AERA SIG Tracking and Detracking Officers

Chairperson - Beth C. Rubin

Beth C. Rubin, a former high school social studies teacher, uses a sociocultural lens and an interpretive research methodology to examine issues relating to educational equity in U.S. schools, with a focus on the intersection between classroom life and larger social inequalities. Beth's research explores detracking in the classrooms of diverse schools and youth civic identity construction in various school and community contexts. Her work on detracking can be found in the American Educational Research Journal, Teachers College Record, Theory and Research in Social Education, and Theory Into Practice. She is excited about the possibilities that this SIG has to connect theory to practice in a useful way.

Program Chair - Donna Harris

Donna M. Harris is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Rochester's Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Her work focuses on ability grouping and tracking, K-12 school reform, and educational policy. She is particularly interested in understanding how learning opportunities are organized and the impact this has on the educational experiences of students---especially for students of color. Dr. Harris has used data from the National Longitudinal Educational Study of 1988 to examine the impact race has on 10th grade college track placement. Her current work focuses on examining how ability grouping and tracking manifest in schools engaged with standards based reform. Prior to joining the Warner School, Dr. Harris was a post-doctoral fellow at the RAND Corporation, conducted large-scale evaluations at the Consortium on Policy Research in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, and taught at Wellesley College. She has been an active member of AERA since 1993 and was the 2005 program co-chair for Division G -- the Social Context of Education. Dr. Harris has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Policy Studies, a master's degree in Sociology of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Wesleyan University.

Membership Chair - Chris Tienken

Christopher H. Tienken, EdD is the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in the Monroe Township School District, Middlesex County, NJ. He is an adjunct professor at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education in New Brunswick, NJ. Christopher is directing the detracking of the Monroe Township High School to improve the learning experiences for students. Beginning in September 2008, all students will enter the high school in a college preparatory program with the opportunity to self-select higher levels of coursework. Christopher has been a SIG member for three years.

Treasurer/Secretary - Terah Venzant Chambers

Dr. Terah Venzant Chambers is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Education Administration and Human Resource Development (EAHR). She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a doctorate in Educational Policy Studies in May 2006 and took her first tenure-track appointment at Wellesley College. Her dissertation was entitled, "Tracking Segregation: Experiences of African American High School Students in Tracked Math and English Classes." After receiving her M.A., also from the University of Illinois, Terah served as a Congressional Fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) with placements in the Office of Rep. Diane E. Watson and the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota---Twin Cities. Her broad research interest areas are urban education and education policy, particularly with regard to historical and contemporary racial disparities in education. Specifically, she is interested in the affect of African American students' experiences in tracked schools on academic achievement and school engagement.

Web Manager - S. Marshall Perry

S. Marshall Perry, Ph.D. is a researcher at Rockman et al. His dissertation used mixed methods to examine adolescent academic self-concept in the context of middle-school ability grouping. He designed his minor in Political Psychology, which is an area that explores behavioral assumptions of political mechanisms, and peoples’ motivations and experiences within policies. Recently, Marshall has evaluated supplemental education services in the context of state content and performance standards. He provides technical assistance on research projects and proposals involving power analyses, multi-level modeling, and analysis of variance. Other interests include accountability, school reorganization, diversity, and academic standards. Marshall has also taught adult education and worked at the Board of Education in New York City. He has served on the Board of Directors of The Village Project, an international organization that teaches civic education, and Peace by Peace, a national network of programs that teach conflict resolution.