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Sherman Dorn
Biography:
In my quarter-century in colleges and universities, I have taught more than 2,500 students at all levels in higher education, led academic units in two large public research universities, written or co-edited four books, learned and written about the history of education policy in the United States, and never been bored. I am on sabbatical/research leave for 2021, focusing on a history of educational broadcasting in the United States since WW2.
In my scholarship I look skeptically on the collective definitions of education problems: are we seeing issues correctly? In my research, I have focused on how we defined dropping out of high school as a problem, how we think of public-private distinctions in education, how school accountability evolved, and how we have defined schools as communities. I believe that as individuals, we have holes in our mental model of social problems, and as a society, those holes are reflected in what we think are educational problems and how we try to solve them. We need to identify those mental holes so we are not limited by them.
Between July 2014 and December 2020 I was the director of the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation, supporting the faculty, academic professional, and staff colleagues who work closely with the division's students. The best part of the job was always figuring out how to say "yes" to ideas coming from great colleagues.
Education:
- Ph.D. History, University of Pennsylvania 1992
- M.A. Demography, University of Pennsylvania 1992
- B.A. History (Magna Cum Laude), Haverford College 1987
Research Website URL:
Google Scholar URL:
Research Interests:
Guiding Research Questions:
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How has the historical definition of any problem in education (such as dropping out or the lack of accountability) reflected evolving concerns about education and society?
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How have the historical and evolving definitions of problems of education hidden alternative ways of framing our challenges?
Publications:
Selected recent publications and presentations
Dorn, S. (2021, February 15). We worried about kids and the internet. We should have been worried about adults. Slate. Retrieved from https://slate.com/technology/2021/02/moral-panics-technology-internet-children-adults.html
Martinez, D. G., & Dorn, S. (2020). Swamping errors: A Florida postmortem for high school graduation rate proxies. Voices of Reform, 3(1), 92-121.
*Chapman, K. P., *Ross, L., & Dorn, S. (2020). Opting out in the Empire State: A geographic analysis of opting out in New York, spring 2015 and 2016. Teachers College Record, 122(2). Retrieved from https://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=23062
Kim, W.,* & Dorn, S. (2020, November). The politics of modernization for educational television: Sesame Street in South Korea. Presentation at annual meeting of the History of Education Society (U.K.) (online).
Dorn, S., & Kim, W.* (2020, November). “A vast wasteland” vs “a rising tide of mediocrity”:
Revisiting the role of television in postwar American education. Presentation at annual meeting of the History of Education Society (online).
Kim, W.,* & Dorn, S. (2020, November). The journey of Big Bird to South Korea: Another case of Sesame Street’s globalization. Presentation at annual meeting of the History of Education Society (online).
Kim, W.*, & Dorn, S. (2020, March). Globalization of Sesame Street: The adaption case of South Korea. Annual meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society (Miami, FL). https://cies2020.org/portfolio/sesame-street-in-korea-another-case-of-globalization/
Dorn, S., & Kim, W.* (2019, November). Budgeting for Big Bird: Fundraising for Sesame Street and the meaning of public in educational television. Presentation at annual meeting of the History of Education Society (Columbus, OH).
Dorn, S., & Potterton, A. U. (2019, April). Why do urban Massachusetts charter schools overperform. Presentation at annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Toronto, ON).
* - Student collaborators.
Research Activity:
Postwar history of educational broadcasting
Three major forces catapulted education onto the national stage in the immediate post-WW 2 era: the mass spread of broadcast culture, especially television; the civil rights movement; and the Cold War. My current major research project is a history of educational broadcasting in the United States, roughly bookended by the premier of The Howdy-Doody Show as the first nationally-broadcast children's television show in December 1947, on the one hand, and the rise of Youtube in the late 2000s, on the other. This includes the history of well-known shows on public television such as Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and also commercial broadcasting that we can consider educational, including Schoolhouse Rock.
Archival research travel during 2021 (when we can travel again!) is being supported by the Spencer Foundation, award 20200163.
