Vandeen Campbell is an Assistant Research Professor and Senior Quantitative Director at the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies and the Department of Urban Education at Rutgers University – Newark. With a focus on equitable educational outcomes for youth, Campbell’s research interests include school improvement, STEM pathways, career and technical education (CTE), dual enrollment, college access and success, and parental engagement. Her current projects include the New Jersey Education Equity Project and the Newark To & Through Project.
The New Jersey Education Equity Project: Using various statewide district, school, and student-level datasets and working with a team of postdocs and graduate research assistants, Dr. Campbell leads study of education disparities in New Jersey, to monitor equity by mapping the landscape of opportunities and outcomes in the state with a focus on high leverage areas including positive, supportive, and well-resourced school environments; STEM access; and preparation for college and the workforce. Her work has led to a series of policy and practitioner-oriented reports and interactive data exploration dashboards for public use. As part of the study, Dr. Campbell also conducts data mining of longitudinal student-level course data to identify science course pathways common in NJ high schools and test their effectiveness. In addition, Dr. Campbell evaluates various statewide policies such as the impact of the portfolio degree option for graduation requirements in mathematics and English language arts and the option to offer Algebra I in 8th grade.
The Newark To & Through Project: Dr. Campbell co-leads the research in a research-practice partnership (RPP) with Newark Public Schools to improve secondary and postsecondary outcomes beginning with a focus on freshman year. In collaboration with district researchers, Dr. Campbell studies efficacy of the freshman success initiative, with attention to the relationships between continuous improvement cycles, teacher and collective teacher efficacy, and changes in the school culture and student outcomes. She also studies historic trends in freshman on-track, predictors of postsecondary success , and science course pathways for the district.
Dr. Campbell was formerly the Director of the Office of Research, Evaluation and Program Support (REPS) at the City University of New York (CUNY), where she managed a portfolio of over 40 research and evaluation projects in K-12 education, college access and success, and career success. In her work at CUNY-REPS, Dr. Campbell’s portfolio of research and evaluation projects was primarily quantitative, relying on educational administrative data from the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), CUNY; the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC); wage record data; and originally collected survey data. She studied various program interventions in New York City at the transition from high school to college, aimed at reducing need for remediation, increasing college matriculation by reducing summer melt, dual enrollment, and educational success of reentering citizens. Prior to CUNY – REPS, she was previously an elementary school teacher with the New York City Department of Education and later an adjunct lecturer at Lehman College, Queens College, and Hunter College within the CUNY system and Fordham University.
As an organizational researcher, Dr. Campbell’s doctoral research focused on the effects of school organizational dynamics related to priorities, power, and culture on home- and school-based parental involvement. Using a national dataset, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort, 2011 (ECLS-K: 2011), her project utilized a combination of methodology including factor analysis for scale development, data mining, and propensity score stratification.
Dr. Campbell holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the Graduate Center of CUNY, a master’s degree in Sociology – Applied Statistics and Social Research from Queens College, CUNY, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Education from York College, CUNY.
Research Reports
Campbell, V. A. (2022). Equal access to stem pathways? A closer look at science course taking trends in New Jersey’s high schools. Newark, NJ: Rutgers University Joseph C. Cornwall Study for Metropolitan Studies and New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University: New Jersey State Policy Lab. Retrieved from https://rutgers.app.box.com/s/7duw04wbzq73e2yl3i3hpipgwqb1vx95.
Campbell, V. A., Payne, C. M., Cooner, E. A., Foley, K., Weber, M., Kang, I., Anderson, C., & Gwathney, A. (2022). A study of ESSER I COVID-19 relief funding in New Jersey: Baseline, use of funds, and early outcomes. Newark, NJ: Rutgers University: Joseph Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies and New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University: New Jersey State Policy Lab.
Kim, E. C. & Campbell, V. A. (2023). Disparities in high-leverage mathematics course-taking in New Jersey, 2016-2020. Newark, NJ: Rutgers University: Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies and New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University: New Jersey State Policy Lab.
Payne, C. M. & Campbell, V. A. (2022). Highlights: Segregated schooling in New Jersey. The distribution of opportunities to learn by race, ethnicity, and class. Newark, NJ: Rutgers University: Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies.
Lee, C. , Kim, E. C., Campbell, V. A., Payne, C. M., and Harris, J. N. (2022). Examining discipline disparities in New Jersey. Newark, NJ: Rutgers University: Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies and New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University: New Jersey State Policy Lab. Retrieved from https://rutgers.app.box.com/s/m06y67re86tupjat9r467s7u7ns5fwnu.
Menifield, C. E., Baćak, V., Campbell, V. A., Bowling, J., Brunskill, L., Ordone, L. (2022). Cannabis legalization in New Jersey: A baseline study. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University: New Jersey State Policy Lab. Retrieved from https://policylab.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NJSPL-Cannabis-Feb2022.pdf.
Campbell, V., Bryan, J., Rodriguez, M., Donaldson, V., & Viera, C. (2022). A process evaluation of the College Initiative of the Institute for Justice and Opportunity. City University of New York, Office of Research, Evaluation & Program Support.
Polon, I., Campbell, V., & Ahn, G. (2020). Combatting summer melt: The impact of the 2017 College Bridge for All program on fall matriculation. City University of New York, Office of Research, Evaluation & Program Support. Retrieved from https://www.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/page-assets/about/administration/offices/evaluation/publications-presentations/2017-CB4A-Impact-Assessment.pdf.