Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies

Students & Alumni

POLS students are ambitious and action-oriented. They come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including teaching, school systems leadership, business, education technology, and government. What they share is a desire to develop the skills and knowledge they need to be effective leaders.

 

POLS cohorts bring together small, diverse groups of students to widen each other’s view of leadership in various domains of education. Peer learning and support form a key component of the program, modeling the connectivity and collaboration crucial to education leadership. Moreover, POLS students graduate with a network of connections that extends beyond the program year.

Our students

Claudia Chang headshot
Claudia Chang
Class: 2025
Areas of interest: Leadership, School Change, Positive Education, Assessment, Student Feedback Practices, Lifelong Learning Competencies, Change Management, Data Management, Collaborative Partnerships, Culture Building, Socio-emotional Learning
Kate Edson headshot
Kate Edson
Class: 2025
Areas of interest: Postsecondary Access and Success, Higher Education Policy, Career Pathways for Students, Financial Aid Policy, Dual Enrollment
Emma Parish headshot
Emma Parish
Class: 2025
Areas of interest: Education Policy, Postsecondary Access and Affordability, Higher Education Administration and Admissions, Civic Engagement, Student Affairs and Leadership
Michelle Zhang headshot
Michelle J. Zhang
Class: 2025
Areas of interest: Liberatory Science Education, Racial and Environmental Justice, Student Empowerment, Community Care and Activism, Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Burnout

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Field project

Facing the Challenge of Hate SpeechPolicy Considerations from a Bay Area High School

By Antonio Hernandez and Jared Bynum

We built upon the work of a Bay Area High School to address hate speech on their campus. We supported their efforts by analyzing the implementation of the policy. Through interviews and observations, we identified possible elements for disrupting hate speech and provided a framework for ...

Program Evaluation as a Learning Tool

By Julianna Docking

I collaborated with the Continuous Improvement and Rapid Cycle Learning and Evaluation (CIRCLE) team at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood in order to gain experience using a Theory of Impact (TOI) to guide a large-scale program evaluation. My project had two components. First, I contributed to ...

Peace by Piece

By Nesreen Ezzeddine

Growing up in a fundamental Muslim family, my exposure to socio-political discourse and narratives of conflict from a young age cultivated a deep awareness of geopolitical tensions and the harsh realities faced by individuals caught in the crosshairs of violence. Through these experiences, I gained ...

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Life after POLS

POLS graduates are well prepared to lead in a wide range of roles and contexts. Alumni work in school and district settings, higher education, education philanthropies, corporate and educational recruiting, and government. Below are a few examples of positions held by POLS alumni.

Higher education

Assistant Dean of Students, Oberlin College
Native American Liaison, Stanford Undergraduate Admissions Office
Instructor, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

K–12 leadership

Assistant Principal, Noble Network of Charter Schools
Literacy Coordinator, Harlem Children’s Zone
Academic Program Manager, Summit Public Schools

School networks, districts, government

Data Analyst, Boston Public Schools
Assistant Budget and Policy Analyst, State of Oregon
Legislative Assistant, United States Senate

Educational intermediaries and ed tech

Instructional Design Specialist, Coursera
Program Manager, Reading Partners
Education Analyst, Emerson Collective

The Graduate School of Education’s EdCareers office provides career education and counseling, job listings, career fairs and other resources to GSE students and alumni. 

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