New
Department:
Organizational
Leadership, Policy,
and Development
Effective July 1, 2009, a
new department has been created
that integrates the business and
marketing education, human
resource development and adult
education, and comprehensive
WHRE programs from the
Department of
Work and Human Resource
Education (WHRE) into the
department formerly known as
Educational Policy and
Administration (EdPA). The
name of this new department is
Organizational Leadership,
Policy, and Development (OLPD).
It will offer exciting
opportunities for collaboration
and interdisciplinary education
and research. Click
here for details. |
Current Research Interests
- Organizational theory
- Planned change
- Schools and universities as workplaces
- Leadership and administration
Profile
My primary research interests focus on school improvement and school reform,
although I do some teaching and advising in all areas of educational policy and
administration. My main area of expertise includes improvement in K-12 leadership
and policy over the last 30 years, particularly in urban secondary schools. I also
conduct research on organizational changes within higher education, with particular
attention to faculty roles, and on international comparative policy in educational
reform. My interest in evaluation is a long-standing, and has emphasized in the
assessment of large-scale educational programs and policies.
As a sociologist, I tend to look at educational reform through
the lens of organizational theory, with an emphasis on the interaction between culture
and structure. One of the most intriguing issues sociologists currently grapple
with is the implication of chaos theory for socially constructed groups. For those
of us who are empirical in our orientation, it’s difficult to accept that we can
explain certain dynamics, but can’t create the environment to make things happen
with a large degree of predictability.
My research in higher education is influenced not only by theory,
but also by my experience in administration (I have served as department chair,
associate dean, and director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational
Improvement). As a self-confessed faculty governance junky, I consider my work on
college and university committees to be a form of participant observation!
I work with both the department’s undergraduate leadership minor
and with graduate students. I like to look for challenges to the way I approach
research and teaching on a regular basis, and a lot of these come from students.
I particularly enjoy the face-to-face interaction with doctoral students, and helping
them refine their areas of research.
I love working in a collaborative and intellectually lively environment
that marries public service and scholarly research in a meaningful way. The Department
and the University provide me with wonderful and ever-changing opportunities that
ensure that I will never be bored with my job as a professor.
View
Setting the
Stage presentation.
"In this presentation, Dr. Karen Seashore
Louis from the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
department of the University of Minnesota summarizes her own
and others’ research in three areas: professional community
for teachers, organizational learning in schools, and the
development of trust among all stakeholders. Her
presentation shows the relationship between these three
arenas using case studies of real schools. Seashore Louis
emphasizes the important role of teacher and administrator
leadership in creating synergy among these three elements in
order to promote high-quality instruction and student
learning." Posted on the
Teachers Working
Conditions web site.
Selected Publications
Books
Kruse, S. D., & Louis, K. S. (2008).
Strong cultures: A principal's guide to change.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Stoll, L., & Louis, K. S. (Eds.).
(2007). Professional learning communities: Divergence,
depth and dilemmas. London/New York: Open University
Press/McGraw Hill.
Louis, K. S., & Gordon, M. (2006).
Aligning student support with achievement goals: The
secondary principal's guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Louis, K. S. (2006). Organizing for
school change. London and New York: Taylor and Francis.
Riley, K. & Louis, K. S. (Eds.). (2000). Leadership
for change and school improvement: International perspectives. London: Falmer.
Murphy, J., & Louis, K. S. (Eds.). (1999). Handbook
of educational administration (2nd ed.). (An publication of the American Educational
Research Association). California: Jossey Bass.
Articles
Gordon, M., & Louis, K. S. (in press).
Linking parent and community involvement with student
achievement: Comparing principal and teacher perceptions of
stakeholder influence. American Journal of Education.
Wahlstrom, K., & Louis, K. S. (2008).
How teachers perceive principal leadership. Educational
Administration Quarterly, 44(4), 498-445.
Louis, K. S., Thomas, E., Gordon, M., &
Febey, K. (2008). Does state leadership matter? An analysis
of three states. Educational Administration Quarterly,
44(4), 562-592.
