A $1.5 million “Pathways to Training” grant from the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) is striving to mold students into education researchers who could improve the “schooling experiences and academic attainment” of Black and Latino students from pre-K all the way through university.
Dr. Royel M. Johnson“This program is designed to prepare the next generation of critical education researchers to tackle some of the country’s most pressing challenges related to access and equity for Black and Latinx students,” said Dr. Royel Johnson, an assistant professor of education in Penn State’s College of Education. “Scholars in our program will benefit from rigorous research training, faculty mentoring and support for graduate study.”
Penn State and the historically Black North Carolina Central University are partnering together on the five-year project, titled “Research Institute for Scholars of Equity (RISE): Conducting Mixed Methods Research to Improve Academic Outcomes among Pre-K-20 African American and Latino/a Children, Youth and Young Adults.” As part of the program, 58 undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds will receive training in critical, mixed-methods research, year-round mentorship and support in preparing for doctoral study.
“Nationally, there is a need for researchers who are trained and prepared to address the most pressing education issues,” Johnson said. “Through this program, we are able to develop a pipeline of scholars from underrepresented backgrounds to do just that. Seated on campus of North Carolina Central University, a historically Black university, students will also benefit from its rich, intellectual and cultural resources.”
