IPR Research Assistant Professor; Co-Director of the Northwestern Two-Generation Research Initiative
PhD, Developmental Psychology and Social Work, University of Michigan, 2019
Contact: lauren.tighe@northwestern.edu
Lauren Tighe’s research focuses on the role of families in the development and academic success of children and youth. At the Institute for Policy Research, she is a Research Assistant Professor and co-directs the Two-Generation Research Initiative which studies the implementation and effectiveness of family-centered education programs in promoting economic equity. She is a four-time University of Michigan alumna and received her PhD in Developmental Psychology and Social Work. She is a former high school math teacher in Detroit.
Selected Publications
Tighe, L. A., Sommer, T. E., Sabol, T. J., Chase-Lansdale, P. L., Yoshikawa, H., Brooks-Gunn, J., Morris, A., & King, C. (2025). A family-centered approach to learning English as a Second Language: A mixed-methods evaluation. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 47(4), 1093-1112.
Tighe, L.A., T.E. Sommer, T.J. Sabol, and P.L. Chase-Lansdale. 2024. Improving the education and wellbeing of student parents. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1532(1): 10-7
Sabol, T., J., Chor, E., Sommer, T. E., Tighe, L. A., Chase-Lansdale, P. L., Morris, A. S., Brooks-Gunn, J., Yoshikawa, H., & King, C. (2024). Does adding parent education and workforce training to Head Start promote or interfere with children's development? Child Development. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14141
Sommer, T.E., L.A. Tighe, T. Sabol, P.L. Chase-Lansdale, H. Yoshikawa, J. Brooks-Gun, A. Morris, and C. King. 2023. The effects of a two-generation English as a Second Language program on immigrant parent and child outcomes. Applied Developmental Science.
Davis-Kean, P., L.A. Tighe, and N. Waters. 2021. The role of parent educational attainment in parenting and children’s development. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 30(2): 186-92
Tighe, L.A., and P. Davis-Kean. 2021. The influence of high parental education on children from low-income families. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 67(3): 293-328