Tara Star Johnson
Associate Dean for Learning; Associate Professor of English Education
Office of Learning
English Education,
Education Administration, Curriculum and Instruction
Email:
tarastar@purdue.edu
Phone:
(765) 494-2702
Address:
Steven C. Beering Hall of
Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
3281G
Links:
LinkedInProfile
Research & Publications
Dr. Johnson’s research trajectory includes two separate but related phases; though topically distinct, they share a common theme of social justice in education. Her early-career focus was on sexual dynamics in the classroom, resulting in a book and multiple journal articles stemming from three studies. The first examined how pre-service English teachers dealt with issues of embodiment in their classrooms; the second analyzed how and why secondary teachers “crossed the line” by having a sexual relationship with a student; and the third investigated the racial and community dynamics at work in a South Carolina school district plagued by three incidents of sexual misconduct. Though this body of scholarship still informs Dr. Johnson’s teaching, her research has taken a deliberate turn toward the scholarship of engagement. Deeply concerned about the current state of K-12 education, she is studying the process and politics behind the development of standards and high-stakes assessment in Indiana and writ large. She hopes to be of service to the beleaguered teachers and administrators with whom she has cultivated both research and teaching relationships by demystifying the policy climate affecting their schools.