Posey’s research and teaching interests focus on the sociology of education; education and urban policy; families and schools; and qualitative research methods. In her research she explores issues of race and class in public schooling and in other learning contexts. She is particularly interested in the impact that changing social, economic, and spatial arrangements in cities and metropolitan regions have on students, their families, and public schools. Her most recent project was an ethnographic case study of the politics of race, class, and demographic change in a Northern California public elementary school. Both her teaching and research are informed by her experiences as a former elementary school teacher and her work in public schools.