Walter Fernando Balser
Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone
(352) 273-4189
Address
College of Education
University of Florida
PO Box 117049
Gainesville, FL 32611
Website
About
Dr. Walter Fernando Balser is a clinical assistant professor in the masters and LEAD program. Dr. Balser’s scholarship examines the changing education ecosystem from the standpoint of decentralization, involving the growing role of outside agencies and nonprofits working in schools, the relationship between public schooling and private capital, and how all of this may intersect in a rapidly evolving digital world. Dr. Balser’s current research explores how these changes may impact organizational behavior and leadership orientations. Dr. Balser has worked as a teacher, administrator, and strategic consultant in schools across the country.
Affiliations
- School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education
- Education Policy Research Center
Education
- Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Boston University, 2017
- Ed.M. in Educational Leadership, Columbia University Teachers’ College, 2007
- M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction, The Ohio State University, 1999
- B.A. in History, University of Florida, 1997
Professional Appointments
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy, School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education, College of Education, University of Florida, 2022 – present
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Morgridge College of Education, University of Denver, 2018 – 2020
- Founding Director, Open Partnership Education Network (OPEN), University of South Florida, 2016 – 2018
- Dean Fellow & Coordinator of Pre-teacher Education Partnerships, Boston University School of Education, 2013-2016
- School Administrator, Hillsborough County Schools, 2008-2013
Activities and Honors
- AI Efficacy in K–12 Schools : Co-Investigator on a Google-funded study examining the use of Google Gemini in large urban school districts, focusing on leadership decision-making, governance, and implementation conditions.
- Foresight Leader Lab : Founder and Principal Investigator of an applied research lab examining decentralization, future readiness in education, AI-mediated leadership, and organizational capacity in technology-rich environments. www.foresightleaderlab.com
- Active Project
- Shaping the Schools of Tomorrow, Today: Exploring the Dispositions of Educational Leaders in Innovation Roles — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395264267
- From Control to Coordination: Exploring Decentralized Teams and Trust Mechanisms through a Web3 Hackathon—Lessons from Buidlers — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/396214741
- Boundary-Spanning in K–12 Technology Leadership: Dispositions of Emerging EdTech Professionals — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403288737
- Professional Consulting for Educational Environments : Founder and Coordinator of a practice-based studio embedding graduate students in live community consulting engagements, including client discovery, scopes of work, and technology-enabled deliverables. https://youtu.be/CxAkkw4V07Y?si=JhZHaPHyBC3dTrH_
Selected Publications
Books / Book Chapters
- Balser, W.F. & Tafuro, V. (2025). Shifting Schools from Strategy to Foresight: Infusing Educational Leadership with Futurist Thinking, Planning, and Action. In Reimagining the P–20 Landscape for School Leadership Learning. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6220-4.ch004
- Balser, W.F., Carlo, S.M., & Van Hart, P. (2025). Mapping Policy Influence in a Contemporary Education Ecosystem. Policy Futures in Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103251412003
- Balser, W.F., O'Malley, J., & McElhattan, L. (2025). Exploring Innovation, Impact, and Resilience in Education Marketplaces: Accounts of Social Innovation Entrepreneurs Working with Schools. Social Innovations Journal, 33.
- Balser, W.F., Diasio, S. and Kendal, T. (2021), Societal Reorientation via Programmable Trust: A Case for Piloting New Models of Open Governance in Education, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp.95-110. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211007.
- Balser, W.F. & Coleman, H.. (Jan. 2020). Beyond the Public-Private Nexus: A Framework for Examining School Partnership Governance in a Blended Capital Reality. Journal of Transformative Leadership Studies.
- Balser, W.F. & Mills, S.. (March. 2022). Open Partnership Education Network Whitepaper: An Open Source Vision for Community Learning. http://www.learnopen.org.
Presentations
- Center for Innovative Teaching & Technology (CITT), University of Florida — Featured Contributor to a university-wide video series on AI integration in educational practice. https://youtu.be/ehUt7fU97lY?si=kKinvqnO36UqAVvq
- AI in Education Conference, University of Florida — Moderator for a distinguished panel on learning and AI featuring leaders from Code.org and Khan Academy.
- Balser, W.F., Lazarevic, B., & Bourne, J. (2026). Boundary-Spanning in K–12 Technology Leadership: Dispositions of Emerging EdTech Professionals. INTED Conference, Valencia, Spain.
- “Rad Schools Jam: A Fresh Take on Learning Intersecting Education, Music, and Sports.” (2017) Founder and curator of proof of concept for education conversations via community wide festival
- “Sparking the Next Generation of Teachers: How a changing education market can inspire youth to enter the education profession.” TedX Presentation (2017)
- Evolve Economics Podcast — https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ziFPKncn9bD87O5it1k7y
- Work Ethic Podcast — https://open.spotify.com/episode/5CV4v15JgWxNBg8QcvtYeh
Popular Opinion
- Balser, W.F. (2025). It'll Take More Than Joes to Get Us Through This AI Mess. Hacker Noon.
- Kendal, T. & Balser, W.F. (2019). What Hackers Can Teach Schools About Thriving in a Decentralized Reality. Diplomatic Courier.
- Balser, W.F. (2016). What LinkedIn Taught Me About Being 'Just a Teacher'. HuffPost.
- Balser, W.F. (2019). Some Advice for Nick Sandmann—and Really, Every High School Student. Medium. — confirm this is one you want public, given the named-minor subject matter
- Balser, W.F. (2018). Teaching Leaders to Be Culturally Competent: What We Can All Learn from Failures. Medium.
- Balser, W.F. (2018). What We Lose When We Ban Students, Countries. English Foreign Language (EFL) Magazine.
Other Publications
- Kendal,T. & Balser, W.F.. (Oct. 2019). What Hackers Can Teach Schools About Thriving in a Decentralized Reality. Diplomatic Courier.
- Balser, W.F. ( Sept. 2016). What LinkedIn Taught me about being ‘Just a Teacher’. Huff Post.
- Balser, W.F. (Jan. 2019). Some Advice for Nick Sandmann—and Really, Every High School Student. Medium.
- Balser, W.F. ( Oct. 2018). Teaching Leaders to be Culturally Competent: What We can All Learn from Failures. Medium.
- Balser, W.F. ( Dec. 2018). What we Lose when we Ban Students, Countries. English Foreign Language (EFL) Magazine.