Tara Davidson
Tara Davidson is currently a full-time second-year doctoral student in the Urban Systems program, in the Educational Policy track. She serves as a University Supervisor for the undergraduate student teachers in the Urban Education department and as a research assistant for the Institute on Education Law and Policy (IELP).
Prior to entering the Urban Systems PhD program at Rutgers, she worked as a middle school social studies teacher in New York City. In addition to teaching social studies, and the occasional math, literacy, or physical education class, she also ran an after-school test preparation program, served as her school’s assessment coordinator, and her school’s United Federation of Teachers’ Chapter Leader. She provided professional development programs to her colleagues throughout the city in social studies curriculum and pedagogy and wrote model social studies unit plans to be distributed to NYC social studies teachers by the Gotham Center of New York.
Ms. Davidson is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and is the Graduate Student Representative at the 2008 International Standing Conference for the History of Education. Her current research interests include mayoral control of schools, school governance, principal performance, systemic reform, and new teacher training. She holds a Bachelors degree from Davidson College and a Masters Degree from the City College of NY (CCNY).