Keith Lenz: California bound

Thursday, February 04, 2010

It is with a mixture of joy and sadness that we announce that Keith Lenz has accepted a position with SRI International, one of the country’s premier research centers. Keith will retire from the University of Kansas in May and move to California to join SRI’s staff of 1,500 passionate, committed individuals working together to bring innovation to such fields as education, energy and the environment, and communications and networks.

Keith will join the SRI team as a senior disability researcher in SRI’s Center for Education and Human Services. He will assume significant roles on teams conducting research related to the education of individuals with disabilities.

“Of course, I will bring to SRI my interests in teaching middle and high school students with disabilities, including a particular focus on effective literacy interventions for these students,” Keith says.

He also will be involved in projects related to conducting evaluations of special education and disability programs and policies, leading new projects, designing research and evaluation studies, and developing and maintaining relationships with national, state, and local agencies involved in improving educational outcomes.

Though Keith will no longer be part of the daily fabric of life here at the Center for Research on Learning, he intends to maintain ties with both the Center and the SIM Network. We will hold him to that promise.

“One of my major goals at SRI is to develop projects that provide ongoing support to schools through collaborative partnerships with individuals in the SIM International Professional Developer’s Network, KU-CRL researchers, and the Strategic Learning Center,” Keith says. “I believe that we can make a real difference in the quality of schools for all students if we develop powerful collaborative partnerships and continue to communicate about what we believe in and what we value. I am committed to the continuation and expansion of the work that we started on the Content Literacy Continuum® and the types of professional development, reform, and support activities that are needed to see our vision become a reality. I believe that my work at SRI will play a significant role in helping to achieve this vision.”

SRI’s Center for Education and Human Services focuses on children, youth, and families facing challenges from economic disadvantage, disability, teenage parenthood, neighborhood decay, and other risk factors. The Center’s projects examine the effect of policies and the effectiveness of programs at the federal, state, and local level, including community services, special education and disability policy, school partnerships, and early childhood programs.

“Keith being asked to join the SRI International organization is a great testimony to his stellar record of achievement as an educational researcher and leader,” says Don Deshler, director of the Center for Research on Learning. “Some of the brightest and most capable researchers in education work at SRI—Keith will be right at home in that environment and will have an immediate impact on the work that is being done by SRI. 

“CRL has collaborated with SRI on various projects over the years, and we look forward to increasing our level of collaboration with them now that Keith is a member of their team. CRL and the SIM Network are deeply indebted to Keith for his innumerable contributions to our work—some of the most significant work done within our network has been done by him.  We wish him the very best in this new chapter of his professional life.”

Since his arrival in Lawrence as a doctoral student in 1979, Keith has been essential to the success of the Center. We will miss him. At the same time, we are thrilled with the opportunity this new position represents for him.

Note that Keith, as a retired KU employee, will keep his .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) email address. His new email address at SRI will be .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

You can learn more about SRI here: http://www.sri.com

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