The Russell Sage Foundation has awarded grant funding to Payton Small, Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, for his research study “Investigating the Impact of the 2023 Supreme Court Decision on College Admissions Decisions and Student Identity Disclosure.”

Payton will use a combination of experiments, interviews, and focus groups with students, admission officers, and high school counselors in multiple metropolitan areas around the country to gain a better understanding of the consequences of recent Supreme Court decisions that eliminated race-conscious admissions policies. The project will also leverage established professional networks and large-scale convenings of admissions officers and school counselors.

He will investigate how students consider and navigate decisions around racial identity disclosure in their college applications. He will also look at how counselors and college admissions officers interpret legal mandates, translate broad guidance related to racial identity disclosure, and advise and evaluate applicants in their day-to-day practices.

Payton’s broad plan for disseminating research findings includes publications and presentations as well as practitioner-focused essays and insights for counselors, admissions officers and educational policymakers navigating this new landscape.