A political scientist by training, Kenneth Wong has conducted extensive research in urban school reform, mayoral involvement in education, charter schools, state finance and education policies, intergovernmental relations, and federal education policies (such as restructuring efforts in high poverty schools). His research projects have received support from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences, and several foundations.

Kenneth Wong is leading multidisciplinary teams to address critical issues in education reform. First, with support from foundations and governmental agencies over the last several years, Wong has studied the design, implementation, and effects of mayoral-led urban school systems. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, this project provides the most comprehensive empirical analysis on the topic of mayoral involvement across the nation’s school systems. Second, Wong coordinates a team of faculty to provide leadership development for school leaders in a large urban district in China as well as several urban independent schools in India.  Finally, with support from foundations and governmental funding, Wong has studied charter school effectiveness. While one project addresses the legislative context of charter reform, another uses the randomized field method to examine student academic gains over time.

RESEARCH PROJECTS
 

2011-13 Principal Investigator, “An Evaluation of Rhode Island Charter School Performance,” funded by the Rhode Island Foundation

2011-13 Principal Investigator, “A study on action civics: Implementation of the Generation Citizen initiative,” funded by the Spencer Foundation

2010-12 Principal Investigator, “Technical Assistance to Turnaround Implementation in Glenwood Leadership Academy, Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation,” funded by the Indiana Department of Education

2009-11 Co-Principal Investigator, “Politics of Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” funded by the William Casper Graustein Memorial Fund

2009-12 Principal Investigator, “Politics and Governance: Sustaining Effects of Mayoral Control in Urban Systems,” funded by the Smith Richardson Foundation

2009-13 Principal Investigator, “Partnership with Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation on leadership development,” funded by the EVSC and IN Department of Education

2009 Principal Investigator, “Developing a School Funding Formula in Rhode Island,” funded by the Rhode Island Foundation

2009 Principal Investigator, “The Status of Black Community in Rhode Island,” funded by the Rhode Island Foundation

2007-11 Principal Investigator, “An Evaluation of District-Wide Reform in Brockton Public Schools,” funded by the MA Department of Education

2007-10 Principal Investigator, “Broadening Internship Opportunities for Masters Students in the Urban Education Policy Program at Brown University,” funded by the Annenberg Foundation

2007-08 Principal Investigator, “Toward a Closer Alignment between High School and University Curricula: A Pilot Study on International Comparison in Students’ Study of Chemistry,” Research Seed Funding Award, Brown University

2007-10 Principal Investigator, “Academic Pathways for At-Risk Eighth Graders in Urban Districts, Rhode Island,” funded by the Rhode Island Foundation

2006-07 Principal Investigator, “A National Invitation Conference on the History and Policy of Education,” funded by the Spencer Foundation

2006-07 Principal Investigator, “Education Reform Forum: Developing a Roadmap of Collaboration in Providence,” funded by the Broad Foundation

2005-10 Principal Investigator, Brown Research Projects on Charter Schools and Educational Choice, Subcontract with the Vanderbilt Center on School Choice, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences

2004-09 Co-Principal Investigator, Math and Science Partnership Program Evaluation, National Science Foundation ($13 million of which Brown's subcontract is $3 million)


2004-05 Principal Investigator (Center Founding Director), "National Research Center on School Choice, Competition, and Student Achievement," a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences

2004-05 Co-Investigator, "Vanderbilt Predoctoral Research Training in Education Sciences," a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences

2004-05 Principal Investigator, "The Tennessee Workforce Development System," funded by the Rockefeller Foundation

2004 Principal Investigator, "Charter Schools: Design and Implementation," funded by the Tennessee State Department of Education

2001-05 Principal Investigator, "School takeover and transformation by city and state government as a reform strategy," funded by the U.S. Department of Education through subcontract with the Laboratory for Student Success

2002-03 Principal Investigator, "The Impact of ICT on Learning: An International 2002 Conference on OECD Studies," funded by the National Science Foundation

2002-03 Principal Investigator, "Educational Reform in Japan," Fellowship for International Senior Scientists awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

