"We can learn from what others are doing. Part of my responsibility is to learn what's going on in other areas of the country and around the world that can benefit New Jersey."

Title(s): Director, Center for Educational Policy Anaylsis (CEPA); Principal Investigator, New Jersey Math Science Partnership; Professor

Education: Ph.D. University of Chicago, Education and Sociology, 1974 M.A. University of Chicago, Education and Sociology, 1970 B.A. Antioch College, Psychology, 1969

Affiliations:

American Educational Research Association
American Sociological Association
Politics of Education Association

Research interests:

Dr. Firestone is interested in educational leadership and educational policy. He has been concerned about how testing influences teaching and learning processes for good and for ill.

More recently he has examined how leadership is distributed in districts and how different patterns of leadership can help schools improve. He was called upon to lead a national task force to develop new directions for research on educational leadership. The product of that work was a book entitled A New Agenda for Research on Educational Leadership. He is winner of the William Davis prize from the University Council of Educational Research.

Recent publications:

Firestone, W.A. Hayes, B., Shalaby, C., Robinson, M. (Forthcoming)  Professional development for instruction and student learning?  A new state policy for administrators.  Leadership and Policy in Schools.

Manno, C. and Firestone, W.  (2007) Content is the subject:  How teacher leaders with different subject knowledge interact with teachers.  In Mangin, M.M. and Stoelinga, S.R. (eds.)  Instructional leadership roles:  Using research to inform and reform.  Teachers College Press.

Firestone, W.A., Martinez, C. M. (2007)  Districts, teacher leaders, and distributed leadership:  Changing instructional practice.  Leadership and Policy in Schools. 6(1), 3-35.

Firestone, W.A. and Gonzalez, R.A. (2007) Culture and processes affecting data use in school districts.  In Moss, P.A. (Ed.) Evidence and decision making:  2007 Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. (pp. 132-154) Chicago:  NSSE.

Fisler, J. & Firestone, W.A. (2006) Teacher learning in a school-university partnership: Exploring the role of social trust and teaching efficacy beliefs.  Teachers College Record. 108(6), 115-1185.

Firestone, W.A. & Hirsh, L.S. (2006).  A Formative Evaluation of the Implementation of  New Jersey’s Professional Development Requirements for Teachers:  Year Five.  New Brunswick, NJ:  Center for Educational Policy Analysis.

Firestone, W.A., Riehl, C. (Eds.). (2005). A new agenda for research in educational leadership. New York: Teachers College Press.