Biography
Taylor Gara is a third year Ph.D. student in the School of Education. Taylor’s research interests include the impact of educational policies on arts education instruction in elementary and secondary schools. Her previous research, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, examined adolescents’ persistence and selection into music, visual art, drama, and dance courses in middle school, and the achievement differences of students who enroll arts-related coursework, compared with non-arts students. Currently, Taylor is using a mixed-method design to understand the factors that motivate adolescents to commit to and persist in arts-related courses during high-school.
Taylor received her B.S. in Psychology from Old Dominion University, and her M.A in Applied Developmental Psychology from George Mason University. Taylor has danced for over 12 years. While attending community college, she served as a dance instructor teaching and choreographing Pointe and Jazz classes to early elementary and middle school children.
In addition to dance, Taylor obtained her 200hr yoga teacher certification in 2016, and enjoys practicing yoga in her free time.
Publications
Gara, T., & Winsler, A. (in preparation). Art. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development. New York: Sage Publications.
Gara, T., Brouillette, L., & Farkas, G. (February 2018). Did the frequency of early elementary classroom arts instruction decrease during the No Child Left Behind era? If so, for whom? Early Childhood Research Quarterly. DOI10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.01.004
Taylor Gara is a third year Ph.D. student in the School of Education. Taylor’s research interests include the impact of educational policies on arts education instruction in elementary and secondary schools. Her previous research, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, examined adolescents’ persistence and selection into music, visual art, drama, and dance courses in middle school, and the achievement differences of students who enroll arts-related coursework, compared with non-arts students. Currently, Taylor is using a mixed-method design to understand the factors that motivate adolescents to commit to and persist in arts-related courses during high-school.
Taylor received her B.S. in Psychology from Old Dominion University, and her M.A in Applied Developmental Psychology from George Mason University. Taylor has danced for over 12 years. While attending community college, she served as a dance instructor teaching and choreographing Pointe and Jazz classes to early elementary and middle school children.
In addition to dance, Taylor obtained her 200hr yoga teacher certification in 2016, and enjoys practicing yoga in her free time.
Publications
Gara, T., & Winsler, A. (in preparation). Art. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development. New York: Sage Publications.
Gara, T., Brouillette, L., & Farkas, G. (February 2018). Did the frequency of early elementary classroom arts instruction decrease during the No Child Left Behind era? If so, for whom? Early Childhood Research Quarterly. DOI10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.01.004
