Wayne State University College of Education names Sarah Lenhoff the inaugural Leonard Kaplan Endowed Professor
The Wayne State University College of Education recently named Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies, the inaugural Leonard Kaplan Endowed Professor. This is a five-year appointment.
The endowed professorship was named in honor of Leonard Kaplan, Ed.D., an internationally recognized scholar, former professor in the College of Education, and an uncompromising advocate for the social and affective well-being of the "whole child" in America’s schools. Funded by gifts from Kaplan’s former students, family and friends, the endowed professorship recognizes an outstanding scholar whose research and teaching are aligned to addressing the needs of all students and promotes their healthy development and success.
“Sarah Lenhoff is an outstanding teacher and scholar whose mission and research exemplify the ideals and principles that Dr. Kaplan emphasized,” said Ingrid Guerra-Lopez, interim dean of the College of Education. “She is a thought leader who is committed to ensuring access and equitable student success. I look forward to supporting her as she sets out to establish a model for rigorous, community-based engaged research that is anchored in meeting the needs of all children, their families and communities through educational policy thought leadership and practice.”
“I am incredibly honored to be named the inaugural Leonard Kaplan Endowed Professor,” said Lenhoff. “Dr. Kaplan was a renowned educator who emphasized the essential connection between students’ home lives and education. I am honored to carry on his legacy by studying how students’ families, schools and communities shape their access to schooling and their opportunities for personal fulfillment.”
In addition to teaching and mentoring students, Lenhoff directs the Detroit Education Research Partnership (DERP), a collaboration between researchers in the College of Education and a constellation of community partners interested in improving Detroit schools, including the Detroit Public Schools Community District and the Every School Day Counts Detroit coalition. The partnership has produced several research reports on issues of critical importance to the district and its students, including chronic absenteeism, student mobility, school choice, school transportation policies, literacy, and the impact of COVID-19 on attendance. During the last three years, Lenhoff has helped secure nearly $2.3 million in grant funding for DERP, including the college’s first-ever award from the Spencer Foundation with co-principal investigators Ben Pogodzinski and Erica Edwards and funding from The Skillman Foundation that has resulted in data-sharing agreements with the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the State of Michigan’s Center for Education Performance and Information, and numerous Detroit charter schools that will support DERP’s efforts to conduct research that helps improve educational policies in Detroit. Lenhoff was recently awarded a grant from the American Educational Research Association to organize a conference related to research on absenteeism in collaboration with colleagues from other universities.
“I am excited to build on our existing work at the Detroit Education Research Partnership to establish a college center that will serve as a go-to resource and research partner for stakeholders interested in improving the Detroit educational ecosystem,” said Lenhoff. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to build on the important work already happening in the college and establish an institution to promote our work among policymakers and key educational leaders.”
Lenhoff, who earned a bachelor’s in English and women’s studies from the University of Georgia and a master’s in teaching with a concentration in adolescent education from Pace University, began her career as an English Language Arts teacher in the New York Public Schools. Her time as an educator sparked her interest in educational leadership and policy studies.
“As a middle school teacher, I witnessed firsthand how my ability to teach my students well was shaped by building administrators and the policy environment in which I worked,” said Lenhoff. “I wanted to better understand how education policy is designed and what effect it has on students, particularly those who are often marginalized in our public systems.”
Lenhoff pursued doctoral studies in educational policy at Michigan State University, where she served as a research assistant and field instructor. Then, she led the policy and research division at The Education Trust-Midwest for four years.
In 2015, Lenhoff joined the College of Education as an assistant professor. She was promoted to associate professor this year. The author of several articles, book chapters and policy reports, Lenhoff has delivered numerous presentations and received many awards, including the college’s Faculty Service Award for her leadership and service at the college, campus, community, state and national level and the Kathleen Reilly Koory Endowed Faculty Development Award, which recognizes faculty achievement, encourages continued academic progress and provides assistance to faculty who demonstrate significant contributions to the college.
“I am inspired by the educators and community leaders in Detroit who navigate unequal systems to provide enriching learning opportunities for young people,” said Lenhoff. “I’m also inspired by the students and families of Detroit, who often go to great lengths to access education. I do this work to support their efforts and to shed light on the possibilities for improvement across students’ educational ecosystems, which include not only schools but also neighborhood, city and state systems and conditions that affect them. I look forward to continuing to work with them to create the change they want and deserve.”