معرفی
Mariah Contreras is a Lecturer at Tufts University, holding appointments in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development and the Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning department. She holds a PhD (2015), MA (2013?), and BA (2008?) from Tufts and Colgate University respectively. Her research focuses on ethnic-racial socialization, child development in multicultural contexts, community violence impacts on education, and policy equity in urban education systems.
Key research interests include: (1) how families transmit ethnic and racial identities to children, (2) academic outcomes for bicultural youth, (3) mitigating effects of neighborhood violence on schooling, and (4) evaluating equitable education policies. She has conducted randomized controlled trials assessing home visiting programs for young parents and immigrant youth empowerment projects.
Her publications span developmental psychology, sociology, and public policy, with notable contributions to understanding racial identity development in African American and Latinx families (2022), and evaluating equity in Boston school assignment policies (2018). Ongoing work explores dual language learners' self-regulation and the intersection of immigration status with parenting practices.
Dr. Contreras collaborates with community organizations to translate research into actionable policies. Current projects include assessing geographic disparities in school access and developing culturally responsive parenting interventions for immigrant families.
