Richard Ingersoll

After teaching in both public and private schools for a number of years, Richard Ingersoll obtained a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. From 1995 to 2000 he was a faculty member in the Sociology Department at the University of Georgia and currently he is the Board of Overseers Professor of Education and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ingersoll's research is concerned with the character of elementary and secondary schools as workplaces, teachers as employees, and teaching as a job. He has published over 100 articles, reports, chapters, and essays on topics such as the management and organization of schools; accountability and control in schools; teacher supply, demand, shortages and turnover; induction and mentoring for beginning teachers; the problem of underqualified teachers; the status of teaching as a profession; and changes in the demographic character of the teaching force.

Ingersoll's research is nationally recognized, was cited by President Clinton in a number of speeches announcing his teacher recruitment and training initiatives, influenced the No Child Left Behind Act, and has been featured in numerous major education reports, including those published by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, the Education Trust, the Alliance for Excellence in Education, the National Governors' Association, the international Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. For more information on Dr. Richard Ingersoll, please visit his Penn GSE bio page.