Bio


Francis A. Pearman is an Assistant Professor of Education in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. His research focuses on how poverty and inequality shape the life chances of children, especially in rapidly changing cities. Pearman holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University and a B.S. from the University of Virginia.

Professional Education


  • Ph.D., Vanderbilt University (2017)
  • M.Ed., Vanderbilt University (2012)
  • B.S., University of Virginia (2005)

Research Interests


  • Early Childhood
  • Educational Policy
  • Poverty and Inequality
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • Research Methods
  • Sociology

Stanford Advisees


All Publications


  • Gentrification, displacement, and academic achievement: A formal mediation analysis. Social science research Pearman, F. A., Steyer, L. 2023; 115: 102905

    Abstract

    Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood has long been known to adversely affect children's academic achievement. Comparatively less is known about what happens to children's academic achievement when disadvantaged neighborhoods gentrify. This study uses data from a nationally representative sample of children from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (n = 1,163) along with counterfactual methods and a value-added design to examine how gentrification and residential displacement figure into children's academic achievement patterns. This study provides a formal mediation analysis that decomposes the total effect of gentrification on children's academic achievement into that which operates through residential displacement versus alternative pathways. This study finds that the effects of gentrification on children's achievement patterns were concentrated amongst low-income children and were observed most strongly when gentrifiers were White. Low-income children exposed to gentrification saw declines in their academic performance trajectories, especially in math. These adverse effects were not found to be mediated by residential displacement. A comprehensive set of sensitivity analyses indicates that results were robust to unobserved confounding, alternative model specifications, different weighting strategies, and multiple measures of gentrification and displacement.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102905

    View details for PubMedID 37858359

  • School Closures and the Gentrification of the Black Metropolis SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION Pearman, F. A., Greene, D. 2022
  • Collective Racial Bias and the Black-White Test Score Gap RACE AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS Pearman, F. A. 2021
  • Gentrified Discipline: The Impact of Gentrification on Exclusionary Punishment in Public Schools Social Problems Pearman, F. A. 2021: 1–21

    View details for DOI 10.1093/socpro/spab028

  • Teachers, Schools, and Pre-K Effect Persistence: An Examination of the Sustaining Environment Hypothesis. Journal of research on educational effectiveness Pearman, F. A., Springer, M., Lipsey, M., Lachowicz, M., Swain, W., Farran, D. 2020; 13 (4): 547-573

    View details for DOI 10.1080/19345747.2020.1749740

    View details for PubMedID 33728015

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7958941

  • Gentrification, Geography, and the Declining Enrollment of Neighborhood Schools URBAN EDUCATION Pearman, F. A. 2019
  • Are Achievement Gaps Related to Discipline Gaps? Evidence From National Data AERA OPEN Pearman, F. A., Curran, F., Fisher, B., Gardella, J. 2019; 5 (4)
  • The Effect of Neighborhood Poverty on Math Achievement: Evidence From a Value-Added Design EDUCATION AND URBAN SOCIETY Pearman, F. A. 2019; 51 (2): 289–307
  • Gentrification and Academic Achievement: A Review of Recent Research REVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Pearman, F. A. 2019; 89 (1): 125–65
  • The Moderating Effect of Neighborhood Poverty on Preschool Effectiveness: Evidence From the Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten Experiment American Educational Research Journal Pearman, F. A. 2019

    View details for DOI 10.3102/0002831219872977

  • Risk, protection, and identity development in high-achieving black males in high school Journal of Research on Adolescence Houston, S., Pearman, F., McGee, E. 2019
  • Students’ feelings of safety, exposure to violence and victimization, and authoritative school climate American Journal of Criminal Justice Fisher, B., Viano, S., Curran, C., Pearman, F., Gardella, J. 2018; 43 (1): 6–25
  • School Choice, Gentrification, and the Variable Significance of Racial Stratification in Urban Neighborhoods SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION Pearman, F. A., Swain, W. A. 2017; 90 (3): 213–35
  • Understanding Black male mathematics high achievers from the inside out: Internal risk and protective factors in high school. The Urban Review McGee, E., Pearman, F. A. 2015; 47 (3): 513-540
  • Risk and Protective Factors in Mathematically Talented Black Male Students Snapshots From Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade URBAN EDUCATION McGee, E. O., Pearman, F. 2014; 49 (4): 363–93