Jelani Mandara

assistant professor, Northwestern

Jelani Mandara is a Family and Developmental Psychologist. His primary research examines the nature and effects of socialization, a father's involvement, and how they interact with gender, race, and SES to impact youths' academic and social development. His current projects examine the effects of parenting styles on Black, Latino, and White American youth's academic achievement, sexual activity and behavioral problems. He is also in the process of creating a comprehensive and culturally relevant measure of parenting called "The Socialization and Family Environment Scale" (SAFE). Further interests include socialization differences between teachers and parents, the achievement gap, and typological or person-centered research methods. He regularly teaches courses and conducts workshops on African American child and adolescent development. He and his wife, Keisha, are known to test his theories on their three sons, with promising results thus far.