Paul Attewell

Paul Attewell is a Faculty Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), with cross-appointments in Social Welfare, Urban Education, and Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences. He has been a faculty member at the Graduate Center since 1990, following teaching positions at the University of California at Santa Cruz and Stony Brook University in New York.

• Ph.D. in Sociology, University of California San Diego

Professor Attewell's research focuses on inequality in higher education, particularly issues of access and degree completion among economically disadvantaged undergraduates. His work examines the reasons behind low degree completion rates in nonselective colleges, including randomized controlled field experiments where lower-income undergraduates receive monetary incentives to increase their 'academic momentum' in college. His research employs both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate social stratification, educational mobility, and intergenerational educational patterns.

His publications reveal a strong focus on educational inequality, with recent work examining STEM grading disparities, vertical transfer penalties for bachelor's degree graduates, and the relationship between working during college and post-graduation earnings. His research consistently addresses structural barriers to educational success for disadvantaged students.

• American Education Research Association's Outstanding Book Award
• Grawemeyer Award in Education

Professor Attewell's research has been supported by major funding agencies including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation, the US Department of Education's Institute for Education Sciences, Ascendium educational philanthropy, and the Spencer Foundation. His current projects support a team of sociology graduate students and involve collaborators across multiple states. He teaches graduate-level courses in Statistical Methods, Data Mining, and Sociology of Education.