Angel L. Harris, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology and Center for African American Studies, Princeton University

WHY DOES ACADEMIC INEQUALITY ACROSS RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPS PERSIST?
Education is becoming increasingly important for upward social mobility in the U.S. and abroad and has been linked to societal inequalities in health, income, and other life-chance measures. Thus, education plays a central role in social and economic well-being, particularly for women and minority groups. Given that the minority population within the U.S. has been steadily increasing and is projected to comprise 45 to 50 percent of the U.S. population in 2050, understanding racial differences in achievement is important for scholars, educators, and policy makers. My interests are on how perceptions about the opportunity structure and the system of social mobility influence the extent to which people invest in schooling. Thus, my research focuses on the social psychological determinants of the racial achievement gap. I have focused on identifying factors that contribute to African Americans’ lower academic achievement and Asian Americans’ higher academic achievement relative to Whites. I also examine some of these issues among youth within the United Kingdom.

For CV: http://www.princeton.edu/~angelh

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

- Book -

Harris, Angel L. “Beyond (Dis)Engagement: Oppositional Culture and the Black-White Achievement Gap (Tentative title).”  Under contract, Harvard University Press.  

- Articles -

Yates, Scott, Angel L. Harris, Ricardo Sabates, and Jeremy Staff.  “Young People’s Ambition and Future Employment Outcomes in the United Kingdom.” (Conditionally Accepted, Journal of Social Policy, London School of Economics).

Jeremy Staff, Angel L. Harris, Ricardo Sabates, Laine Briddell. “Uncertainty in Early Occupational Aspirations: Role Exploration or Floundering?” (Conditionally Accepted, Social Forces)

Harris, Angel L. and Kris Marsh.  “Is a Raceless Identity an Effective Strategy for Academic Success Among Blacks.” Forthcoming in Social Science Quarterly

Harris, Angel L. and Marta Tienda.  “Minority Higher Education Pipeline: Consequences of Changes in College Admissions Policy in Texas.”  Forthcoming in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Harris, Angel L., Monica Trujillo, and Kenneth Jamison.  2008.  “Academic Outcomes among Latino/a and Asian Americans: An Assessment of the Immigration Effect.”  Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 620: 90-114.

Harris, Angel L.  2008.  “Optimism in the Face of Despair: Black-White Differences in Beliefs about School as a Means for Upward Social Mobility.”  Social Science Quarterly 89:629-51.

Lacy, Karyn and Angel L. Harris.  2008.  “Breaking the Class Monolith: Understanding Class Differences in Black Adolescents’ Attachment to Racial Identity.”  Pp. 152-178 in Social Class: How does it Work? Edited by Dalton Conley and Annette Lareau.  New York: Russell Sage Foundation Press.

Harris, Angel L. and Keith Robinson. 2007.  “Schooling Behaviors or Prior Skills?: A Cautionary Tale of Omitted Variable Bias within the Oppositional Culture Theory”  Sociology of Education 80:139-57.

Harris, Angel L. 2006.  “I (Don’t) Hate School: Revisiting ‘Oppositional Culture’ Theory of Blacks’ Resistance to Schooling.”  Social Forces85: 797-834.

Mahoney, Joseph L., Angel L. Harris, and Jacquelynne S. Eccles.  2006. “Organized Activity Participation, Positive Youth Development and the Over-Scheduling Hypothesis.”  Society for Research on Child Development’s Social Policy Report, 20 (4):3-30.

Reprinted in: Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Lifespan Development, 2nd Ed.  2008. Andrew Guest (Ed.).  New York: McGraw-Hill.

Chavous, Tabbye M., Angel Harris, Deborah Rivas, Lumas Helaire, and Laurette Green. 2004. “Racial Stereotypes and Gender in Context: African Americans at Predominantly Black and Predominantly White Colleges.”  Sex Roles51: 1-16.