SHANETTE PORTER

About the Role

Shanette Porter serves as the Research Director at the Student Experience Research Network. In this role, she leads research initiatives focused on understanding and improving students’ social, emotional, and motivational experiences within educational settings. Her work emphasizes addressing structural inequality, economic disadvantage, and their impact on academic and life outcomes, with a particular focus on practical measurement, effective data use, and policy implementation.

Background and Experience

Prior to joining the Network, Porter was a senior researcher at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, where her research and partnerships explored the role of schools in shaping student experiences. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research and the Department of Psychology. Porter holds a PhD in social and personality psychology from Cornell University and a BA in psychology from Yale University.

Research and Publications

Porter’s ongoing research examines the relationships among structural inequality, economic disadvantage, and student outcomes. Her work centers on practical solutions for measurement, data utilization, and policy implementation. To explore her published papers related to learning mindsets, visit the Student Experience Research Network library.

Leadership and Advisors

• Robert Crosnoe
• Mesmin Destin
• Paul Hanselman
• Chandra Muller
• Barbara Schneider
• Elizabeth Tipton
• David Yeager

Shanette Porter also served as the Fellowship Director for the 2018-2019 cohort.