Paul E. Heckman

Former Associate Dean and Professor, School of Education,

University of California, Davis

Paul E. Heckman is a former associate dean and professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis. He was also the founding codirector of the Capital Area North Doctorate in Educational Leadership Program (CANDEL) at UC Davis. He was instrumental in shaping CANDEL’s focus on the nexus between theory and practice in leadership, envisioning a program that would promote transformation by questioning existing educational structures and practices to create alternatives that match what we know about learning. His areas of expertise and research encompassed curriculum theory and change; educational ecology of communities; educational leadership; school restructuring; organizational arrangements and structures; educational change and invention in urban communities, schools, and afterschool programs; and youth in community development. Heckman received his PhD in curriculum and the study of schooling from the University of California, Los Angeles.

updated 2025

Contributing topics

Educational governance & policy

Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes

Commentary by Paul E. Heckman