The RACE Lab at UT Austin is an interdisciplinary team studying how ecological systems—including family resources, early learning settings, community conditions, and broader social and institutional factors—shape the early development of Black children. We examine the interplay of Resilience and Adversity in Children’s Ecology (RACE) to understand how everyday practices and policy-relevant contexts influence children’s academic, social, and emotional wellbeing.
Our work identifies promotive processes that foster optimal development and informs early childhood policy and practice. Current projects include studies of early learning environments, sociocultural classroom interactions, and innovative AI- and VR-based tools for assessing young children’s social and emotional skills.
