Whitney Polk

National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Human Development and Quantitative Methods Division

Contact

wpolk@upenn.edu

Media Inquiries:
Contact Penn GSE Communications.

Education

Ph.D. (Education) Harvard University, 2020
M.Phil.Ed (Professional Counseling) University of Pennsylvania, 2012
M.S.Ed. (Counseling and Mental Health Services) University of Pennsylvania, 2011
B.A. (Psychology) Temple University, 2009
B.A. (English) Temple University, 2009

Areas of Expertise

School discipline
Mental health
Racism and discrimination
Racial socialization
Adolescent development
School-based inequity

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Biography

Professional Biography

Whitney Polk is a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Human Development and Quantitative Methods division. Dr. Polk’s program of research focuses on the impact of school-based inequity and marginalization on adolescent psychosocial and academic adjustment. She is affiliated with the Racial Empowerment Collaborative, where she specifically explores relations between racial stress and trauma and disproportionate discipline for Black youth, as well as areas of intervention for both youth and educators.

Dr. Polk earned her Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Human Development, Learning and Teaching from Harvard University. She received an M.Phil.Ed. in Professional Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Pennsylvania. Before completing her doctoral study, Dr. Polk worked as a mental health professional with K-12 students and their families in Philadelphia, providing therapy and advocating for improved mental health, educational, and social supports.

Dr. Polk is deeply committed to those individuals who have been historically underserved by systems and institutions. At the core of her professional and educational experiences is a steadfast commitment to helping students thrive in educational settings. As a researcher, counselor, and advocate, Dr. Polk strives to work alongside students, their families, and educators to enhance the educational experiences of those students often neglected by the institutions meant to serve them.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Dr. Polk’s research focuses on the school and social inequities that impact youth development. Specifically, her work addresses the impact of school-based marginalization and racial disparities in school discipline on adolescent academic and mental health outcomes. When students are met with marginalization, schools become sites of harm instead of support and learning. As such, Dr. Polk’s program of research explores two broad questions: How do we help youth cope with and navigate marginalization at school? Where must we intervene to improve and transform these marginalizing school contexts? To address these questions, Dr. Polk examines 1) the role of school and social contextual factors in adolescent development, 2) the experiences and effects of interpersonal and institutional marginalization and connection, and 3) the cumulative experiences of marginalization, racial stress, and trauma on youth development and mental health. Dr. Polk aims to develop racial literacy interventions for both educators and students that support youth wellbeing and resilience, and empower institutions to confront and rectify inequitable policies and practices.

Dr. Polk’s current project, Transforming Black Youth Discipline, explores the impact of racial literacy development on the school discipline policies and practices affecting Black youth, as well as the interpersonal interactions that contribute to and exacerbate discipline disparities. By integrating stakeholder perspectives, the Transforming Black Youth Discipline project endeavors to develop culturally sustaining, racially literate interventions to transform school discipline. The project not only intends to reduce racial disparities in discipline for Black youth, but also improve educator-student relationships, acknowledge the psychosocial costs of school discipline, and address the racial stress educators and youth experience during disciplinary interactions.

Publications

Selected Publications

Price, M., Polk, W., Hill, N. E., Liang, B., & Perella, J. (2019). The intersectionality of identity-based victimization in adolescence: A person-centered examination of mental health and academic achievement in a US high school. Journal of Adolescence, 76, 185-196.

Polk, W., Hill, N. E., Price, M., Liang, B., Perella, J., & Savitz‐Romer, M. (2018). Adolescent profiles of marginalization and connection at school: Relations with academics and mental health. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 30, 209-225.

Hill, N.E., Liang, B., Price, M., Polk, W., Perella, J., & Savitz-Romer, M. (2018). Envisioning a meaningful future and academic engagement: The role of parenting practices and school-based relationships. Psychology in the Schools, 55(6), 595-608.

Hill, N. E., Liang, B., Bravo, D. Y., Price, M., Polk, W., Perella, J., & Savitz-Romer, M. (2018). Adolescents’ perceptions of the economy: Its association with academic engagement and the role of school-based and parental relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1-21.