Home / Faculty

Faculty Bio

Biography

Mavis Sanders, Ph.D. in education from Stanford University, holds a joint appointment as research scientist at the Center for the Social Organization of Schools (CSOS), and the associate professor in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Sanders coordinates and teaches graduate courses in leadership for school, family, and community collaboration, and qualitative research methodology and design. Dr. Sanders has written and presented over 75 papers on the processes and outcomes of school, family, and community connections, including articles appearing in Teachers College Record, Urban Education, the Journal of Negro Education, Educational Leadership, and the Elementary School Journal. She edited, Schooling Students Placed at Risk: Research, Policy, and Practice in the Education of Poor and Minority Adolescents, which includes several chapters that highlight the importance of family and community involvement for the school success of poor students and students of color. She also is co-author of School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, which provides tools and information to assist schools, districts, and state departments of education to plan and implement programs of partnership. In 2005, she authored Building school-community partnerships: Collaboration for student success also published by Corwin Press. Her latest book, Principals Matter: A guide to programs of school, family, and community partnerships, co-authored with Dr. Steven Sheldon, was released by Corwin Press in spring 2009.

To contact Dr. Sanders, call 410-516-9755 or email her at msanders@jhu.edu

Faculty CV

Education

Stanford University

School of Education

Department of Social Sciences, Policy, and Educational Practice

Stanford, CA 94305

1995 Ph.D. - Education

1993 M.A. - Sociology

Barnard College, Columbia University

3009 Broadway

New York, NY 10027

1983-1987 B.A., cum laude

Major: Urban Affairs/Political Science

Minor: Education, NY State Teaching License

Professional Experience

Associate Professor
School of Education
Johns Hopkins University
July, 2003 – Present: Teach courses and conduct research on family and community involvement, collaboration in school reform, cultural diversity in education, and qualitative research methods; also advise students in the Department of Teacher Development and Leadership.

Research Scientist
Center for the Social Organization of Schools (CSOS), Johns Hopkins University

July 2000 - Present

Conduct quantitative and qualitative research on the implementation, expansion, and outcomes of school, family, and community partnerships.

Previous Administrative and Research Positions

August 1995 - July 2000

Assistant Director - National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS)

Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD 21218

Assisted in the development of NNPS training materials, the delivery of benefits and services, including professional development opportunities and supports, and the on-going supervision of NNPS staff.

August 1995 - July 2000

Associate Research Scientist

Center for the Social Organization of Schools (CSOS)

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD 21218

Assisted in conducting research on the processes and outcomes of family and community involvement on student and school outcomes.

Scholarly/Research Interests

• School, family, and community collaboration
• African-American student achievement
• Leadership for educational reform
• Qualitative methods

Current Activities - Grants/Sponsored Research/Partnership Activities

Principal Investigator, Interagency Education Research Initiative/

NICHD/NIH/NSF/IES - $500,000.00

Program Title - Understanding the Nature and Effects of District Leadership on School Programs of Partnerships.

Grant period - 5 years, 1year no-cost extension (2003-2009)

Selected Publications

Refereed Journal Articles (Published or In press)

Sanders, M. G. (2009). Collaborating for Change: How an Urban School District and a Community-Based Organization Support and Sustain School, Family, and Community Partnerships. Teachers College Record, 111, 7,

Sanders, M. (2008). Using diverse data to develop and sustain school, family, and community partnerships: A district case study. Education Management, Administration, and Leadership, 36, 4, 530-545.

Sanders, M. G. (2008). How Parent Liaisons Can Help Bridge Home and School. Journal of Educational Research, 101(5): 287-297.

Sanders, M.G. (2006). Missteps in team leadership: The experiences of six novice teachers in three urban schools. Urban Education, 41(3): 277-304.

Epstein J. L., & Sanders, M. G. (2006). Preparing educators for school-family-community partnerships: Results of a national survey of colleges and universities. Peabody Journal of Education, 81(2), 81-120.

Sanders, M., Epstein, J., & Sheldon, S. (2005). Improving schools' partnership programs in the National Network of Partnership Schools. Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies, 5(1): 24-47.

Sanders, M.G., & Lewis, K. (2005). Building bridges toward excellence: Community involvement in high schools. High School Journal, 88(3): 1-9.

Sanders, M.G., & Lewis, K. (2004). Partnerships at an urban high school: Meeting the parent involvement requirements of No Child Left Behind. E-Journal of Teaching and Learning in Diverse Settings, 2(1): 1-21.

