Susan J. Paik

Associate Professor of Education

Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago

Biography

Susan J. Paik, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include urban and international studies, educational productivity, minority learning and talent, family-school-community partnerships, research methods and evaluation. She has participated in education projects in Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and the U.S, where she founded and directed an urban program for minority youth.

Designated as a Young Scholar by the Koret K-12 Task Force, she was awarded and invited to present her research at Stanford University. Dr. Paik has also presented her work at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Oxford University in England, University of Cape Town in South Africa, University of Bologna in Italy, University of Oviedo in Spain as well as professional meetings in Australia, France, Germany, Venezuela, and the U.S. She has been a fellow of the National Institute of Mental Health and the Center for Urban Educational Research and Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has received several awards, grants (e.g., AERA), and scholarships including the Teaching Incentive Award, Chancellor’s Award, and Early Outreach Award for her dedication to urban youth.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Paik co-organized a national conference in Washington D.C. in November of 2005 based on her co-edited book, Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Educating Latino, Black, and Asian Students (Springer, 2007). Well-received by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, the book was released into its second printing in its second year. She is currently the Co-Editor of the Educational Practice Series at the International Academy of Education published by the International Bureau of Education (IBE) and UNESCO. She has numerous publications including Educational Productivity in South Korea and the United States, a research monograph published by the International Journal of Educational Research. Sponsored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), she is the editor of Advancing Educational Productivity: Policy Implications from National Databases. She is a co-author of a booklet called Effective Educational Practices, which has been translated and disseminated to almost 150 countries by IBE and UNESCO Publications.

Dr. Paik currently serves on several advisory boards including the Editorial Board of the American Educational Research Journal – Social and Institutional Analysis, a prestigious publication of AERA. She is also an advisory board member for Partnerships for Educational Excellence & Research (PEER)—A South African Schools Partnership Project, European Research Network About Parents in Education Scientific Committee, and several advisory committees at Claremont Graduate University.

As a researcher and evaluator, Dr. Paik has advised and conducted research in the U.S. and internationally in Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Nepal, India, Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and other countries. Her evaluation experience has involved the Center for Innovation and Improvement, a ten million dollar grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and Room to Read, a nationally and internationally recognized program by Oprah Winfrey, as well as both the Republican and Democratic administration. Other research projects and evaluations include Chicago Children's Museum, a million dollar exhibition on Race, Stereotyping, and Prejudice, LEAP, a children's program for learning, El Hogar del Nino, Walgreens, Golden Apple for Teachers, and other programs.

Dr. Paik currently teaches research methods and design to doctoral students and school leaders. She has written several articles on diverse methodological approaches in education and psychology. Some of the topics include internal and external validity of research designs, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, survey approaches and regression analyses on large-scale databases, and content analyses and computerized programs for qualitative approaches. Her publication, “Evidenced-based Reform: Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs” was the lead chapter in the Scientific Basis of Educational Productivity (Subotnik and Walberg, Information Age Publishing, 2006).

Teaching Interests

• Educational Psychology
• Research Methods & Design: Quantitative & Qualitative
• Cultural Models of Education: International Perspectives
• Minority Students & Achievement
• Asian American Diversity & Education

Research Interests

• K-12 Educational Productivity
• Urban & International Studies
• Cross-cultural Issues & Learning
• Minority Student Success, Talent, & Achievement
• Family-School-Community Collaboration
• Research Methods, Design & Evaluation

A Sample of Publications, Projects, and Presentations

• Paik, S. J., & Walberg, H. J. (Eds.). (2007). Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Educating Latino, Black, and Asian Students. New York: Springer.
• Paik, S. J. (Ed.). (2004). Advancing Educational Productivity: Policy Implications from National Databases. Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.

Peer-reviewed Research Monograph and Special Journal Issues

• Martinez-Gonzales, R. A., & Paik, S. J. (Eds.). (2005). International Perspectives on Families, Schools, and Communities: Educational Implications for Partnerships [Special Issue]. International Journal of Educational Research, 41 (1).
• Paik, S. J. (2002). Educational Productivity in South Korea and the United States [Monograph]. International Journal of Educational Research, 35, 535-607.

Peer-reviewed and Other Articles

• Paik, S. J. (2007). Altering the Curriculum of the Home: Learning Environments for Korean and U.S. Students. Marriage and Family Journal. Haworth Press.
• Paik, S. J. (2006). Evidence-Based Reform: Experimental and Quasi-experimental Research Considered. In R. F. Subotnik and H. J. Walberg (Eds). The Scientific Basis of Educational Productivity. Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.
• Walberg, H. J., & Paik, S. J. (2006). Making Giftedness Productive. In R. J. Sternberg & J. E. Davidson (Eds.). Conceptions of Giftedness. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Walberg, H. J., Arian, G., Paik, S., & Miller, J. (2001). New Methods of Content Analysis in Education, Evaluation, and Psychology. In Mark West (Ed.). Progress in Communication Sciences Vol. 16: New Directions in Computer Content Analysis (pp. 143-159). Westport, Connecticut: Ablex Publishing.
• Paik, S. J. (2003). Ten Strategies that Improve Achievement. Educational Horizons, 81, (2), 83-85.

National Conference

• Co-organizer of national invitational conference in Washington D.C. called “Minority Children and Youth: Families, Schools, Communities and Learning” in November of 2005. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners were invited to discuss educational issues regarding Latino, Black, and Asian students in the U.S.