The Equity Scholars Program supports graduate students, postdocs, and early career professionals engaging in rigorous social science research to expand their ability to conduct inclusive and equitable research (IER), including culturally responsive research and evaluation.
The program provides mentoring and career networking opportunities to support research to enhance understanding of, creating, and/or evaluating interventions, policies, and practices to eliminate disparities and reduce inequality across various dimensions including race, ethnicity, national origin, language, color, disability, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and family structures.
Broadly, the program seeks to expand the career pathways of scholars pursuing careers in social science research.
The Equity Scholars Program is a program of the Center on Equity Research, which conducts research to advance equity through the development, implementation, and dissemination of high quality, inclusive, and equitable social science research methods. Learn about the Center on Equity Research.
Program Goals
Train and support the next generation of diverse scholars
Training and Collaboration: Equity Scholars will collaborate with NORC researchers who will guide, refine, and support their research. Equity Scholars will receive support and mentorship from NORC professionals across departments and centers, including in the Center on Equity Research and Education & Child Development, Statistics & Data Science, and Methodology & Quantitative Social Sciences departments.
Foster the exchange of ideas, research, and information
Networking: Equity Scholars will participate in monthly calls with NORC professionals to share their research designs, plans for data analysis, and findings. Scholars will present findings to NORC’s leaders and research partners.
Program Aims
We support research with at least one of these aims that is focused on populations within and/or outside of the U.S.
Describe
Describe how structures and other societal contexts frame the experiences of historically marginalized and/or minoritized people and groups.
Explore
Explore strengths within a diversity of communities to promote success and well-being.
Identify
Identify within-group variation key to enhancing programs and policies within a diversity of communities.
2024 NORC Equity Scholars
The 2024 NORC Equity Scholars conducted research to support the Youth and Teen Math Mindset Study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Scholars used an existing dataset from the Study to conduct secondary data analyses to explore the math experiences and mindsets of historically marginalized and/or minoritized youth and teens.
“The Equity Scholars Program has been an opportunity to transition into a career as a social science researcher with the support of thoughtful, equity-minded researchers. This experience has been instrumental in refining my research methods and deepening my commitment to equitable social science.”
“Through mentorship, resources, and expert-led sessions and presentations, the NORC Equity Scholars program has equipped me with knowledge and practice that I will carry forward. In my own work, I will seek to include the voices affected by topics that I research.”
“My time as an Equity Scholar at NORC has been transformative. I have learned to prioritize equity, not just as a research goal but as a guiding principle in everything I do—from designing studies to analyzing data and sharing results.”
