A primary goal of my research program is to increase understanding of the processes linking race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) to children’s academic functioning and to conduct policy-relevant research that considers how complex patterns of family, community, and societal inequality influence children’s early development and long-term well-being. One major arm of my program investigates how race/ethnicity and SES intersect to shape children’s academic development and developmental contexts (e.g., home and neighborhood environments). Another important line of my research explores dimensions and consequences of parental beliefs, goals, and practices and their connections with child and adolescent academic and psychosocial outcomes, with a particular emphasis on sociocultural determinants of parenting and patterns of socialization among families of color. A final key area of my scholarship centers on increasing understanding of the sociocultural risk (e.g., economic stress, structural inequality, and discrimination) and protective factors (e.g., positive parenting, social support) and processes that influence the academic and socioemotional functioning and physical health of children of color and socioeconomically disadvantaged youth. To study children’s development, my lab uses a diverse methodological toolkit, including the statistical analysis of large-scale longitudinal datasets and the collection and analysis of qualitative and mixed-methods data.

Representative Publications

Kruzik, C., Coley, R.L., Votruba-Drzal, E., Spielvogel, B., Henry, D. A., & Betancur, L. (2023). The early emergence of SES achievement gaps: Disparities across race, ethnicity, and immigrant status. Race and Social Problems, Advance Online Publication. doi:10.1007/s12552-023-09402-w

Seider, S., Henry, D. A., Edwards, E.C., Huguley, J., Diaz, B., & Daza, K. (2023). Investigating the relation between youth critical consciousness and academic achievement for BIPOC and White adolescents. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 29(4), 516–529. doi:10.1037/cdp0000613

Kim, J. J., Henry, D. A., & Dearing, E. (2023). Early childhood predictors of Black children's achievement: Home, early care and education, and neighborhood contexts. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 63, 337-351. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.01.001

Wang, M. T., Henry, D. A., & Del Toro, J. (2022). Do Black and White students benefit from racial socialization? School racial socialization, school climate, and youth academic performance during early adolescence. American Educational Research Journal, Advance Online Publication. doi: 10.3102/00028312221134771

Wang, M. T., Henry, D. A., Del Toro, J., Wu, W., Huguley, J. P. (2022). Racial stereotype endorsement, academic engagement, mindset, and performance among Black and White American adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51, 984–1001. doi: 10.1007/s10964-022-01587-4

Henry, D. A., Betancur Cortés, L., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (2020). Black-White achievement gaps differ by family socioeconomic status from early childhood through early adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(8), 1471–1489. doi:10.1037/edu0000439

Henry, D. A., Votruba-Drzal, E., & Miller, P. (2019). Child development at the intersection of race and SES: An overview. In D. A. Henry, P. Miller, & E. Votruba-Drzal (Eds.) Advances in child development and behavior: Child development at the intersection of race and SES (Vol. 57, pp. 1-25). Series Editor: J. B. Benson. Cambridge, MA: Elsevier (Academic Press imprint). doi:10.1016/bs.acdb.2019.05.002

Henry, D. A., Miller, P., Votruba-Drzal, E., & Parr, A. K. (2019). Safe and sound? Exploring parents’ perceptions of neighborhood safety at the nexus of race and socioeconomic status. In D. A. Henry, P. Miller, & E. Votruba-Drzal (Eds.) Advances in child development and behavior: Child development at the intersection of race and SES (Vol. 57, pp. 281-313). Series Editor: J. B. Benson. Cambridge, MA: Elsevier (Academic Press imprint). doi:10.1016/bs.acdb.2019.05.001

Wang, M. T., Henry, D. A., Smith, L. V., Huguley, J. P., & Guo, J. (2019). Parental ethnic-racial socialization practices and children of color’s psychosocial and behavioral adjustment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Psychologist, 75(1), 1–22. doi:10.1037/amp0000464