Kate Sullivan
Research Specialist

Photo of Kate SullivanKate Sullivan is a Research Specialist with SEDL's Research and Evaluation (R&E) program. Currently, Dr. Sullivan is working on the Louisiana Striving Readers project evaluation, a randomized controlled trial of the Voyager Passport Reading Journeys program. She is also part of the teams conducting national evaluations employing randomized controlled trials for the study of McGraw-Hill Education's Everyday Mathematics program and Open Court Reading program. Her primary roles include data management and analysis and investigations of fidelity of implementation.

Contact Information
You may contact Kate Sullivan at 512-391-6569

or by using SEDL's contact form.

Areas of Expertise
Dr. Sullivan’s research interests include child and adolescent development, the intersection of education and the life course, and research methodology. In 2010, she was selected to attend the Summer Research Training Institute on Cluster-Randomized Trials, supported by the Institute of Educational Sciences, National Center for Educational Research.

Experience
Prior to joining SEDL in 2010, Dr. Sullivan worked at the Texas Department of State Health Services in the area of maternal and child health. She was the project coordinator for Texas PRAMS, a population surveillance of maternal health behaviors and attitudes before, during, and after pregnancy. She was also responsible for program evaluation and data analysis on issues including infant nutrition, prenatal care, birth outcomes, and adolescent childbearing.

In 2007 through 2009, Dr. Sullivan was awarded the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Pre-doctoral Fellowship through the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2006, she was awarded the Master’s Level Research Award from the Society for Research on Identity Formation.

Education
Dr. Sullivan received a BA in psychology from Saint Louis University and an MA and PhD in human development and family studies, specializing in adolescent development and demography, from the University of Texas at Austin.

Selected External Publications
  • Sullivan, M. K., Clark, J., Samsel, R., Castrucci, B. C., Fonseca, V., & Garcia, I. (In press). Continuing education mitigates the negative consequences of adolescent childbearing. Maternal and Child Health Journal.
  • Raley, R. K., & Sullivan, M. K. (2010). Social-contextual influences on adolescent romantic and sexual activity. Sociological Spectrum, 30(1), 65–89.
  • Sullivan, M. K. (2010). 2007 Annual report: Texas pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system (PRAMS). Austin, TX: Texas Department of State Health Services.
  • Greene, S. M., Sullivan, M. K., & Anderson, E. R. (2008). Divorce & custody. In M. Hersen & A. Gross (Eds.), Handbook of clinical psychology, New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Selected Presentations
  • Fong, C. J., Boelter, J., Vaden-Kiernan, M., Caverly, S. L., & Sullivan, M. K. (2012, March). The relationship between reading motivation and academic ability in low performing adolescent readers. Poster presented at the Bienniel Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Vancouver, CN.
  • Sullivan, M. K., Clark, J., Castrucci, B. C., & Samsel, R. (2009). Intergenerational cycle of teen pregnancy: How we can help families break free. Presentation at the 2009 Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Conference, Tampa, FL.
  • Sullivan, M. K., Clark, J., Castrucci, B. C., & Samsel, R. (2009). Quality of the family environment: Teen pregnancy and educational attainment. Poster presentation at the 2009 Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Conference, Tampa, FL.
  • Cavanagh, S. C., & Sullivan, M. K. (2009). Impact of family instability and environment on the initiation of dating and sexual debut. Presented at the 2009 meeting of the Population Association of America (ASA), Detroit, MI.
  • Sullivan, M. K. (2008). Impact of family instability and environment on the initiation of dating and sexual debut. Presented at the annual 2008 meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA), Boston, MA. To be submitted to Journal of Adolescent Health.
  • Sullivan, M. K., & Raley, R. K. (2008). Effects of romantic & sexual involvement on well being during emerging adulthood. Presented at the annual 2008 meeting of the Population Association of America (ASA), New Orleans, LA.
  • Raley, R. K., & Sullivan, M. K. (2007). Social-contextual influences on adolescent romantic and sexual activity. Presented at the annual 2007 meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA), New York, NY.
  • Benitez, L. M., Webb, A. P., Anderson, E. R., Sullivan, M. K., & Greene, S. M. (2007). Social support availability and divorced mothers' dating practices.  Presented at the annual 2007 meeting of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), Chicago, IL.
  • Sullivan, M. K., Greene, S. M., & Anderson, E. R. Risky moms & choosy moms: Effects of divorced mothers' dating characteristics on children's social adjustment. Presented at biennial 2007 meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), Boston, MA.
  • Webb, A. P., Sullivan, M. K., Greene, S. M., & Anderson, E. R. (2007). "How long should I wait before dating?": Length of separation moderates the impact of divorced mothers' dating on child outcomes. Presented at biennial 2007 meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), Boston, MA.
  • Sullivan, M. K, Pieper, A., Greene, S. M., & Anderson, E. R. (2006). Preadolescents’ curiosity about opposite-sex relationships: Effects of mothers’ post-divorce dating practices. Presented at the biennial 2006 meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), San Francisco, CA.