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Tracy Steffes

Assistant Professor of Education and History

Barus 209
(401) 863-2894 (phone)
(401) 863-1276 (fax)
Tracy_Steffes@brown.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Steffes arrives from the History department of the University of Chicago, where she recently completed her dissertation, “A New Education for a Modern Age: National Reform, State-building, and the Transformation of American Schooling, 1890-1933.” Her teaching record includes courses at the University of Chicago, Denison University, and at Indiana University-Northwest. Professor Steffes aims to inform current education policy, such as No Child Left Behind, with insights from educational and policy history.

Office Hours



Spring 2008 Office Hours
   Mondays, 1:30-3:00; Wednesdays 11-12:30.

Degrees

University of Chicago Ph.D., 2007
    United States History  

University of Chicago MA, 1999
    United States History  

Western Michigan University BA, 1998
    History, Political Science  

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Publications

-"Solving the 'Rural School Problem': New State Aid, Standards, and Supervision of Local Schools, 1900-1933" History of Education Quarterly 48 (Spring 2008).   

-"Ingraham v. Wright," Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States. Edited by David S. Tanenhaus. New York: Macmillan Reference, forthcoming.   

-"Eliot, Charles N., "Harris, William Torrey," and "Gary Plan" in Encylopedia of Gilded Age and Progressive Era History. Edited by Joseph D. Buenker and John D. Buenker. Sharpe Publishers, 2005.   

-"Chinese," "Refugees," "Malaysians," "Hmong," "Congolese," "Gas Stations," "Condominiums and Cooperatives," and 16 other entries in Encyclopedia of Chicago. Edited by James Grossman, Ann Durkin Keating, and Janice L. Reiff. University of Chicago Press, 2004.    

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Experience

Research Experience:
National History Center, Research Assistant, 2006-present; American Bar Foundation, Research Assistant, 2002-2007; Newberry Library, Research Assistant, 2001-2002.

Teaching Experience:
Visiting Instructor, Denison University (2005-2006); Adjunct Instructor, Indiana University-Northwest (Gary) (2005); instructor, lector, and teaching assistant, University of Chicago (2001-2003).

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Interests

My research and teaching are animated by a deep interest in the social, intellectual, and political problem of modernizing America, and in particular by an interest in the tensions between modern economy, society, and democracy. My work explores these tensions in the development of American schooling. I am interested in the history of American education, citizenship and civic inclusion, social and democratic theory and practice, state-building and state authority, politics, law, and social movements.

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Areas of Expertise

click an area title to see other department faculty with expertise in the same area
Education Policy
Educational Equity
Equity and Diversity
History of Education
Legal Issues
   

Minorities
Politics of School Structure and Governance
Racial Discrimination
School Reform Issues
Urban Schooling


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Courses

EDUC1020 - The History of American Education

EDUC1050 - History of African-American Education

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