Rate My Professor L. Trenton Marsh

L. Trenton Marsh is an Associate Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Learning Sciences and Educational Research within the University of Central Florida's College of Community Innovation and Education. He earned his Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning with a concentration in urban education from New York University's Steinhardt School. His dissertation, titled “Success at a Price,” received the 2015 Mitchell Leaska Dissertation Research Award and the 2016 Phi Delta Kappa Doctoral Dissertation Award. Prior to his current position, Marsh held a two-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Michigan's National Center for Institutional Diversity, where he taught a qualitative research lab and examined student experiences in the Wolverine Pathways equity initiative. His earlier career included roles as a Managing Business Consultant at IBM Corporation, serving clients such as the New York City Department of Education, Egypt's Ministry of Trade and Industry, Pfizer, AT&T, and Celanese; an Associate Research Scientist at NYU Steinhardt’s Metro Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, evaluating longitudinal special education and disciplinary data for New York districts; and facilitator for the Youth Leadership Academy in partnership with CORO Leadership Center NY and the NYC Department of Education.

Marsh's research examines the conceptualization of student success, teacher-student interactions, the social context of education, and school choice, particularly “no excuses” public charter schools. He investigates lived experiences of low-income students and families of color to inform equitable pedagogies, policies, and processes in PreK-12 and higher education. Utilizing qualitative methods and participatory designs, his scholarship engages multivocality of youth, families, and communities in social justice-oriented settings. His publications have appeared in Urban Review, Boyhood Studies, GSE Perspectives on Urban Education, and Education Week. Marsh authored From 1.0 to 4.0 (Trafford Publishing, 2008), outlining strategies for academic transformation from struggling student to leader, adopted by institutions including the University of the Virgin Islands and Prairie View A&M University. He is a founding member of CommitMEN, a think-tank providing scholarships and guidance to Black men from his high school alma mater entering higher education. Recent publications include "A Healing Oasis for Peace and Empowerment (H.O.P.E.) Circle: Implementing Youth-Led Participatory Action Research as an Anti-racist Approach to Black Youths’ Disenfranchised Grief and Healing" (2025), "Reimagining urban resilience and education hubs using a community-engaged, equity-centered approach" (2025), and "Confronting Gun Violence Through Youth-led Participatory Action Research as a Form of Critical Allyship with Black Youth: Insights for Policymakers" (2024).