Professor JANG, Sung Tae

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. 

• 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

Principal Investigator

1. 'Advancing Equity in Hong Kong: An Intersectional Analysis of Secondary School Students' Schooling Experiences' Research Grants Council General Research Fund. HK$696,300. (2024-2027).

2. 'Exploring the Link between Principals’ Caring Leadership and Teacher Turnover in Hong Kong' The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education Project-based Researach Funding. HK$60,000. (2022-2023).

3. 'Investigating the Educational and Career Aspirations of Youth in Hong Kong: An Intersectionality Perspective to Inform Equity-Oriented Strategies' The University of Hong Kong Seed Fund for Basic Research for New Staff. HK$150,000. (2022-2024).

4. 'Does Social Justice Leadership Make a Difference in Diversifying Hong Kong Secondary Schools?' The Education University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education and Human Development Internal Research Grant. HK$80,000. (2019-2020).

5. 'Does Social Justice Leadership Make a Difference in Diversifying Hong Kong Secondary Schools? A Pilot Study' The Education University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education and Human Development Start-Up Grant. HK$30,000. (2018-2019).

6. 'Schooling Experiences and Educational Outcomes of Southeast Asian Female Secondary Students in the United States: A Critical Quantitative Intersectionality Analysis' University Council for Educational Administration Research Granat. US$5,000. (2016-2017)

Co-Investigator

1. 'Online Social Network Influence on Policy Effectiveness and Educational Equity' The Education University of Hong Kong Multi-disciplinary Research Capacity Building Scheme. (HK$646,479). (2022-2025).

2. 'Diversity, Equity, and Social Inclusion Research' The Education University of Hong Kong Central Block Grant. HK$2,201,314. (2020-2022).

3.  'How Educational Policy Supports Low SES Students’ Academic Achievement: Students’ Experiences’  The Education University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education and Human Development Research Grant. HK$180,000. (2020-2022).

4. ‘Intercultural Studies: Comparative Study of Diverse Youth in Hong Kong’ The Education University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education and Human Development Research Grant. HK$2,036,142. (2017-2019).

5. 'Re-engaging Students and Improving School Climate and Safety in Saint Paul Public Schools: A Descriptive Pilot Study’ University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs Faculty Interactive Research Grant. US$48,970. (2016-2018).

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

1. Jang, S. T., & Alexander, N. A. (in press). Exploring the link between states' principal evaluation policies and student achievement. Educational Administration Quarterly. 
2. Jang, S. T., & Lee, M. (in press). Exploring the link between students' sense of school belonging and shared leadership in U.S. high schools. AERA Open. 
3. Alexander, N. A., & Jang, S. T. (2024). ‘Synonymization’ threat, equity, and the funding of districts with relatively high populations of Latinx students. Journal of Education Finance, 49(3), 263-290.
4. Jang, S. T. (2023). School belonging among diverse high school students in the United States: A critical quantitative intersectionality analysis. Teachers College Record, 125(3), 289-318.
5. Jang, S. T. (2023). Schooling experiences and educational outcomes of Latinx secondary school students living at the intersections of multiple social constructs. Urban Education, 58(4), 708-739. 
6. Jang, S. T. (2023).The schooling experiences and aspirations of students belonging to intersecting marginalisations based on race or ethnicity, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. Race Ethnicity and Education, 26(7), 914-935.
7. Jang, S. T., & Alexander, N. A. (2022).Black women principals in American secondary schools: Quantitative evidence of the link between their leadership and student achievement in challenging contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 58(3), 450-486. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X211068415
8. Jang, S. T., Halse, C., Lee, D. H. L., & Hon, Q. C. K. (2022). Belongingness and national belonging among youth in Hong Kong. Youth & Society, 54(8), 1307-1329. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X211022393

9. Jang, S. T. (2020).Contextualized effects of racial/ethnic matching between students and teachers in urban, suburban, and rural high schools. Teachers College Record, 122(11), 1-34. 

10. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2020). Policy, poverty, and student achievement in an age of increased accountability. Educational Policy, 34(4), 674-704.

11. Taliaferro, L. A., Jang, S. T., Westers, N. J., Muehlenkamp, J. J., Whitlock, J. L., & McMorris, B. J. (2020). Associations between connections to parents and friends and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: The mediating role of developmental assets. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25(2), 359-371.

12. Alexander, N. A., & Jang, S. T. (2019). ‘Synonymization’ threat and the implications for the funding of school districts with relatively high populations of black students. Race Ethnicity and Education, 22(2), 151-173.

13. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2019). Expenditures on the professional development of teachers: The case of Minnesota. Journal of Education Finance, 44(4), 385-404.

14. Horn, A. S., Lee, G., Jang, S. T., & Lee, J. (2019). Towards reasonable efficiency in degree production: A method for benchmarking the educational expenditures of postsecondary institutions. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 16(1), 105-123.

15. Jang, S. T. (2018). The implications of intersectionality of race, gender, and socioeconomic status on Southeast Asian female students’ educational outcomes: Critical quantitative intersectionality analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 55(6), 1268-1306.

16. Alexander, N., Jang, S. T., Kankane, S. (2017). The performance cycle: The association between student achievement and state policies tying together teacher performance and accountability. American Journal of Education, 123(3), 413-446.

17. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2017). Balancing act for English learners: Efficiency and equity in Minnesota over the past decade. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 25(15), 1-31.

Conference Papers

1. Jang, S. T. (2024). The impact of state principal evaluation policies on socioeconomic justice in student achievement. The 38th annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 
2. Jang, S. T. (2024). The equity implications of principal evaluation on student achievement. The Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
3. Jang, S. T., & Lee, M. (2023). Exploring the link between students' sense of school belonging and shared leadership in U.S. high schools. The 37^th annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
4. Jang, S. T. (2023). Sharing perspectives of Korean scholars in overseas countries on educational theories in Korea. The annual Korean Educational Research Association Convention, Seoul, Korea. 
5. Jang, S. T. (2022). The equity implications of principal evaluation on student achievement: A critical quantitative policy analysis. The 36^th annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, Seattle, WA, USA.
6. Jang, S. T. (2022). The role of school leaders in creating positive and equitable students’ sense of school belonging. The Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
7. Jang, S. T., & Alexander, N. A. (2021). Black women principals in American secondary schools: Quantitative link between their leadership and student achievement.  The 35^th annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, Virtual conference.
8. Jang, S. T. (2021). Disrupting stereotypical and deficit-oriented narratives to foster educational equity: A critical quantitative intersectionality analysis. Re/framing Educational Equity: An International Collaboration, University of Strathclyde, Virtual conference.
9. Alexander, N. A., & Jang, S. T. (2021). ‘Synonymization’ threat, equity, and the funding of districts with relatively high populations of Latinx students. The Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual conference.
10. Jang, S. T., Lee, D. H. L., Hon, Q., & Halse, C. (2020). Sense of belonging of Hong Kong youths living at the intersections of multiple social constructs. The annual Korean Association of Multicultural Educational, Virtual conference.
11. Jang, S. T. (2020). Women of color principals in American secondary schools: The contexts, praxis, and contributions to equity of their leadership. The 34^th annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, Virtual conference.
12. Alexander, N. A., & Jang, S. T. (2020). ‘Synonymization’ threat, equity, and the funding of districts with relatively high populations of Latinx students. The 78^th Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference, Chicago, IL.
13. Alexander, N. A., & Jang, S. T. (2020). The road to equity is paved with good intentions: The problem with colorblind policies in school finance models. The 2020 National Education Finance Conference, Birmingham, AL.
14. Jang, S. T. (20119).Heterogeneous associations between secondary school students’ schooling experiences and sexuality intersecting with race and poverty. The 33^rd annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, New Orleans, LA.
15. Jang, S. T. (2019). Educational experiences and aspirations of Somali girls in American postcolonial schooling: A critical quantitative intersectionality analysis. The Australian Association for Research in Education, Kelvin Grove, Australia.
16. Jang, S. T. (2019). Implications of intersectionality in multicultural education. The annual Korean Association of Multicultural Education, Seoul, Korea.
17. Jang, S. T. (2019). Applying a critical quantitative intersectionality framework in the United States. The Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada.
18. Alexander, N. A., Jang, S. T., Rolle, R. A., Rodriguez, G. M., & Rojo, J. (2018). We’re talking about a revolution: Re-evaluating the role of school finance and economics in leadership preparation. Critical Conversation at the 32^nd annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, Houston, TX.
19. Jang, S. T. (2018). Schooling experiences and educational aspirations of Latinx students living at the intersections of ethnicity, gender, and immigration. The 32^nd annual University Council for Educational Administration Convention, Houston, TX.
20. Taliaferro, L. A., Muehlenkamp, J. J., Westers, N. J., Whitlock, J. L., Jang, S. T., & McMorris, B. J. (2018). Adult and friend connections and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: Mediating role of developmental assets. The 2018 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Minneapolis, MN.
21. Jang, S. T. (2017). The implications of intersectionality of race, gender, and language on Southeast Asian students’ experiences and outcomes. The 31^st Annual Meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration, Denver, CO.
22. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2017). Student voice, school funding, and the role of context. The 31^st Annual Meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration, Denver, CO.
23. Foster, J. L., Olson, A., & Jang, S. T. (2017).Building sustainable bridges of collaboration through online voices. The Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.
24. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2017). Exploring the links among race, poverty, and school finance in Minnesota, 2000-2015. The 7^th Annual Meeting of the National Education Finance Conference, Cincinnati, OH.
25. Jang, S. T. (2016). Whose race matters: Rethinking cultural dissonance between students and teachers. The 41^st Annual Meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Denver, CO.
26. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2016). Balancing act: Efficiency and equity in Minnesota over the past decade, 2001-2011. The 6^th Annual Meeting of the National Education Finance Conference, Jacksonville, FL.
27. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2015).Accountability and investment in the professional development of teachers. The 29^th Annual Meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration, San Diego, CA.
28. Goldfine, L., Soria, K., & Jang, S. T. (2015).Frankendata: Stitching together faculty and student experience surveys. The Annual Conference of the Association for Institutional Research, Denver, CO.
29. Jang, S. T. (2015).Intersectionality of race, gender, and socioeconomic status of American secondary school students. The 40^th Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
30. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2015).Accountability and investment in the professional development of teachers. The 40^th Annual Meeting for the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Washington, D.C.
31. Alexander, N., & Jang, S. T. (2015).Accountability and investment in the professional development of teachers. The Annual Meeting of the National Education Finance Conference, St. Louis, MO.
32. Jang, S. T. (2015).A structural analysis of the effectiveness of school autonomy in South Korea. The 28^th International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Cincinnati, OH.

