Considerable media attention is paid to the job market and the economy, especially its fragility and strength. In addition, there is increased emphasis on preparing youth to be college and career ready. However, we know little about how youth feel about the job market in which they enter and how these perceptions impact their engagement in school, planning for the future, and their wellbeing. This presentation will focus on students’ job market perceptions, the role of parental and school-based relationships and their relation to academic outcomes. Further, we will discuss variations across ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Nancy Hill is a developmental psychologist and her research identifies the unique and interactive ways in which race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status influence parenting beliefs, practices and child outcomes, especially among African American, Latino, and Euro-American children. Her research has identified the ways in which similar parenting practices may have different meanings for and impacts on children's mental health and development based on cultural, community, and economic contexts. Recent and ongoing projects include Project Alliance/Projecto Alianzo, a multiethnic study of parental involvement in education at the transition between elementary and middle school; The Middle School Transition Study (MST), which is focused on how family and classroom contexts shape students sense of self as they transition to middle school; and Multiethnic, Pooled Data Study, which merges 11 datasets and more than 30,000 students to examine the effects of universal and cultural parenting practices on students' identity development, mental health and achievement among five ethnic/racial groups. She is the co-founder of the study group on Race, Culture, and Ethnicity, an interdisciplinary group of scientists who develop theory and methodology for defining and understanding the cultural context within diverse families.Recent books include "African American Family Life: Ecological and Cultural Diversity" (Guilford, 2005); "Families, Schools, and the Adolescent: Connecting Research Policy and Practice" (Teachers College Press, 2009); and a two volume set: "African American Children's Mental Health: Development and Context" (Hill, Mann, & Fitzgerald) and "African American Children's Mental Health: Prevention, Intervention, and Social Policy" (Mann, Hill, & Fitzgerald), both with Praeger Press (2011).