Supporting Initiatives
System-Wide Social Networks and Leadership Research
This research strand explores how district-wide leadership, system-level networks, and cross-sector collaboration drive educational change. Projects in this area examine how social networks, organizational structures, and leadership dynamics influence school reform, equity-centered initiatives, and professional learning. Through comprehensive assessments and mixed methodologies, this work foregrounds the role of relationships in shaping leadership, decision-making, organizational change, and policy implementation at scale.
The CALL/ECL project, funded by the Wallace Foundation, examines how urban school districts build equity-centered principal pipelines to prepare school leaders committed to advancing educational equity. This project studies the evolution of multi-sector partnerships, analyzes the growth of professional networks, and develops data-driven tools to support the practices of equity-centered leaders in schools.
- Liou, Y.-H., Molle, D., Saldaña, C. M., Childs, J., Clifford, M., Awaludin, A., Guan, X., & Halverson, R. (2025). Building inclusive networks for equity: The growing influence of community leadership. ICSEI Dialogic, 2025, 26–31. Download here
- Molle, D., Liou, Y.-H., Halverson, R., Clifford, M., Childs, J., Saldaña, C., Awaludin, A., Guan, X., & Lee, Y.-S. (2024). Exploring the evolution of district-university partnerships focused on equity-centered leadership. Journal of Professional Capital & Community.
- Liou, Y.-H., Molle, D., Saldaña, C. M., Childs, J., Clifford, M., Awaludin, A., Guan, X., & Halverson, R. (2025). Building inclusive networks for equity: The growing influence of community leadership. ICSEI Dialogic, 2025, 26–31.
This project examines how educators navigate and implement large-scale policy reforms within complex school and district environments, considering the interplay between professional beliefs, social networks, and organizational conditions. This initiative maps the connections between teachers’ sensemaking, collaboration patterns, and professional knowledge-sharing to better understand what drives meaningful change. Through longitudinal data and network analysis, the project uncovers how relationships and organizational dynamics affect the implementation and sustainability of reform efforts.
- Liou, Y.-H., Bjorklund Jr., P., & Daly, A. J. (2021). Climate change in Common Core policy context: The shifting role of attitudes and beliefs. Educational Policy, 35(6), 908–948.
- Daly, A. J., Liou, Y.-H., & Der-Martirosian, C., (2020). A capital idea: Exploring the relationship between human and social capital and student achievement in schools. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 6(1), 7–28.
This project investigates how leadership, decision-making, and professional learning unfold within education systems. Schools and districts operate as interconnected networks, where formal and informal ties shape collaboration, trust, and policy implementation. Using social network analysis and mixed-methods research, the project explores how leadership and professional relationships evolve over time. These insights reveal how organizational learning and leadership capacity grow across different levels of the system.
- Liou, Y.-H., Brouwer, J., Daly, A. J., & Lee, Y.-S. (2024). Relational rhythms: Investigating longitudinal advice network of a leadership team undergoing change. AERA Open.
- Liou, Y.-H., Lee, Y.-S., Chiang-Lin, T. J., & Daly, A. J. (2022). Leaders’ advice networks over time: The role of beliefs and organizational learning during change implementation. Journal of Educational Administration, 60(6), 579-596.
- Liou, Y.-H., & Daly, A. J. (2021). Obstacles and opportunities for networked practice: A social network analysis of an inter-organizational STEM ecosystem. Journal of Educational Administration, 59(1), 94–115.
- Liou, Y.-H., & Daly, A. J. (2020). Investigating leader self-efficacy through policy engagement and social network position. Educational Policy, 34(3), 411-448.
- Liou, Y.-H., & Daly, A. J. (2019). The lead igniter: A longitudinal examination of influence and energy through networks, efficacy, and climate. Educational Administration Quarterly, 55(3), 363–403.
- Liou, Y.-H., & Daly, A. J. (2018). Broken bridges: A social network perspective on urban high school leadership. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(5), 562-584.
- Liou, Y.-H. (2016). Tied to the Common Core: Exploring the characteristics of reform advice relationships of educational leaders. Educational Administration Quarterly, 52(5), 793-840.
- Daly, A. J., Liou, Y.-H., & Brown, C. (2016). Social red bull: Exploring energy relationships in a school district leadership team. Harvard Educational Review, 86(3), 412-448.
This project focuses on strengthening research–practice partnerships, working alongside school and district leaders to identify high-impact strategies for educational growth. Through mutual learning and relational trust, the initiative fosters a collaborative space where researchers and practitioners refine strategies to enhance school culture, leadership, and decision-making. Grounded in evidence-informed approaches, the project supports leaders in navigating complex challenges and building systems that benefit both educators and students.
- van Halem, N., Lockton, M., Trautman, D., Liou, Y.-H., & Daly, A.J. (2025). Headwinds and tailwinds: insights from a research–practice partnership on identifying high-impact growth areas for school improvement. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 10(2), 190–206.
Funded by The William T. Grant Foundation, this longitudinal research project examines how urban school districts under reform mandates engage with research evidence and professional networks. The focus is on how these networks support or constrain the exchange of knowledge, organizational learning, and decision-making. Through case studies and social network analysis, the project explores how educators access, interpret, and apply different forms of evidence to shape school improvement efforts.
- Daly, A. J., Finnigan, K. S., & Liou, Y.-H. (2017, April 18). The social cost of leadership churn: The case of an urban school district. In E. Quintero (Ed.), Teaching in context: The social side of education reform (pp. 131-146). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
- Daly, A. J., Finnigan, K. S., & Liou, Y.-H. (2016, May 2). How leadership churn undermines learning and improvement in low-performing school districts. In Daly, A. J., & Finnigan, K. S. (Eds.), Thinking and acting systemically: Improving school districts under pressure (pp. 183-208). Washington DC, US: American Educational Research Association.
- Daly, A. J., Liou, Y.-H., & Moolenaar, N. (2014, February 1). The principal connection: Trust and innovation in a network of reform. In D. V. Maele, M. V. Houtte & P. B. Forsyth (Eds.), Trust and school life: The role of trust for learning, teaching, leading, and bridging (pp. 285-312). New York, NY: Springer.
This project examines how curriculum leadership, professional networks, and educator collaboration take shape and influence learning within New Zealand’s Communities of Learning (Kāhui Ako). The initiative highlights the role of social networks in strengthening educator well-being and curriculum implementation, while offering insights into network-based strategies that enhance school capacity and leadership development.
- Liou, Y.-H., Sinnema, C., Rodway, J., Su, L.-H., Daly, A. J., & Cann, R. (2024). Collaborative conditions for teacher professional growth: The role of network intentionality and leading curriculum learning efficacy. Journal of Professional Capital and Community.
- Cann, R., Sinnema, C., Daly, A. J., Rodway, J., & Liou, Y.-H. (2022). The power of school conditions: Individual, relational, and organizational influences on educator wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, 775614.
- Sinnema, C., Liou, Y.-H., Daly, A. J., Cann, R., & Rodway, J. (2021). When seekers reap rewards and providers pay a price: The role of relationships and discussion in improving practice in a community of learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 107 (November), 103474.
- Sinnema, C., Daly, A. J, Liou, Y.-H., & Rodway, J. (2020). Exploring the communities of learning policy in New Zealand using social network analysis: A case study of leadership, expertise, and networks. International Journal of Educational Research, 99(2020 August), 101492.