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Katharine M. Broton, PhD

Associate Professor

Introduction

Broton’s research interests include sociology of education, social stratification, and education policy. She uses multiple methods to examine the role of poverty and inequality in higher education as well as policies and programs designed to minimize related disparities and promote college success. She is best known for her work on basic needs insecurity among college students, including the recent book Food Insecurity on Campus: Action and Intervention.

Current Positions

  • Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs

College of Education Affiliations

Education

  • BS in Sociology & Afro American Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • MS in Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • PhD in Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Selected Awards & Honors

  • Early Career Scholar of the Year, University of Iowa, 2021
  • Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association Division of Postsecondary Education, 2018
  • Thomas N. Urban Research Award, Iowa Academy of Education, 2018
  • Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award, American Educational Research Association, 2017
  • Robert Dentler Honorable Mention for Outstanding Student Achievement, American Sociological Association Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology, 2016

Professional Memberships

  • Association for the Study of Higher Education
  • Scholars Strategy Network
  • American Educational Research Association

Selected Publications

  • Broton, K. M., Mohebali, M. & Lingo, M. (In Press). Basic Needs Insecurity and Mental Health: Community College Students’ Dual Challenges and Use of Social Support. Community College Review.
  • Broton, K. M., Mohebali, M. & Goldrick-Rab, S. (In Press). Deconstructing Assumptions about College Students with Basic Needs Insecurity: Insights from a Meal Voucher Program. Journal of College Student Development.
  • Broton, K. M. (2021). Poverty in American Higher Education: The Relationship Between Housing Insecurity and Academic Attainment. Journal of Postsecondary Student Success, 1(2),18-45. DOI: 10.33009/fsop_jpss129147.
  • Broton, K. M., Katsumoto, S. & Monaghan, D. B. (2021). Food for Thought: Assessing the Experimental Impact of Providing Food Prior to Placement Testing at a Community College. Journal of College Student Development 62 (3).
  • Broton, K. M. & Cady, C. L. (Eds.) (2020). Food Insecurity on Campus: Action and Intervention. Broton, K. M. & Cady, C. L. (Eds.) Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Broton, K. M., Miller, G. & Goldrick-Rab, S. (2020). College on the Margins: Higher Education Professionals’ Perspectives on Campus Basic Needs Insecurity. Teachers College Record 122 (030307) 32.
  • Trawver, K., Broton, K. M., Maguire, J. & Crutchfield, R. (2020). Researching food and housing insecurity among America's college students: Lessons learned and future steps. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless 29 39-46. DOI: 10.1080/10530789.2020.1678809.
  • Anderson, D. M., Broton, K. M., Goldrick-Rab, S. & Kelchen, R. (2020). Experimental Evidence on the Impacts of Need-based Financial Aid: Longitudinal Assessment of the Wisconsin Scholars Grant. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 39 (3) 720-739. DOI: DOI:10.1002/pam.22190.
  • Broton, K. M. (2020). A Review of Estimates of Housing Insecurity and Homelessness among Students in U.S. Higher Education. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless 29 25-38. DOI: 10.1080/10530789.2020.1677009.
  • Broton, K. M. (2019). Rethinking the Cooling Out Hypothesis for the 21st Century: The Impact of Financial Aid on Students’ Educational Goals. Community College Review 47 (1) 79-104. DOI: 10.1177/0091552118820449.

Selected Grants & Contracts

  • Lynn, Freda (Principal Investigator), Broton, Katharine (Co-Principal), Shi, Yongren (Co-Principal) Grant Research, Basic. Mapping the Many Pathways (In and Out) of the Postsecondary STEM Pipeline. National Science Foundation. Funded. 2019 - 2022.
  • Goldrick-Rab, Sara (Principal Investigator), Broton, Katharine (Co-Principal) Grant Research, Basic. Interventions to Address College Food and Housing Security. The Kresge Foundation. Completed. 2017 - 2020.