Rebecca Taylor
Assistant Professor, Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Contact
381 Education Building
1310 S. Sixth St (mail code 708)
Champaign (UIUC Campus Mail), IL 61820
Topics
Biography
Dr. Rebecca Taylor is an Assistant Professor in the Education Policy, Organization and Leadership Department at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Taylor uses philosophy and philosophically-grounded mixed methods to investigate questions of ethics and justice in educational policy and practice. Her co-edited volume of normative case studies and commentaries on ethical dilemmas in higher education, Ethics in Higher Education: Promoting Equity and Inclusion through Case-Based Inquiry, was published with Harvard Education Press in 2021. Her research has been funded by the Spencer Foundation and the Center for Ethics and Education at University of Wisconsin, and she received the National Academy of Education/Spencer Research Development Award in 2020. She currently serves as the Chair of the Philosophical Studies in Education SIG for the American Educational Research Association.
Key Professional Appointments
- Assistant Professor, Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Education
Ph.D., Education, Stanford University, 2014
M.A., Peace, Conflict, and Development Studies, Universitat Jaume I, 2008
B.A. with honors, Mathematics, Philosophy, Washington University St. Louis, 2006
Awards, Honors, Associations
<i>Choice </i>Outstanding Academic Title, Association of College and Research Libraries, 2022
Publications
Taylor, R. M. (2023). Epistemically unjust environments as a threat to academic freedom. Philosophy of Education, 79(1), 112-117.
Taylor, R. M. (2023). Methodological Reflections on Normative Case Studies: What They are and Why We Need Better Quality Criteria to Inform Their Use. Educational Theory. Advance online publication. link >
Taylor, R. M., Burr, K. H., Stroup, N. R., & McCloud, L. I. (2023). “Speaking up when I disagree”: Exploring college student activism and openness to diversity and challenge. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. link >
Evans, M. E., Taylor, R. M., McCloud, L., & Burr, K. (2022). Exploring the role of faculty and staff mentors in fostering ethical leadership among undergraduate students: “We have to narrow the distance”. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 11(2), 137-152. link >
Kuntz, A. F., & Taylor, R. M. (2021). Intellectual Virtues in Higher Education. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education link >
Taylor, R. M., & Floyd Kuntz, A. (Eds.) (2021). Ethics in Higher Education: Promoting Equity and Inclusion Through Case-Based Inquiry. Harvard Education Press.
Taylor, R. M., & Wolpe, P. R. (2020). Chalkboard Controversies. In M. Benjamin, & J. Jessup-Anger (Eds.), Maybe I Should...: Case Studies on Ethics for Student Affairs Professionals (2 ed., pp. 178-180). (American College Personnel Association Series). Lexington Books.
Dozono, T., & Taylor, R. M. (2019). Teaching for Open-Mindedness: A Justice-Oriented Approach. Educational Theory, 69(4), 473-490. link >
Gibboney, D. P., Branham, J., & Taylor, R. M. (2019). Ethics of Inquiry in Education. In M. A. Peters (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory (pp. 1-8). Springer. link >
Taylor, R. M., & Kuntz, A. F. (2019). Navigating Campus Controversies: Seeking Truth, Respecting Speech, and Cultivating Intellectual Fairness in Higher Education. Harvard Educational Review, 89(1), 30-54. link >
Taylor, R. M. (2018). The conceptual and practical role of intellectual virtues in moral education. Philosophy of Education, 2016, 387-389.
Taylor, R. M. (2017). Educational justice and the development of autonomy and intellectual virtue. Philosophy of Education, 2014, 297-305.
Taylor, R. M. (2017). Education for autonomy and open-mindedness in diverse societies. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49(14), 1326-1337. link >
Taylor, R. M. (2017). Entrepreneurial Education and Economic Progress. Philosophy of Education, 2017.
Taylor, R. M. (2017). Indoctrination and Social Context: A System-based Approach to Identifying the Threat of Indoctrination and the Responsibilities of Educators. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 51(1), 38-58. link >
Taylor, R. M. (2017). Review of the book Dilemmas of educational ethics: Cases and commentaries, edited by M. Levinson and J. Fay. Philosophical Inquiry in Education, 24(4), 277-281.
Taylor, R. M. (2016). Open-Mindedness: An Intellectual Virtue in the Pursuit of Knowledge and Understanding. Educational Theory, 66(5), 599-618. link >
Mukamal, D., Silbert, R., Taylor, R. M., & Lindahl, N. (2015). Degrees of Freedom: Expanding College Opportunities for Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Californians. Stanford Law School.
Taylor, R. M. (2015). The ethics of teaching for social justice: A framework for exploring the intellectual and moral virtues of social justice educators. A Response to “Ethics in Teaching for Democracy and Social Justice”. Democracy & Education, 23(2).
Taylor, R. M. (2014). Open-mindedness: An epistemic virtue motivated by love of truth and understanding. Philosophy of Education, 2013, 197-205.
Taylor, R. M. (2011). Reconsidering the transformative potential of dialogue. Philosophy of Education, 2011, 199-202.
Courses
EPOL 405: School and Society (EPOL 405) Analyzes normative and conceptual aspects of the interrelationship of school and society, and of reciprocal influences between schools and major social trends and forces.
EPOL 506: Contemporary Philosophy of Education (EPOL 506) Analyzes exemplary current work in the field, covering a range of contrasting philosophical issues and approaches. The course goal is to provide familiarity with notable contemporary authors from a variety of perspectives.
EPOL 509: Case Studies Professional Ethics and Education (EPOL 509) Same as EPS 517. See EPS 517.
EPS 411: School and Society (EPS 411) Analyzes normative and conceptual aspects of the interrelationship of school and society, and of reciprocal influences between schools and major social trends and forces. Same as EPOL 405. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
EPS 511: Contemporary Philosophy of Education (EPS 511) Analyzes exemplary current work in the field, covering a range of contrasting philosophical issues and approaches. The course goal is to provide familiarity with notable contemporary authors from a variety of perspectives. Same as EPOL 506. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
EPS 517: Case Studies Professional Ethics and Education (EPS 517) Examines issues in moral philosophy as they pertain to education. Topics include current theories of moral education, ethical problems in teaching, or topics of moral dispute in educational policy.
ERAM 571: Traditions in Philosophy of Education (ERAM 571) Analyzes major trends and primary sources in philosophy of education, drawing mainly from the 20th century. Movements covered will include pragmatism, concept analysis, phenomenology, feminism, and Marxism/Critical theory.
ERAM 572: Case Studies in Educational Ethics (ERAM 572) Focuses on normative case study approaches to investigating ethical issues in K-12 and higher education. Examines ethical decisions faced by educators, administrators, and policymakers as they seek to support the advancement of students, parents, teachers, communities, and democratic society writ large. Particular attention will be given to complex ethical decisions that arise in the pursuit of educational equity and justice.