Travis J. Bristol is an associate professor of teacher education and education policy in Berkeley’s School of Education and (by courtesy) the Department of African American Studies. Before joining Berkeley's faculty, he was a Peter Paul Assistant Professor at Boston University. Using qualitative methods, Dr. Bristol explores three related research strands: (1) the role of educational policies in shaping teacher workplace experiences and retention; (2) district and school-based professional learning communities; (3) the role of race and gender in educational settings. Dr. Bristol's research has appeared in over 60 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, policy briefs, and opinion editorials including Urban Education, the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, the Journal of Teacher Education, Teachers College Record, Harvard Educational Review, Brookings, and The Washington Post. He also co-edited two volumes: The Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers (with Conra Gist), which was published by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and Men Educators of Color in U.S. Public Schools and Abroad (with Ashley Woodson), which was published by Routledge.
Dr. Bristol has received more than $5.8 million in research funding. The National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Ford Foundation, and AERA awarded Dr. Bristol dissertation fellowships in 2013. In 2016, he received the inaugural teacher diversity research award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. In 2019, Dr. Bristol received a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship and an emerging scholar award from the Comparative and International Education Society, African Diaspora SIG. In 2020, he received a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2021, Dr. Bristol received the Early Career Award from AERA (Division-K). More recently, in 2022, he received an AERA Outstanding Reviewer (Educational Researcher) Award.
Dr. Bristol is on the editorial boards of Urban Education, the American Educational Research Journal, and the Association for Education Finance and Policy Live Handbook. He is also the chair of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board of Directors and chairs the California Department of Education Teacher Diversity Advisory Group. Dr. Bristol is on the Board of Directors of Teach Plus; the National Center for Teacher Residencies; and the Albert Shanker Institute. He also serves on the advisory board for the National Academy of Education’s Equity in Math Education Research Program.
Dr. Bristol is a former student and teacher in New York City public schools and teacher educator with the Boston Teacher Residency program. Dr. Bristol received his AB from Amherst College; an MA from Stanford University; and a PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Selected Publications
Bristol, T. J. & *Jones, M., Noonan, J. (forthcoming). Diversity mixed messages: Misalignment between stated policies and enacted practices aimed at hiring teachers of color. American Journal of Education.
Bristol, T. J., *Johnson, P., *Manchanda, S., (forthcoming). Culturally responsive professional development: One teachers union’s professional learning community for Black male teachers. Journal of Negro Education.
Woodson, A. N. & T. J. Bristol (Eds.) (2024) Men Educators of Color in U.S. Public Schools. Routledge
Manchanda, S., Bristol, T. J., & Moss, C. (2023). Getting Black Men to the Blackboard: Factors That Promote Black Men Teachers’ Entry into the Teaching Profession. Equity & Excellence in Education.
Bristol, T. J.& Goings, R. B. (2019).Exploring the boundary heightening experiences of Black male teachers: Lessons for teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education. 70(1), 51-64.
Bristol, T. J. & Martin-Fernandez, J. (2019). The added value of Latinx and Black Teachers for Latinx and Black students: Implications for policy. Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Science, 6(2), 147-153.
Bristol, T. J.& Goldenberg, C. (2015). Teachable moments and academic rigor: A mini-unit. Edutopia.
Presentations and Professional Experiences
Presentations (selected)
Bristol, T.J. (2023). African Diasporic Research: Implications for Teachers of African Descent across the Americas. Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
Bristol, T. J. & Britton, T. A. (2023). Revisiting Racial and Ethnic Backgrounds Across Diverse Educational and Socio-cultural Contexts. Universidad del Pais Vasco, San Sebastian, Spain
Bristol, T. J. & Cheung, R. (2023). Investigations Into the Working Conditions of Leaders of Color: Illuminating the Truth About Recruitment, Retention, and Turnover. Invited Presidential Session at the 2023 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
Bristol, T. J. (2022). The Impact of an Ethnoracially Diverse Workforce in England, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden. Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Bristol, T. J. (2022). Profesores Afrodescendientes en LatinoAmerica. Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia.
Bristol, T. J. & Britton, T. A. (2022). K – 16 Education Policy: A Perspective from the United States. Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya.
Bristol, T. J. (2022). Who will teach? Who will lead our schools? National Academy of Education Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Bristol, T. J. & Britton, T. A. (2022). Teacher Ethnoracial Diversity on both Sides of the Pond. University College of London, London, England.
Bristol, T. J. (2022). Learning how to Love and to Teach Other People's Children. Keynote Address at the Region Nine Head Start Association Family Engagement and Cultural Effectiveness Conference, Kona, HI
Bristol, T. J. (2022). Transforming Public School Systems to Develop Teachers and Leaders: The Next Phase of U.S. Education Reform. Keynote Address for the University of Connecticut 2022 Philip E. Austin Lecture, Storrs, CT.
Bristol, T. J. (2022). Cross-Cutting Issues in Mental Health & Wellness Equity: Implications for Male Teachers of Color. Invited Presidential Session at the 2022 American Educational Research Association Annual Virtual Meeting. San Diego, CA.
Davis, J.E., Bristol, T. J., Carey, R. L., & Wright, B. L. (2021). Boys and Men of Color: New Possibilities for Engaged and Collaborative Education Research and Practice. Invited Presidential Session at the 2021 American Educational Research Association Annual Virtual Meeting.
Bristol, T. J., (2021). Strategic Recruitment and Retention in Urban Contexts. Keynote Address at the U.S. Department of Education 2021 Effective Educator Development Annual Summit.
Bristol, T. J., El-Mekki, S., Cockrell, D., & Williams, J. (2021). #BlackMenTeach: Amplifying ways to recruit and retain Black male teachers. The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.
