W. T. Grant Foundation President to visit UW–Madison

William T. Grant Foundation President Robert C. Granger, Ed.D., is visiting the UW–Madison on February 26 and 27, 2008. Dr. Granger’s visit will include a public presentation as well as time for meetings with individual UW researchers. 

More information on the Foundation and the visit schedule may be found below. The Institute for Research on Poverty is coordinating the visit. Please contact IRP Administrator Coreen Williams (608-262-6175) for more information or to schedule an individual meeting.

Public Presentation

Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 3:30-5:00 p.m
Current Research Interests and Funding Priorities of the W.T. Grant Foundation
Dr. Robert C. Granger, President, W. T. Grant Foundation
8417 Sewell Social Science Building

Individual Meetings

Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 2:00-3:00 p.m. and Wednesday February 27, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Contact Coreen Williams (608-262-6175) to schedule an individual meeting.

The William T. Grant Foundation supports research to understand and improve the settings of youth ages 8 to 25 in the United States. Important settings include schools, youth-serving organizations, neighborhoods, families, and peer groups.

The 2008–2009 William T. Grant Scholars Program Brochure describes the Scholars Program, which funds promising early-career researchers from diverse disciplines. It supports the professional development of early-career scholars who have demonstrated success in conducting high-quality research and who are seeking to further develop their skills and research. Studies from William T. Grant Scholars contribute to theory, policy, and practice on the settings of young people ages 8 to 25.

The Foundation’s interests in youth’s settings fit two areas. First, they are interested in studies that strengthen our understanding of how settings work; how they affect youth development; and how they can be improved. Second, they are interested in studies that strengthen our understanding of how and under what conditions research is used to influence policies and practices that affect youth’s settings.

Below are examples of research questions that fit Foundation interests.

• How do instructional practices affect racial achievement gaps?
• Do welfare policies affect youth’s well-being because they change family processes?
• Do youth program activities have different influences on engagement for Mexican, Chinese, Black, and White youth?
• Does a professional development intervention improve staff relationships with youth in after-school programs?
• What factors influence the reliability and validity of classroom and school observational measures?
• Under what circumstances are evidence-based practices adopted, implemented, and sustained in schools?
• How is research on neighborhoods interpreted and used by policymakers? And vice versa, how do policy priorities shape what neighborhood researchers study?