Failing Systems, Complex Fix

Kara Finnigan is associate professor of education policy at the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education. She has conducted research and evaluations of K-12 policies and programs at the local, state, and federal level for more than 20 years through her work at the university as well as several prominent research organizations, including the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, SRI International, RPP International, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation. She has written extensively on the topics of low-performing schools and high-stakes accountability, district reform, principal leadership, and school choice. Finnigan's research blends perspectives in education, sociology, and political science; employs qualitative and quantitative methods, including social network analysis; and focuses on urban school districts. Her current research, supported by the WT Grant Foundation, focuses on the role of social networks in the acquisition, use, and diffusion of research evidence at the school and district level. Finnigan recently served as associate editor of the American Educational Research Journal. At the Warner School, she teaches courses on educational policy, sociology of education, and research methods. Finnigan received her PhD in education policy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her MA in administration and policy analysis from Stanford University, and a BA from Dartmouth College.

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