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Jacob publication: "The measurement of student ability in modern assessment systems"

Jan 27, 2017

A paper by Brian Jacob and Jesse Rothstein (U-C Berkeley), "The Measurement of Student Ability in Modern Assessment Systems," was published in the Summer 2016 edition of the American Economic Association's Journal of Economic Perspectives. The piece...

Michigan News Release: "Challenges in researching terrorism from the field"

Jan 27, 2017

Engaging with youth involved in or susceptible to violent extremism is key in helping the U.S. government understand—and combat—terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, according to a position paper, "Challenges in researching...

Faculty publication on Michigan merit curriculum now in educational policy journal

Jan 27, 2017

A paper by Brian Jacob, Susan Dynarski, Kenneth Frank, and Barbara Schneider titled, “Are Expectations Alone Enough? Estimating the Effect of a Mandatory College-Prep Curriculum in Michigan” was published in Educational Evaluation and Policy...

Brian Jacob, Sue Dynarski, and members of the Education Policy Initiative stand along the winding main staircase of the Ford School's home, Weill Hall

Stevenson: To measure Trump’s success, use working-class men’s employment as benchmark

Jan 24, 2017

Bloomberg View columnists, including Betsey Stevenson, issued an article on “17 metrics to watch in the Trump era” on January 20. Columnists each submitted benchmarks to watch for a sense of President Trump's performance. “His success, he...

Yang featured in Experimental Conversations, book examining development economics

Jan 20, 2017

For those interested in global development and development economics, Experimental Conversations, a volume by Timothy Ogden, features an interview with Dean Yang (Chapter 12). The book is a collection of interviews conducted by Ogden with...

Preventing vote-selling in the Philippines image

Justin Wolfers and coauthors publish in SSRN: "In-group bias in financial markets"

Dec 24, 2016

A paper by Sima Jannati (University of Miami), Alok Kumar (University of Miami), Alexandra Niessen-Ruenzi (University of Mannheim), and Justin Wolfers was published in SSRN on December 24, 2016. The paper is entitled: "In-group bias in financial...

On Mindpop, Rohde pushes for us to "not lose sight of humans" in the big data revolution

Dec 6, 2016

David Sehat, host of the Mindpop podcast, talks with Joy Rohde about big data for the December 4 episode: “Is big data a force for good?” Rohde recounts the history of projects that use large datasets to try to solve policy problems – from the...

Ford School launches Supplemental Studies in Public Policy Program for undergrads

Dec 2, 2016

This year, the Ford School is introducing a new Supplemental Studies in Public Policy (SSPP) Program for undergraduate students. The program will consist of a 10-credit course sequence for University of Michigan bachelor's degree candidates....

Gerber develops "Policymaker" to simulate stakeholder engagement, policy decision-making

Nov 4, 2016

People disagree. When they do, decision makers are charged with weighing feedback from multiple parties to draw a conclusion about how best to move forward. “You have decision makers who need to deal with that disagreement," says Elisabeth...

Media on Wolfers' research: “What financial markets think of the 2016 election”

Oct 25, 2016

According to most polls, public opinion shifted in marked favor of a Clinton presidency during the first Presidential debate of 2016, which took place on September 26. Justin Wolfers, who watched the debate while observing the real-time reactions of...

Ford School, Survey Research Center faculty launch Youth Policy Lab to improve young lives

Oct 13, 2016

Researchers at the University of Michigan have launched a new lab designed to help state and local agencies, social service providers, nonprofits and educators improve life outcomes for Michigan youth, from birth through age 25.The Youth Policy Lab...

Jacob on Educational Test Score Manipulation in NBER Working Paper

Oct 12, 2016

“The Causes and Consequences of Test Score Manipulation: Evidence from the New York Regents Examinations” a journal article by Thomas S. Dee, Will Dobbie, Brian A. Jacob, and Jonah Rockoff, has been released as an NBER working paper.AbstractIn this...

"Class sizes in Michigan, the quiet crisis," new research by Education Policy Initiative

Sep 21, 2016

New research from the Education Policy Initiative at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy found that many Michigan K-12 students experience very large core classes—with 40 or more students—but that some students are at greater...

Michigan Journal of Public Affairs publishes 2016 volume on constitutional rights, freedoms

Sep 20, 2016

The editorial board of the Michigan Journal of Public Affairs (MJPA) is pleased to announce the 2016 edition and thirteenth volume of the student-run journal of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.This year’s call for papers established the...

Graphic with text "Michigan Journal of Public Affairs in Solidarity with Black lives"

Brian Jacob on student test scores—how they’re assembled and why that matters

Aug 16, 2016

In “Student test scores: How the sausage is made and why you should care,” Brian Jacob describes how student ability is measured; how various test makers analyze and report student performance; and why this matters for policymakers and practitioners...

