Project title: Special Education, Socioeconomic Context, and Family Experiences: A Comparative Interview Study
Project description: My research project will be an interview study of high school special education students and their parents with the goal of determining how sentiments about student experiences in special education may be affected by urbanity and average income of the school district. I will do this by interviewing families from two different school districts; one in a high-poverty urban area, and the other in a diverse suburban district. My inquiries will attempt to shine light on the quality and utility of special education programs and how experiences might be different between districts based on their characteristics and available resources. I will explore how policies and procedures may vary between districts, and what may be the cause of potential differences or similarities between student experiences. I will also use publicly available data to understand the demographic composition, average household income, and academic outcomes of each district. The findings from this comparative interview study may illustrate educational disparities, and could help to determine potential policy interventions that could improve special education programs.
Most important achievement: I was the valedictorian of my high school graduating class and transferred to Cornell with a perfect GPA at my former university.
Reflections on the College Scholar Program: This program has been an amazing opportunity to meet other passionate scholars, learn about interesting and important research, and take an interdisciplinary approach to my undergraduate education. I look forward to spending the next few years working on my research alongside amazing faculty and students.