I believe that social scientists should do more than simply illuminate the problems and dynamics of society. Instead, social scientists can and should also provide evidence on how to improve the lives of everyone and advocate for those changes.

However, that is not the standard model in academia. The value of publishing in academic journals is mainly confined to academia. It is of dubious value outside academia. At least four interrelated issues hinder and limit the value of social scientists’ work. First, most of this work hides behind paywalls. Second, many academics rarely attempt to broaden their reach beyond other scholars by adapting their results and messages for other audiences through different outlets of dissemination. Third, academia tends to devalue many “outside” activities and writings not published in “high-ranking” journals or as books. Fourth, scholars who expand their reach through different outlets are sometimes stigmatized as “activists.”

We should all work to break this model as much as we can. It is by no means easy or safe. However, now more than ever, society desperately needs scholars who can deliver clear messages about the results and implications of high-quality empirical work to diverse audiences.

To step outside of the limited paywalled-journal-centric world of academia, I approach my work with multiple audiences and deliverables in mind. In my work at NWEA, I often engage directly with stakeholders who can make changes to improve schools and students’ lives. In my partnership and consulting work, I collaborate with organizations to provide more effective solutions to fight discrimination. Additionally, I post as much of my work as possible on open repositories to make it broadly accessible.  Finally, I frequently disseminate my work as op-eds and blog posts to reach non-academic audiences (see some examples below).

Detecting and Understanding Racial Discrimination in the 21st Century:

Medium
April 30, 2021

Correspondence Audit Studies are Necessary to Understand Discrimination

Times Higher Education
March 25, 2021
with Charles Crabtree, Marc Bendick Jr., Patrick Button, John Holbein, Joanna N. Lahey, Michelangelo Landgrave, Donald Moynihan, David Pedulla, Natasha Quadlin, and Kate Weisshaar.
Open access version: SSRN

Despite Positive Racial Attitudes, Racial Discrimination in Prevalent Among Millennials

Work In Progress
March 4, 2021
with Raj Ghoshal

Millennials and the Great Reckoning on Race

The Hill
January 15, 2021