College of Education and Human Development

Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Education policy and leadership

Education can be a hot-button issue. How do we provide fair and equal educational opportunities to all learners? How do we understand the legacies of the policies and choices we’ve made in the past? How do we ensure young people are afforded dignity and inclusion into our learning communities?

The Education Policy and Leadership (EPL) track offers coursework and research experiences designed to prepare you to make a difference in educational systems and settings for PK-12 children and youth. We provide you with a foundational understanding of the histories and variables that affect how a school or district is run, and we give you the scholarship and tools to make positive changes. We are committed to supporting leaders and scholars who work to continuously improve educational quality and effectiveness so that young people graduate from secondary education well-prepared to continue their learning and contribute to their communities.

Programs

Education policy and leadership MA

Develop a mastery of skills and knowledge in how politics, policies, and organizational cultures affect pre-K-12 education and development.

Leadership in education MEd

Applied to education, the study of leadership takes on new meaning and potential. Leadership in Education provides opportunities to shape and support young people’s growth and development.

K-12 administrative licensure

This program prepares aspiring administrators as K-12 principals, superintendents, directors of special education, and directors of community education.

Program faculty

Nicola Alexander Nicola Alexander

  • Professor; Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Diversity, and International Initiatives
  • 612-626-3256
  • nalexand@umn.edu

Policy does not always work in the way we expect or want. My research examines the implications of policy for society as a whole, entire student populations, and specified student groups.

Nicola Alexander
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Peter Demerath Peter Demerath

Demerath completes UMN GPS Alliance-Sponsored outreach trip to Papua New Guinea - Extended write up with pictures [PDF] My research and teaching are guided by a commitment to broaden equitable educational opportunity for all students.

Peter Demerath
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Debra Prenkert Debra Prenkert

Dr. Prenkert has been in K-12 education for 28 years. She was a classroom teacher for 12 years at the elementary level.

Debra Prenkert
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David Quinn David Quinn

  • Rodney S. Wallace Associate Professor for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
  • dquinn@umn.edu

David M. Quinn is Rodney S. Wallace Associate Professor for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota.

David Quinn
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Christine Sonenblum Christine Sonenblum

Early research projects concerned inclusive education services for students with disabilities, team-decision making in development of Individualized Education Programs, and post-school outcomes for students who had received special education and…

Christine Sonenblum
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Nathaniel Stewart Nathaniel Stewart

  • Assistant Professor; Carmen Starkson Campbell Endowed Fellow for Innovation in Teacher Development
  • 612-625-3517
  • stewart1@umn.edu

I am a former middle school science teacher and Black liberatory pedagogist, turned educational policy scholar.

Nathaniel Stewart
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Peggy Benedetti Andrews Peggy Benedetti Andrews

Prior to beginning an academic career, I worked in the field of human resources for more than 20 years and held staff and leadership positions at The Pillsbury Company, Personnel Decisions International, Ameriprise Financial (formerly American…

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Katie Pekel Katie Pekel

  • Executive Director of Educational Leadership; Co-Coordinator, Graduate Programs in Education Policy and Leadership
  • 612-625-7002
  • kpekel@umn.edu

As the Executive Director of Educational Leadership, Dr. Pekel serves as the department’s direct connection between the fields of research and practice in PK-12 education.

Katie Pekel
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Gary Prest Gary Prest

  • Director, Administrative Licensure; Co-Coordinator, Graduate Programs in Education Policy and Leadership; Co-Director, Urban Leadership Academy
  • 612-626-8647
  • pres0004@umn.edu

As a University of Minnesota alumni, I am grateful to serve this great institution and its students as the Director of Administrative Licensure and lead in leadership development for educational administrators.

Gary Prest
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Aditi Rajendran Aditi Rajendran

My research explores how leadership shifts policies and practices towards more racially just schools and systems.

Aditi Rajendran
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Darrius Stanley Darrius Stanley

  • Assistant Professor; Carmen Starkson Campbell Endowed Fellow for Innovation in Teacher Development
  • he, him, his
  • dstanley@umn.edu

My work centers the political, educational, and philosophical perspectives of Black people to unearth Black genius and possibility in education.

Darrius Stanley
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Kyla Wahlstrom Kyla Wahlstrom

Kyla L. Wahlstrom, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow in the College of Education and Human Development, and also a Lecturer in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development (OLPD). Most recently, Dr.

Kyla Wahlstrom
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Begin your journey