William S. Koski

- Eric and Nancy Wright Professor of Clinical Education
- Director, Youth and Education Law Project
- Room N146, Neukom Building
Expertise
- Children & the Law
- Clinical Education
- Education Law
- Policy Analysis
- Public Interest Law
- Public Interest Practice
Biography
Professor (by courtesy) of Education
An accomplished clinical teacher and litigator, William Koski (PhD ’03) is the founder and director of the law school’s Youth and Education Law Project (YELP). He has also taught multidisciplinary graduate seminars and courses in educational law and policy.
Professor Koski and YELP have represented hundreds of children, youth, and families in special education, student discipline, and other educational rights matters. Professor Koski has also served as lead counsel or co-counsel in several path-breaking complex school reform litigations including Robles-Wong v. California, that sought to reform the public school finance system in the state; Emma C. v. Eastin, that has restructured the special education service delivery system in a Bay Area school district and aims to reform the California Department of Education’s special education monitoring system; Smith v. Berkeley Unified School District, that successfully reformed the school discipline policies in Berkeley, CA; and Stephen C. v. Bureau of Indian Education, that seeks to hold the federal Bureau of Indian Education accountable for their failure to provide children in the Havasupai Native American tribe in Arizona with an adequate and equitable education.
Reflecting his multidisciplinary background as a lawyer and social scientist, Professor Koski’s scholarly work focuses on the related issues of educational accountability, equity and adequacy; the politics of educational policy reform; teacher employment policies; and judicial decision-making in educational policy reform litigation.
Before joining the Stanford Law School faculty in 2001, Professor Koski was a lecturer in law at Stanford and a supervising attorney at the law school’s East Palo Alto Community Law Project. He was also an associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and then Alden, Aronovsky & Sax.
Professor Koski has an appointment (by courtesy) with the Stanford School of Education.
Education
- BBA with highest distinction University of Michigan 1990
- JD cum laude University of Michigan Law School 1993
- PhD Stanford University School of Education 2003
Related Organizations
Courses
- Advanced Youth and Education Advocacy Clinic
- Directed Research
- Discussion (1L): Equality of Educational Opportunity
- Policy Practicum: The Youth Justice Lab: Imagining an Anti-Racist Public Education System
- Youth and Education Law Project: Clinical Coursework
- Youth and Education Law Project: Clinical Methods
- Youth and Education Law Project: Clinical Practice
Affiliations & Honors
- Referee (2006-Present), Teachers College Record
- Member (2005-Present), Board of Directors, Youth Law Center
- Member (2004-Present), Faculty Steering Committee, Haas Center for Public Service
- Member (2001-Present), Board of Directors, Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation
- Vice Chair (2005-2006), Faculty Steering Committee, Haas Center for Public Service
- Public Service Award (2007), IMPACT
- William R. Jentes Fellow (1990-93), University of Michigan Law School
- Recipient, Louis Honigman Memorial Award, University of Michigan Law School, 1993
- Recipient, E. Blythe Stason Award, University of Michigan Law School, 1993
Policy Practicums
Key Works
News
Anger grows in Virginia city where first-grader shot teacher
AP News
William Koski, a Stanford law professor and director of the school’s Youth and Education Law Project, said many schools in the U.S. had strict zero-tolerance discipline policies in the 1990s, but began to depart from that approach about a decade later, as concerns grew that suspensions and expulsions were failing…
Read MoreLandmark PA School Funding Case May Spur — or Chill — Similar Suits Nationwide
The 74
As LA schools backtrack on COVID vaccine, dozens more districts push to mandate it
CalMatters
Don’t like your kid’s school? Initiative would give California parents power to sue for change
The Sacramento Bee
Proposed 2022 California ballot initiative sets stage to define 'high-quality' education
EdSource
The Debate Over Reopening Schools During COVID-19
The Debate Over Reopening Schools During COVID-19
Stanford Graduate School of Education’s School’s Podcast
Projects

The Coalition for Adequate Special Education Funding
Related Organizations Youth and Education Law Project Related People William S. Koski It is generally well-known that Congress and the…
Learn moreWilliams v. California: Expert Witness Report and Testimony
Related Organizations Youth and Education Law Project Related People William S. Koski On the 46th anniversary of Brown v. Board…
Learn moreReport on 2004 County Mental Health Services In May 2004
Related Organizations Youth and Education Law Project Related People William S. Koski The Youth and Education Law Clinic released “Challenge…
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