Kraft, M., Bartlett, L., Bristol, T. J. (2021). Being a teacher: The experience of the last year. Panel presentation at the Teaching and the Teacher Workforce Amid the Struggles of COVID-19 and for Racial Justice. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Virtual Conference.
Bristol, T. J., (2021). Moving beyond Recruitment: Supporting and Retaining Teachers of Color. Virtual Keynote Address at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Education and Information Studies Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’s Lecture Series.
Bristol, T. J., (2021). Developing and Retaining Teachers of Color. Virtual Keynote Address at the University of Southern California’s Scholar of Color Lecture Series.
Bristol, T.J. (2021). A Broken Pipeline. Keynote Address at the Harvard Data Strategic Project Virtual Convening.
Gist, C. & Bristol, T. J. (2020). An intersectional examination of the research base on teachers of color and indigenous teachers: What works, under what conditions, and for whom? Paper presented in a Presidential Session at the 2020 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (Conference canceled)
Bristol, T. J. (2020). Teaching Senior School District Leaders of Color to Design Equitable Policies and Practices. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France.
Noonan, J., Bristol, T. J., & Jones, M. (2019). “Taking care of your own”: Parochialism, pride of place, and the drive to diversify teaching. Paper presented at the 2019 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON.
Bristol, T.J. (2019). Policy Levers for Supporting Teachers of Color. Obama Foundation: My Brother’s Keeper Rising, Oakland, CA.
Bristol, T. J. & Mentor, M. (2018). Policing and teaching: How Black male teachers embrace and resist the encapsulated role of behavior manager. Paper presented at the 2018 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY
Bristol, T. J. (2018). Policing and Teaching: The Positioning of Black Male Teachers as Agents in the Universal Carceral Apparatus. Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA
Bristol, T. J. (2018). Supporting and Retaining an Ethno-racially Diverse Educator Workforce: At the Intersection of Research, Policy, and Practice. University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Philadelphia, PA.
Bristol, T. J. (2018). Policy Levers for Increasing the Ethnoracial Diversity of Teachers in Urban Public Schools. Brown University, Providence, RI.
Bristol, T.J. & Shirrell, M. (2017). Who is Here to Help Me?: The Work-Related Social Networks of Teachers of Color. Paper presented at the 2017 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. ,San Antonio, TX.
Bristol, T.J. (2017). Organizing for Diversity in a Flat World.Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France.
Bristol, T. J. (2017). More than Recruitment: Supporting and Retaining Teachers of Color. Yale University, New Haven, CT.
Bristol, T.J. (2016). A Tale of Two Types of Schools: An Exploration of How the School Working Conditions Influence Black Male Teacher Turnover. Paper presented in a symposium at the 2016 Sociology of Education Annual Meeting, Pacific Grove, CA.
Bristol, T.J. (2016). Research on the Effects of a Non-Diverse Teaching Force Coupled with Recommendations for Research, Practice, and Policy. U.S. Department of Education National Teacher Diversity Summit, Washington D.C.
Bristol, T.J. (2016). A Call to Increase the Racial & Ethnic Diversity of Tennessee’s Teaching Force: The Intersection of Research, Policy, & Practice. State Collaborative on Reforming Education, Nashville, TN.
Bristol, T.J. (2015). Black Men of the Classroom: How School Organizational Conditions Influence Black Male Teachers’ Experiences with Performance Pressure. Paper presented in a symposium at the 2015 Academy of Management Conference, Vancouver, B.C.
Bristol, T.J., Benoit, G., & Sahle, S. (2014). Boston Teacher Residency Male Educators of Color Network: A Model for Urban School Districts. Paper presented at the 2014 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Bristol, T.J. (2013). Organizational Purgatory: An Exploration into How the Within School Experiences of Black Male Teachers Differ Across One Urban School District. Paper presented at the 2013 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Bristol, T. J. (2012). Teaching Boys: Towards a Theory of Gender Relevant Pedagogy. Paper presented at the 2012 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting,Vancouver, B.C.
Professional Experiences
Peter Paul Assistant Professor. Boston University School of Education. (August 2017 – June 2018); Assistant Professor of Education. Boston University School of Education.(July 2016 – August 2017)
Research and Policy Fellow. Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. (August 2014 – June 2016)
Clinical Teacher Educator. Boston Teacher Residency.(June 2011 – July 2014)
English Teacher. New York City Department of Education. (September 2004 – June 2009)
Activities and Honors
Activities
Editorial Board, Urban Education; American Educational Research Journal, the Association for Education Finance and Policy Live Handbook
Chair, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (board of directors); California Department of Education Educator Diversity Advisory Group
Board of Directors, Teach Plus; National Center for Teacher Residencies; Albert Shanker Institute
Advisory Board, National Academy of Education’s Equity in Math Education Research Program
Honors
American Educational Research Association Outstanding Reviewer (Educational Researcher) Washington, D.C., 04/2022
American Educational Research Association Early Career Award (Division-K), Washington, D.C., 02/2021
National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, Washington D.C., 05/2020
Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, Washington D.C., 04/2019
Comparative and International Education Society African Diaspora SIG Emerging Scholar, San Francisco, CA, 04/2019
Thomas B. Fordham Institute Emerging Education Policy Scholar, Washington, D.C., 9/2017
Peter Paul Career Development Professorship at Boston University, Boston, MA, 08/2017
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Teacher Diversity Research Award, Washington, D.C., 12/2015
National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, Washington D.C., 05/2013
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, Washington D.C., 05/2013
American Educational Research Association Minority Dissertation Fellowship, Washington D.C., 05/2013
John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Education Policy, Amherst, MA, 09/2009
The Amherst College Commitment to Teaching Fellowship, ‘54, Amherst, MA, 4/2006
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship for Aspiring Teachers of Color, New York, NY, 3/2002
