Current interests include the history of recent educational reforms, especially school choice; community-centered and place-based approaches to education; citizenship development, especially youth engagement and the role of schooling; and educational leadership development in the U.S. and Latin America. With Sigal Ben-Porath, he is completing a book for University of Chicago Press that will provide philosophical and historical perspectives on school choice in the U.S. With Spencer Foundation support, he is investigating the history of an urban neighborhood organization and an extensive charter school network in Chicago. He co-teaches a MOOC, “American Education Reform: History, Policy and Practice,” with John Puckett, focused on the utility of history in understanding current school reform. With Susan and “Torch” Lytle, he is editing a volume of practitioner research in educational leadership. Johanek serves on a research team with Catholic University colleagues in Chile for the FONIDE-funded project, “Validación de proceso de Assessment Center para la selección de directivos escolares,” and was recently awarded a Fulbright grant to support his work there.