2001-02 Principal Investigator, "Supplemental Analyses of the Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance in the Title I Schools," funded by the U.S. Department of Education via a Contract with Westat

1999-01 Principal Investigator, "The Consequences of Accountability: The Effects of Integrated Governance on Instructional Practices in Chicago High Schools," funded by the Spencer Foundation

1997-01 Principal Investigator, "Integrated Governance as a Strategy to Improve Low-Performing High Schools," funded by the National Institute on Educational Governance, U.S. Department of Education

1997-98 Principal Investigator, "A Comparative Study of School Reform in Birmingham (UK) and Chicago," supported by the City of Birmingham, the Chicago Public Schools, British Council, University of Birmingham, and the Division of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago (Leave of absence from teaching in the Fall and Winter Quarters)

1996-99 Principal Investigator, "Improving Within-School and School-Community Systemic Linkage for At-Risk Students," funded by the National Science Foundation

1996-97 Principal Investigator, "Enhancing Civics Literacy Through Mathematics Literacy," funded by the UCSMP Fund for Research in Mathematics Education, University of Chicago

1995-98 Principal Investigator, "Making System-wide Institutions Work for Teaching and Learning in the Chicago Public Schools," funded by the Joyce Foundation

1995-97 Principal Investigator, "Relation of State Education Reform to Instructional Practices and Student Outcomes: Implications on Narrowing the Learning Gap in Math," funded by the U.S. Department of Education

1995-96 Co-Principal Investigator, "Improving Mathematics Instruction for At-Risk Students," funded by the UCSMP Fund for Research in Mathematics Education, University of Chicago

1995-98 Principal Investigator, "Effects of School Reform on Educational Attainment of Students Considered to be At Risk," funded by the Mid-Atlantic Laboratory for Student Success at Temple University, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, US Department of Education

1994-95 Principal Investigator, "Prospects: Special Analysis on the Impact of Chapter 1 on Student Achievements," funded by the U.S. Department of Education

1994-96 Principal Investigator, "Systemwide Governance in the Chicago Public Schools: A Study Toward Institutional Redesign," funded by the Joyce Foundation and the Spencer Foundation

1993-95 Principal Investigator, "When Federal Chapter 1 Works to Improve Student Learning in the Inner-city Schools," funded by the National Center on Education in the Inner Cities, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, US Department of Education

1993-94 Principal Investigator, "Educational Equity and State Funding," funded by the Spencer Foundation

1992-93 Principal Investigator, "Linking Governance Reform to Schooling Opportunities for the Disadvantaged," funded by the Spencer Foundation and the Benton Center for Curriculum and Instruction

1991-92 Principal Investigator, "Linking Special-needs Pupils to the School Organization," funded by the Benton Center for Curriculum and Instruction, University of Chicago

1991-93 Co-Investigator, "The Changing Urban School System," funded by the Social Science Research Council

1990-91 Principal Investigator, "Effects of State Funding Strategies on Instructional and Curricular Opportunities for the disadvantaged," funded by the Benton Center for Curriculum and Instruction, University of Chicago, and by the Institute for Poverty Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

1989-90 Spencer Fellow, National Academy of Education Research Project, "Politics of State Share in Public School Financing in the U.S." 

2021-present Elected Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration

2021-Recipient, Louis Brownlow Best Book Award, National Academy of Public Adminstration

2009-Recipient, David Colton Award for distinctive contribution to the development of the Politics of Education Association.  This PEA award is given once every three years.

2007-Recipient, Deil Wright Best Paper Award, Federalism Section, American Political Science Association.  

2005-present The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair for Education Policy

2004-05 Principal Investigator (Center Founding Director), "National Research Center on School Choice, Competition, and Student Achievement," a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences

2002-03 Principal Investigator, "Educational Reform in Japan," Fellowship for International Senior Scientists awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

2002-04 President, Politics of Education Association

1989-90 Spencer Fellow, National Academy of Education Research Project, "Politics of State Share in Public School Financing in the U.S." 

American Political Science Association
American Educational Research Association
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

Politics of Education Association