Sara Schnoor, Ph.D.

Sara Schnoor, Ph.D., is an educational leadership scholar-practitioner with more than 20 years of experience across K–12 and higher education. Her work is grounded in a belief that meaningful improvement happens when leaders create the conditions for people to do their best work and ensure that every student has access to the opportunities and support they need to thrive.

Before joining higher education, Dr. Schnoor served in school leadership roles at both the elementary and secondary levels across Illinois, Arizona, and South Carolina. Those experiences continue to shape her teaching, research, and approach to leadership development.

Her scholarship focuses on educational leadership and school improvement, restorative justice practices and restorative leadership, belonging and equitable school cultures, and applied qualitative and participatory research. She is especially interested in research that helps educators better understand complex problems of practice and translate evidence into meaningful organizational change.

At Governors State University, Dr. Schnoor prepares and supports current and aspiring educational leaders through graduate teaching, mentoring, research advising, and leadership development. She brings a practitioner’s perspective to scholarly work and a researcher’s lens to practice, with a consistent focus on equity, belonging, instructional improvement, and sustainable change.