Faculty Profiles: Robert K. Ream
Assistant Professor Robert K. Ream
Bachelor’s Degree, major
B.A., Political Science, Westmont College
Doctoral Degree, research area, conferring institution
Ph.D., Sociology of Education, UC Santa Barbara
Favorite Quote:
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." — H.L. Mencken
Area of research:
I joined the UC Riverside faculty in 2004 after postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton University and the RAND Corporation. My research addresses educational inequality, social capital, and Latino social demography.
Selected publications:
Ream, R., & Espinoza, J., & Ryan, S. (forthcoming, 2009). The opportunity/achievement gap. In Anderman, Eric (ed.). Psychology of Classroom Learning: An Encyclopedia, Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2009.
Ream, R. & Rumberger, R. (2008). Student engagement, peer social capital, and school dropout among Mexican American and non-Latino White students. Sociology of Education. April, 2008, Vol. 81, No. 2, pp. 109-139.
Ream, R. & Palardy, G. (2008). Re-examining social class differences in the availability and the educational utility of parental social capital. American Educational Research Journal. June, 2008, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 238-273.
Ream, R. and R. Stanton-Salazar (2007). The mobility/social capital dynamic: Understanding Mexican-American families and students. Pp. 67-89 In S.J. Paik & H. Walberg (Eds.). Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Educating Latino, Black, and Asian Students (Chapter 5). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Ream, R. & Stanton-Salazar, R. (Fall, 2006). The uprooted: Student mobility and academic underachievement among Mexican Americans. In Policy Matters: A quarterly publication of the University of California, Riverside, edited by M. Johnson, M. Marks & K. Ramakrishnan. Riverside, California.
Ream, R. (2005). Toward understanding how social capital mediates the impact of student mobility on Mexican American achievement. Social Forces. September, 2005, Vol. 84, No. 1, pp. 201-224.
Ream, R. (2005). Uprooting Children: Mobility, Social Capital and Mexican American Underachievement. LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC. New York, New York.
Ream, R. (2003). Counterfeit social capital and Mexican American underachievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Fall, 2003, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 237-262.
Only at UCR's Graduate School of Education do you find...
...such a high concentration of talented and accessible faculty whose sophisticated research on educational inequality addresses fundamental schooling issues in applied settings.
What I like about being at the GSOE:
The school's highly competitive environment is matched by a collegiality among people that enhances the productivity of our faculty, students, and staff.
How I discovered my professional passion:
I hail from a family of Midwest educators. My father's parents were career teachers at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Dad and mom were also Illinois public school teachers in West Chicago and Wheaton. My first job out of college as a staff assistant to then California State Senator and Education Committee Chair, Gary K. Hart, solidified my professional interests in the field of education.
What reading do you keep on your night stand:
On Bullshit - Harry G. Frankfurt
Dreams From My Father - Barack Obama
The New Republic
Surfer
Why UCR's GSOE is a good place to carry out my commitment to translating research findings into tangible improvements in education:
We embrace Horace Mann's assertion that the wisest conversation not embodied in action, and convictions that fail to catalyze educational performance, are little better than worthless.
How my students have influenced — and inspired — me:
GSOE students are on the educational front-line as administrators, teachers, and professional staff. Many students share their talents and school experiences in ways that contribute to the quality of my classroom deliberations and inform and refresh my research agenda.
One of the best questions a student asked me:
On the first day of class: "Where's the professor?!"
A favorite book from childhood?
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl,
Leisure activities:
Surfing, fly fishing, world travel