Travis Bristol
Assistant Professor, English Education, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at Boston University
Schools
- Boston University
Links
Biography
Boston University
Dr. Travis Bristol is an assistant professor in English education, with an affiliation in
educational leadership and policy studies. He is a former high school English teacher in New
York City public schools, teacher educator with the Boston Teacher Residency program, and
World Bank consultant. From 2010 – 2014, Dr. Bristol worked on several World Bank projects in
Guyana, which included supporting senior education officials create teacher professional
development courses and assisting senior policy members in the Ministry of Education draft the
2014-2019 Education Strategic Plan. Most recently, Dr. Bristol was a research and policy fellow
at the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.
In 2013, Dr. Bristol received dissertation fellowships from the American Educational
Research Association, the Ford Foundation, and the National Academy of Education/Spencer
Foundation. In 2015, he was awarded the inaugural teacher diversity research award from the
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
His research agenda is centered on three interrelated strands: (1) district and school-
based practices that support teachers of color; (2) national, state, and local education policies
that enable and constrain the workplace experiences and retention for teachers of color; (3) the
intersection of race and gender in schools. Dr. Bristol’s study on Black male teachers has been
highlighted in NPR, the Washington Post, Education Week, NBC News, and Fox News. He is the
principal investigator for the New York City Office of the Mayor’s NYC Young Men’s Initiative,
which focuses on recruiting and supporting 1,000 male teachers of color. Dr. Bristol most
recently contributed to the #rethinkhighschool initiative, part of the multi-million dollar XQ
America project, aimed at using the latest science, understanding, and expertise in a galvanizing
effort to create a new model for school in America. His discussions on how to engage youth
authentically reflect his involvement in the project.
Read about executive education
Cases
State leaders discuss lack of diversity within teaching community
April 9, 2018
FOX 25 Boston News Travis Bristol State leaders are focusing on diversity inside the classroom after a recent NAACP report showed a substantial lack of teachers of color across Massachusetts… Expert quote: “Schools are disproportionately suspending black and brown children and so black and brown children aren’t even allowed to enter the teacher workforce because […]
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Teaching Force In Mass. Public Schools Still Overwhelmingly White
April 9, 2018
WBUR Travis Bristol When you bring up teacher diversity at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, the students will be the first to tell you things could be better… Expert quote: “At the same time that teachers of color are coming into the profession, we’re also seeing this revolving door.” View full article
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Analysis of 10 years of data found that the number of teachers in Massachusetts public schools is highly responsive to changes in the economy, leading to a fluid student-teacher ratio
January 4, 2018
Worcester Telegram Travis Bristol No mentorship is perhaps more vital and sensitive than that between a teacher and their student… Expert quote: “Many school districts, public school districts, particularly those in working-class areas, were hit hardest by the Great Recession and began to lay off teachers.” View full article
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Schools still recovering from cuts
January 1, 2018
Lowell Sun Travis Bristol No mentorship is perhaps more vital and sensitive than that between a teacher and their student… Expert quote: “Many school districts, public school districts, particularly those in working-class areas, were hit hardest by the Great Recession and began to lay off teachers. Even the talk of a hiring freeze or a […]
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Efforts to ‘raise the bar’ for becoming a teacher are running headlong into efforts to diversify the profession. Now what?
September 14, 2017
Chalkbeat Travis Bristol Education advocates and policymakers want to have it both ways: they want more teachers of color and to “raise the bar” for the profession with measures that disproportionately screen out certain groups… Expert quote: “There’s clear qualitative and quantitative research that points to the added value for students of color when taught […]
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Boston University professor Travis Bristol studies hiring, retention of teachers of color
May 17, 2017
Bay State Banner interviewing Travis Bristol, School of Education “Travis Bristol is an assistant professor in English education at the Boston University School of Education who researches district- and school-based practices that support teachers of color; national, state and local education policies that enable and constrain the workplace experiences and retention for teachers of color; […]
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Mass. should diversify teaching force – and here’s how
February 28, 2017
Boston Globe Travis Bristol, School of Education “DIVERSIFYING MASSACHUSETTS’ overwhelmingly white teaching force will be no simple task…” Expert Quote: “Travis Bristol, an education professor at Boston University, helped create a program in the Boston schools that allows minority teachers to network with one another and discuss the challenges of navigating a white-dominated system.” View full […]
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There Is A Shortage Of Male Teachers Of Color. NYC Is Working To Fix That.
July 25, 2016
Huffington Post Travis Bristol, School of Education New York City wants to get 1,000 more men of color in classrooms over the next few years… View full article quoting expert Travis Bristol
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Tennessee education collaborative shows need for diverse teachers
July 18, 2016
The Tennessean Travis Bristol, School of Education As the Tennessee State Board of Education continues to look at boosting the recruitment of a diverse teacher workforce, it also seeks to bolster efforts by statewide groups working to better target diverse teaching candidates… Expert quote: “In quantitative and qualitative data, it shows there is an added value (to having a diverse […]
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Why more black male teachers should be feminists
June 6, 2016
The Hechinger Report Travis Bristol, School of Education Improving conditions for black women teachers will help boost the recruitment of men into the field… Expert quote: “The experiences of black male teachers, in many ways, mirror the experiences of black female teachers., Often when I have shared findings from my previous study on the socio-emotional […]
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