Dr. Erin Anderson

Erin Anderson

Associate Professor

What I do

Erin Anderson (Ph.D., University of Virginia, Administration and Supervision) is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver.

Specialization(s)

Planning and implementing continuous equity oriented school improvement, Research practice partnerships and university district partnerships, Leadership preparation and policy, Teacher and leader well being

Professional Biography

Erin Anderson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Denver. Erin was also the recipient of the 2021 Jack A. Culbertson Early Career Award. She is the program manager for a professional learning program for leadership teams that integrates liberatory design and improvement science into school improvement work. She was also member of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Improvement Leadership Education and Development (iLEAD) Steering Committee (2019-2023). Her experience in K–12 middle and high schools initiated her interest in how to make schools more equitable and inclusive spaces for students historically marginalized by the education system and how to improve schools and ensure student and educator well-being. Her research focuses on planning, leading, and implementing continuous school and district improvement as well as leadership preparation. She is the co-editor of a book called Continuous Improvement: A Leadership Process for School Improvement and the first author of a co-authored book called Leading Continuous Improvement in Schools: Enacting Leadership Standards to Advance Educational Quality and Equity. In addition to several book chapters, including chapters in the Handbook of Educational Supervision and The Foundational Handbook on Improvement Research in Education, Anderson’s work has published in Frontiers, Journal of Educational Administration, Journal of Educational Change, Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Journal of School Leadership, Leadership and Policy in Schools, and Teacher’s College Record, . She is the author of the UCEA publication A Policymaker’s Guide: Research-Based Policy for Principal Preparation Program Approval and Licensure (2015).

She is the author of the 2023 book, Leading Continuous Improvement in Schools: Enacting Leadership Standards to Advance Educational Quality and Equity and co-editor of the 2023 book, Continuous Improvement: A Leadership Process for School Improvement.

Degree(s)

  • Ph.D., University of Virginia, Curry School of Education, 2015
  • Certificate, Adult Degree Program in Social Studies Education, Mary Baldwin College, 2005
  • M.Ed., University of Virginia, Curry School of Education, 2004
  • BA, Sociology, University of Virginia, 2000

Professional Affiliations

  • American Educational Research Association
  • University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA),

Media Sources

Research

My research focuses on planning and leading school improvement, creating socially just and equitable learning environments, teacher and leader well being, and policy and practice for leadership preparation programs.

Areas of Research

School improvement
Leadership Preparation

Featured Publications

Hinnant-Crawford, B., & Anderson, E. (2022). 5S framework for defining problems addressed through improvement research in education. In D. J. Peurach, J. L. Russell, L. Cohen-Vogel, & W. R. Penuel (Eds.), The foundational handbook on improvement research in education (pp. 297-324). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Korach, S., & Tabron, L. A. (1969). An asset-based partnership model for supporting schools in turnaround. In Collaborative Partnerships for School Leadership Development and Student Success: Models and Strategies for Change. Charlotte, NC, USA: Information Age.
Anderson, E. (2022). School improvement does not take place in a vacuum. In S. Chitpin & R. E. White (Eds.), Leading under pressure: Educational leadership in neoliberal times (pp. 99-120). Bingley, UK: Emerald.