Distinguished Professor (PhD)
Available for Graduate Advisement
(905) 688-5550 ext. 6707
[email protected]
Louis Volante (PhD) is a Distinguished Professor at Brock University and a Professorial Fellow at UNU-MERIT/Maastricht Graduate School of Governance. Focusing on global governance, policy diffusion, and the political economy of education, his research analyzes how education policies impact at-risk student populations. His recent work has concentrated on comparative studies of learning outcomes across education systems, with a focus on gender, socioeconomic status, and migrant backgrounds.
Professor Volante has held visiting scholar appointments at University College London (London, England), Maastricht University (Maastricht, Netherlands), University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada), and most recently at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (Florence, Italy). He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto after receiving a UofT Open Scholarship from the School of Graduate Studies.
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). He is fortunate to have a publication record that has included collaborations with over 160 scholars to examine more than 30 national education systems. His publication record, which includes 180+ works, is detailed on Google Scholar.
Professor Volante 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). Louis 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. He has been featured as an educational change expert by the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Professor Volante has served as the President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) and the Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association (CERA). He provides consultancy to various national and international organizations such as the OECD, UNESCO, and the European Commission. A sought-after speaker, Louis has given more than 100 invited speeches, presentations, and keynote addresses to diverse national and international audiences around the world. He is also an active contributor to public policy debates, making numerous appearances on television and radio shows such as CBC News: The National, CBC Radio: The Current, Global News, PBS Newshour, among others. Professor Volante teaches graduate courses that focus on educational leadership; educational change; and politics and policy in education. At the undergraduate level, he primarily teaches courses that focus on organizational learning and research methods.
My research is primarily focused on the following interconnected themes:
- Global governance of education
- International achievement surveys and policy diffusion
- Political economy of education
- Comparative policy analysis
- Impact evaluation of policies and programmes
- Assessment and Evaluation Group, Queen’s University (Associate Member)
- Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM)
- Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE)
- Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association (CERA)
- Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
- European Educational Research Association (EERA)
Edited Books
Volante, L., De Witte, K., Giancola, O., Salmieri, L., & Klinger, D. A., (Eds.). (2026). Risk, resilience, and recovery across global education systems: the long-term impact of pandemic reforms. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003608806
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://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/13381883-ec31-11ee-8e14-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
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. (2025). 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 (pp. 268-290). 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. 539-554). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197570685.013.9
Refereed Journal Articles
Quintero, J. W. P., DeWitte, K., & Volante, L. (2026). Educational outcomes and the impact of COVID-19: A study on the resilience of higher education. Cogent Education, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2026.2653291
Volante, L., DeLuca, C., Barnes, N., Birenbaum, M., Kimber, M., Koch, M., Looney, A., Poskitt, J., Smith, K., & Wyatt-Smith, C. (2025). International trends in the implementation of assessment for learning revisited: Implications for policy and practice in a post-COVID world. Policy Futures in Education, 23(1), 224-242. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103241255855
Álvarez-Vanegas, A., Rieckmann, M., Pérez, M. L., Volante, L., & Aguirre, P. M. (2025). Educating educators about sustainability in universities: the impact of a large online open course.Environmental Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2025.2585868
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
DeLuca, C., Volante, L., & Holden, M. (2025). The AI3 model: future directions for assessment in a digital world. Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X251385537
Hassan, E., Groot, W., & Volante, L. (2025). The relationship between education funding and the performance of students in Unity Schools. Education Sciences, 15(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010086
Quintero, J. W. P., Volante, L. & De Witte, K. (2025). The impact of the pandemic and school closures on non-cognitive characteristics: evidence from PISA. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2025.100489
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., 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
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
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
Non-Refereed Articles
Volante, L., & Klinger, D. A. (2025). Academic resilience, education policy, and governance agendas in a post-pandemic world. Phi Delta Kappan, 107(1-2), 68-71. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00317217251377831a
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)
- ADED 4F90: Research and Critical Reflection in Adult Education (Undergraduate)
- EDUC 5P21: Comparative and International Education (Graduate)
- EDUC 5P62: Politics, Power, and Policy in Education (Graduate)
- EDUC 5P72: Effecting Change in Education (Graduate)
- EDUC 5P73: Challenges in Educational Leadership (Graduate)
