Allison Young
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Allison Young joined PIRL as a postdoctoral researcher after receiving her Ph.D. in Sociology from the Johns Hopkins University. Young’s research examines the intersection of postsecondary education access and school and neighborhood contexts. She explores how family, neighborhood, and school environments can contribute to or mitigate inequality in postsecondary educational access for low-income students. Her ongoing projects focus on the educational experiences of low-income children who have moved to high-opportunity neighborhoods with housing voucher programs, such as Moving to Opportunity and the Baltimore Housing Mobility Program.
Academic background
Young holds a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and a Master's Degree in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to graduate school Young worked as a Program Associate at Mathematica Policy Research where she managed federal research contracts with the Department of Education, Administration for Children and Families, and TRICARE. Allison’s dissertation centers around the following question: Given students’ high expectations for bachelor’s degree attainment, why are low-income students less likely to enroll in postsecondary education than middle- and high-income students? Young enjoys knitting impractical garments and making absurd baked goods.
Research Interests: postsecondary education, schools, neighborhoods, family, housing
Research Projects: Baltimore Housing Mobility Program, Creating Moves to Opportunity