Welcome! The purpose of the Leadership for School Improvement Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association is to examine how leadership of teachers, principals and superintendents influences instructional capacity resulting in improved student outcomes and how policy guides this collaborative effort. In addition, the Leadership for School Improvement SIG encourages discussion and development of the philosophical, theoretical and empirical tenets guiding school and system renewal. We invite you to join us as we seek to advance this purpose. If you have any questions or comments, please contact any of our officers.

Message from the LSI SIG Chair Fall 2026

On behalf of the LSI SIG Executive Committee, allow me welcome you to the Leadership for School Improvement (LSI) SIG. We are an active community of scholars and scholar-practitioners dedicated to the study of school leaders and their efforts to meet their improvement goals. We pride ourselves on providing many opportunities for networking and professional growth to our members. We have information here about our Researcher Development Program which is an annual opportunity for mentorship that pairs graduate students with faculty with whom they can have enriching research experiences. We meet bi-annually at our UCEA lunch and at AERA during our business meeting and reception.

As SIG Chair, my goal is to continue to foster this enriching community and seek opportunities to meet the needs of our members. Also, expect to see updates here during the 2026-27 academic year with revisions to our purpose and mission. We hope to see you at UCEA or AERA and please reach out with any suggestions or questions!

Samantha Viano, PhD

2026 - 2027 LSI SIG Executive Committee 

Chairperson: Samantha Viano, Johns Hopkins University

Immediate Past Chairperson: Alison Wilson, University of Houston

Program Chairperson: Elizabeth Zumpe , University of Oklahoma

Secretary/Treasurer: Kristy Cooper Stein, Michigan State University

Dissertation Award Chairperson: Craig DeVoto, University of Illinois Chicago

Book Series Editor: Khalid Arar, Texas State University

Media Director: Meagan Richard, University of Massachusetts Boston

Researcher Development Program Faculty Advisors: Jennifer Watters, University of Texas at Tyler and Betsy Kim, Lehman College, CUNY 

The Researcher Development Program (RDP) seeks to expand access to academic networks that dually support graduate students’ personal and professional well-being and scholarly development.

The RDP fulfills its mission by:

• Striving to create accessible, inclusive, and humanizing professional development spaces
• Promoting sustained, professionally enriching collaboration between faculty members and graduate students
• Providing research, writing, presentation, and publication opportunities aligned with participants’ academic and professional goals
• Promoting opportunities for faculty members to hone their mentorship skills.

Dissertation of the Year Recipients

2025: Tye Austin Ripma, “It’s a Different Law, but It’s the Same Kids”: State Educational Agencies & Coherent School Improvement for Students with Disabilities, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, Advisor, David DeMatthews

2024: Latrice Marianno, "I Don't Think We Can Co-Exist": A Critical Policy Analysis of the Relationship between Equity and School Improvement Planning, Ph.D., University of Delaware, Advisor, Elizabeth Farley-Ripple

2023: Meagan Richard, Emancipatory School Leadership in Educational Market Contexts. Ph.D., University of Illinois Chicago, Advisor, Shelby Cosner

2022: Megan Griffard, Principal Leadership as a Moderator of Teacher Turnover Following Natural Hazard Exposure, Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Advisor, Lora Cohen-Vogel.

2021: Joonkil Ahn, Leadership for Learning and Teacher Self-Efficacy as the Antecedents of Teacher Collaboration, Instructional Quality, Intended Turnover, and Equitable Teaching Practice, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Advisor, Anjalé D. Welton. 

 2020: Maxwell Yurkofsky, When Reason Confronts Uncertainty: Continuous Improvement, Technical Ceremonies, and the Changing Structure of American Schools, Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education, Advisor, Jal Mehta. 

2019: Bryan VanGronigen, An Examination of the Structures, Functions, and Perceived Effectiveness of School Leadership Teams in Underperforming High Schools, Ph.D., University of Virginia, Advisor, Dan Duke

2018: Mary Bussman, Peer Equity Coaching to Increase Cultural Responsiveness in Teaching and Leading, Ph.D., University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Advisor, Karen Seashore Louis

2017: Kathryn Wiley, Unfulfilled Promises: Equity & School Discipline Practices in an Innovation School, Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder, Advisor, Michele Moses 

2016: Romy DeCristofaro, A Multi-Case Study Reflection within Collaborative Teacher Inquiry, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, Advisor, Shelby Cosner

2015:Elizabeth Leisy Stosich, Learning to Teach to the Common Core State Standards: Examining the Role of Teachers’ Collaboration, Principals’ Leadership, and Professional Development, Ed.D., Harvard University, Advisor, Susan Moore Johnson

2014: Doug Wieczorek, A Repeated, Cross-sectional Analysis of Principals' Professional Development and Instructional Leadership Behaviors in the First Decade of the Educational Accountability Era, Ph.D., Syracuse University, Advisor, George Theoharis

2013: Emily Palmer, Talking about Race: Overcoming fear in the process of change, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Advisor, Karen Seashore Louis

2012: Angela Urick, To what extent do typologies of school leaders across the U.S. predict teacher attrition? A multilevel latent class analysis of principals and teachers, Ed.D., University of Texas at San Antonio, Advisor, Alex Bowers

2011: Kerri J. Tobin, Identifying Best Practices for Homeless Students, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Advisor, Joseph Murphy

2010: Hans W. Klar, Laying the groundwork for distributed instructional leadership in urban high schools: How principals foster department chair instructional leadership capacity, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Advisor, Paul V. Bredeson

2009: Jennifer K. Clayton, Changing diversity in U.S. schools: The impact on elementary student performance and achievement, Ph.D., Old Dominion University, Advisor, William Owings