Adolescents and the Social Contexts of American Schools

This William T. Grant Scholar will examine how the social and academic climates of schools come together to affect adolescents’ development and well being. The research plan will allow Benner to expand her facility with qualitative and historical methods and integrate developmental psychopathology perspectives into her work. Toward these aims, she will be mentored by John Schulenberg and Tom Weisner. Schulenberg, professor at the University of Michigan, will advise Benner on developmental psychopathology and historical analyses; Weisner, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, will counsel Benner on her mixed-methods research.