Christopher Jencks
Encyclopedia
Christopher Sandy Jencks (b October 22, 1936, Baltimore
, Maryland
) is an American
social scientist
.
in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy
in 1954 and was president of the school's newspaper, the Exonian
, as a senior. After Exeter, he received an A.B. in English literature from Harvard in 1958, followed by a M.Ed. in Harvard Graduate School of Education
. During the year 1960-1961 he studied sociology at the London School of Economics
. He has previously held positions at Northwestern University
, the University of Chicago
and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
His interests are in the study of education, social stratification, social mobility, poverty and the poor. His recent research concerns changes in family structure over the past generation, the costs and benefits of economic inequality, the extent to which economic advantages are inherited and the effects of welfare reform. Prior to his university career, he was an editor at The New Republic
from 1961 to 1967 and a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies
in Washington, DC from 1963 to 1967. He is currently an editor of the American Prospect.
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
social scientist
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
.
Career
Jencks is currently the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social PolicySocial policy
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in 1954 and was president of the school's newspaper, the Exonian
The Exonian
The Exonian, the oldest preparatory school paper in America, is published weekly by its student board at Phillips Exeter Academy. Over half the student body, as well as many parents and alumni/ae, hold subscriptions to the paper, which acts as a forum for the ideas of the Exeter community and...
, as a senior. After Exeter, he received an A.B. in English literature from Harvard in 1958, followed by a M.Ed. in Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University, and is one of the top schools of education in the United States. It was founded in 1920, the same year it invented the Ed.D...
. During the year 1960-1961 he studied sociology at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He has previously held positions at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
His interests are in the study of education, social stratification, social mobility, poverty and the poor. His recent research concerns changes in family structure over the past generation, the costs and benefits of economic inequality, the extent to which economic advantages are inherited and the effects of welfare reform. Prior to his university career, he was an editor at The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
from 1961 to 1967 and a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies
Institute for Policy Studies
Institute for Policy Studies is a left-wing think tank based in Washington, D.C..It has been directed by John Cavanagh since 1998- History :...
in Washington, DC from 1963 to 1967. He is currently an editor of the American Prospect.
Prizes, awards and honours
- American Council on Education, co-recipient, Borden Prize for Best Book on Higher Education, 1968
- American Sociological Association, co-recipient, Best Book in Sociology, 1974
- Association of American Publishers, Best Book in Sociology and Anthropology, 1994
- Harry Chapin Media Award, 1995
- Frank Knox Fellowship, 1960–61
- Guggenheim Fellowship, 1968 and 1982
- Member, Institute for Advanced Study, 1985–86
- Visiting scholar, Russell Sage Foundation, 1991–92
- Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral SciencesCenter for Advanced Study in the Behavioral SciencesThe Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences is an American interdisciplinary research body in Stanford, California focusing on the social sciences and humanities . Fellows are elected in a closed process, to spend a period of residence at the Center, released from other duties...
, Stanford, 1997–98 and 2001–02
- Member of the National Academy of Education.
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
- Member of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, 1997. - American Academy of Political and Social ScienceAmerican Academy of Political and Social ScienceThe American Academy of Political and Social Science was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College, the Academy sought to...
, 2002 - American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
, 2004
- Doctor of Laws, Kalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other U.S...
(1969) and Columbia College (1984)
Selected bibliography
- The Academic Revolution (with David RiesmanDavid RiesmanDavid Riesman , was a sociologist, attorney, and educator....
, 1968, reissued 2001) - Inequality: A Reassessment of the Effects of Family and Schooling in America (with seven co-authors, 1972)
- Who Gets Ahead? (with eleven co-authors, 1979)
- The Urban Underclass (with Paul Peterson, 1991)
- Rethinking Social Policy (1992)
- The Homeless (1994)
- The Black-White Test Score Gap (with Meredith Phillips, 1998)
External links
- Curriculum vitae of Jencks
- Citation for Jencks on website of American Academy of Political and Social ScienceAmerican Academy of Political and Social ScienceThe American Academy of Political and Social Science was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College, the Academy sought to...
- Official homepage at Harvard University
- Citationfor Jencks on website of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
- Biographical sketch, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. - Membership list, National Academy of Arts and Sciences