Research

Working Papers

The Impact of School Resource Officer Selection and Training on Racial Disparities in Exclusion (Job Market Paper)

Abstract: I present novel findings on the impact of statewide selection and training (S&T) mandates for school resource officers (SROs) on Black-White disparities in school exclusion. The study analyzes data from the 2013-14 through 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection and supplementary sources, encompassing all United States schools. The design leverages state and time variation in SRO S&T statute adoption between 2014-15 and 2020-21. Group-time average treatment effects on the treated are estimated using doubly robust difference-in-difference estimators, comparing Black-White exclusion disparities in middle and high schools with SROs between treated and untreated schools. The results indicate that SRO S&T policies do not effectively reduce racial disparities in exclusionary discipline. This is the first paper to assess whether individualist or structuralist mechanisms better explain the main result and propose a structuralist explanation of systemic discrimination as a mechanism for why SRO S&T is ineffective in reducing Black-White gaps in school exclusion.

Work in Progress

Does Investing in Schools Reduce Violent Crime? (with Jamein P. Cunningham, Ph.D. and Kenneth D. Whaley, Ph.D.)

Abstract: We ask if better funded public schools reduce violent crime exposure for Black males in the United States. Acknowledging that local government may tradeoff funding for schools and public safety, we explore violent crime reduction caused by increased state funding for schools during the finance reform era. Cash infusions generated by state finance reforms target disadvantaged communities, and our findings show that counties with higher shares of low-income school districts saw relative homicide rates decrease for young Black males post reform. Reform-induced school spending contributed to the decline of Black male homicides from 1970-2010 through similar effects for Black men of all ages.

Racial Inequity in School Exclusion and Compounding Effects in the Labor Market

Impact of Indiana's Governor's Work Ethic Certificate on Post-Secondary Education and Employment (with Chloe R. Gibbs, Ph.D. and Abigail Wozniak, Ph.D.)

Causal Relationships between Literacy and School Discipline (with Paul Glewwe, Ph.D.)

Other Publications

Black Economics: Reclaiming the Narrative for Economic Revitalization. In SPARK: Rejuvenation in Academic Research (Vol. 4): https://sparkezine.com/2024/04/05/black-economics-reclaiming-the-narrative-for-economic-revitalization/