Eddie Fergus
Ph.D. Specialty Area: I was in the Educational
Foundations and Policy
program in the Educational Studies Department
Present Position: Currently, I am with the Children's Aid Society in NYC in the National Technical Assistance Center for Community Schools under the Community Schools Division. As the Education Consultant, I provide consultation and training to public school districts, private foundations, and state education departments on developing community schools, needs assessment, after-school programming, and research updates on educational resilience, education policy, and after school evaluations. In addition, I am an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Educational Foundations and Counseling Department at Hunter College.
Dissertation Topic: My dissertation presents a qualitative (more specifically, a phenomenological) examination of how the racial/ethnic identification among Latino students as a self-ascribed and externally ascribed process moderates the ways in which they perceive the relationship between the schooling process and social outcomes.
Prior to coming to the SOE: Prior to coming to SOE, I was finishing undergrad and substitute teaching.
What I Learned in the Program: The major difference involves the clarity I have of educational theory and research (specifically qualitative research) and the ability to harness that knowledge. Such training has proven to be extremely useful and critical in working with foundations and state education departments in shaping research and school initiatives, and individual schools on high quality afterschool programming.
