Department of Sociology

NEWS

Student with pink hair playing flute
October 25th 2022

Music class in sync with higher math scores — but only at higher-income schools, PSU study finds

Music and arts classes are often first on the chopping block when schools...
Back of graduating student with his hands stretched up
February 7th 2022

PSU study challenges idea that college degree is still the great equalizer

A college degree has long been touted as the great equalizer in our country,...
Students in a science lab
December 6th 2021

Parents can influence children's choice and success in STEM major, PSU study finds

If one of your parents majored in a STEM (science, technology, engineering...
Two students with lab coats and safety glasses working on experiment in chemistry lab
April 19th 2021

PSU study challenges idea that students with cognitive disabilities can't be in STEM

A new Portland State study challenges the idea that youth with cognitive...
Pencil on top of a scantron
November 12th 2020

Teacher quality scores change depending on students, school, PSU study finds

School districts across the U.S. are increasingly using student test scores...
May 28th 2019

A student's disability status depends on where they go to school, PSU study finds

A new Portland State University study suggests that the likelihood of a child being classified with an educational disability depends on the characteristics of their school and how distinctive they are from their peers. The study, published in the journal Society and Mental Health, found...
August 20th 2018

More minorities labeled 'learning disabled' because of social inequities and achievement disparities, PSU study finds

A new Portland State University study suggests that the disproportionate placement of racial minorities into special education for learning disabilities is largely because of social inequities outside of schools rather than racially biased educators. Some attribute the overplacement to...
March 8th 2017

PSU researcher receives $877K NSF grant to study race and poverty as success barriers in STEM education

Portland State University Sociology professor Dara Shifrer has received an $877,836 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the effects race, poverty and disabilities may have on American students’ success in STEM education and careers. The five-year grant will allow Shifrer’s...