Richard S.L. Blissett
About Richard
Blissett is the principal investigator of the Democracy and Equity in Education Politics research group, and the principal coordinator for the Just Education Policy institute. Blissett's research primarily focuses on attitudes and ideologies in the politics of educational equity and justice, as well as the spaces in which public ideologies translate into policy action. Work in this area has included research on democratic structures in education governance (particularly, school boards) as well as anti-racism activism and social movements in education.
Contributions
The Future of Service-Learning in Maryland Schools
Publications
Suggests that individuals may make choices about the information they consume that are influenced by what they already believe. Investigates this process in a particularly contentious policy arena: charter schools.
Suggests that the tipping points that motivate student social movement mobilization may not be primarily related to any specific change in institutional characteristics, but rather that they existed in a context of standing institutional characteristics.
Demonstrates that a variety of characteristics predict perceptions of issue urgency and cogent policy solutions for addressing student achievement. Finds evidence that the translation of Black identity to perceptions is moderated by district context. Indicates that attention to board members' identities may be critical for developing effectively functioning boards and understanding local education policy.