Tach’s BCTR pilot project funded by William T. Grant Foundation

April 23, 2015

In 2013 the BCTR awarded Laura Tach, assistant professor of policy analysis and management, an Innovative Pilot Study Grant for her project A Pilot Study of Parent-Child Relationship Dynamics within Blended Families. The research examined whether “blended” families (defined by the presence of children with different sets of biological parents) undermine parental resources and investments in children. The study was unique in that it gathered more comprehensive and nuanced data from, and about, all members of the blended family system. Tach used preliminary data from this pilot study to apply for the William T. Grant Foundation grant.

She will receive a five-year, $350,000 award as one of  four 2015 William T. Grant Foundation Scholars. Tach will study how new nontraditional arrangements shape children’s well-being and experiences. She plans to analyze family settings by race and socioeconomic status, while also doing in-depth, qualitative interviews with multiple blended families living in New York state.

Laura Tach named 2015 William T. Grant Scholar - Cornell Chronicle