K-12 and higher education is a complex, dynamic system affected by environment-specific factors in terms of both actors (students, teachers, administrators, school districts, community) and attributes of those actors (cognitive, conative, emotional/affective). Educational policy research has investigated some of these factors and their impacts on reform. Much less studied, but potentially extremely useful, is the application of concepts from other disciplines such as industrial and systems engineering. This symposium is designed as an interdisciplinary exchange of theories, models, and methods among researchers interested in modeling, implementing, and understanding reforms in K-12 and higher education settings. We will bring researchers from engineering disciplines who model complex systems together with education researchers, social scientists, and practitioners studying implementation of systemic reforms. The goal of this symposium is to explore opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration.

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