Axelrod compares historical analogies used to make sense of 9/11, Mumbai, Tahrir Square

Aug 16, 2016

An article by Bob Axelrod and Larissa Forster (ARTIS Research), "How Historical Analogies in Newspapers of Five Countries Make Sense of Major Events: 9/11, Mumbai and Tahrir Square," has been published by the journal Research in Economics....

Carl Simon on "Bridging complex systems, population health, and health disparities"

Jul 26, 2016

In 2010, Carl Simon and George Kaplan received funding from the National Institutes of Health to build an interdisciplinary network of scientists to look at a very important problem, socioeconomic health disparities, viewed as a complex system. “We...

News

Inaugural Detroit Data Fellow will assist Motor City police with real-time data analysis

Jul 11, 2016

University of Michigan alum Reid Wilson was selected as the first Detroit Data Fellow and will spend the next two years analyzing Detroit Police Department data to help understand crime patterns in real time. Wilson, who earned a master's...

New undergrad politics, policy course offers opportunities to work with survey research data

Jun 28, 2016

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) is offering a new undergraduate course for students looking for opportunities to work with survey research...

Axelrod examines dynamic aspects of culture, finds increase in the use of causal language

May 1, 2016

An article by Rumen Iliev (Stanford University) and Bob Axelrod, "Does Causality Matter More Now? Increase in the Proportion of Causal Language in English Texts," was published in Psychological Science in May 2016. Abstract: The vast majority...

State & Hill

Sometimes finding nothing means more: Recognizing the value of failure, understanding null results

Apr 27, 2016

In 2014, a promising early-literacy program was implemented in seven Michigan charter schools. Over the next year, Brian Jacob, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Education Policy, compared the progress of students who learned reading skills...

Dynarski on the effects of Boston’s charter high schools on college prep, entry, choice

Apr 1, 2016

“Stand and Deliver: Effects of Boston’s Charter High Schools on College Preparation, Entry, and Choice” a journal article by Joshua Angrist, Sarah Cohodes, Susan Dynarski, Parag Pathak, and Christopher Walters, has been published in the April 2016...

The dawn of public policy, 45th anniversary of first MPPs (continued from State & Hill)

Mar 31, 2016

The protests started in earnest in the spring of 1965. Operation “Rolling Thunder,” spearheaded by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, commenced on March 2, with massive and near-continuous air strikes of Vietnam. The first U.S. combat troops were...

Greater attention to causality: Science, technology, education changed the way we talk

Mar 18, 2016

ANN ARBOR—As science, education and technology have taken on ever-increasing roles in society during the past two centuries, researchers at the University of Michigan have identified corresponding changes in cognition.Robert Axelrod, U-M professor...

News

Michigan Radio interviews Brian Jacob about latest research on MI high school curriculum reforms

Mar 9, 2016

Last week, Brian Jacob, Susan Dynarski and two colleagues from Michigan State released a new paper, "Are expectations alone enough? Estimating the effect of a mandatory college-prep curriculum in Michigan." The paper examines the effect of the 2006...

Jacob, Dynarski on the effect of a mandatory college-prep curriculum in Michigan

Feb 1, 2016

“Are Expectations Alone Enough? Estimating the Effect of a Mandatory College-Prep Curriculum in Michigan” a journal article by Brian Jacob, Susan Dynarski, Kenneth Frank, and Barbara Schneider, has been circulated as an NBER working paper this...

Dynarski addresses urban-suburban divide in charter school performance in Upshot

Nov 25, 2015

Susan Dynarski tackled charter school effectiveness in her latest New York Times Upshot post, published Friday, Nov. 20. In “Urban Charter Schools Often Succeed. Suburban Ones Often Don’t.,” she speaks to the divide in charter school success rates,...

News

Local leaders worry about retiree health care benefits, says latest CLOSUP MPPS report

Oct 29, 2015

ANN ARBOR—Health care benefits for retirees of Michigan's local governmental units are presenting significant fiscal challenges, and more than half of local officials surveyed indicate they are concerned they won't be able to fulfill their...

'Ford School feed' - run for the Alumni Board, Dynarski receives NASPAA award, school launches Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion strategic planning initiative

Oct 22, 2015

The latest edition of the Ford School feed, an email news source for alumni and friends of the school, arrived in inboxes this week.This spring edition of the feed calls for Alumni Board nominations; celebrates Susan Dynarski's accomplishment as a...

In government, let hard data judge what works, says Wolfers in NYT Upshot column

Oct 1, 2015

In his most recent column for The New York Times’ Upshot, Justin Wolfers explains how behavioral economics is used to promote government efficiency and effective service delivery.He presents findings from the White House Social and Behavioral...