Meredith Honig’s work is grounded in the research-based view that student learning occurs throughout the day—not simply in schools—and she works to understand how educational leadership and policy can draw on various school and community resources to expand all students’ learning. 

The main focus of her recent research has been on the role of urban school district central offices in expanding students’ opportunities to learn district-wide.  In fact, this is why Honig, formerly with the California state department of education, became a university-based researcher and teacher: to help build knowledge about what leadership and policy look like when they stem from this broader conception of learning. 

Honig, most recently on the Educational Leadership and Policy faculty at the University of Maryland, came to the University of Washington in 2006.

“A place like UW is just the place I want to be,” Honig reflected.  “The College is doing some of the best research of any  school of education  about how people learn and how entire education systems can  support learning.  At the same time, people here are trying to think deeply about how to develop practitioner preparation programs around what we know about how people and systems learn. I am excited to be a part of this community of researchers and practitioners.”

In the coming year, Honig hopes to work with fellow College faculty members and faculty across the university to build bridges between research and practice, and to work with local districts’ as they build their capacity for strengthening student learning.