Kenneth Frank received his Ph.D. in measurement, evaluation and statistical analysis from the School of Education at the University of Chicago in 1993.  He is MSU Foundation professor of Sociometrics, professor in Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education; and adjunct (by courtesy) in Fisheries and Wildlife and Sociology at Michigan State University.  His substantive interests include the study of schools as organizations, social structures of students and teachers and school decision-making, and social capital.  His substantive areas are linked to several methodological interests: social network analysis, sensitivity analysis and causal inference (http://konfound-it.com),and multi-level models. His recent publications include agent-based models of the social dynamics of the implementation of innovations in organizations and the implications of social networks for educational opportunity.

*Frank, K.A., and *Xu, Ran.(2018)Implementation of Evidence Based Practice in Human Service Organizations: Implications from Agent-Based Models. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.37(4): 4867-895. *Co-equal first authors.

Frank K.A., Lo Y., Torphy K., Kim J. (2018) Social Networks and Educational Opportunity. pp 297-316 in Schneider B. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Education in the 21st Century. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, 

John Lane has worked as a teacher, instructional coach, professional development trainer, site administrator, and scholar. Most currently, John works in the Office of K12 Outreach as an Outreach Specialist. He also writes regularly for publication on teacher social networks, policy and reform, educational leadership, and teaching and learning.

Kaitlin Torphy, Ph.D. is the Lead Researcher and Founder of the Teachers in Social Media Project at Michigan State University. This project considers the intersection of cloud to class, nature of resources within virtual resource pools, and implications for equity as educational spaces grow increasingly connected. Dr. Torphy conceptualizes the emergence of a teacherpreneurial guild in which teachers turn to one another for instructional content and resources. She has expertise in teachers’ engagement across virtual platforms, teachers’ physical and virtual social networks, and education policy reform. Dr. Torphy has published work on charter school impacts, curricular reform, teachers’ social networks, and presented work regarding teachers’ engagement within social media at the national and international level. Her other work examines diffusion of sustainable practices across social networks within The Nature Conservancy. Dr. Torphy earned a Ph.D. in education policy, a specialization in the economics of education from Michigan State University in 2014 and is a Teach for America alumni and former Chicago Public Schools teacher.

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Dirk F. Zuschlagis a PhD candidate in the education policy doctoral program at Michigan State University. His dissertation examines the interactions between and effects of teachers’ interdependent participation in professional communities and teacher evaluations. Zuschlag taught public high school social studies for 16 years, during which he was a learning coach and teacher leader as well. He also served two terms on the Michigan Teacher Tenure Commission. Prior to teaching, Zuschlag’s 13 years of private legal practice included the representation of teachers, other public employees, and public sector unions. He holds an MA in education and a JD from the University of Michigan; his BA is from Duke University.