Wells, Amy S. (asw86)

Wells, Amy Stuart

Professor Emerita of Sociology and Education
917-494-8285

Office Location:

700 GDodge

Office Hours:

Tuesdays 5-6:30 pm; Weds 7-8 pm and by appointment.

Educational Background

Prof Wells
Columbia University, Teachers College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Ph.D., Sociology of Education, 1991.
Boston University, College of Communications, M.S., Journalism, 1986.
Southern Methodist University, Dedman College, B.A., English, 1984.

Scholarly Interests

Educational policy. Race and education. Charter schools. School desegregation. School choice policy.

Selected Publications

Wells, A.S.; Fox, A.L.; and Miles, A. (forthcoming). "Longing for Milliken: Why Rodriguez Would Have Been Good but Not Enough." In K. J. Robinson and C. Ogletree (Eds) Rodriguez at 40: Exploring New Paths to Equal Educational Opportunity. New York, NY: New York University Press.

Wells, A.S. (Wednesday, March 13, 2013). "Why NYC Should Make Diversity a School Choice." Schoolbook.Org. National Public Radio.
http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/schoolbook/2013/mar/13/more-diverse-schools-needed-to-attract-affluent-gentrifiers

Roda, A. and Wells, A.S. (2013). "School Choice Policies and Racial Segregation:  Where White Parents' Good Intentions, Anxiety, and Privilege Collide." American Journal of Education. 119 (2). (pp. 261-293).

Wells, A.S.; Warner, M.; Gresikowski, C. (2013) "The Story of Meaningful School Choice: Lessons from Interdistrict Transfer Plans." Chapter Nine in Gary Orfield and Erica Frankenberg (Eds.) Educational Delusions? Why Choice Can Deepen Inequality and How to Make Schools More Fair. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. (pp. 187-216).

Scott, J and Wells, A.S. (2013) "A More Perfect Union: Reconciling School Choice Policy with Equality of Opportunity Goals." Chapter Nine in Prudence Carter and Kevin Welner's (Eds.)  Closing the Opportunity Gap: What America Must Do to Give Every Student an Equal Chance. NY, NY: Oxford University Press. (pp. 123-140).

Wells, A.S.; Ready, D.; Duran, J.; Grzesikowski, C.; Hill, K.; Roda, A.; Warner, M.; & White, T. (2012). "Still Separate, Still Unequal, But Not Always So 'Suburban':  The Changing Nature of Suburban School Districts in the New York Metropolitan Area" Chapter Seven In W. F. Tate, IV (Ed.) Research on Schools, Neighborhoods and Communities: Toward Civic Responsibility. AERA Presidential Volume. Washington D.C.: American Educational Research Association. (pp. 125-150).

Wells, A.S., Holme, J.J., Revilla, A.J., & Atanda, A.K. (2008). Both Sides Now: The Story of School Desegregation's Graduates. University of California Press.

Holme, J. J. & Wells, A.S. (2008). "School Choice Beyond District Borders: Lessons for the Reauthorization of NCLB from Interdistrict Desegregation and Open Enrollment Plans" In Richard Kahlenberg (Ed.) Improving on No Child Left Behind. New York, NY: The Century
Foundation.

Wells, A.S., Duran, J., & White, T. (2008). Refusing to Leave Desegregation Behind: From Graduates of Racially Diverse Schools to the Supreme Court. Teachers College Record.

Wells, A.S. (2008). "The Social Context of Charter Schools: The Changing Nature of Poverty and What it Means for American Education." In Matthew G.Springer,  Herbert J. Walberg,  Mark Berends, and Dale Ballou (Eds.) Handbook of Research on School Choice. Philadelphia, PA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Wells, A.S. & Frankenberg, E. (2007) "The Public Schools and the Challenge of the Supreme Court's Integration Decision." Phi Delta Kappan 89 (3) (pp.178-188).

Wells, A.S. & Holme, J.J. (2006). "No Accountability for Diversity: Standardized Tests and the Demise of Racially Mixed Schools." in the Resegregation of the American South. Jack Boger and Gary Orfield (Eds.). Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
(pp. 187-211).

Wells, A.S., Holme, J.J., Revilla, A.J., & Atanda, A.K. (2005). "How Society Failed School Desegregation Policy: Looking Past the Schools to Understand Them." Robert Floden, (Ed.) Review of Research in Education. 28 Special Issue for the Brown Anniversary. pp. 47-100.

Related Articles

Amy Stuart Wells: The Sachs Lecturer on 'Diversity at a Distance'

On October 3, Amy Stuart Wells, spoke to a packed audience in the President's residence, in her first of three lectures as the Julius and Rosa Sachs Lecturer and Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology and Education.

