Sung Tae Jang

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• Master of Arts (M.A.) Korea University
• Bachelor of Education (BEd) Seoul National University of Education

Research Expertise

• Equity, Equality and Social Justice in Education
• Educational Change, Leadership and Administration
• Diversity, Ethnicity and Identity
• Educational Policy
• Research Methods and Methodologies

Areas of Expertise

My research agenda is to provide essential knowledge to help researchers, teachers and school leaders, and policy makers create equitable and just classrooms, schools, and educational systems locally, regionally, and internationally. Throughout my research career, I have used a diverse set of research tools, from mixed-methods approaches to a novel critical quantitative intersectionality (CQI) approach. Based on my overlapping set of interests in educational equity and social justice from my previous teaching experience as an elementary school teacher, I have developed my research agenda along the following three concurrent research lines: (1) examination of multiplicative influences (intersectionality) of different marginalized identities among students and school leaders on their diverse experiences; (2) investigation of the influence of principal leadership and school policies (e.g., teacher and principal accountability policies) on achievement and opportunity gaps based on students’ marginalized identities; and (3) exploration of school finance aimed at improving equity within complex contexts. Together, these three lines of research uniquely combine my interest in educational leadership and policy with novel data analysis techniques to help prepare principals and policy makers for their challenges in schools, while examining malleable variables that could be targets for interventions to improve equity.

Awards

• 2020 Dean’s Research Award Finalist, The Education University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Education and Human Development, Hong Kong
• 2019 Dean’s Research Award, The Education University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Education and Human Development, Hong Kong
• 2019 University of Minnesota CEHD Rising Alumni Award, University of Minnesota College of Education & Human Development, USA
• 2019 AERA SIG RWE Selma Greenberg Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association Special Interest Groups Research on Women and Education, USA
• 2018 AERA SIG REAPA Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association Special Interest Groups Research on the Education of Asian and Pacific Americans, USA
• 2016 UCEA Graduate Research Fellowship Award, University Council for Educational Administration, USA
• 2016 Burkhardt Endowed Fellowship Award, University of Minnesota, USA
• 2015 Bruininks-Hagstrum Fellowship Award, University of Minnesota, USA
• 2015 Colonial Dames Scholar Award, National Society of Colonial Dames of America, USA
• 2014 Distinguished Korean Methodist Church Fellowship, Korean Methodist Church, South Korea
• 2002 Australian Government Endeavour Scholarships & Fellowships, Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Australia
• 2001 SADO Scholarships, Seoul National University of Education, South Korea