Russell W. Rumberger

Russell Rumberger
Russell W. Rumberger
Professor Emeritus, Gevirtz School of Education,
University of California, Santa Barbara

Russell W. Rumberger is professor emeritus in the Gevirtz School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research spans education and work, the schooling of disadvantaged students—particularly school dropouts and linguistic minority students—school effectiveness, and education policy. He has conducted research on school dropouts for over 30 years, publishing extensively on the topic, including the book Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It. He previously served as vice provost for education partnerships at the University of California Office of the President and directed the California Dropout Research Project, which produced reports and policy briefs addressing California’s dropout crisis. Rumberger was a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on Increasing High School Students’ Engagement and Motivation to Learn and the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences panel that produced the Dropout Prevention Practice Guide. He is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association and a member of the National Academy of Education. Rumberger earned his MA in economics and PhD in education from Stanford University.

updated 2025

Publications by Russell W. Rumberger
The Scale and Distribution of Community College Participation Among California High School Students
Research shows that dual enrollment—a practice in which high school students take college courses while they are still in high school—has multiple benefits for student success in both systems. To capitalize on those benefits, California and other…
This report examines high school graduation rates in California. It reviews the various approaches to calculating high school graduation rates, focusing on the challenges and limitations of the most widely used rate, the Four-Year Adjusted Cohort…
The Influence of Preschool Centers on Children’s Social and Cognitive Development
Previous research has demonstrated that attending center care is associated with cognitive benefits for young children. However, little is known about the ideal age for children to enter such care or the "right" amount of time, both weekly and…
The Influence of Preschool Centers on Children’s Development Nationwide
Young children, at least among those from poor families and within the domains of cognitive growth and school readiness, benefit from exposure to preschool or childcare centers. Carefully controlled experiments, exemplified by the Perry Preschool or…