Equity Symposium to Focus on NCLB at Midpoint

While the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) may be raising positive expectations for special education students and focusing attention on the educational needs of poor and minority youth, to date, NCLB is significantly behind schedule in meeting its own goals for student performance, teacher quality, academic standards and other key school improvement measures.

Desegregation's Beneficiaries

Profiling graduates of integrated schools

It's Not Just Academic

The knock on scholarly conferences and symposia is that too often they are just that: scholarly. Information gets presented; debates ensue - but then what?

TC: America's Policy Mecca

"The more the merrier," said President Susan Fuhrman welcoming TC's students to the College's 5th Annual Policy Studies Orientation Panel on September 12th. Fuhrman's reference was to TC's unrivaled breadth of policy-related courses and programs. However she was also keynoting an event specifically designed to help students navigate this rich assortment which in the past has sometimes puzzled newcomers.

Tough Questions, Provocative Answers, Lively Debate

TC's Equity Forum Are Packing in the Crowds-'"and Outlining the Future of Education Research

2004 at TC: The Year in Review

It was a year when the College rolled out a new mission, took steps to position itself as a leading education policy center, made dramatic improvements in student life, launched or enhanced major programs to support working teachers and principals, and strengthened its outreach to New York City, the nation and the world.

Come On In, The Water's Fine

It may be the oldest functioning indoor swimming pool in the U.S. -- and one of only a couple of indoor community pools on the Upper West Side. It's been patronized by generations of local families, and its alumni include a British knight and possibly even the comedian George Carlin, who grew up around the corner.

Contested Voluntary School Integration Plans

Brief by Teachers College Expert is Co-Signed by Leading Education Scholars

Getting Better All the Time

Teachers College "has always been an incredibly policy-rich environment," says Sharon Lynn Kagan, who was named TC's first Associate Dean for Policy and head of the newly created Office of Policy and Research (OPR) in 2004. "Now we're making it an easier place to navigate, and that's one more reason why we're becoming the institute of choice both for users of policy research and for policy students."

No Charter School Left Behind

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Chancellor Joel Klein and other New York officials are in a huge hurry to raise the state limit on the number of charter schools, now set at 100. Bolstered by a growing demand for these more autonomous schools and some positive charter school test results in the city, they seem to think that the more charter schools, the better for the children of our city and state.

Obama and the Integration Generation

In a commentary piece in Education Week, TC's Amy Stuart Wells argues that Barack Obama embodies the idealism of a generation not always known for it.

Teachers College Honors Desegregation Groundbreaker Ruby Bridges Hall

From seniors to elementary school children, an appreciative homecoming crowd filled horace mann auditorium to honor civil rights pioneer Ruby Bridges Hall, a recipient of the Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service.

Team Pre-K

Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Sharon Lynn Kagan are leaders in the early childhood education revolution.

The Equity Campaign Denounces Supreme Court Ruling Limiting the Use of Race in Public School Voluntary Integration Efforts

Hope seen in Kennedy's swing decision allowing districts to address racial isolation in schools, yet the ruling complicates the task of school officials seeking racial balance

TC at AERA, 2008

Hank Levin is giving the Distinguished Lecture; Janet Miller is receiving a lifetime achievement award; Susan Fuhrman, Amy Wells, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Edmund Gordon are speaking in Presidential Sessions, and Gordon and colleagues are part of "A Scholar's Evening in Harlem." And then there's the research.

Only the Bathwater -- Or the Baby, Too?

If there was a central question at issue during the College's recent two-day symposium on the federal No Child Left Behind Act, it was if the country should set its sights on more realistic achievement targets than NCLB presently endorses.

A Changing of the Guard on TC's Board of Trustees

Four new trustees have joined the Teachers College Board, while two long-time members have concluded their service. Outgoing Trustee Marjorie Hart (at left) was named Trustee Emeritus. The Board now numbers 36 members.

Changing Faces on TC's Board

Four new trustees have joined the Teachers College Board, while two long-time members have concluded their service. Outgoing Trustee Marjorie Hart (at left) was named Trustee Emeritus. The Board now numbers 36 members.

TC President, 11 Faculty Make 2014 EduScholar Public Influence Rankings

Rankings by Rick Hess, education blogger for the American Enterprise Institute, include President Susan Fuhrman and Thomas Bailey, Jeff Henig, Luis Huerta, Sharon Lynn Kagan, Hank Levin, Ernest Morrell, Aaron Pallas, Michael Rebell, Judith Scott-Clayton, Amy Stuart Wells and Penny Wohlstetter. Hess annually ranks university scholars by their contributions to public debates about education.

2013 Year in Review: Research

2013 Year in Review: Research

Attachments

How Desegregation Changed Us: The Effects of Racially Mixed Schools on Students and Society"

How Desegregation Changed Us: The Effects of Racially Mixed Schools on Students and Society"

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