My research focuses on education, child and youth welfare, and social inequality,
particularly in China. In China, I have conducted research on gender, ethnic, and
geographic disparities in education and employment, changes in the impact of education on
income and occupational attainment under market reforms, rural teachers and their links
to student outcomes, and children's and adolescents' welfare under market
reforms. Recent publications include "Beyond Cost: Rural Perspectives on Barriers to
Education." (with Jennifer Adams, in Creating Wealth and Poverty in China, edited by
Deborah Davis and Wang Feng, 2008, Stanford University Press) and “Gender-Based
Employment Differences in Urban China: Considering the Contributions of Marriage and
Parenthood.” (with Yuping Zhang and Meiyan Wang, Social Forces, 2008). I co-direct the
Gansu Survey of Children and Families, a collaborative, longitudinal study of
children's welfare in rural northwest China, with Albert Park. I am a co-editor of
the series Research in Sociology of Education and the journal Comparative Education
Review. I work with two foundations that promote education in rural China: the Rural
China Education Foundation (RuralChina.org), and Givology (givology.org).
Gender Stratification
Poverty and Educational Outcomes
Child and Adolescent Welfare
Educational Provision and Access
Ethnic Stratification and Education in East Asia
