W. Norton Grubb

Norton Grubb
W. Norton Grubb
University of California, Berkeley

W. Norton Grubb, who passed away in 2015, investigated inequality, especially the institutional sources of inequality, and worked toward finding solutions to create an equitable and democratic education system. Grubb was professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. His research explored the role of education in labor markets and proposed ways to improve the effectiveness of high schools and community colleges. He also examined the relationship between education and employment, pointing out that when schools excessively follow patterns in the labor market, they tend to reinforce the inequities of society against minorities and women. He wrote 14 books; started the Principal Leadership Institute at Berkeley to train principals to lead urban schools; and received the University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence. He received his PhD in economics from Harvard University.

updated 2012

Publications by W. Norton Grubb
The Dominance of Remedial Pedagogy
In the second of eleven PACE Working Papers, W. Norton Grubb et al, continue their analysis of basic skills education in California Community Colleges. A previous working paper argued, that, to understand basic skills education, it is necessary to…
Framing the Issues in Community Colleges
In the first of eleven PACE Working Papers, W. Norton Grubb et al, frame the issues surrounding basic skills instruction in California Community Colleges. While increases in remedial education (or basic skills instruction or developmental education…
Research Center Celebrates a Quarter Century as Leader in Legislative Policy Analysis
When PACE was founded in the early 1980s, California's schools were in turmoil following the passage of Proposition 13, which indirectly limited public education funding. Twenty-five years later, in 2008, Proposition 13 is still intact, the state's…
As the "Year of Education" draws to a close, PACE is reviving its signature publication, Conditions of Education in California, in order to sustain focus on the long-term comprehensive educational reforms that California needs. In this edition of…