Chair and Professor of the Department of Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. Alan is also the founding Executive Editor of the new Sage Journal Educational Neuroscience. Alan’s research and teaching are influenced by his 16 years of public school experience in a variety of instructional and leadership roles. His research primarily focuses on the role of leadership, educational policy, and organization structures and the relationship between those elements on the educational attainment of traditionally marginalized student populations.

Alan draws on his theoretical and methodological expertise in social network theory and analysis in his work and has multiple publications and a book on the topic published by Harvard Press entitled, Social Network Theory and Educational Change. He has a second co-authored book with Springer entitled, Using Research Evidence in Schools, and a third book published by the American Educational Research Association entitled, Thinking and Acting Systemically: Improving School Districts Under Pressure.