While many of my projects are singular, others are part of larger enterprises. Here, I describe broader projects underway or to which I have substantially contributed.
Educational Opportunity Monitoring Project
We monitor educational opportunity for every community in America using longitudinal data on students’ achievement on state-administered standardized tests in grades three through eight.
Article: Matheny, Kaylee T.,* Marissa E. Thompson,* Carrie Townley-Flores,* and sean f. reardon. 2023. “Uneven Progress: Recent Trends in Academic Performance Among U.S. School Districts.” American Educational Research Journal. OnlineFirst. [link]
Discovery: “Increasing School Segregation Widens White-Black Achievement Gaps.” [link] with Marissa E. Thompson, Carrie Townley-Flores, and sean f. reardon.
Discovery: “Racial Socioeconomic Inequality Predicts Growing Racial Academic Inequality.” [link] with Marissa E. Thompson, Carrie Townley-Flores, and sean f. reardon.
Media Coverage: EdSource
Responsibilities include…
- Conducting data analysis in STATA using hierarchical linear modeling and metaregression techniques
- Collaborating with co-authors
- Disseminating findings via conferences, research papers, and public-facing discoveries
- Designing and creating data visualizations
Inequality in Postsecondary Access
As part of my dissertation, colleagues and I are using longitudinal survey and interview data to understand children’s trajectories to and through postsecondary pathways.
Article: Horwitz, Ilana M., Kaylee T. Matheny, and Natalie Milan. 2021. “Abortion Bans and College Drop-outs.” Contexts 20(4):76. [link]
Media Coverage: The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, The Society Pages
Responsibilities include…
- Analyzing survey data in STATA using OLS and logistic regression
- Analyzing interview data using Dedoose (qualitative)
- Managing an undergraduate research assistant
- Disseminating findings via conferences, research papers, and public-facing articles
Hopes for High School
As part of my dissertation, I am conducting a six-year longitudinal study (which began in 2019) in which I interview parents of high school students in the Atlanta and San Jose metropolitan areas on their hopes for their children’s high school experiences and beyond. This work aims to illuminate how social context and backgrounds come together to shape parents’ understandings of the opportunities available to their children and the constraints their families face. This is my original project, through which I generate original interview data. Responsibilities include…
- Drafting IRB documents and maintaining approval
- Recruiting participants
- Conducting phone and in-person interviews
- Maintaining participant records for recontact
- Managing longitudinal records for 81 interviewees
- Analyzing interview data using Dedoose (qualitative)
- Analyzing interview data using R (natural language processing)
- Disseminating findings via conferences and research papers
American Voices Project
From 2019 to 2021, I served as a Project Manager for the American Voices Project. In this role, responsibilities included…
- Identifying and evaluating external text message vendors for an experimental affirmation intervention
- Drafting the contract and data use agreement with the external vendor
- Cleaning data
- Designing outgoing text message and postcard campaigns
- Managing participant interactions through the text platform
- Managing an undergraduate research assistant
Kaylee T. Matheny 