Fern Marx was a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women, where she had been for the past 17 years. She was one of the core team and author of the AAUW’s (American Association of University Women) study How Schools Shortchange Girls. Marx conducted the first study of alumnae of Agnes Scott College’s Irene K. Woodruff Return to School program for non-traditional age students on the occasion of the program's 25th anniversary and recently completed the evaluation of a unique program in the greater Boston area, Women Involved in Community Development, which supports low-income women in completing their undergraduate education. Marx was also a co-principal investigator of Raising Confident and Competent Girls project, which works with middle school teachers and administrators, parents, and youth service providers to improve classroom and program climate and address issues of gender equity and adolescent development.
She was principal investigator of a six-year study of the Women Involved in Living and Learning program (WILL) at the University of Richmond. This is a unique program focusing on leadership development and creating a single sex experience at a coeducational university. She was principal investigator of the Jacksonville Afterschool Experiences project, a three and a half-year study of after-school programs serving elementary and middle school students in public schools and community agencies in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition, she was the evaluator of several violence prevention programs for young adolescents: Girl's, Inc.'s Project BOLD and Wellesley's Girl's LEAP. Marx was also co-principal investigator of two National Science Foundation funded projects encouraging girls to consider careers in engineering and computers (Hear Our Voices and Women in Engineering). Over the years, her applied evaluation work included national and local studies of afterschool care programs, programs for pregnant and parenting teens, and programs designed to provide training for low-income women.
Fern Marx's WCW publications:
Marx, F., Erkut, S., Fields, J.P. & Clayton, J. B. (2000). Raising Confident and Competent Girls: How Middle Schools Can Support Girls.Facilitator’s Manual. CRW 26. Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F. (2000). Agnes Scott College Return to College Program: Report on the 1999 Alumnae Survey. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Erkut, S., Marx, F., Fields, J.P. & Sing, R. (1998) Raising Confident and Competent Girls: Implications of Diversity. Working Paper 289. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Erkut, S. & Marx, F. (1995) Raising Competent Girls: An Exploratory Study of Diversity in Girls' Views on Liking One's Self. Special Report (CRW 10) of the Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Gannett, E. & Marx, F. (1993) The Public School Involvement in School-Age Child Care Project. Final Report. School-Age Child Care Project Wellesley Centers for Women and National Association of Elementary School Principals. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F. (1994) Professional Development Survey Results. Final Report. NASACCA Professional Development Committee & School-Age Child Care Project, Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F., & Seligson, M. (1991) Final Report on A Study of Hawaii After School (A+) Program. Prepared for the Hawaii Department of Education. School-Age Child Care Project, Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F., & Seligson, M. (1991) Final Report on a Study of Publicly Funded School-Age Child Care Programs in the City of Chicago. Prepared for the Chicago Department of Human Services. School-Age Child Care Project, Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F. (1991) Learning Together: A Supplement to the National Directory of Teen Parenting and Child Care Programs. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Miller, B. & Marx, F. (1990) Afterschool Arrangements in Middle Childhood: A Review of the Literature. Report No. 58. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F. (1990) Learning Together: Proceedings of the National Conference of Teen Parenting and Child Care Programs April, 1990. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F. (1990) School Age Child Care in America: Final Report of A National Provider Survey. Working Paper, No. 204. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F., (1989) After School Programs for Low-Income Young Adolescents: Overview and Program Profiles. Working Paper No.194. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Francis, J. & Marx, F. (1989) Learning Together: A National Directory of Teen Parenting and Child Care Programs. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F., Bailey, S. & Francis, J. (1988) Child Care for the Children of Adolescent Parents: Findings from a National Survey and Case Studies.Working Paper, No. 184. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marshall, N., Witte, A, Nichols, L., Marx, F., & Colten, M (1988) The Child Day Care Affordability Study: Technical Report. Working Paper, No. 181. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Marx, F. (1987) The Role of Day Care in Serving the Needs of School-Age Parents and Their Children: A Review of the Literature. Working Paper, No. 174. Wellesley Centers for Women. Wellesley, MA.
Senior Scholar
Ed.D, Harvard University
mporche@wellesley[dot]edu
Studies academic achievement for young children and adolescents, examining implications and factors related to gender, race/ethnicity, mental health and other social-emotional influences
Michelle V. Porche, Ed.D., was a senior research scientist and former associate director of the Wellesley Centers for Women, studying academic achievement for young children and adolescents. In her investigations of achievement, the role of gender and social-emotional factors, including childhood adversity, play a major part in her work. Her primary goal is to integrate research and practice in ways that contribute to programs and interventions that foster academic achievement for children from low-income families.
Porche obtained her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1984 and her Ed.D. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University Graduate School of Education 1999.
