College of Education Educational Organization & Leadership http://education.illinois.edu/eol/frp/dbragg

Faculty Research Profiles: Debra Bragg

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Professor

Educational Organization & Leadership
343 Education Building
1310 S. 6th St. MC 708
Champaign, IL 61820USA
business217 244-8974
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Research Biography

My research focuses on transition to college by youth and adults, especially student populations that have not attended college historically. I am particularly interested in how underserved youth and adult students (minority, low income, first-generation students, immigrants) use the community college to transition to higher education, including how public policy positions community colleges as a primary port of entry. The expanding mission of community colleges, including the increasing importance of linkages to high schools, adult education, and the workforce is of particular interest. Since 1989, I have directed the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL). an organization supported by government agencies at the state and federal levels including the U.S. Department of Education and foundations such as Lumina Foundation for Education and the Joyce Foundation. OCCRL has also received corporate funding from the Boeing Company.

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Comprehensive Vocational Education, The Ohio State University, 1985
  • M.S., Home Economics Education, The Ohio State University, 1980
  • B.S., Home Economics Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1977

Key Professional Appointments

  • Director, Forum on the Future of Public Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009--
  • Professor, Educational Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003--
  • Director, Office of Community College Research & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1989--
  • Associate Professor, Department of Educational Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996-2003
  • Associate Professor, Department of Human Resource Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996-2002

Activities & Honors

  • Senior Scholar Award, Awarded April 2008, Council for the Study of Community Colleges, 2007-2008
  • Distinguished Teaching Career Award, Awarded May 2008, College of Education, 2007-2008
  • Co-Chair Awards Committee, American Educational Research Association - Division J: Higher Education, 2004-2007
  • Director, National Office, National Council on Student Development, 2003-2007
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 2002-2008
  • Board member, National Science Foundation, 2002-2005
  • President, Council for the Study of Community Colleges, 2001-2002
  • Recognition for Outstanding Service, Illinois State Board of Education, 2001
  • Academic Leadership Fellow, Committee on Institutional Cooperation , 2000-2001
  • Meritorious Service Award, American Vocational Education Research Association, 2000
  • Distinguished Scholar, College of Education, 1997

Grants

  • Principal Investigator, Shifting Gears Bridge Status Study, Illinois Community College Board, 2009
  • Principal Investigator, The Adult Learner and the Applied Baccalaureate, Lumina Foundation for Education, 2009
  • Principal Investigator, College and Career Readiness (CCR) Evaluation, Illinois Community College Board, 2008
  • Principal Investigator, Perkins IV Planning, Consultation and Technical Assistance Initiative, Illinois Community College Board, 2007
  • Advisor, Transfer Experience and Advising Mentors (TEAM), Lumina Foundation for Education, 2007
  • Principal Investigator, Perkins IV Consultation and Technical Assistance, Illinois State Board of Education, 2007
  • Principal Investigator, Shifting Gears Evaluation, Illinois Community College Board, 2007
  • Principal Investigator, Moving Beyond the GED: A Transition Pathway for Success at Community Colleges, U.S. Department of Education (University of Minnesota), 2006
  • Principal Investigator, Initiatives to Enhance Tech Prep and High School-to-Community College Articulation in Illinois, Illinois Community College Board, 2003
  • Principal Investigator, Effective Programs in Career and Technical Education, U.S. Department of Education (Ohio State University), 2003
  • Principal Investigator, CTE Transition Program Evaluation, U.S. Department of Education (Ohio State University), 1999
  • Principal Investigator, National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education: Virtual Toolkit for CTE Leaders of High School Reform, U.S. Department of Education (Ohio State University), 1999

Selected Publications

  • Kim, J., & Bragg, D.  (2008).  The Impact of Dual and Articulated Credit on College Readiness and Retention in Four Community Colleges. Career and Technical Education Research, 33(2).
  • Townsend, B., Bragg, D., & Ruud, C.  (2009).  Development of the applied baccalaureate.  Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 33, 686-705.
  • Marszalek, J., & Bragg, D.  (2009). Globalization-Blessing and Bane in Empirical Evaluation: Lessons in Three Acts.  In Ryan, K. and Cousins, B.  (Eds.).  Evaluation Handbook. 
  • Bragg, D., & Marvel, M.  (2008)  The Awareness, Use and Perceived Impact of Skill Standards by Three Stakeholder Groups in Illinois.  Career and Technical Education Research, 33(2).
  • Townsend, B., & Bragg, D. (Eds.). (2005). The ASHE reader on community colleges in the 21st century. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing.

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