Dr. Aixa Marchand, assistant professor of psychology at Rhodes, along with University of Michigan and University of California-Los Angeles faculty, has co-authored a paper that charts how wealth shapes educational outcomes from childhood to early adulthood: The article is published in the November 2019 issue of Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
In their study, researchers tracked children and their parents over a 27-year period, from pre-birth to early adulthood, analyzing responses from a sample of 1,247 individuals.
“This research shines a spotlight on wealth inequality,” says Marchand. “We know that wealth matters, but this work helps us better understand what exactly about wealth matters for educational success and postsecondary outcomes. Wealth is more highly concentrated among fewer people than income is and is associated with academic and postsecondary outcomes which contradicts the American ideals of a meritocracy and equal opportunity.”
Marchand joined Rhodes’ faculty in the fall of 2019 after graduating with a Ph.D. in education and psychology and a certificate in African American Studies from the University of Michigan. She teaches courses in the psychology and educational studies departments.