Our Team

Aaron Pallas is the Arthur I. Gates Professor of Sociology and Education and Chair of the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has also taught at Johns Hopkins University, Michigan State University, and Northwestern University, and served as a statistician at the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education. Professor Pallas has devoted the bulk of his career to the study of the linkages between education policy and inequalities in life chances, and the role of schooling in the course of human lives. His research also has addressed the sociology of teaching and teachers' work and careers, including teacher accountability systems, undergraduate teaching improvement, and the preparation of education researchers. His recent work uses the public sphere to educate stakeholders about the complexities and unexpected consequences of accountability and resource distribution policies in the New York City public schools.

Oren Pizmony-Levy is an Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Education in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. Trained in sociology and comparative and international education, his work explores the interplay between global social movements and education policy/practice. Professor Pizmony-Levy’s work focuses on the politics of international large-scale assessments (e.g., TIMSS and PISA), including the ways in which newspapers communicate the results of international assessments to the general public and the implications of these assessments to public opinion. His research also examines the glocalization of progressive movements such as LGBTQ education and sustainability education. His recent work explores participation in the Opt Out movement and public support for parents who opt their children out of standardized tests.