Project Reach
Participating in high quality organized after-school activities helps youth be successful later in life. Many Latino youth are unlikely to reap these potential benefits as their attendance in these activities is often low. We are interested in what drives Latino teenagers to attend or not attend an organized activity. What is it about the teenagers and the people in teenagers’ lives, like parents and friends, that shape these important decisions? How does one’s culture, ethnicity, and social class shape these decisions? We use both quantitative and qualitative data to capture the lived experiences of Latino teenagers and their families.
For more information, visit the Project Reach Website.
This project is funded by the William T. Grant Foundation
Family and Science Project
Students make important choices about their future during high school. Selecting classes to take during high school is one of the first critical junctures when talented youth can opt out of science courses. Unfortunately, many talented and capable young people are turning away from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Latino youth are often underrepresented in STEM.
Latino science professionals report that family was critical to their success. Yet, we know little about how families impact teenagers’ science motivation and choices during high school. Our goal is to help fill that gap.
We have partnered with 3 high schools in Arizona to collect data from Latino students about their motivation in science, their behaviors towards science, and how their families support them in science.
For more information, visit the Family & Science Project Website.
The Families and Science Project is a research project funded by the National Science Foundation.