Andy Saultz

Andy Saultz was appointed Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling at Lewis & Clark on August 4, 2025. He arrived here from Pacific University, where he served on the faculty for seven years, directing the PhD Program in Education and Leadership and later serving as interim Dean of the College of Education. 

Andy earned his BA in Political Science from Oregon State University, his MAT in Secondary Social Studies from Lewis & Clark, and his PhD in Educational Policy from Michigan State University. His scholarly work addresses a wide range of issues in educational policy, the politics of education, and the intersection of health and education policy. The unifying theme of his scholarship and teaching is using empirical data to improve educational equity. Dr. Saultz’s scholarship has been featured in numerous peer-reviewed publications as well as in The Oregonian, The New York Times,The Chronicle of Higher Education and on National Public Radio. He is also active in the community, having served on various boards including the Blanchet House Development Committee, Washington County Kids, and the Beaverton Education Foundation. He lives in Portland with his wife Jenny and his two sons.

When reflecting on his career, Andy says, 

“I am honored to be able to serve the students, staff and faculty as Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Education is central to building a more equitable world, and I am humbled to work with such an amazing group of people.”

Personal Statement

I am an educator and researcher passionate about building more equitable systems through public policy and empirical data. I began my career as a high school social studies teacher in a public school in Michigan, and was troubled by the racial and socio-economic disparities in educational opportunity. I was elected to the local school board, and went back to school to study how to build a system that served all students.

Areas of Expertise

educational policy, educational federalism, the intersection of health and education policy

Publications

DeBray, E., Gandara, D., & Saultz, A. (2025). Politics and policy in federal education policy research: Toward new frameworks. In J. Scott, L. Cohen-Vogel, & P. Youngs (Eds.). Handbook of Education Policy Research, Third Edition.

Collins, J. Gottlieb, D., Knight-Abowitz, K., Murray, B., Saultz, A., Schneider, J., Stitzlein, S., & White, R. (2023). Democracy in action. American School Board Journal, October: 25-27.

Evans, M., Saultz, A., & Winton, S. (2021). Social Media Utilization in Discourse Coalitions: The Case of the Opt-Out Movement in Ohio. Teachers College Record.

Saultz, A., Lyons, A., Aronson, B., Sanders, S., Malin, J. (2021). Understanding preservice teacher dispositions: Implications for social justice and educational policy. Teacher Education Quarterly, 48(1): 7-32.

Schneider, J. & Saultz, A. (2020). Authority and control: The tension at the heart of standards-based accountability. Harvard Educational Review, 90 (3): 419-445.

Presentations

Gaddis, S.M., Robinson, G., Ford, K., Villalta, S., Song, D., & Saultz, A. (2024). The pitfalls, limitations and ideals of measuring race/ethnicity in education research. Panel submitted and accepted as one session. Session Chair. American Public Policy and Management Conference. National Harbor, Maryland.

Ainsworth, N, Ainsworth, A., Cleveland, C, Hibel, J, Clark, L., Saultz, A., Brummet, Q, & Penner, A. (2024). Who is special education for? Special education identification changes in Oregon through the COVID-19 pandemic. Association for Education Finance and Policy. Baltimore, MD.

Simons, H., Shifrer, D., Nestler, A., & Saultz, A. (2023). School-based health centers: Spanning organizational boundaries to mitigate health inequities. American Sociological Association. Philadelphia, PA.

Lee, J., Saultz, A., & Heilig, J.V. (2023). State Accountability Systems for panel on: The future of measurement and accountability. American Education Research Association. Chicago, IL.

Saultz, A., Swain, W., Farrington, C., Carey, A., Domina, T. (2023). Analyzing the relationship between school-based health centers and schools. American Education Research Association. Chicago, IL.

Nestler, A. & Saultz, A. (2022). Politics as usual: Unions’ political influence of district decision making during the COVID-19 pandemic. UCEA. Seattle, WA.

Academic Credentials

PhD, Educational Policy, Michigan State University

MAT, Secondary Social Studies, Lewis & Clark

BA, Political Science, Oregon State University