Simsek, H., & Louis, K. S. (2008).
Teacher unions, new unionism, and shifting cultural
metaphors. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 31,
93-114.
Louis, K. S. (2008, August). Learning to
support school improvement: Next steps for research on
district practice. American Journal of Education, 114,
681-690.
Smylie, M., Mayrowetz, D., Murphy, J., &
Louis, K. S. (2008). Trust and the development of
distributed leadership. Journal of School Leadership, 17(4),
469-503.
Louis, K. S., Holdsworth, J., Anderson,
M., & Campbell, E. (2008). Everyday ethics in research:
Translating authorship guidelines into practice in the bench
sciences. Journal of Higher Education, 79(1),
88-112.
Louis, K. S., Anderson, M., & Campbell,
E. (2007). Becoming a scientist: The effects of workgroup
size and climate. Journal of Higher Education, 78(3),
311-330.
Mayrowetz, D., Murphy, J., Louis, K. S.,
& Smylie, M. (2007). Distributed leadership as work
redesign: Retrofitting the job characteristics model.
Educational Policy and Leadership, 6(1), 69-103.
Louis, K. S. (2007). Trust and
improvement in schools. Journal of Educational Change, 6(1),
1-24.
Louis, K. S. (2006). Changing the
culture of schools: Professional community, organizational
learning and trust. Journal of School Leadership, 16(4),
477-489.
Louis, K. S., Jones, L. M., Campbell, E.G. (2002). Sharing in science.
American Scientist, 90(4), 304-307.
Detert, J., Louis, K. S. & Schroeder, R. (2001). A culture
framework for education: Defining quality values for U.S. high schools. Journal
of School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 12(2), 183-212.
Louis, K. S., Jones, L. M., & Barajas, H. (2001). Districts
and schools as a context for transformed counseling roles. NASSP Bulletin, 85
(625), 62-72.
Louis, K. S., Jones, L., Anderson, M., Campbell, E. &
Blumenthal, D. (2000). Entrepreneurs, secrecy, and productivity. In D. Siegel,
J. Thursby, M. Thursby, & A. Ziedonis (Eds.), Organizational issues in university
technology
transfer. The Journal of Technology Transfer, (26) 233-245.
Marks, H. & Louis, K. S. (1999). Teacher empowerment and
the capacity for organizational learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 35, 751-781.
Bryk, A., Camburn, E., & Louis, K. S. (1999). Promoting
school improvement through professional communities: An analysis of Chicago elementary
schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 35, 707-750. Received the William
J. Davis Award.
Smith, B. & Louis, K. S. (1999). Changes at Big Mountain
High School. The Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. Received the
Paula Silver Award.
Louis, K. S. (1999). Making meaning of the relationship
between research and policy: An epilogue. Educational Policy, 13(1), 199-212.
Book Chapters
Louis, K. S., Mayrowetz, D., Smiley, M.,
& Murphy, J. (in press). The role of sensemaking and trust
in developing distributed leadership. In A. Harris (Ed.),
Distributed leadership: Different perspectives.
Netherlands: Spinger.
Kruse, S. & Louis, K. S. (in press). Evaluating technology
and instructional innovation: When clear findings are not evident. In M. Wallace
and L. Poulsen (Eds.), Learning to read critically in educational management.
London: Sage.
Jones, L. & Louis, K. S. (in press). Unions, politicians,
and educators: The Case of KEYS in River Bluffs Elementary. In B. Portin, L. Beck,
M. Knapp & J. Murphy (Eds.), Taking stock and moving on: The local lessons from
a national school renewal initiative. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Louis, K. S. (in press). Democratic values and schooling:
Reflections in an international context. In L. Moos (Ed.), Democratic schooling
in an international context. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
Toole, J. & Louis, K. S. (in press). Overcoming parody
and paradox in professional learning communities. In K. Leithwood (Ed.), International
handbook of educational administration (2nd ed.).
