Russell W. Rumberger

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