Ford School PhD student Jane Furey wins AERA award for excellence in education research

September 14, 2021

Jane Furey, a joint PhD student in public policy and sociology at the Ford School of Public Policy, was recently awarded the Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award for an outstanding article from the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Furey and her co-authors, Julie A. Edmunds (University of North Carolina, Greensboro), Fatih Unlu (RAND Corporation), Elizabeth J. Glennie (RTI International), Nina Arshavsky (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) were recognized for their article,  “What Happens When You Combine High School and College? The Impact of the Early College Model on Postsecondary Performance and Completion” that appeared in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Furey's research interests include inequality, education, social policy and quantitative methods. She is advised by Ford School faculty Kevin Stange and Natasha Pilkauskas. Previously she worked at Abt Associates, where she focused on the evaluations of education and income security interventions in the United States.

"We are very happy for the well-deserved recognition of Jane's excellent paper evaluating the impacts of early college programs," Stange said. "Jane is forging new ground in her dissertation examining transitions through college and career and how those relate to economic inequality and mobility."

Read about all of the AERA award winners here, who will be honored at a virtual awards celebration in December.

“We are excited to recognize this extraordinary group of award winners,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine in a statement. “These highly accomplished and passionate individuals are producing cutting-edge scholarship, working tirelessly to support the research enterprise, and translating findings meaningfully into the lives of students, educators, and others. We are proud to honor their outstanding scholarship and service to the education research field.”

Read the award-winning article 

What Happens When You Combine High School and College? The Impact of the Early College Model on Postsecondary Performance and Completion

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Volume 42, Issue 2, June 2020

About AERA

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.