Dr. Katharine Strunk

Biography

Katharine O. Strunk is the Dean of the Graduate School of Education and the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is recognized for her research leadership and expertise in K-12 education governance, teachers' unions, and collective bargaining agreements. Strunk has collaborated with various education policymakers, including serving on the Michigan Governor's Student Recovery Advisory Council, where she contributed to COVID-19 recovery strategies. Her extensive work in education policy includes significant roles such as the president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) and director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at Michigan State University. Strunk's academic background includes a Ph.D. from Stanford University and prior positions at the University of Southern California. Her research emphasizes the impacts of educational policies on underserved communities, and she has received over $21 million in external funding. She has published extensively in leading journals and co-authored a notable book on urban education governance.

Research Interests