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Dana Mitra

Dr. Dana Mitra

Professor of Education (EDTHP)

Phone: 814-863-7020

302A Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802

Department(s)

  • Education Policy Studies

Program(s)

  • Graduate Studies Program in Curriculum and Instruction

Center(s)

  • Prevention Center
  • Rock Ethics Center

Most excited about: Advocacy

Current Research: The connection between student voice activities and youth academic outcomes

Education

  • PhD, Education Administration and Policy Analysis, Stanford University
  • MA, Sociology, Stanford University
  • BA, Educational Studies/Public Policy and American Institutions, Brown University

Biography

Dr. Dana Mitra is a Professor of Education Policy Studies at Penn State. She is the founding editor of the International Journal of Student Voice and co-editor of The American Journal of Education.


She has published more than 60 papers has on topics of student voice, youth development, civic engagement, and educational change. Her latest book with Teacher’s College Press is entitled The Empowered Professor: Breaking the Unspoken Codes of Inequity in Academia. Previous books include Civic Education in the Elementary Grades: Promoting Engagement in an Era of Accountability; Student voice in school reform: Building youth-adult partnerships that strengthen schools and empower youth; and the textbook Educational Change and the Political Process.


Dana holds a Ph. D. from Stanford University in Educational Administration and Policy Analysis. Previous honors including serving as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in Bangalore, India and being named as a “Distinguished Fellow” with Jobs for The Future/Nellie Mae Foundation’s Student at the Center program. Her prior work experience includes teaching elementary school in the Washington, DC, area and being the coordinator for two White House Conferences on Character Education.

Media

Podcasts Dana on podcasts: https://danamitra.net/dana-mitra-podcasts

Areas of Expertise

Social Issues

Civic Engagement

Expertise and Research Interests

Educational Politics
Faculty Coaching
Faculty Development
Organizational Change
Student Voice
Youth Development

Most Recent Papers

  • Conner, J., Mitra, D. L., Holquist, S. E., Rosado, E., Wilson, C., & Wright, N. L. (2024). The pedagogical foundations of student voice practices: The role of relationships, differentiation, and choice in supporting student voice practices in high school classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 142, 104540.

Most Cited Papers

  • Conner, J., Mitra, D. L., Holquist, S. E., Rosado, E., Wilson, C., & Wright, N. L. (2024). The pedagogical foundations of student voice practices: The role of relationships, differentiation, and choice in supporting student voice practices in high school classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 142, 104540.

Most Recognized Papers

  • Mitra, D. L. (2022). Educational Change and the Political Process. Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

  • Mitra, D. L. (2021.) The Empowered Professor: Breaking the Unspoken Codes of Inequity in Academia. New York: Teachers College Press.

Most Interesting Papers

  • Jobs for the Future/Nellie Mae Foundation, Students at the Center Program, Distinguished Fellow, 2016-2018
  • White House Summit on Beating the Odds—Successful Strategies from Schools and Youth Agencies. Invited participant. Washington, DC, March 2016
  • Schreyer Honors College, Distinguished Honors Faculty, 2013-2015; 2014-2016
  • National Institute for Advanced Study, Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, Bangalore, India, 2012
  • Penn State Multicultural Resource Center, University Faculty Diversity Recognition Award, 2009
  • Guide to Adulting: Improving Wellbeing For Self, Connections And Career
  • Education in American Society
  • American Education and Public Policy
  • Freshman Seminar in Educational Policy
  • Introduction to Education and Public Policy
  • Field Experiences in Education and Public Policy
  • Professional Development in Educational Policy