K-12 Educational Administration Scholar
Yashi Ye （叶雅诗）
My name is Yashi Ye. I am a Ph.D. student in K–12 Educational Administration at Michigan State University, with a Graduate Specialization in Educational Policy. My research focuses on principal technology leadership, digital governance in schools, and educational technology policy implementation.
Drawing on my experiences in K–12 schools, international education, and educational administration, my work examines how school leaders interpret, implement, and govern digital transformation in schools. I am especially interested in how principals use technology to support instructional improvement, organizational change, teacher professional learning, and equitable school improvement.
My current research explores digital instructional leadership, school leaders’ data use under policy pressure, and the implementation of educational technology policies across different institutional and cultural contexts.
Areas of Research
Principal Technology Leadership
My research examines how school principals lead technology integration not merely as a matter of tool adoption, but as a core dimension of instructional leadership, organizational change, and school improvement. I am especially interested in how principals interpret digital transformation, support teachers’ technology use, build school-level capacity, and make leadership decisions in technology-saturated environments.
Educational Technology Policy Implementation and Cross-National Comparison
My research explores how educational technology policies are interpreted and enacted across schools, local systems, and national contexts. Combining policy analysis with cross-national comparative approaches, including the use of international datasets such as TALIS, I examine how instructional leadership, teacher agency, organizational capacity, and policy environments shape uneven patterns of technology integration in K–12 schools.
Digital Governance in Schools
I study how digital platforms, data systems, and technology-enabled infrastructures reshape school governance and leadership practice. My work asks how school leaders govern technologies responsibly, how they balance visibility and control, and how they preserve professional judgment when data systems increasingly structure what schools can see, measure, and prioritize.
Principal Decision-Making and Data Use
A central thread of my work focuses on how principals make decisions under conditions of digital complexity, accountability pressure, and organizational uncertainty. I am interested in how leaders define problems, weigh competing logics, use data, and exercise professional judgment when digital tools and policy systems generate more information than schools can easily interpret or act upon.
Experience
Education
2023-Present
2020-2022
2013–2016
Michigan State University
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Ph.D. in K–12 Educational Administration
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Graduate Specialization in Educational Policy
Johns Hopkins University
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M.Ed. in International Teaching and Global Leadership
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Focus in Creative and Innovative Education
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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B.A. in Finance and Accounting
Professional
2025–Present
Director, Department of International Examination Cooperation and Development, Advisory / Part-time
Xichuanhui Jindu K–12 School [Longquan Campus], Chengdu, China
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Lead advisory work related to international examination cooperation, school-based international education development, and institutional partnership building.
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Support the school’s strategic development in international education, assessment systems, and external collaboration.
2023–Present
Research Assistant
Michigan State University, Department of Educational Administration, East Lansing, MI, the United States
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Support Dr. Jada Phelps’s research projects on educational leadership, principal preparation, simulation-based learning, and equity-centered leadership development.
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Contribute to literature review, qualitative data analysis, research design, manuscript development, and course-embedded data collection for studies related to leadership preparation and school improvement.
2023–2026
Graduate Assistant
University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Headquarters,
East Lansing, MI, the United States
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Support the Leadership Education and Administration Preparation Program (LEAPP) project by assisting with institutional feedback reporting, survey data processing, Stata-based data analysis, and report preparation for UCEA member institutions.
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Contribute to UCEA’s social media and communications team by developing content, supporting event promotion, and communicating research, member news, and organizational activities to broader professional audiences.
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Assist with convention planning and organizational operations, including logistical coordination, member services, conference communication, and administrative support for UCEA’s annual convention and related professional activities.
2021–Present
Special Consultant to the Board of Directors
Xichuanhui K–12 Education Group, Chengdu, China
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Advise the board on school development, international education strategy, educational branding, and institutional cooperation.
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Provide research-informed perspectives on school improvement, digital transformation, and future-ready school development.
