Kathryn Schiller (Ph.D. Sociology, University of Chicago) is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Administration & Policy Studies. She is also affiliated with the Department of Sociology, an Associate of the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis, and affiliated with the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. In addition to sociology of education, Dr. Schiller teaches courses in applied statistics and research methods for both researchers and educational leaders.

Her research has explored the role of schooling in the development of human capital focusing on how organizational structures and social networks shape individuals’ developmental trajectories. She was a co-investigator for Adolescent Health & Academic Achievement (AHAA), a $5 million research project funded by the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation. An education component for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, results from AHAA detailing links between adolescents’ social relationships, academic experiences throughout high school, and health in young adulthood were published in leading research journals including Sociology of Education, Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis, American Journal of Education, and Journal of Educational Leadership. She participates regularly in national and state-funded research, including the 2005 National Mathematics Curriculum Study (National Center for Education Statistics) that provided the first detailed analysis of Algebra I and Geometry curricula across the nation linked to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Much of Dr. Schiller’s current research focuses on the role of school leaders and adaptations by teachers when implementing high stakes systemic reforms (e.g., Common Core Learning Standards and Annual Professional Performance Reviews) or on approaches to mentoring novice teachers about promoting racial justice in their classrooms. Two of these projects explore the impact of pandemic disruptions on educators’ work conditions and ability to meet their and students’ needs.