Donna M. Harris

Dr. Harris has spent the last 18 years using her policy analysis background, disciplinary training in education, and evaluation expertise to examine the implementation and impact of social programs in order to influence institutional change. Her research portfolio includes studies examining national school reform efforts in K-12 settings and racial disparities in educational outcomes.

Dr. Harris’ research contributions in Rochester include a community-based study that examined the experiences of Latina/o secondary students in local schools. Her research has been published in numerous academic journals and edited books and she is the co-author of the Plight of Invisibility: A Community-Based Approach to Understanding the Educational Experiences of Urban Latina/os published by Peter Lang. This text examines the inequities confronted by Latina/o families as they negotiated Rochester schools.

At CGR, Dr. Harris contributes to project focusing on education, public safety, early child care, and organizational change. She leads evaluations of the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant at the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School and the Children First Scholarship program in Buffalo, New York.

Prior to joining CGR, Dr. Harris worked in a variety of research think tanks, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations. She has been consultant research analyst for Latino Affairs and Bilingual Education at the Rochester City School District (RCSD); a faculty member at the University of Rochester, Wellesley College, and Lawrence University; a researcher at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Pennsylvania; and a postdoctoral fellow at the RAND Corporation in Washington, DC. She is a member of the Latino Education Task Force and an advisory board member for Teen Empowerment.

Dr. Harris received her Ph.D. in educational policy studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; M.A. in sociology and education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and B.A. in sociology from Wesleyan University.