2020–2021
English Teacher, Grade 7 & 8
Xichuanhui K–12 School [Pidu Campus], Chengdu, China
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Taught middle school English and supported students’ language learning and academic development.
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Gained classroom-based experience that informs current research on school leadership, teacher support, and technology use.
2019–2021
Director
SSAT China – Sichuan Province Center, Chengdu, China
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Directed regional operations for international standardized testing and student academic services.
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Coordinated examination-related services, outreach, and communication with families, schools, and partner organizations.
2019–2021
Assistant to Principal
Xichuanhui K–12 School [Pidu Campus], Chengdu, China
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Supported school leadership, administrative coordination, international education programs, and cross-department communication.
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Observed school-level decision-making processes that later shaped research interests in principal leadership and digital governance.
2017–2019
Deputy Director, Investment Department
Xichuanhui K–12 Education Group, Chengdu, China
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Participated in education investment analysis, institutional development planning, and school-sector strategic projects.
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Developed early experience in how organizational, financial, and governance decisions shape K–12 school development.
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
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Ye, Y., & Shaked, H. (2026). Digital instructional leadership: Urban–rural pathways in China. Manuscript under review at Journal of Educational Administration.
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Choi, S. Y., Graham, J., Ye, Y., & Chiang, Y.-C. (2026). An examination of chronic absenteeism and youth mental health in Georgia: Before, during, and after COVID-19. Urban Education, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859261417317
Technical Reports
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Yun, J., Talgat, B., & Ye, Y. (2025–2026). Leadership Educational & Administration Preparation Program (LEAPP) institutional feedback reporting system for UCEA member institutions. Technical report. University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).
Manuscripts in Progress
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Ye, Y., & Shaked, H. Digital restraint in data-informed schooling: Principals as logic arbiters under conditions of visibility and control.
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Richardson, J., Ye, Y. & Ain, Q. Leading for deeper learning: A scoping review of empirical research aligned with the “Portrait of a Deeper Learning Leader.”
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Phelps, J., Wang, P., Cieminski, A. & Ye, Y. Learning to leverage power for racial equity: Leadership preparation graduates’ understandings of equity-centered leadership in the Voices Five project.
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Ye, Y., & Chen, T. Principal technology leadership and uneven technology integration: Cross-national evidence from TALIS 2024.
Work in Progress
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Ye, Y., Phelps, J., & Xu, T. Simulation-based principal preparation for equity-centered leadership: Evidence from EAD 852 School Principalship.
Presentations
Refereed Conference Presentations
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Phelps, J., Ye, Y., & Bainazarov, T. (2025, November). Learning from parental engagement while Black: A school simulation to prepare principals for anti-racist restorative justice leadership during a resurgence of zero-tolerance policies. Paper presented at the University Council for Educational Administration Annual Convention. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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Ye, Y., & Chen, Y. (2025, November). Principal stability and equity in urban education: Reframing instructional leadership through resilience and distributed leadership. Review paper presented at the University Council for Educational Administration Annual Convention. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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Ye, Y. (2025, April). Sustaining learning-centered professional learning communities: The roles of principal and teacher leadership. Quantitative paper presented at the Chinese American Educational Research and Development Association Annual Conference. Denver, CO.
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Ye, Y., & Xu, T. (2025, March). EdTech policy comparative study: A cross-national analysis of China, the USA, and the UK, 2015–2024. Qualitative paper presented at the Comparative and International Education Society Annual Conference. Chicago, IL.
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Choi, S., Graham, J., Ye, Y., & Chiang, Y. (2024, November). An examination of student well-being and chronic absenteeism in Georgia. Quantitative paper presented at the University Council for Educational Administration Annual Convention. Los Angeles, CA.
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Ye, Y. (2022, July). Impact of teacher leadership styles on teacher learning in the China context. Poster presented at the European Conference on Education. London, United Kingdom.
