Type: Seminar

Evaluating the impact of statewide supports to reduce within-school inequality: A study of focus schools in Michigan

Date & time

Jul 1, 2015, 11:30 am-1:00 pm EDT

Location

Open to PhD students and faculty engaged in causal inference in education research.

About the topic:

This paper examines whether state-led accountability efforts to reduce inequality within schools, as measured by student achievement, have been successful in Michigan. Using a quasi-experimental regression discontinuity design, this study attempts to discern the causal impact of bundled services offered to Focus Schools, identified as the 10% of schools in Michigan with the largest achievement gap between the top third and bottom third of students. 

From the speaker's bio:

Monica Bhatt is a doctoral student in the Foundations and Policy program with Educational Studies. Prior to coming to the UM School of Education, she was a research and policy associate for the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest at Learning Point Associates (now under the American Institutes for Research). She also received a Fulbright grant to teach in a secondary, bilingual school in Madrid. Her research interests lie in the adoption, implementation and evaluation of state and federal policies in the United States, specifically as they relate to secondary school students. Currently, she works with Drs. David Cohen, Lori Hill, Susan Dynarski and Brian Jacob on various projects.

About CIERS:

The objective of the Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) is to engage students and faculty from across the university in conversations around education research using various research methodologies. 

This seminar provides a space for doctoral students and faculty from the School of Education, Ford School of Public Policy, and the Departments of Economics, Sociology, Statistics, and Political Science to discuss current research and receive feedback on works-in-progress. Discourse between these schools and departments creates a more complete community of education scholars, and provides a networking opportunity for students enrolled in a variety of academic programs who share common research interests. Open to PhD students and faculty engaged in causal inference in education research