Kenneth Frank

Dr. Kenneth Frank is an MSU Foundation Professor of Sociometrics and Professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education within the College of Education at Michigan State University. He holds adjunct appointments by courtesy in Fisheries and Wildlife (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources) and Sociology. His work bridges multiple disciplines through affiliations with the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, the Education Policy Center, and the Center for Statistical Training and Consulting (CSTAT).

• Ph.D., University of Chicago (1993), Measurement, Evaluation and Statistical Analysis
• M.A., University of Michigan (1988), Higher and Adult Continuing Education
• B.A., University of Michigan (1985), Statistics and English

Dr. Frank's research centers on the application of social network analysis to educational and organizational contexts. His work examines how social structures influence educational outcomes, policy implementation, and organizational change. He has developed innovative methods for analyzing social networks including crystalized sociograms and ensemble estimation techniques. His substantive interests include schools as organizations, social capital dynamics, and the implementation of educational reforms like the Common Core State Standards. Dr. Frank has created influential tools like konfound-it.com for causal inference sensitivity analysis, with applications extending to public health contexts including COVID-19 research.

His recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on how social networks mediate educational policy implementation, teacher development, and organizational change. The research shows progression from foundational network methods to applied studies examining teacher networks, innovation diffusion, and complex decision-making in educational and natural resource contexts. His work increasingly integrates computational approaches including agent-based modeling to examine organizational dynamics.

• MSU Foundation Professor of Sociometrics
• Member of the National Academy of Education

Dr. Frank directs multiple research initiatives including the konfound project for causal inference analysis, the Teachers in Social Media project (teachersinsocialmedia.com), and the Carbon-Time science curriculum implementation research. His work has been funded by various agencies supporting educational research and organizational studies. He advises numerous doctoral students and collaborates extensively across disciplines including education, sociology, fisheries, and natural resources management. Current projects examine beginning teachers' networks, school governance structures, social media use by teachers, climate change knowledge diffusion, and network interventions in natural resource management.

Dr. Frank leads research teams focused on network analysis applications across multiple domains. His konfound project team develops tools for sensitivity analysis in causal inference. The Teachers in Social Media project involves interdisciplinary researchers examining how educators use digital platforms. His Carbon-Time project team implements and studies science curriculum innovations. Additionally, he collaborates with environmental scientists on network interventions in natural resource management contexts through the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability.