Tina L. Fletcher

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division

Contact

tfletch@gse.upenn.edu

Media Inquiries:
Contact Penn GSE Communications.

Education

Ph.D. (Education Policy) University of Pennsylvania, 2022
Ed.M. (Teacher Education) Harvard University, 2009
B.A. (Political Science and African American Studies) University of Arkansas, 2008

Areas of Expertise

Black teachers
Male teachers of color
School-to-prison pipeline
Teacher licensure exams
Teacher quality

Bio Nav

Biography

Professional Biography

Tina L. Fletcher is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and African American Studies from the University of Arkansas and an Ed.M. in Teacher Education from Harvard University. She received her Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022. Her dissertation investigated the impact of a licensure exam policy change on the Black teacher workforce in Arkansas.

Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Fletcher’s work experience included serving as a social studies teacher at Anacostia Senior High School, where she was named the Teacher of the Year. She also served as the Community Engagement Manager for the DC Public Schools and later as a political fundraiser for former President Barack Obama. Dr. Fletcher’s service also includes internships with the Arkansas Public Policy Panel on behalf of the Southern Education Foundation, the Office of former U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, and in the Office of the First Lady Michelle Obama. She has been named a Visionary Arkansan by the Arkansas Times and was most recently named to the Arkansas Business' Top 40 Under 40 list.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Dr. Fletcher’s research interests include measuring the quantitative and qualitative impact of teacher licensure exams on the Black teacher workforce; teacher quality; the impact of the school-to-prison pipeline on the academic and social success of Black children; and the recruitment and retention of male teachers of color.

Her current postdoctoral research focuses on the impact of age upon entry for kindergarten students assigned to special education services. This study aims to address gaps in research by assessing the correlation link between classroom age composition and the likelihood of being referred to or placed in special education and whether or not these assignments vary by student demographics in Arkansas.

Publications

Selected Publications

Fletcher, T. L. (2022). Barriers to entry for Black pre-service teachers. Dissertations available from ProQuest. AAI29066677.

Gottfried, M., & Fletcher, T. L. (2022). Who has a same race or ethnicity teacher in kindergarten? Comparing disparities in access for students with and without disabilities. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 62(1), 229–238.

Gottfried, M., Kirksey, J. J., & Fletcher, T. L. (2022). Do high school students with a same-race teacher attend class more often? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(1), 149–169.

Ingersoll, R., May, H., Collins, G., & Fletcher, T. (2020). Trends in the recruitment, employment, and retention of teachers from under-represented racial-ethnic groups, 1987 to 2016. American Educational Research Association.

Fletcher, T. L. (2020, June 16). Now, more than ever, America needs more Black male social studies teachers. Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

Fletcher, T. L., & Fletcher, T. L. (2020). National problem, local solution: Addressing the school-to-prison pipeline with an increase in minority teachers. Yale State and Local Policy Review, 1(1), 23–39.

Fletcher, T. L., & Fletcher, T. L. (2020, January 21). Does America really want more Black teachers? If so, supporting HBCUs is the answer. Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

Fletcher, T. L. (2019, April 8). Fundraise or die trying: Bennett, Cheyney and the future of HBCUs. Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

News & Media

Penn GSE News

In California district, study finds Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend more school

In new research published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Michael Gottfried (Penn GSE), J. Jacob Kirksey (Texas Tech) and Tina L. Fletcher (Penn) examine the impact of having a same-race teacher on attendance.

August 10, 2021

In the Media

Groups seek to boost the number of Black men teaching

Tina Fletcher figured out her life’s purpose when she met her ninth-grade civics teacher. Mrs. Payne was Black, like Fletcher, and was one of the first teachers of color Fletcher had in her rural Arkansas town. “I knew from that point forward I had to be a social studies teacher,” Fletcher said. “I could see myself.”

U.S. News and World Report | January 16, 2022

New study shows Latinx students attend class more if the teacher is Latinx

In new research published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Professor Michael Gottfried, along with J. Jacob Kirksey (Texas Tech University) and Tina L. Fletcher (Penn GSE), concluded that Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend school more, a relationship that does not exist for white students.

BELatina | August 24, 2021

Hand in hand: Black women in pursuit of the Ph.D.

Trina and Tina Fletcher are 35 year old twins, originally from a rural town in Arkansas with just 850 people. They are also highly successful African American women who, from an early age, had their eyes set on earning a Ph.D. and changing the world around them. Trina is currently an assistant professor of Engineering and Computing Education at Florida International University, and Tina is a Ph.D. candidate in educational policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Forbes | August 9, 2021