My interest in what happens in diverse urban schools began when I became involved in a study of school desegregation while in graduate school. Those interests have led me to study a range of issues in schools, including school schedules and structures, teaching approaches such as cooperative learning and conflict resolution, social influence processes, and student background characteristics including poverty, type of housing, language, ability, and race/ethnicity. Other work has focused on college students' readiness for college, and on the role of engagement for college retention. Most recently I have been heading a project in North Minneapolis funded by FIPSE that creates partnerships to address issues key to community members. Our current work, using an action research model, focuses on out-of-school time, youth entrepreneurship opportunities, and healthy foods and youth gardening.

My engaged work has been facilitated by time I spent in the Saint Paul Public Schools as their director of research, evaluation and assessment. It gave me a practitioner perspective as well as a better understanding of collaboration. I have complemented my substantive interests with methodological interests in structural equation methods, program evaluation, and assessment.

Finally, I have held administrative roles that have complemented and informed my research interests, including Director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and Associate Vice President for (1) Multicultural and Academic Affairs, and (2) System Academic Administration. I am also a past-president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI).