About Me:

I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My research and teaching interests include the sociology of education, education policy, race and ethnicity, quantitative methods, and stratification. In my dissertation, I use an innovative computerized audit method to examine the effect of educational credentials and moderators such as race, gender, and class on labor market success. Dr. Doug Lauen and I frequently collaborate on projects that examine the effects of educational accountability policy on academic achievement in North Carolina. Some of my other current research also investigates the ways that social capital and cultural capital affect youth. Click on the Research link to the left for more information.

I currently have publications forthcoming in Social Forces and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. I was recently named a 2012 Impact Award winner for outstanding research of benefit to North Carolina.

Recently, I wrote an op-ed piece for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution titled "Rethinking Accountability Models in U.S. Public Education," as well as two blog posts for the Everyday Sociology Blog titled "The Educational Equality Debate in Wake County" and "Affirmative Action in College Admissions." I am also the creator of and contributor to the Educational Problems blog.

Some of my non-academic interests (yes, they do exist!) are music, hiking, biking, and running. I love doing things outdoors, but being a graduate student gives me little time to do anything but look at a computer screen. I enjoy being active - I bike to school and run just about every day. I have completed a few half-marathons in the past and I hope to start training for a full marathon this fall/winter. Music is my passion; although I don't play anymore, I attend shows quite often. Click on my Last.FM profile to see what I'm listening to.

Contact:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

272 Hamilton Hall

smichaelgaddis@unc.edu