Distinguished Professor (PhD)
Available for Graduate Advisement
(905) 688-5550 ext. 6077
lvolante@brocku.ca
Louis Volante (PhD) is a Distinguished Professor at Brock University and a Professorial Fellow at UNU-MERIT/Maastricht Graduate School of Governance. His interdisciplinary scholarship focuses on the global governance of education; politics, policy, and large-scale reform; political economy of education systems; international achievement surveys and policy diffusion; and impact evaluation of policies and programs. Professor Volante’s research is widely referenced in both academic and policy communities and has received continuous funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). His current SSHRC funded research examines the short- and long-term impact of the pandemic on student outcomes. He is fortunate to have a publication record that has included collaborations with over 150 scholars to examine more than 30 national education systems.
Among his various distinctions, Professor Volante is a two-time recipient of the R.W.B. Jackson Publication Award, which is awarded annually by the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) to recognize the most outstanding English language refereed journal article. Louis has also been featured as an educational change expert by research societies such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He was named a Distinguished Professor at Brock University in 2024, during the inaugural launch of this award. The latter is a lifetime appointment recognizing outstanding research and scholarship – reserved for no more than 3% of the total full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty (excluding Distinguished Professors emeriti).
Professor Volante provides consultancy to various national and international organizations such as the OECD, UNESCO, and the European Commission. He has served as the President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) and the Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association (CERA). Louis teaches graduate courses that focus on politics and policy in education; educational change; educational leadership; and comparative education. At the undergraduate level, he primarily teaches courses related to educational leadership and organizational learning. Louis completed his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto with a focus on policy studies after receiving a UofT Open Scholarship from the School of Graduate Studies.
My current research is primarily focused on the following themes:
- Global governance of education
- Politics, policy, and large-scale reform
- Political economy of education systems
- International achievement surveys and policy diffusion
- Impact evaluation of policies and programmes
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Assessment and Evaluation Group, Queen’s University (Associate Member)
- Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM)
- Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association (CERA)
- Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
Recent Publications (Since 2020)
Edited Books
Schnepf, S., Volante, L., Klinger, D. A., Giancola, O., & Salmieri, L. (Eds.) (2024). The pandemic, socioeconomic disadvantage, and learning outcomes: cross-national impact analyses of education policy reforms. Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/800165
Volante, L., & Schnepf, S., & Klinger, D. (Eds.) (2022). Cross-national achievement surveys for monitoring educational outcomes: Policies, practices, and political reforms within the European Union. Publications Office of the European Union.
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/2eefff1b-e21a-11ec-a534-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
Chapters in Books
Schnepf, S., Klinger, D. A., & Volante, L. (in press). International comparison testing, measurement issues, and policy considerations in a post COVID-19 world. In D. Wyse, V. Baumfield, N. Mockler, & M. Reardon (Eds.), The BERA-SAGE international handbook of research-informed education policy and practice. Sage.
Volante, L., & Klinger, D. A. (2024). Migrant integration, equality of opportunity, and education policy: a scoping review with future research and strategic planning implications. In M. Sardoc (Ed.), Handbook of equality of opportunity (pp. 569-582). Springer. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-031-55897-9_61
Volante, L. (2023). The PISA pendulum: Political discourse and education reform in the age of global reference societies. In P. Mattei, X. Dumay, E. Mangez, & J. Behrend (Eds.), OUP Handbook on Education and Globalization(pp. 535-549). Oxford University Press.
Refereed Journal Articles
Celbis, O., van de Laar, M., & Volante, L. (2025). Resilience in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping literature review with implications for evidence-informed policymaking. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2024.100392
Volante, L., DeLuca, C., Barnes, N., Birenbaum, Hill, M., Kimber, M., Koch, M., Looney, A., Smith, K., & Wyatt-Smith, C. (2024). International trends in the implementation of assessment for learning revisited: implications for policy and practice in a post-COVID world. Policy Futures in Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103241255855
Volante, L., Klinger, D. A., & Lara, C. (2024). Educational recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic: a critical analysis of recovery policies across Canada. Canadian Journal of Education, 47(3), 673-710. https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.6467
Volante, L., & Mattei, P. (2024). The politicization of PISA in evidence-based policy discourses. Policy Futures in Education, 22(8), 1554-1569. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103241227309
Álvarez-Vanegas, A., & Volante, L. (2024). Empowering youth for sustainability in universities: Service-Learning and the willingness to act. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 25(9), 177-194.https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-03-2023-0073
Álvarez-Vanegas, A., Ramani, S. V., & Volante, L. (2024). Service-Learning as a niche innovation in higher education for sustainability. Frontiers in Education, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1291669
Volante, L., & Klinger, D. A. (2023). PISA, global reference societies, and policy borrowing: The promises and pitfalls of academic resilience. Policy Futures in Education, 21(7), 755-764. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14782103211069002
Volante, L., Lara, C., Klinger, D. A., & Siegel, M. (2022). Academic resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: a triarchic analysis of education policy developments across Canada. Canadian Journal of Education, 45(4), 1112-1140. https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.5555
Hassan, E., Groot, W., & Volante, L. (2022). Education funding and learning outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review of reviews. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 1-13. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666374022000577
Volante, L. & Klinger, D. A. (2021). PISA and education reform in Europe: cases of policy inertia, avoidance, and refraction. European Education, 53(1), 45-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/10564934.2021.1987839
Volante, L., Klinger, D. A., & Siegel, M. (2021). Confronting the challenge of immigrant and refugee student underachievement: a comparative analysis of education policies and programs in Canada, New Zealand, and England. Comparative and International Education, 49(2), 35-50. https://doi.org/10.5206/cieeci.v50i1.10882
Volante, L., DeLuca, C., Baker, E., Harju-Luukkainen, H., Heritage, M., Schneider, C., Stobart, G., & Wyatt-Smith, C. (2020). Synergy and tension between large-scale and classroom assessment: international trends. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 39(4), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/emip.12382\
Volante, L., Lara, C., Klinger, D. A., & Siegel, M. (2020). The use of a multi-dimensional support model to examine policies and practices for immigrant students across Canada. Canadian Journal of Education, 43(1), 121-169. https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/3999
[R.W.B. Jackson Award for the most outstanding English-language journal article]
Non-Refereed Articles
Volante, L., Klinger, D. A., & DeLuca, C. (2024). The rise and stall of standards-based reform. Phi Delta Kappan.106(2), 42-46. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00317217241287985
Volante, L., & DeLuca, C. (2024). Large-scale testing in the face of AI. Assessment & Development Matters, 16(1), 48-52. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsadm.2024.16.1.48
Volante, L., DeLuca, C., & Klinger, D. A. (2023). Leveraging AI to enhance learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 105(1), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/00317217231197475
Volante, L., DeLuca, C., & Klinger, D. A. (2023). Forward-thinking assessment in the era of Artificial Intelligence: strategies to facilitate deep learning. Education Canada. https://www.edcan.ca/articles/forward-thinking-assessment-in-the-era-of-artificial-intelligence/
Volante, L., & Klinger, D. A. (2023). COVID-19 and the learning loss dilemma: the danger of catching up only to fall behind. Education Canada, 63(2). https://www.edcan.ca/articles/covid-19-and-the-learning-loss-dilemma/
Volante, L., Klinger, D., & Siegel, M. (2021). Immigrant student resilience: Policy directions for a post-COVID world. Migration Policy Practice, 11(2), 39-43. https://publications.iom.int/books/migration-policy-practice-vol-xi-number-2-july-september-2021
Volante, L., Klinger, D., & Barrett, J. (2021). Academic resilience in a post-COVID world: A multi-level approach to capacity building. Education Canada, 61(3), 32-34. https://www.edcan.ca/articles/academic-resilience-in-a-post-covid-world/
Principal Investigator – SSHRC Insight Grant – $230,237 (2023-2028)
The impact of the pandemic on social inequality and student learning outcomes: a pan-Canadian analysis with policy implications.
Collaborator: Don Klinger (Murdoch University)
-
ADED 3F90: Work and Learning in Organizations (Undergraduate)
-
EDUC 5P62: Politics, Power, and Policy in Education (Graduate)
-
EDUC 5P72: Effecting Change in Education (Graduate)
-
EDUC 5P73: Challenges in Educational Leadership (Graduate)
