She earned a doctorate in sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center, where she researched alternative educational models. Tyner-Mullings has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on sociology, deviance, statistics, and education. She was a post-doctoral fellow at Teachers College, Columbia University in the Sociology and Education Program and then an assistant professor at Morgan State University. A former high school math teacher, Tyner-Mullings serves on assessment committees for two small high schools, and she has worked as a statistical or academic consultant for several colleges and universities. Her research interests include the sociology of education, communities, sports, and cultural studies. In addition to her co-introduction to Critical Small Schools, Tyner-Mullings contributed the chapter “Redefining Success: How CPESS Students Reached The Goals That Mattered.”