Regina J Deil-Amen, Ph.D.

Current Research

Current Research

Awakening to a Dream Deferred: When Aspirations Meet Reality for Low-income Minority High School Students in Their Transition to College”
• An exploration of the transition from high school to college among “community college bound” students supported by funding as a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship $55,000 award

Professional Research Experience

2004 – 2005 Research Consultant/Writer for a project of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC): “Transitions to College: From Theory to Practice”
• wrote comprehensive review of the sociological literature relevant to students’ transition to college in the U.S.

2003 – 2004 Co-Principal investigator for a U.S. Department of Education Grant – “The Dream Deferred: Increasing the College Preparedness of At-Risk Students” with Alberto Cabrera and Patrick Terenzini grant award: $675,000
•ï€ analyzed data gathered through the evaluation of the Federal Gear Up initiative.

2003 - 2004 Research consultant for Project Align of the City Colleges of Chicago
• designed survey instrument administered to seniors in 5 Chicago high schools
• analyzed the data and produced statistical reports generated from student responses
• content analyzed senior writing assessments

2003 Consultant on Spencer Foundation Major Research Grant for James Rosenbaum, “Contact Between Two-Year Colleges and Employers: Impact on Instruction, Guidance, and Student Outcomes, grant award $400,00
•survey and qualitative follow-up of two-year college students’ entry and re-entry into the workforce

1999 – 2002 Research Director for “College to Career” Study: How Do Employers and Students Learn to Use Community Colleges and Proprietary Schools? Institute for Policy Research and School of Education and
Social Policy, Northwestern University, funded by Sloan and Spencer Foundations. grant award: $400,000
• study of links between employers and for-profit, non-profit, and public two-year college occupational students

1997 - 1998 Research Fellow. The Institute For Policy Research, Northwestern University
• appointed to analyze National Center for Education Statistics - Beginning Post-Secondary Students: BPS 90/94 data

1994 - 1996 Ethnographer and Research Associate. Cultures of Success: A Study of Community Colleges With High Transfer Rates - A Project of the Ford and Spencer Foundations.
• Selected to conduct qualitative research, including observations and interviews with students, faculty, staff and administrators as part of a national research team. Completed ethnographies at two City Colleges in Chicago.

1994 Evaluative Researcher. "School-Based Management in Chicago" - a study of the implementation of James Comer's school development process in Chicago Public Schools. Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research (CUAPR)
• Conducted qualitative field research at two urban elementary schools.