Mayrowetz, D., Murphy, J., Louis, K. S.,
& Smylie, M. A. (2008). Conceptualizing distributed
leadership as a school reform: Revisiting job redesign
theory. In K. Leithwood (Ed.), Distributed leadership
according to the evidence (pp. 167-196). Mahwah, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Febey, K., & Louis, K. S. (2008).
Perspectives on policy cultures in three states. In B.
Cooper, L. Fusarelli, & J. Cibulka (Eds.), Handbook of
education politics and policy (pp. 52-72). Mahwah, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Louis, K. S. (2008). Creating and
sustaining professional communities. In R. Coles & A.
Blankenstein (Eds.), Sustaining learning communities
(pp. 41-57). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Kruse, S., & Louis, K. S. (2007).
Building professional community from the top-down: A
reflective case study. In L. Stoll & K. S. Louis (Eds.),
Professional learning communities: Divergence, detail and
dilemmas. London: Open University Press.
Clarkson, L., & Louis, K. S. (2006).
Leadership for curriculum change: Schools engaged in
"closing the gap." In A. Danzig, K. Borman, B. Jones, & W.
Wright (Eds.), Professional development for learner
centered leadership: Policy, research, and practice
(pp. 11-130). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Louis, K. S. (2007). Managing complex
change: Bringing meso-politics back in. In M. Wallace, M.
Fertig, & E. Schnelling (Eds.), Managing change in the
public services (pp. 97-115). Oxford: Blackwell.
Spillane, J. & Louis, K.S. (2002). School improvement
processes and practices: Professional learning for building instructional capacity.
In J. Murphy (Ed.), Challenges of leadership: Yearbook of the National Society
for the Study of Education. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago.
Marks, H., Louis, K. S. & Printy, S. (2000). The capacity
for organizational learning: Implications for pedagogy and student achievement.
In K. Leithwood (Ed.), Organizational learning and school improvement
(pp. 239-266). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
Louis, K. S., Seppanen, P., Jones, L., & Smylie, M. (2000).
Unions as leaders for school change: An analysis of the "KEYS" programs. In
K. Riley & Louis, K. S. (Eds.), Leadership for learning: International perspectives
on leadership in school reform and change (pp. 163-184). London: Falmer.
Presentations
Louis, K.S. (1998). Organizational learning and school reform.
Keynote presentation at the Northwest Regional Laboratory conference on school improvement,
July 17.
Louis, K. S. (1998) Organizational learning and school reform.
Presentation at the Ohio School Reform Network, June 17.
Louis, K. S. (1998). Organizational Learning and the Use of Evaluations.
Paper presented at the Minnesota chapter of the American Evaluation Association,
May 13.
Louis, K. S., Seppanen, P., Jones, L., & Smylie, M. (1998).
Unions as leaders for school change: An analysis of the "KEYS" programs. Paper presented
at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego.
Louis, K. S. and Voogt, J (1998). Comparative perspectives on
school reform policies. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, San Diego.
Louis, K. S. and Voogt, J. (1998). Comparative perspectives on
reform policies. Paper presented at the International Conference on School Reform,
Max Plank Institute, Berlin, February 20.
Campbell, E., & Louis, K. S. (1998).
Looking a gift horse in
the mouth: Philanthropy and self-interest in academic science. Presented at The
Future Location of Research in a Triple Helix of University-Industry-Government
Relations: An International Symposium, New York, January 6-10, 1998.
Research
- National study linking leadership at state,
district, and school levels to student learning
- Study of professional and ethical values in graduate school
- Study of academic-industry relations in science
Academic Degrees
- Ph.D., Columbia University, 1975, sociology
- B.A., Swarthmore College, 1967, history
Professional Experience
- University of Minnesota, professor, chair,
associate dean (1987-present)
- Rijksuniversiteit van Utrecht, visiting scholar
(1986)
- Harvard University, lecturer (1984-1987)
- Center for Survey Research, senior research fellow and associate
director (1987-1987)
- ABT Associates Inc., associate director and senior analyst
(1976-1981)
- Tufts University, assistant professor
(1973-1976)
Professional Affiliations
Revised July 2009
|
