John Rogers
GSE&IS Profile
John Rogers
Associate Professor of Education, Urban Schooling
John Rogers is an associate professor of education in the Urban Schooling Division and director of UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (IDEA). Additionally, he is the faculty co-director of UCLA’s Principal Leadership Institute (PLI). His research interests involve the distribution and adequacy of educational opportunities across California schools as well as strategies to promote the democratization of knowledge and power in urban schools and communities.
Rogers founded IDEA with Education Professor Emerita Jeannie Oakes in 2000. As director of IDEA, Rogers works with UCLA scholars, students, educators, and community members towards the center’s mission of making high-quality public schooling and successful college preparation a reality for all Los Angeles youth. “We engage a remarkable group of urban teachers in creating examples of equitable public schooling and college access while promoting public engagement, policy advocacy, and action among students and members of the community,” said Rogers.
He is currently working on UC ACCORD and IDEA’s Annual California Educational Opportunity Report. The joint project reports on the distribution of educational opportunities across California public schools, considering whether these opportunities are distributed equally and if California students receive comparable learning conditions to students across the nation. Similar to last year's report, the 2011 report draws on a survey and follow up interviews conducted with high school principals across the state. Students from the PLI program assisted in the study. This year's report will highlight how budget cuts have impacted learning opportunities in California high schools and the consequences of these changes for graduation, college-going, and civic development.
In addition to working on projects with IDEA and PLI, Rogers recently co-edited Public Engagement for Public Education: Joining Forces to Revitalize Democracy and Equalize Schools. The book provides critical insight from a variety of contributors on the ways community members and parents can work together to make schools better and more equitable. Rogers and his co-editor emphasize joint action as critical for school improvement and democracy. “Public engagement cannot be reduced to individual acts such as voting, speaking with a teacher, or choosing a school. Public engagement emerges as parents, community members, and others identify common educational problems and work together to address them.”
Rogers holds a BA in Public Policy and African-American Studies from Princeton and a PhD in Education from Stanford.
