Dana Mitra
Dana Mitra is Professor of Education in the Educational Theory and Policy program at Penn State. Dana is the founder of the International Journal of Student Voice and co-editor of the American Journal of Education. She currently is a Students at the Center Distinguished Fellow with Jobs For the Future/the Nellie Mae Foundation. Dana also works with professionals as a leadership and personal coach.
Originally from Pittsburgh, she received her Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from Stanford University's School of Education. She served as a Fulbright-Nehru scholar to Bangalore India in 2012. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked as an elementary school teacher in the Washington, DC area.
Address: 300 Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802
Originally from Pittsburgh, she received her Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from Stanford University's School of Education. She served as a Fulbright-Nehru scholar to Bangalore India in 2012. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked as an elementary school teacher in the Washington, DC area.
Address: 300 Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802
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―Michael Kirst, president California State Board of Education, Professor Emeritus , Stanford University
'Educational Change and the Political Process' brings together issues foundational to educational policy with recent debates over such issues as education governance, funding and accountability in a well-written, accessible textbook. It clearly explains how education policy problems, opportunities, actors and instruments differ by location in the education policy system, raise different challenges of implementation and evaluation, and play out in terms of major touchpoints for policy and practice. A useful addition: each chapter concludes with questions and activities designed to engage students in concrete discussions of the chapter’s policy tradeoffs and perspectives. I know of no other textbook that affords this all-inclusive, system-wide treatment of education policy making―and in-depth reference list. Mitra’s textbook provides an invaluable resource for instructors and students of education policy, and will be relevant for years to come.'
―Milbrey McLuaghlin, David Jacks Professor Emeritus of Education and Public Policy, Stanford University
Struggling, like many high schools, with how to improve student outcomes, educators at Whitman High School decided to invite students to participate in the reform process. Dana L. Mitra describes the evolution of student voice at Whitman, showing that the students enthusiastically created partnerships with teachers and administrators, engaged in meaningful discussion about why so many failed or dropped out, and partnered with teachers and principals to improve learning for themselves and their peers. In documenting the difference that student voice made, this book helps expand ideas of distributed leadership, professional learning communities, and collaboration. The book also contributes much needed research on what student voice initiatives look like in practice and provides powerful evidence of ways in which young people can increase their sense of agency and their sense of belonging in school.
Papers
―Michael Kirst, president California State Board of Education, Professor Emeritus , Stanford University
'Educational Change and the Political Process' brings together issues foundational to educational policy with recent debates over such issues as education governance, funding and accountability in a well-written, accessible textbook. It clearly explains how education policy problems, opportunities, actors and instruments differ by location in the education policy system, raise different challenges of implementation and evaluation, and play out in terms of major touchpoints for policy and practice. A useful addition: each chapter concludes with questions and activities designed to engage students in concrete discussions of the chapter’s policy tradeoffs and perspectives. I know of no other textbook that affords this all-inclusive, system-wide treatment of education policy making―and in-depth reference list. Mitra’s textbook provides an invaluable resource for instructors and students of education policy, and will be relevant for years to come.'
―Milbrey McLuaghlin, David Jacks Professor Emeritus of Education and Public Policy, Stanford University
Struggling, like many high schools, with how to improve student outcomes, educators at Whitman High School decided to invite students to participate in the reform process. Dana L. Mitra describes the evolution of student voice at Whitman, showing that the students enthusiastically created partnerships with teachers and administrators, engaged in meaningful discussion about why so many failed or dropped out, and partnered with teachers and principals to improve learning for themselves and their peers. In documenting the difference that student voice made, this book helps expand ideas of distributed leadership, professional learning communities, and collaboration. The book also contributes much needed research on what student voice initiatives look like in practice and provides powerful evidence of ways in which young people can increase their sense of agency and their sense of belonging in school.