Although many of the factors contributing to child and adolescent development are the same for all youth, there may be distinct factors that are related to the  development of African American youth.

The Strengths, Assets, & Resilience (StAR) Lab utilizes developmental and community psychological theoretical frameworks to better understand variation in the experiences of African American children and families. Our research explores the individual and collective contributions of families, schools, and communities.  Given that these factors and processes may vary across the life-span, the StAR Lab examines these relationships within the larger developmental context (e.g.,  childhood; adolescence; emerging adulthood).