She is a developmental psychologist who uses and creates culturally relevant measurement to understand the experiences of youth. Dr. Bentley-Edwards studies how cultural strengths, including racial socialization and racial cohesion, can be used to buffer the negative effects of discrimination, bullying and community violence on health and education. Dr. Bentley-Edwards is currently funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-New Connections grant to study the bullying experiences and assessment of African American children. Although most of her work focuses on African American children and families, she also studies the racial conversations that occur in White families and with White practitioners.