Sanders, M. G. (2003). Community involvement in schools: From concept to practice. Education and Urban Society, 35(2): 161-181.

Sanders, M. G., & Harvey, A. (2002). Beyond the school walls: A case study of principal leadership for school-community collaboration. Teachers College Record, 104(7), 1345-1368.

Sanders, M. G., & Simon, B.S. (2002). A Comparison of program development at elementary, middle, and high schools in the National Network of Partnership Schools. The School Community Journal, 12(1), 7-27.

Sanders, M. G. (2001). Schools, families, and communities partnering for middle level students' success. NASSP Bulletin, 85(627), 53-61.

Sanders, M. G. (2001). A study of the role of "community" in comprehensive school, family, and community partnership programs. The Elementary School Journal, 102(1), 19-34.

Sanders, M. G. (2000). Creating successful school-based partnership programs

with families of special needs students. The School Community Journal, 10(2), 37-56.

Sanders, M. G., & Epstein, J. L. (2000). The National Network of Partnership Schools: How research influences educational practice. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 5(1 & 2), 61-76.

Sanders, M. G. (1999). Improving school, family and community partnerships in urban middle schools. Middle School Journal, 31(2), 35-41.

Sanders, M. G. (1999). Schools' programs and progress in the National Network of Partnership Schools. The Journal of Educational Research, 92(4), 220-229.

Sanders, M. G., & Epstein, J. L. (1998). International perspectives on school, family and community partnerships. In Childhood Education (Special Issue on School, Family and Community Partnerships: International Perspectives, M. Sanders and J. Epstein, guest editors), 74(6), 340-342.

Epstein, J. L., & Sanders, M. G. (1998). What we learn from international studies of school-family and community partnerships. In Childhood Education (Special Issue on School, Family and Community Partnerships: International Perspectives, M. Sanders and J. Epstein, guest editors), 74(6), 392-394.

Sanders, M. G. (1998). The effects of school, family and community support on the academic achievement of African-American adolescents. Urban Education, 33(3), 385-409.

Sanders, M. G. (1997). Overcoming obstacles: Academic achievement as a response to racism and discrimination. Journal of Negro Education, 66(1), 83-93.

Sanders, M. G. (1996). School-family-community partnerships focused on school safety. Journal of Negro Education, 65(3), 369-374.

Sanders, M. G. (1996). Action teams in action in the Baltimore School-Family-Community Partnership Program. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 1(3), 249-262.

Professional and Practitioner Journals (Published or In press)

Sanders, M. (November 2008). School-Community Partnerships: Hope for 21^st Century Schools. National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Leadership Compass, 6 (2), 1-3.

Sanders, M. (May 2008). Supporting family engagement through district-level partnerships. Harvard Evaluation Exchange, 14(1&2), 11 & 38.

Sanders, M. (October 2007). Transcending boundaries. Principal Leadership, 8(2), 38-42.

Sanders, M. G. (1998). School-family-community partnerships: An action team approach. The High School Magazine, 5(3), 38-49.

Sanders, M. G. (1996). Building family partnerships that last. Educational Leadership, 54(3), 61-66.

Books

Sanders, M. & Sheldon, S. (In press, 2009). Principals Matter: A guide to comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Sanders, M. G. (2006). Building school-community partnerships: Collaboration for student success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Sanders, M. G., (Ed.) (2000). Schooling students placed at risk: Research, policy, and practice in the education of poor and minority adolescents. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Epstein, J. L., Sanders, et al. (2009). School, family and community partnerships: Your handbook for action, 3^rd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Salinas, K., Simon, B., VanVoorhis, F., & Jansorn, N. (2002). School, family and community partnerships: Your handbook for action, 2^nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Epstein, J. L., Coates, L., Salinas, K., Sanders, M. G., & Simon, B. S. (1997). School, family and community partnerships: Your handbook for action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Book Chapters

Sanders, M. (In press, 2009). District Leadership and School-Community Collaboration. In A.

Honigsfeld & A. Cohan, Breaking the Mold of School Instruction and Organization: Innovative and Successful Practices for the 21st Century. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Sanders, M. (In press, 2009). Teachers and Parents. In L. Saha & A. Dworkin, The New International Handbook of Teachers and Teaching. New York, NY: Springer.

