Reducing Inequality in an Era of Alternative Facts

"Reducing Inequality in an Era of Alternative Facts"

Income inequality in the U.S. is near an all-time high, with damaging consequences for the future of our nation.  Meanwhile persistent racial discrimination and hostility to immigrants undermine efforts to support opportunities for all youth.  The William T. Grant Foundation is committed to supporting research on ways to reduce inequality among young people.  Yet in an era when evidence is ignored and even fundamental facts are challenged, what role can researchers play in advancing sound policies?  Adam Gamoran will explain the Foundation's focus on reducing inequality and improving the use of evidence in policy decisions, and will consider how we can advance these priorities even at a time when science is under attack.

Dr. Adam Gamoran served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1984 to 2013, where he held the John D. MacArthur Chair in Sociology and Educational Policy Studies. From 2001-2004, he chaired the Department of Sociology, and from 2004-2013 he directed the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Dr. Gamoran’s research focused on educational inequality and school reform and was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, as well as by the Spencer and William T. Grant Foundations. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and was twice appointed by President Obama to serve on the National Board for Education Sciences. He also chairs the Board on Science Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In 2013, he received the Spencer Foundation Award for contributions to research on education policy from the Association for Public Policy and Management, and in 2014 he was honored with the award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education from the American Educational Research Association.