My research investigates the causes, patterns, trends, and consequences of social and educational inequality. In particular, I study issues of residential and school segregation and of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in academic achievement and educational success. In addition, my work develops methods of measuring social and educational inequality (including the measurement of segregation and achievement gaps) and methods of causal inference in educational and social science research.
Nonoyama-Tarumi, Y., & Reardon, S. F. (2024). Cross-National Comparison of the Relative Size of Lower-Tail and Upper-Tail SES Achievement Gaps. AERA OPEN, 10.
Leung-Gagne, J., & Reardon, S. F. (2023). It Is Surprisingly Difficult to Measure Income Segregation. Demography.
Matheny, K. T., Thompson, M. E., Townley-Flores, C., & Reardon, S. F. (2023). Uneven Progress: Recent Trends in Academic Performance Among US School Districts. AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL.
Professor Sean Reardon talks about the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student achievement, as well as the potential consequences of the president’s effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Research co-led by Professor Sean Reardon provides a high-resolution picture of students' academic gains and losses since the pandemic in more than 8,000 school districts nationwide.