Porche’s recent work includes a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Maternal and Child Health that examined factors putting youth at risk for obesity and poor academic performance. Additional research has focused on the impact of trauma for refugee youth transitioning to life in the U.S.
Porche was the associate director of the Gender and Sexuality Project during its tenure at WCW. As primary methodologist on the longitudinal studies for that project, she helped develop several gender ideology scales: the Adolescent Femininity Ideology Scale (Tolman & Porche, 2000) and the Adolescent Relationship Masculinity Ideology Scale (Chu, Porche, & Tolman, 2005).
Porche is a proud recipient of the Albert J. Harris Award for 2002 from the International Reading Association. This award honors an article making an outstanding contribution to the prevention and/or assessment of reading or learning disabilities: Jordan, Snow, & Porche, (2000). Project EASE: The effect of a family literacy project on kindergarten students' early literacy skills. Reading Research Quarterly, 35(4), 524-546.
Porche, M. V., Grossman, J. M., & Dupaya, K. C. (2016). New American scientists: First generation immigrant status and college STEM aspirations, Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 22, 1-21. doi:10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2016015227
Porche, M. V., Costello, D., & Rosen-Reynoso, M. (2016). Adverse family experiences, child mental health, and educational outcomes for a national sample of students. School Mental Health, 8, 44-60. DOI: 10.1007/s12310-016-9174-3
Rosen-Reynoso, M., Porche, M. V., Kwan, N., Bethell, C., Thomas, V., Robertson, J., Hawes, E., Foley, S., & Palfrey, J. (2016). Disparities in access to easy-to-use services for children with special health care needs. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 5, 1041-1053. doi:10.1007/s10995-015-1890-z
Fortuna, L. R., Jimenez, A., & Porche, M. V. (2015). Understanding and responding to the mental health needs of Latino youth in a cultural framework. In R. Parekh, T. Gorrindo, & D. H. Rubin (Eds.), Cultural sensitivity in child and adolescent mental health. Boston: MGH Psychiatry Academy Press, pp. 155-178.
Hall, G., Porche, M. V., Grossman, J. M., & Smashnaya, S. (2015). Practices and approaches of out-of-school time programs serving immigrant and refugee youth. Journal of Youth Development. 10, 72-87.
Porche, M. V., Fortuna, L. R., Wachholtz, A., & Torres Stone, R. (2015). Distal and proximal religiosity as protective factors for adolescent and emerging adult alcohol use, Religions. 6, 365–384; http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/6/2/365
Grossman, J. M. & Porche, M. V. (2014). Perceived gender and racial/ethnic barriers to STEM success. Urban Education, 49, 698-727. http://uex.sagepub.com/content/49/6/698
Porche, M. V., Fortuna, L. R., Lin, J., & Alegria, M. (2011). Childhood trauma events and psychiatric disorders as correlates of school dropout in a national sample of young adults. Child Development, 82, 982-998. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01534.x/abstract
Dr. Noonan was a Research Scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women until 2007. She is a lifespan developmental psychologist interested in the psychological and social development of people of all ages. Her specific research interests included: the experience of formal and informal social relationships, the subjective aspects of social class, and the psychological aspects of paid employment and economic opportunity.
Dr. Noonan was Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation study examining science and math education experiences among urban high school students, with a particular emphasis on how relationships in all areas of their lives support or thwart their persistence and success in these subjects. In previous work, she studied diverse populations such as: older workers; informal caregivers to frail elders; adolescent substance abusers in publicly funded treatment; same-sex couples; urban high school students in school-to-work programs; school-age children and their out-of-school time; and young children in a variety of care settings. She has also worked in the area of refugee and immigrant services. Dr. Noonan received her Master's and Doctoral degrees in psychology from Boston University, and a B.A. in psychology from Framingham State College.
WCW Publications:
Noonan, A.E., & Senghas, C. (2006). "Goin' to the Chapel?": Same-Sex Couples Religious/Spiritual Perspectives on Legalized Marriage. In Wellesley College Center for Research on Women Working Paper 422, Wellesley, MA: Wellesley Centers for Women.
Noonan, A.E. (2005). "Work, life and social class: A life-span perspective." Research and Action Report, 26 (Fall/Winter). Wellesley, MA: Wellesley Centers for Women.
Noonan, A.E. (2003). Social relations at work: The beliefs and experiences of older workers. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women Working Paper 406. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley Centers for Women.
Noonan, A.E. (2001). Relational resources and older adults. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women Working Paper 401. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley Centers for Women.
Noonan, A.E. (2001). From contrast to concrete: Building a skilled and stable workforce in the field of out-of-school time. Wellesley, MA: National Institute on Out of School Time.
Senior Scholar
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