Joyce L. Epstein, longtime professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, passed away on August 3. She was 85 years old.
A summa cum laude graduate of Lesley College (now University) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Epstein received her master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her Ph.D. in sociology from Johns Hopkins University. In 1976, Dr. Epstein joined the Johns Hopkins faculty as an assistant professor of sociology.
Over the next five decades, Dr. Epstein transformed how educators understand the overlapping influences of schools, families, and communities on children’s learning and development. She authored more than 150 publications, including School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action (Corwin, 4th edition, 2018) and School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving School (Routledge, 3rd edition, 2022). Dr. Epstein founded the National Network of Partnership Schools and co-founded the International Network on School, Family, and Community Partnerships.