Resume

I grew up in Gum Springs, a historic Black community in Northern Virginia. As a three-year-old, I could only say one phrase, “Dr. Dolittle and Chee-Chee.” These were two characters from a cartoon show that I was obsessed with. I also used to sit for hours while banging my head against the back of a chair. Hence, my family nickname: “Bumps.”

Through the local Head Start program, I received speech therapy and other interventions. Thus, I personally experienced the benefits of education laws at an early age. But it was a family tragedy that helped me find my calling. While I was in college, one of my cousins was killed by a 16-year-old who was working for a drug dealer. I thought about whether the shooter had the same opportunities I had. So, I decided to use my interest in education law to provide kids with better opportunities.

Since completing my education, I have worked very hard on fulfilling my mission through my work as an education law professor. In this capacity, I research practical ways that law can be used to promote equal educational opportunity. I also write to raise awareness about how laws can be weaponized to prevent this outcome.

My focus as an educator and lawyer has always been on finding workable solutions to problems as they occur in the real world. I strive to produce research that is clear, transparent, and useful. For example, with the federal government retreating from the enforcement of civil rights, I have been looking for ways to help states fill the void.

You can find examples of my publications here, and a full list of my publications and presentations in my CV.

I am also committed to helping educators and advocates understand how law affects the classroom and policy. At UConn, I ran an online school law certificate for several years. While at Penn State, I created the Law and Education Institute, a professional development program that taught administrators and attorneys about education law. At the moment, I am working on a series of lectures under the topic “Education Law in Turbulent Times.” I hope this will serve to raise awareness of important current issues as well as possible solutions that I have been thinking about for many years.

In my effort to stay grounded, I have embraced mindfulness practices and spending time in nature with my wife Idun. These activities have brought balance and happiness to my life, and they have helped me develop new ideas for research.

These are interesting times in education law, and some of the developments we are experiencing at the moment seem dramatic and unexpected. However, I have been thinking of many of these issues for years, and I am ready to discuss and propose solutions. If you or your organization would like to learn more, please contact me here.

Selected Publications:

Green, P., Baker, B., Eckes, S. (2024). The potential for race discrimination in voucher programs in a Post-Carson world. Peabody Journal of Education, 99(4), 403-15.

Eckes, S., Green, P., & Mead, J. (2024). Chartering religion: Examining the implications for educators’ civil rights in religious charter schools. West Education Law Reporter, 424, 715-26.

Green, P., Mead, J., & Eckes, E. (2021). Covenants to discriminate: How the anti-LGBT policies of participating voucher schools might violate the state action doctrine. University of New Hampshire Law Review, 19, 163-95.

Green, P., Baker, B., Oluwole, J., & Mead, J. (2016). Are we heading for a charter school “bubble”?: Lessons from the subprime mortgage crisis. University of Richmond Law Review, 50, 783-808. 

Green, P., & Moran, P. (2010). The state constitutionality of voucher programs: Religion is not the sole determinant. Brigham Young University Law and Education Journal, 2010(2), 275-306.

Selected Technical Reports:

Baker, B., Black, D., Cowen, J., Green, P., & Jennings, J. (2025). A framework for evaluating and reforming school vouchers. Annenberg EdExchange EdWorking Papers.

Baker, B., DiCarlo, M., & Green, P. (2022). Segregation and school funding: How housing discrimination reproduces unequal opportunity. Albert Shanker Institute (cited by Justice Sotomayor in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard).

Mead, J., & Green, P. (2019). Advancing intentional equity in charter schools. The Century Foundation. 

Welner, K., & Green, P. (2018). Private school vouchers: Legal challenges and civil rights protections. UCLA Civil Rights Project.

Selected Media References and Appearances:

Interviewed for The Guardian, “How Amy Coney Barrett’s Close Friendship Could Affect the Future of this Major Supreme Court Case,” March 17, 2025.

Interviewed for The New York Times, “Supreme Court to Hear Oklahoma Religious Charter School Case,” January 24, 2025. 

Research cited for Forbes, “A Potential Solution to Charter School Religious First Amendment Problems,” December 30, 2024.

Interviewed for NTN24. “Polémica por ley en el Estado de Luisiana que Exige la Exhibición de los “10 Mandamientos” en Escuelas,” June 21, 2024. 

Interviewed for AP. “Charter School Lost Case over Skirts Rule for Girls, but Debate Over Charter Autonomy Isn’t Over.” June 28, 2023.

Selected Podcasts and Lectures:

Have You Heard? (2023, February 2). #150 U-Turn: Charter schools go private.

Green, P. (2023, January 12). School vouchers and Vermont: Lessons from other states. Presentation for the VT. Education Equity Alliance to members of the Vermont Legislature. Montpelier, VT.

Green, P. (2022, October 19). Developing a model civil rights statute in the age of school choice. Annual Barbara L. Jackson Lecture. Fordham Graduate School of Education.

Green, P. (2021, April 1). Legal status and oversight issues surrounding charter schools. Webinar conducted for the BYU Law and Education Institute and the Education Law Association.

Haimson, L. (2021, February 24). Organizing mutual aid education and school funding reparations. Talk out of school. WBAI.