Researcher Bios:

      Curious. Innovative. Independent. The researchers at the Kingsbury Center have a common goal: to investigate strategies for advancing academic student growth and improving our schools. By partnering with diverse educational leaders, our team is helping to revolutionize education research with high quality data that is designed to inform, empower and make a difference.

      Nate Jensen
      Robert Theaker
      Beth Tarasawa
      Branin Bowe
      John Cronin
      Mike Dahlin
      Don Draper
      G. Gage Kingsbury
      Beth Tarasawa
      Title: Research Specialist
      Additional Biographical Information:

      Beth joined NWEA in 2011 as a research specialist while working as a clinical assistant professor of sociology at Washington State University Vancouver. She has also worked as an assistant professor and instructor at St. Norbert College and Emory University. Prior to NWEA, some of Beth’s research projects include: a collaborative study, funded by the National Science Foundation, which examines how school racial composition moderates inequality in advanced placement and International Baccalaureate course-taking; a Spencer Foundation funded project that studies the implementation of language assistance programs for English Language Learners in Southern public high schools; and an American Sociological Association sponsored initiative supporting a community-university partnership to examine the impact of summer school support for disadvantaged youth. Beth holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from Emory University and a B.S. in sociology from Portland State University. 

      What intrigues you most about the work you do?

      The opportunity to work on a variety of research projects that have the potential to make a meaningful impact on educational practice and policy.

      What are your three favorite things to do when you’re not working?

      Spend time with friends and family, play volleyball, and travel.

      What education policy issue are you passionate about?

      As a sociologist by training, my greatest concerns revolve around policy issues related to educational inequality (e.g. the impact of poverty on educational outcomes, contemporary racial/ethnic segregation patterns, linguistic diversity needs, gender disparities, regional variations, etc.).

      What are you reading right now?

      The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, and Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference.

      What is your favorite restaurant in Portland?

      There is no way one can live in Portland and have a single favorite restaurant….So here is my humble attempt to narrow a very long list of favorites to a few top picks- in no particular order: Por Que No, Ya Hala, Pho Oregon, Vindalho, Pok Pok, and Screendoor. Between my taxi driving uncle who knows all of the trendy spots and my foodie mother, I am continually adding to this list.