In our infinite ignorance, we are all equal (Popper).
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd (Voltaire).
Chen Schechter, Full Professor, Leadership, Organizational Development and Policy in Education. Aiming to integrate theory with empirical evidence and practice, his research areas include reform implementation, educational change, professional learning communities, organizational learning, collaborative learning from success, educational leadership, leadership development, and systems thinking for school leaders. Prof. Schechter earned his Ph.D. in K12 Educational Administration and Leadership from The Ohio State University.
He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Educational Administration (JEA), the oldest and most respected leading international journal in the field of educational leadership and management.
He is the Chair of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Special Interest Group on Organizational Theory.
He recently published The Collective Wisdom of Practice: Leading Our Professional Learning from Success (joint publication of Corwin and Learning Forward, 2019). He is co-editor of the Leading Holistically: How Schools, Districts, and States Improve Systemically (Routledge, 2018). In his role as Co-Editor of the 2017 NSSE Yearbook (National Society for the Study of Education) of Columbia University’s Teachers College, Schechter is one of the few international editors since John Dewey initiated the NSSE yearbooks in 1904. He co-authored Systems-Thinking for School Leaders: Holistic Leadership for Excellence in Schools (Springer, 2017) and also authored School Principals at the Forefront of Reforms (Tel-Aviv University Press, 2015).
He has published his research extensively in a wide range of highly ranked scholarly journals (e.g., Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of Educational Administration, Teachers College Record, Journal of School Leadership, Educational Research and others) and has presented his research in numerous national and international conferences.
His own empirical pursuits (as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator) have garnered external funding from prestigious grants like the Spencer Foundation, Israel Science Foundation (3 projects), and Ministry of Education Chief Scientist (2 projects).
Schechter advises PhD students from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds in their research dissertations. He has taught a wide range of courses on leadership, organizational development and policy in all academic levels, including principal preparation program (also online courses).
His administrative roles have included Vice Director of the School of Education, Head of the Teacher Education Department, and Director of the Principal Preparation Program. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the university’s Institute for the Advancement of Teaching, Learning and Social Integration in Education, while also acting as committee member and academic and professional advisor in numerous Ministry of Education projects.
He was a swimming champion and butterfly record holder, member of the National Swimming Team, and selected for the All-America Team in the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Swimming Championship.