Others

1. Beckman, K. J., Jang, S. T., & McMorris, B. J. (2017). Findings from a qualitative study of family group conferences facilitated by Legal Right Center in partnership with Saint Paul Public Schools. School of Nursing and the Health Youth Development, Prevention Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota: Minneapolis, MN. 
2. Horn, A. S., & Jang, S. T. (2017). The impact of graduate education on teacher effectiveness: Does a master’s degree matter? Midwestern Higher Education Compact: Minneapolis, MN. 
3. Jang, S. T., & Horn, A. S.(2017). The relative effectiveness of traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs: A review of recent research. Midwestern Higher Education Compact: Minneapolis, MN. 
4. Jang, S. T., & Horn, A. S.(2017).The effectiveness of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification program. Midwestern Higher Education Compact: Minneapolis, MN.
5. Horn, A. S., Reinert, L., Jang, S. T., & Zinth, J. R.(2016). Faculty qualification policies and strategies relevant to dual enrollment programs: An analysis of states and regional accreditation agencies. Midwestern Higher Education Compact: Minneapolis, MN. 
6. Ryu, B. L., Kin, K., Chung, K. H., Kin, S. S., Lee, J. Y., & Jang, S. T. (2014). Learning practices of middle school students and policy agenda for their improvements. Korean Educational Development Institute: Seoul, Korea.

Invited Lectures

1. Jang, S. T. (2021). Contextualized effects of racial/ethnic matching between students and teachers in urban, suburban, and rural high schools. The Center for SSK Multi-cultural Research (CSMR) Webinar. Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

2. Jang, S. T. (2020). The implications of intersectionality for educational equity and leadership. The Center for SSK Multi-cultural Research (CSMR) Webinar. Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

Editorial Contribution

1. Book Review Editor, Multicultural Education Review (2019-Present)

2. Editorial Board, British Journal of Sociology of Education (2024-Present)

Reviewer

1. American Educational Research Journal (2019-Present)

2. Educational Administration Quarterly (2021-Present)

3. International Journal of Educational Management (2021-Present)

4. AERA Open (2023-Present)

Professional Associations

1. American Educational Research Association

2. Association for Education Finance and Policy

3. International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement

4. Korean Association for Multicultural Education

5. Midwest Political Science Association

6. National Education Finance Academy

7. University Council for Educational Administration

Teaching Courses

1. BBED4001, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
2. MEDD6192, Educational Leadership and School Management. 
3. MEDD8892, Statistical Methods in Educational Research. 
4. MEDD8907, Statistical Analyses for Advancing Educational Equity and Social Justice.
5. MEDD8910, Introduction to Regression Analysis and Data Visualization
6. MEDD8913, Educational Leadearship for Equity and Social Justice