Other projects
- Geographic analysis of opting-out behavior in state assessments, a phenomenon that became widespread in several states in spring 2015. This is a collaborative effort with doctoral students, who are taking the lead in presentations and publications from this project. Broader question: How does location factor into educational movements and education politics?
- Theoretical frameworks of school choice participation effects in reading, math, and educational attainment. Are we defining "education markets" reasonably when we talk about voucher programs and charter-school growth?
All of these current projects are in collaboration with current and former ASU doctoral students.
| Fall 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| TEL 710 | Innov Disseminating Res |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| TEL 799 | Dissertation |
| EPA 799 | Dissertation |
| Summer 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 710 | Innov Disseminating Res |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| DCI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| SPE 791 | Seminar |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| EPA 799 | Dissertation |
| Spring 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 710 | Innov Disseminating Res |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| TEL 792 | Research |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| EPA 799 | Dissertation |
| Fall 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| TEL 792 | Research |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| EDA 799 | Dissertation |
| EPA 799 | Dissertation |
| Summer 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| TEL 405 | History of Ed&Policy Reform US |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| DCI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| EPA 795 | Continuing Registration |
| DCI 795 | Continuing Registration |
| Spring 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 691 | Seminar |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| DCI 795 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 795 | Continuing Registration |
| Fall 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 691 | Seminar |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| Summer 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| DCI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| EPA 795 | Continuing Registration |
| DCI 795 | Continuing Registration |
| Spring 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| DCI 795 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 795 | Continuing Registration |
| Fall 2018 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| TEL 791 | Seminar |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| EPA 795 | Continuing Registration |
| DCI 795 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 799 | Dissertation |
| Summer 2018 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| DCI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| TEL 791 | Seminar |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| TEL 799 | Dissertation |
| Spring 2018 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 593 | Applied Project |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 691 | Seminar |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| TEL 791 | Seminar |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| EPA 795 | Continuing Registration |
| DCI 795 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 799 | Dissertation |
| Fall 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| TEL 791 | Seminar |
| TEL 792 | Research |
| EPA 792 | Research |
| DCI 795 | Continuing Registration |
| EPA 795 | Continuing Registration |
| Summer 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| DCI 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 595 | Continuing Registration |
| TEL 780 | Practicum |
| EPA 790 | Reading and Conference |
| DCI 790 | Reading and Conference |
| TEL 791 | Seminar |
| EPA 792 | Research |
Honors / Awards:
2017 Review of Research Award, American Educational Research Association, for Alfredo J. Artiles, Sherman Dorn, and Aydin Bal, "Objects of Protection, Enduring Nodes of Difference: Disability Intersections With 'Other' Differences, 1916-2016." Review of Research in Education, Vol 40, March 2016.
Editorships:
2004-2008, Education Policy Analysis Archives.
Professional Associations:
History of Education Society; American Educational Research Association; Association of Education Finance and Policy; Arizona Educational Research Organization
Graduate Faculties / Mentoring History:
Arizona State University: Leadership and Innovation (EdD) and Educational Policy and Evaluation (PhD). University of South Florida: Interdisciplinary Education (PhD). Selected student list: Kevin Jaramillo, EdD, Arizona State University, 2019; James Lett, EdD, Arizona State University, 2018; Mary Elizabeth Azukas, EdD, Arizona State University, 2018; Ariana Lopez, EdD, Arizona State University, 2018; Sean Lazarus, EdD, Arizona State University, 2018; Michelle Vlahoulis, EdD, Arizona State University, 2018; Kacie Nadeau, PhD, University of South Florida, 2017; Brent Lamons, PhD, University of South Florida, 2012; Peter Gamache, PhD, University of South Florida, 2011; Judy Castillo, PhD, University of South Florida, 2011.
Work History:
Arizona State University, 2014-present; University of South Florida, 1996-2014; Vanderbilt University, 1993-1996; University of Delaware, 1992-1993