Katharine O. Strunk

Katharine Strunk
Katharine O. Strunk
Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Education and Professor of Education Policy, College of Education,
Michigan State University

Katharine O. Strunk is the Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Education, professor of education policy in the College of Education, and by courtesy, professor of economics in the Department of Economics at Michigan State University, where she also serves as faculty director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC). An expert in K–12 education governance, her research examines teachers’ unions, collective bargaining agreements, portfolio management models, teacher labor markets, school turnaround, and accountability policies. Her work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and policy briefs to inform policymakers and practitioners. Strunk has collaborated extensively with district and state policymakers, including Los Angeles Unified School District and the California and Michigan Departments of Education, to support the formulation, design, and revision of education policy. Her research has been funded through state and federal contracts, grants, and philanthropic organizations. She is a past president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy and serves on the executive leadership board for the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH). Strunk earned her PhD in educational administration and policy and MA in economics from Stanford University and her BA in public policy from Princeton University.

updated 2025

Publications by Katharine O. Strunk
California's teacher shortage is severe, affecting high-needs students and certain subjects such as math, science, special education, and bilingual education. Factors driving the shortage include new demands for teachers, declining enrollment in…
How a Research Center Based at USC Rossier, Stanford and UC Davis Is Helping California Forge Its Own Path in Advancing Its Education System
Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) is a consortium of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from USC Rossier, Stanford, and UC Davis Schools of Education working to improve education policy in California. PACE's focus has been…
Developing a Research Agenda to Further Policy Change
Recent legislative and judicial activity across the country aims to attract and retain high-quality teachers for every classroom. Research has shown that a high-quality teacher is the most important factor in students' academic success and long-term…
Moving Beyond the Stereotype
This brief examines how Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) between school districts and teachers’ unions vary across California's 464 districts, suggesting that local flexibility is being used to solve specific problems. However, CBAs in high-…