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About
Before her appointment as dean, Ellen Condliffe Lagemann, a nationally known expert on the history of education and education research, had been the president of the Spencer Foundation. She taught at New York University, chaired the humanities and social sciences department, and was director of the Center for the Study of American Culture and Education. She also taught at Teachers College, where she was a member of the history department at Columbia University.
Lagemann was the third woman to become a Harvard faculty dean. Her appointment marked the first time two women simultaneously served as deans of different faculties. Being appointed from outside the HGSE faculty allowed Dean Lagemann to bring a fresh approach to issues facing the school.
A fundamental principle underlying Lagemann’s three years as dean was translating education theory and research into tools teachers and students could use in learning environments. This led to the creation of the Usable Knowledge initiative. Several conferences were held under this theme, and papers from one were later published as the book Scaling Up Success: Lessons from Technology-Based Educational Improvement.
In December 2004, HGSE combined the administrative structure of the Principals’ Center and Programs in Professional Education (PPE) into one unit. Lagemann contacted other Harvard University faculties to enhance the university’s role in improving K–12 education. As a result, the Public Education Leadership Project, a collaboration of HGSE and Harvard Business School, and the Achievement Gap Initiative, which helps study and narrow the performance gap in education, were formed. Lagemann also established core courses in the school’s curriculum across disciplines, transitioning to a broader, school-wide approach to academics. $22 million was raised during her tenure.
Lois Woolley likes to observe the nuances of gestures and expressions that may be particularly characteristic of that individual. In this portrait, Woolley had Lagemann stand in a natural pose, appearing to interact with the viewer. Woolley is an oil and pastel painter whose specialty is portraiture. Much of her work has been commissioned by individuals for personal collections rather than public commissions for organizations.
Woolley’s professional training began at age 17 at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., and continued at the Art Students League of New York. At the Art Students League, she studied drawing and anatomy. Always searching to combine full color with strong form, she credits her association with painter and husband Hongnian Zhang to her current style. Woolley is currently a professor at the Woodstock School of Art, where she teaches courses in portrait painting. She lives in Woodstock, New York, and shares a studio with Zhang.