Dr. Taylor Gara discovered her passion for the performing arts at age 12, began teaching ballet at age 18, and later became a certified yoga instructor (RYT-200hr). Since 2014, Taylor has researched the visual and performing arts exploring policy impacts, adolescent motivation, and the benefits of the arts on human development.

Taylor received an Associate’s degree in Social Science from J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Old Dominion University, a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from George Mason University, and a PhD in Education Policy from the University of California, Irvine. A prior intern at the National Dance Education Organization, she currently serves as a dance education and adolescent development research advisor to the Arts, Humanities, and Civic Engagement Lab at Texas A&M University. The lab is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and is dedicated to the “rigorous investigation of the role of the arts and humanities in promoting student success, social and emotional well-being, and civic engagement.”

In addition to her projects in university settings, Taylor spent four years working as a program evaluator at WestEd, a national, non-profit research and evaluation organization. Her work primarily served the California Department of Education’s statewide initiatives designed to address inequities faced by students and families living in underserved communities.

With a drive to garner knowledge of the arts, Taylor’s work is published in Research in Dance Education, Arts Education Policy Review, and Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (click here for a full list of publications).