Morgaen Donaldson

Morgaen Donaldson is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE) at the University of Connecticut. She holds the Philip E. Austin Endowed Chair and serves as Associate Dean for Research. Her work focuses on educator evaluation, leadership development, and education policy, with emphasis on urban and rural schools. Dr. Donaldson’s research examines teacher evaluation systems, principal evaluation policies, and human capital strategies in school districts. She has led federally funded studies on principal evaluation and teacher development in multiple states, including Connecticut, Michigan, and Tennessee.

Education: Ed.D. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education; Ed.M. in Teaching and Curriculum (Harvard); A.B. in History and American Studies (Princeton).

Research Interests:

• Educator Evaluation Systems
• Leadership Development
• Urban School Reform
• Policy Implementation
• Teacher Retention Strategies

Publications highlight her focus on principal evaluation dynamics, tracking in schools, and the micropolitics of educational leadership. Her 2021 book Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Teacher Evaluation synthesizes research on evaluation frameworks. Awards include the AERA Early Career Scholar Award and the Culbertson Outstanding Junior Scholar Award.

Grants include studies on Connecticut’s educator evaluation system, New Haven Public Schools’ human capital strategies, and pandemic-era education research through the Connecticut COVID-19 Education Research Collaborative (CCERC). She advises doctoral students focusing on equity in teacher education and culturally relevant pedagogy.

Labs/Teams: Director of CEPARE; co-director of CCERC; Research Affiliate at Harvard’s Project on the Next Generation of Teachers.