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Ye, Y. (2022, June). Principal creative leadership for teacher learning and school culture. Paper presented at the International Conference on Educational Leadership. San Francisco, CA. [Best Presentation Award; Included in Proceedings]
Invited Talks
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Ye, Y. (2026, June 4). Introducing career pathways in K–12 international education: A recruitment briefing for Johns Hopkins School of Education students. Xichuanhui Education Group Recruitment Information Session, Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Chengdu, China / Baltimore, MD. [Invited Presenter, Online]
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Ye, Y. (2026, May 28). Digital instructional leadership: Urban–rural pathways in China. Hemdat College of Education Research Colloquium. Sdot Negev, Israel. [Invited Presenter, Online]
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Ye, Y. (2025, December 29). Beyond AI: Building a future-ready smart school ecosystem—Reframing technology, management, and brand value. Xichuanhui Jindu School Senior Leadership and Board Executive Briefing. Chengdu, China. [Invited Presenter]
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Ye, Y. (2024, June 18). Student-centered pedagogy: The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model as an example. Chengdu Normal University Internal Training Lecture Series. Chengdu, China. [Invited Panelist]
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Ye, Y. (2021, September 27). Navigating global standardized testing for Chinese students. SSAT China Sichuan Province Center Education Outreach Forum, Xichuan Middle School. Chengdu, China. [Invited Panelist]
Teaching
Teaching Statement
“Reflective practice is a dialogue of thinking and doing through which I become more skilful.”
Donald A. Schön
My teaching is grounded in the belief that educational leadership preparation should help future school leaders connect theory, policy, and practice. Because school leadership is increasingly shaped by accountability pressures, digital systems, organizational complexity, and community expectations, I aim to create learning environments where students can examine leadership problems as situated, uncertain, and consequential rather than as purely technical tasks.
In my teaching, I draw on my experiences as a K–12 educator, school administrator, board consultant, and doctoral researcher in educational leadership and policy. I encourage students to analyze how principals define problems, interpret data, work with teachers and communities, and make decisions under competing institutional demands. I am especially interested in helping students understand how technology and data systems reshape leadership practice, including what they make visible, what they obscure, and how leaders can preserve professional judgment in digitally complex school environments.
Teaching Interests
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Principal preparation and school leadership
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Principal instructional leadership
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Technology leadership for school improvement
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Digital governance and data-informed leadership in schools
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Educational technology policy implementation
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Education policy, accountability, and school improvement
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Comparative and international education
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Research methods for educational leadership, including qualitative inquiry, survey research, and applied quantitative methods
Teaching Experience
Spring 2026
Michigan State University, Department of Educational Administration
EAD 852: The School Principalship
Instructor, with Dr. Jada Phelps
Awards
2026
University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA)
2026
Michigan State University College of Education
2025–2027
University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA)
2024
Michigan State University College of Education
2021
International Conference on Educational Leadership
2021
International Conference on Educational Leadership
UCEA Graduate Student Fellowship ($2,500)
Richard Lee Featherstone Scholarship ($3,400)
Barbara L. Jackson Scholar
Summer Research Development Fellowship ($7,000)
Best Presentation Award
Selected Session Co-chair
Professional Development
2026
University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA)
International Study Tour: Chile
K–12 school site visits, seminars with Chilean educational researchers, and institutional visits to universities and school leadership research centers in Santiago and Valparaíso.
2026
ICPSR Summer Program, University of Michigan
Modern Survey Research Methods: Complex Data Structures & Advanced Techniques; First General Session.
Ann Arbor, MI.
2025
Edunomics Lab, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy
Certificate in Education Finance Training
Washington, DC.
2025
Peking University Institute of Economics of Education
Frontiers of Education Economics and Chinese Practice Summer School
Beijing, China.
ADDRESS
620 Farm Lane, Room 402
East Lansing, MI 48824-1034, USA
CONTACT ME
Phone (U.S.): +1 517-574-2985
Phone (China): +86 180-8188-0513
Website: www.yeyashi.info
WeChat: learningcheetah
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