Reducing Inequities in Student Education (RISE) Lab

This research explores how in-service teachers’ beliefs and emotional experiences in the classroom relate to their teaching practices, interactions with students, and students’ social-emotional and identity development.

Dr. Kamilah Legette, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University and Dr. Elizabeth King, Associate Professor, Missouri State University are the Principal Investigators. Dr. Legette research examines ways teachers’ professional development on social-emotional practices are needed to mitigate racial inequality in children’s schooling experiences and Dr. King examines children’s social emotional development, and how child race and gender may alter teachers’ perceptions and emotion-related responses. In collaboration, our work examines how race and gender separately and together relate to teachers’ practices and behaviors as well as children’s social-emotional competencies. 

1. STEP: Social-Emotional Teaching and Equitable Practices (STEP) is a professional development program to increase teachers’ race- and gender-conscious social emotional approaches in classrooms led by Drs. Legette and King. Preschool teachers participating in STEP will meet eight times. All sessions except the first and last one will meet for 1 hour virtually via Zoom. The first and last sessions will meet in person, include food, and last for 2 hours. Each session will be offered twice at different times to account for teachers’ availability. Teachers will also be compensated $200 for completing the sessions. 
   1. Data Needed: To examine the impact of STEP on teachers’ practices and children’s outcomes, we would collect teacher data via surveys and observations before the professional development (Spring 2027) and data from teachers as well as caregivers to report on children’s social-emotional competencies (Fall 2027, Winter 2027, Spring 2028). 

Thank you to our sponsor, The Society for the Study of School Psychology (SSSP)

This study focuses on identifying and examining how race-conscious interventions can reduce racial disparities in school discipline.
Collaborator: Dr. Yoli Anyon — San José State University

Thank you to our sponsor, The Spencer Foundation

This work examines pre- and in-service teachers’ racial socialization practices with students, as well as how racial beliefs and emotional experiences relate to their discipline practices. Collaborator: Dr. Farzana Saleem — Stanford University