University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
Warning
Problem: The current name of your GitHub Pages repository ("Solution: Please consider renaming the repository to "
http://".
However, if the current repository name is intended, you can ignore this message by removing "{% include widgets/debug_repo_name.html %}" in index.html.
Action required
Problem: The current root path of this site is "baseurl ("_config.yml.
Solution: Please set the
baseurl in _config.yml to "Education
-
University of Pennsylvania Jul. 2025 - presentM.S.Ed in Education Policy and Learning Sciences and Technologies -
Renmin University of China Sept. 2021 - Jun. 2025B.A. in English (Linguistics) -
Yale University, Summer School Jul. 2023 - Aug. 2023Summer courses: Education and Empire (A) & Writing Seminars I (A)
Experience
Research
-
AIED Lab, Graduate School of Education (GSE), University of Pennsylvania Jan. 2026 - presentLab member
-
Future Science and Technology Education Base, ICEE Jul. 2024 - Sept. 2024Research Intern
Teaching & Mentoring
-
Netter Center for Community Partnerships, UPenn 2025 - presentMentor, Community School Student Partnerships (CSSP)
-
Hefei 168 High School, International Department Oct. 2024 - Nov. 2024Teaching Assistant
-
New Oriental Education Jan. 2024 - Feb. 2024IELTS Instructor Assistant
Professional
-
Hefei University of Economics Sept. 2024 - Oct. 2024Administrative Assistant
-
Bengbu Education Examination Authority Jan. 2023 - Sept. 2023Educational Counseling Assistant
-
Lundbeck Pharmaceutical Information Consulting Co., Ltd. Apr. 2023 - Jun. 2023Training & E-Learning Intern
Activities
Leadership & Social Practice
-
Class Monitor, Renmin University of China Sept. 2022 - Jun. 2023Class Monitor, School of Foreign Languages
-
Thousand Students Hundred Villages Rural Field Research Jun. 2022 - Sept. 2022Team Member
-
Streets and Alleys of China Urban Community Investigation Dec. 2021 - Feb. 2022Team Member
Volunteer
-
Youth Volunteers Association, Renmin University of China Sept. 2021 - Jun. 2025Volunteer
Honors & Awards
- Excellent Undergraduate Thesis Award, Renmin University of China (RUC)
- Excellent Graduate Award, RUC
- Three Good Student Award, RUC
- Outstanding Volunteer Award, RUC
- Everlasting Friendship Scholarship, RUC
- Academic Excellence Scholarship, RUC
News
Selected Publications (view all )
Why Can They Learn So Well? The Multidimensional Impact of Parental Income Levels on Chinese Children’s Academic Achievement
Mengchen Li
SAGE Open , 15(3) (2025)
Access to quality education is crucial for children from different social strata to achieve upward mobility. Understanding how family income differences translate into disparities in academic achievement is increasingly urgent amidst rigid social stratification. This study focuses on families from various income levels, exploring the relationship between parental income and children’s academic performance. Through in-depth interviews with parents and grounded theory analysis, it identifies four core categories: “economic resource endowment” “cultural capital” “emotional attitudes” and “social resources.” This study finds that high-income parents can provide high-quality educational resources, foster a positive family environment, offer ample emotional support, and integrate social networks. These factors contribute to their children’s academic development. Conversely, low-income parents often lack these advantages, hindering their children’s academic performance. However, the study reveals this relationship is not deterministic, as evidenced by cases of academic success in low-income families and underperformance in high-income ones. This underscores the importance of cultural capital and personal motivation alongside economic factors. This study constructs a multidimensional impact model of parental income levels on children’s academic achievement, revealing how income disparities create educational inequalities. Addressing these disparities requires collaborative efforts from the state, society, schools, and families to create a more equitable educational environment. This study enriches research on the factors influencing educational attainment and offers guidance for promoting educational equity.
Policy Analysis on College Access for Low-Income Students in the United States
Mengchen Li
Proceedings of the 2024 4th International Conference on Education, Language and Art (ICELA 2024), Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research , 813–822 (2025)
Higher education is a crucial pathway for social mobility and economic growth. College access for low-income students has thus gained major attention. This study examines U.S. policies supporting college readiness for children from low-income backgrounds. Findings show these policies effectively expand educational opportunities. They establish support systems, implement long-term tracking, and promote cross-sector collaboration. The impact appears in higher college enrollment rates. Policies also shift educational perceptions and improve intergenerational mobility among low-income families. However, the burden of complexity in policy implementation and systemic imbalances in resource allocation limit their effectiveness. To address these issues, this study suggests two main strategies: creating a differentiated empowerment framework and developing streamlined, transparent policy designs. These measures aim to improve policy impact through institutional innovation. Findings offer theoretical and practical insights to rebuild educational support systems, promote educational equity, and advance social mobility.