Neighborhood Inequities and Executive Function

We are pleased to announce a new study, awarded in the summer of 2020, will address the glaring racial disparities in the country’s science and engineering workforce by examining factors that shape children’s academic and future career success.

Our research will focus on identifying neighborhood characteristics that are both predictive of children’s early development and amendable to policy intervention to enhance equity.

By looking at how a child’s neighborhood impacts their executive function – working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility – researchers hope to develop a better understanding of how to prioritize and allocate resources to ensure that vulnerable children and families can thrive in the classroom and in their communities.  

“Developmental science makes it clear that these disparities start early in life and that children’s academic and life trajectories are often largely predictable from early childhood experiences and skills,” said Diane Horm, director of the Early Childhood Education Institute. “Systemic changes are critical to providing equitable opportunities for all children.”

The work is funded by a Rapid Response Seed Grant from the University of Oklahoma’s Office of the Vice President of Research and Partnerships.

The ECEI’s project is one of 11 led by OU researchers awarded funding to study topics that address inequities in academic research and creative activity. It was the only OU-Tulsa affiliated project awarded.