Christopher B. Bjork

Christopher Bjork is a Professor of Education on the Dexter M. Ferry Chair. He completed his PhD in educational anthropology at Stanford University and joined the Vassar faculty in 2002. Certified to teach both elementary and secondary school, he has worked as a classroom teacher in Japan and the United States. His research interests include international comparative education, educational reform, teacher education, and youth sports. He is the author of the book Indonesian Education, and editor or coeditor of many other books, including Japanese Education in an Era of Globalization, Education and Training in Japan, Taking Teaching Seriously, and High Stakes Schooling. His newest book, co-authored with William Hoynes, Professor of Sociology, examines the impact that commercialization of the youth sports industry is having on families: More Than Just a Game: How the Youth Sports Industry Is Changing the Way We Parent and What to Do About It.

Professor Bjork has served as a Fulbright Scholar in both Japan and Indonesia. He has worked as a consultant on education development projects funded by the World Bank, the Australian Agency for International Development, and the Indonesian Ministry of Education. Currently, he serves on the editorial boards for the International Journal of Sociology of Education, the British Journal of Sociology of Education, Schools: Studies in Education, and the Jurnal Pendidikan Kebijakan Publik.