Andrew C. Porter
Encyclopedia
Andrew Calvin "Andy" Porter, Ph.D. (born July 10, 1942) is the current Dean
of the University of Pennsylvania
Graduate School of Education
and also serves as Penn GSE's George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education. Porter is an educational psychologist
and psychometrician
who has made significant contributions to education policy
and has published widely on educational assessment and accountability, teacher decisions on content and how curriculum policy effects those decisions, opportunities for students to learn and achievement indicators, measuring content and standards alignment, teacher professional development, educational research methodology, and leadership assessment. Porter's current work centers on the VAL-ED project, a research-based evaluation tool that measures the effectiveness of school leaders by providing a detailed assessment of a principal's performance funded by the US Department of Education
/IES. Porter also works on two projects funded by the National Science Foundation
that focus on the effects of teacher professional development on improving teaching and learning.
Porter is a former president of the American Educational Research Association
(2001) and was elected a member of the National Academy of Education in 1994, where he has served as vice president since 2005. He is a Lifetime National Associate of the National Academies and is a present or past member of a dozen scholarly editorial and advisory boards, including American Educational Researcher, Educational Researcher, Teachers College Record, and the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. Porter is the co-author of 42 book chapters, 70 scholarly articles, dozens of technical reports, and one book.
From 1967-1988, Porter was a faculty member at Michigan State University
, where he co-directed the Institute for Research on Teaching and served as associate dean for Research and Graduate Study. During this time, he also served as a visiting scholar at the National Institute of Education, where he created and was first chief of the Methodology and Measurement Division and later served as the associate director in charge of the Basic Skills Group. In 1988 Porter became the Anderson-Bascon professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he directed the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. In 2003, he joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University
and served as the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations in the Peabody College of Education and Human Development and served as the director of Vanderbilt's Learning Sciences Institute.
Porter holds a B.S. in education from Indiana State University
(1963) and an M.S. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967) in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, commonly known as Penn GSE, is one of the leading educational research schools in the United States...
and also serves as Penn GSE's George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education. Porter is an educational psychologist
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Educational psychology is concerned with how students learn and develop, often focusing...
and psychometrician
Psychometrics
Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits, and educational measurement...
who has made significant contributions to education policy
Education policy
Education policy refers to the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems.Education occurs in many forms for many purposes through many institutions. Examples include early childhood education, kindergarten through to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or...
and has published widely on educational assessment and accountability, teacher decisions on content and how curriculum policy effects those decisions, opportunities for students to learn and achievement indicators, measuring content and standards alignment, teacher professional development, educational research methodology, and leadership assessment. Porter's current work centers on the VAL-ED project, a research-based evaluation tool that measures the effectiveness of school leaders by providing a detailed assessment of a principal's performance funded by the US Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
/IES. Porter also works on two projects funded by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
that focus on the effects of teacher professional development on improving teaching and learning.
Porter is a former president of the American Educational Research Association
American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association, or AERA, was founded in 1916 as a professional organization representing educational researchers in the United States and around the world....
(2001) and was elected a member of the National Academy of Education in 1994, where he has served as vice president since 2005. He is a Lifetime National Associate of the National Academies and is a present or past member of a dozen scholarly editorial and advisory boards, including American Educational Researcher, Educational Researcher, Teachers College Record, and the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. Porter is the co-author of 42 book chapters, 70 scholarly articles, dozens of technical reports, and one book.
From 1967-1988, Porter was a faculty member at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, where he co-directed the Institute for Research on Teaching and served as associate dean for Research and Graduate Study. During this time, he also served as a visiting scholar at the National Institute of Education, where he created and was first chief of the Methodology and Measurement Division and later served as the associate director in charge of the Basic Skills Group. In 1988 Porter became the Anderson-Bascon professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he directed the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. In 2003, he joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
and served as the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations in the Peabody College of Education and Human Development and served as the director of Vanderbilt's Learning Sciences Institute.
Porter holds a B.S. in education from Indiana State University
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
(1963) and an M.S. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967) in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.