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| Dr. Tracy Rone |
Education is considered an essential means of allowing and enabling individuals to better themselves. This betterment is not just about improving one’s mind and skills but then applying what is learned to gainful employment. Through gainful employment one can earn money to allow them a better way of life. This is all well in good, but in practice there remain various barriers for certain groups of people. These barriers make it difficult to achieve not only academic but also socioeconomic success. Various scholars have recognized and studied these issues, applying what they learn to improving educational institutions and attainment among these institutions’ pupils. Today’s blog post features one such scholar, Dr. Tracy Rone, who has and continues to apply what she is learning through her research to make educational better for students in the mid-Atlantic area.
Dr. Tracy Rone is a linguistic anthropologist by
training. She earned a B.A. from Goucher
College, her M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. from the
University of California, Los Angeles. In
her research she critically studies urban education programs, particularly within
contexts of poorly funded and under resourced educational institutions and districts. She specifically focuses on how to improve
these institutions to aid students in improving their educational experiences, but
she also explores the micro (individual) level aspects of education. This had led her to focus on identity and
educational attainment, the impacts on health and educational disparities, and
experiential learning.
Her passions in education and equity have led her to take on
various roles. Since joining the faculty
at Morgan State University in 2007 she has served in several positions. She is currently an Assistant Dean, Research
and Community Partnerships, and Associate Professor in the Department of
Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy in the School of Education and Urban
Studies at Morgan State University. She was
previously the Interim Director of Innovation and Community Partnerships.
Outside of the university setting she works as an
applied anthropologist. She was the Research
Co-director for the Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC), a
partnership founded by Baltimore City Public Schools, Morgan State University
and Johns Hopkins University. She is
also the Equity Task Force Co-Chair for Transform Mid-Atlantic, an organization
that works in partnership with higher education institutions to increase
educational equity within these institutions and their surrounding communities. She took on the responsibility of developing
and implementing many programmatic needs of Transform Mid-Atlantic’s work, as
well as acted as the liaison for the organization and her university. Her efforts were recognized when she was
awarded the Alan G. Penczek Service-Learning Faculty Award.
Dr. Rone’s work continues as she seeks to improve
educational equity for students. While
her work is concentrated on the mid-Atlantic region, it is work that is
applicable to students across the United States, ultimately benefiting all who use
her work to accomplish and further her goals.
Works Cited
Association of Black Anthropologists. ABA
Executive Board, Association of Black Anthropologists. 2025. Electronic.
30 April 2025.
Morgan State University. Dr. Tracy Rone, School of
Education and Urban Studies. 2025. Electronic. 30 April 2025.
Transform Mid-Atlantic. Justice, Equity,
Diversity, and Inclusiveness (JEDI) Initiative. 2025. Electronic. 30 April
2025.
