James Earl Davis is the Bernard C. Watson Endowed Chair in Urban Education at Temple University, where he is a professor of higher education and educational leadership. He holds affiliate faculty appointments in the Department of African American Studies and the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program. His research centers on gender-based educational policy; urban school reform; race, class, gender and cultural issues in schooling; and the social stratification of higher education. He has investigated social contexts of learning and development related to student engagement and achievement, especially for black boys and emerging adult men. In addition to his co-authored books, Davis's work has appeared in numerous academic journals including Gender & Society, Urban Education, Youth and Society, American Journal of Evaluation, Review of Research in Education, Journal of American College Health, Evaluation Review, and Educational Researcher. His leadership and scholarly contributions have been instrumental in advancing gender-based scholarship in education, collaborative relationships with regional urban school districts; external grant-funded research for equity-based studies; and place-based research and partnerships with community organizations.