Monique Jethwani-Keyser is a Post Doctoral Research Scientist at the Center for Research on Fathers, Children, and Family Well Being at Columbia University School of Social Work. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Barnard College, her Masters’ Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her PhD in developmental psychology from New York University School of Culture, Education and Human Development where she was a Founders’ Fellow. Her mixed methods dissertation entitled “When Teachers Treat Me Well, I Think I Belong: School Belonging and the Psychological and Academic Well Being of Adolescent Girls in India” earned her the NYU Steinhardt award for outstanding research contribution.

Dr. Jethwani-Keyser’s research interests include the associations between educational experience, school context, and social-emotional, educational and employment outcomes for children and adolescents, both in the United States and abroad. Her research examines gender, racial and economic inequalities and aims to bring student voices to the forefront so that they may contribute to the reform of the educational institutions and policies that aim to serve them. She is currently managing a qualitative study in Bermuda exploring the educational and professional aspirations of Black Bermudian male high school students and young Black Bermudian men and has made policy recommendations to the Premier of Bermuda. She is also currently working on a book that qualitatively examines the usage and impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit among Non Custodial fathers in New York and the role of non custodial fathers in their children’s educational and developmental outcomes.

Dr. Jethwani-Keyser has worked with schools and youth organizations throughout the US, India, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands to conduct quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation studies, and to consequently identify best practices. She has presented at numerous national conferences and trainings on a variety of topics associated with educational reform and child development and she teaches Human Behavior/ Social Environment at CUSSW.

Last updated January 19, 2011.