Bruce Fuller

Bruce Fuller
Bruce Fuller
Professor Emeritus, School of Education,
University of California, Berkeley

Bruce Fuller is professor emeritus in the School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. His research examines how public policies influence schools and families, particularly in efforts to decentralize education reform. Fuller explores the institutional and political challenges of designing effective policies, with studies spanning Latino communities in East Boston to impoverished communities in South Africa. He formerly served as director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) and was a researcher at the World Bank. Before joining UC Berkeley, he was an associate professor of education and public policy at Harvard University and a project manager with the U.S. Agency for International Development at the U.S. Department of State. Earlier in his career, he served as a research sociologist at the World Bank and as an education advisor to the California State Legislature. He is the author of Standardized Childhood and Organizing Locally and is working on a book on civic activism and school reform in Los Angeles. Fuller earned his PhD in the sociology of education from Stanford University.

updated 2025

 

 

Publications by Bruce Fuller
Promising Benefits, Unequal Access
This policy brief examines how California's education governance has shifted from local control to centralized, administrative accountability over the past 30 years, including changes in school finance. It primarily focuses on categorical program…
Early Learning Effects of Type, Quality, and Stability
This report examines the effects of center care and home-based care on cognitive and social development of young children in poor communities, as well as the impact of caregiver sensitivity and education level. The study used a sample of children…
Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities for Improvement
California's accountability system, PSAA, has been examined by three independent studies, revealing five key issues. The system established specific performance targets, rewards, and sanctions for schools, but budget constraints and differences with…
Similar Test Scores, but Different Students, Bring Federal Sanctions
California schools with more demographic subgroups are less likely to meet their growth targets and face federal sanctions, even when students have similar average test scores. Schools with many low-income Latino students are particularly unlikely…