administrators receive. In this project, we are using interviews and surveys with administrators, teachers, and students to understand their experiences with restorative practices with the aim of fostering equitable, adaptive outcomes for all youth.

Lab members working on this project: Ursula and Cristina

White Racial Socialization and Identity Development: A Systematic Review

In this systematic review of literature, we are examining and reflecting on the conceptual and theoretical framing, as well as methods and measures used to study racial identity and socialization processes among white youth. As research in this area grows, it is important to understand if and how such work actively resists ongoing oppression and to push fellow scholars towards doing so.

Lab members working on this project: Ursula, Lindsey, and lab alum Bailey

 Midlife Identity and Mental Health in Sociopolitical Context

With this project, we aim to understand how women and gender expansive individuals are navigating the stressors of the current sociopolitical climate – related to immigration, healthcare, education, the economy, and beyond – as they try to maintain positive mental health and a strong sense of self during midlife.

Lab members working on this project: Ursula, Lindsey, and Andrea 

Rewriting the Daily Diary

In this conceptual paper, we argue that qualitative daily diary methods, in which participants respond to one or more prompts per day, can be used to tap into in-the-moment experiences in relation to events in the sociopolitical context while also offering a cathartic outlet for participants.

Lab members working on this project: Ursula, lab alumni Chalon and Bailey