Tom Halverson

Dr. Halverson’s research and teaching focus on three central areas: education policy and the politics of policymaking, international and comparative education, and organizational/leadership studies. Within the area of policy and policymaking he focuses predominantly on the pre-implementation phases of the process of making policy within state, national, and international contexts. In the area of international and comparative education his work is centered on the methodological challenges of exploring systems, policies, and practices outside the United States. In the areas of educational organizations and leadership studies his interests surround the development and evaluation of preparation programs for educational leaders. 

As a Senior Researcher with the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, Dr. Halverson was a co-principal investigator on a national leadership study funded by the Wallace Foundation, focusing on the roles, responsibilities, and authority of school leaders and their impact on improving student learning and increasing equitable educational opportunities for all students. A book and article from this work can be accessed via the links below:

Plecki, M, Halverson, T. & Knapp, M., (2014), Chapter Seven; Investing for Equity in Instructional Improvement, p. 153-180, in Learning-Focused Leadership in Action: Improving Instruction in Schools and Districts, Routledge, New York, NY.

T. Halverson & M. Plecki, (2015), Exploring the Politics of Differential Resource Allocation: Implications for Policy Design and Leadership Practice, in Leadership and Policy, vol. 14, issue 1, pp.42-66.