Sanders, M. & Campbell, T. (2007). Securing the ties that bind: Community involvement and the educational success of African-American children and adolescents. Strengthening the Educational Pipeline for African Americans: Informing Policy and Practice, (141-164). SUNY Press. Buffalo: New York.

Epstein, J.L., & Sanders, M. G. (2002). Family, school, and community partnerships. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting, Volume 5: Practical issues in parenting (2^nd Edition) (pp. 407-438). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Sanders, M. G., Jones, G. A., & Abel, Y. (2002). Involving families and communities in the education of children and youth placed at-risk. In S. Stringfield & D. Land (Eds.) Educating at risk students (pp. 171-188). Chicago, IL: National Society for the Study of Education.

Epstein, J., & Sanders, M. G. (2002). School, family, and community partnerships. In D. Levinson, P. Cookson, Jr. & A. Sadovnik (Eds.), Education and sociology (pp. 525-532). New York, NY: RoutledgeFalmer

Sanders, M. G. (2001). School-community partnerships and faith-based organizations. In E.J. Dionne & M.H. Chen (Eds.), Sacred places, civic purposes: Should government help faith-based charity?(pp.161-175). Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.

Sanders, M. G., & Epstein, J. L. (2000). Building school, family, and community partnerships in secondary schools. In M. G. Sanders (Ed.), Schooling students placed at risk: Research, policy, and practice in the education of poor and minority adolescents (pp. 339-362). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Sanders, M. G., & Herting, J. R. (2000). Gender and the effects of school, family, and church support on the academic achievement of African-American urban adolescents. In M. G. Sanders (Ed.), Schooling students placed at risk: Research, policy, and practice in the education of poor and minority adolescents (pp. 141-162). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Sanders, M. G., & Jordan, W. J. (2000). Teacher-student relations and academic achievement in high school. In M. G. Sanders (Ed.), Schooling students placed at risk: Research, policy, and practice in the education of poor and minority adolescents (pp. 65-82). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Epstein, J. L., & Sanders, M. G. (2000). Connecting home, school, and community: New directions for social research. In M. Hallinan (Ed.), Handbook of sociology of education (pp. 285-306). New York, NY: Plenum.

Sanders, M. G., & Epstein, J. L. (1998). School-family-community partnerships and educational change: International perspectives. In A. Hargreaves, A. Lieberman, M. Fullan, & D. Hopkins (Eds.), International handbook of educational change (pp.482-502). Hingham, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Reports

Sanders, M. G., & Simon, B. S. (2002). A comparison of school, family, and community partnership programs in elementary, middle, and high schools. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

Mitchell, A., & Sanders, M. G. (2001).Vouchers and equal educational opportunity for minority and low-income students. Washington, DC: National Alliance of Black School Educators.

Sanders, M. G. (2000). Schools, families, and communities - Partnership for student success. National Alliance of Middle Level Schools. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., & Clark, L. A. (1999). Preparing educators for school-family-community partnerships: Results of a national survey of colleges and universities. Report #34. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

Sanders, M. G., Epstein, J. L., & Connors, L. (1999). Family partnerships with high schools: The parents' perspective. Report #32. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

Sanders, M. G. (1997). Building effective school-family-community partnerships in a large urban school district. Report No. 13. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

Sanders, M. G. (1996). Benchmarks for excellence: School-family-community partnerships. Paper commissioned by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Washington DC: US Department of Education.

Sanders, M. G. (1996). School-family-community partnerships and the academic achievement of African American urban adolescents. Report No.7. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

Book Reviews and Editorials

Sanders, M. G. (2007). Diverse Partnerships for Student Success: Strategies and Tools to Help School Leaders by Larry Decker, Virginia Decker, and Pamela Brown. Teachers College Record.

Sanders, M. G. (2002, December). The many faces of school-university collaboration: Characteristics of successful partnerships, Edited by Ruth Ravid & Marianne G. Handler. NASSP Bulletin, 86(633): 73-75.

Sanders, M. G. (2001, November). All together now: Creating middle class schools through public school choice by Richard Kahlenberg. Teachers College Record Weekly Update.

----- (2002, August). Teachers College Record: Record Books, 104(5): 1002-1005.

Epstein, J., & Sanders, M. G. (2000, May) Will Baltimore Sustain Its Leadership On School, Family, and Community Partnerships? Baltimore Sun.

Sanders, M. G. (1997). Silver rights by Constance Curry. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 2(1), 85-87.