CORE Research Areas

The CORE Lab’s research program falls under two main lines of work:

How does social context shape child and adolescent development?

Questions we ask include, What are the developmental implications of growing up in a gentrifying neighborhood? How do neighborhood and school racial climates affect youth belonging and mental health? How does political violence affect parenting and children’s behavioral development?

Select publications:

Leer, J., Lanteri, L., Teixeira, S., & Coley, R.L. Neighborhood social environments and mental health among adults and youth in public housing. Accepted at American Journal of Community Psychology

Leer, J., Hoyle, R., & Odgers, C. (2024). Direct and indirect pathways linking gentrification to adolescent reading and math achievement via educational aspirations and psychological distress. Developmental Psychology.

Leer, J., Gaither, S., & Gassman-Pines, A. (2024). It’s not what you say it’s what you do: School diversity ideologies and adolescent mental health and academic engagement. Journal of Research on Adolescence, Special Issue: Advancing Studies of Adolescent Development from Bench Science to Preventive Interventions and Policy Through Interdisciplinary Research.

How can policies and interventions promote healthy development among those with limited economic resources? We are especially interested in policies and interventions that directly target social determinants of health such as housing insecurity, food insecurity, and neighborhood poverty.

Questions we ask include, Can rental assistance programs improve health for families and children? How does the redevelopment of public housing affect youth wellbeing and family functioning? How do parents engage with, and what are the effects of, universal parenting programs?

Select publications:

Leer, J., Smith, I.Z., Hill, Z., & Gennetian, L.G. (2025). Social contexts & Black families’ engagement in early childhood programs. PLOS ONE.

Leer, J., Lopez Boo, F., & Norman, S. (2023). Supporting child & family resilience in the face of political violence: Evidence from a home visit parenting program. Child Development. Special Issue: Registered Reports.

Leer, J., Gassman-Pines, A., Dje Ble, E., Kainessie, J., Kennedy, C., Press, S., & Schubert, H. (2022). Young adolescents' endorsement of restrictive gender norms: Evidence from a community-based intervention in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone. Journal of Early Adolescence. 42(4), 453–481.

Leer, J., Gaither, S., & Gassman-Pines, A. (2021). Behavioral science interventions: Integrating the decision task, context, and individual differences to inform policy. Translational Issues in Psychological Science. Special Issue: Psychological Science and Public Policy.

Core Lab

CORE Research Areas

How does social context shape child and adolescent development?

How can policies and interventions promote healthy development among those with limited economic resources? We are especially interested in policies and interventions that directly target social determinants of health such as housing insecurity, food insecurity, and neighborhood poverty.

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