Research for Action

Gretchen E. L. Suess

Senior Research Assistant gsuess@researchforaction.org	Gretchen Suess, M.A, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Temple University. She has worked as an evaluator/researcher for Research for Action since 2003 using mixed-method approaches and has an extensive background working with schools, students, community organizations, and grassroots activists throughout Philadelphia. Suess is currently studying the role of grassroots and community activism on high school reform and community development through her doctoral dissertation research titled: Beyond School Walls: The Politics of Community and Place in Two Philadelphia Neighborhoods. She has taught at Temple University and has also worked as an instructor/advisor to ESL students in the United States and Japan.
Selected Research for Action projects: Learning from Philadelphia's School Reform "Going Small": Public/Private Collaboration in Restructuring High School Education in Philadelphia Youth Civic Engagement in Urban School Reform An evaluation of EducationWorks' National School and Community Corps (NSCC) An evaluation of Philadelphia's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP): School District of Philadelphia All Projects
Selected Publications: Suess, G. E. & Lewis, K. S. (2007, Jun). The Time is Now: Youth Organize to Transform Philadelphia Schools. Children, Youth and Environments, 16 (2), . Mundell, L. M., Gold, E., Simon, E., & (2004, Apr). Meanings of Cultural Participation at the Neighborhood Level: A Focus Group Analysis. Philadelphia: Research for Action. All Publications
Educational Background: Ph.D. candidate/A.B.D.: Temple University, Anthropology M.A.: Temple University, Anthropology B.A.: Bard College, Anthropology and Photography