Sharon D. Kruse Ph.D.

My passion is helping make schools places where everyone is engaged in learning. I believe the challenge, no matter the level of schooling, is to find initiatives that inspire people to want to learn and to be excited about their learning.

Research

Sharon D. Kruse’s scholarship broadly addresses two concerns, (1) to help teachers and school leaders better understand the key role leadership plays in schools and (2) to explore how education is currently structured and influenced by social and organizational complexity. Kruse’s work focuses on understanding how schools can be better places for the children who attend them and the teachers who work in them.  By focusing on the ways issues are framed, decisions are made and problems are identified she seeks to understand how schools can better educate and meet the needs of students.  Her work is both theoretical and practical. By focusing her empirical research in schools and districts, on the development of professional learning communities and the ways data-use contributes to the development of data-wise school cultures, establishing connections to practice.

Education

• B.A. Western Washington University
• M.Ed. Seattle Pacific University
• Ph.D. University of Minnesota