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Education

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In the Media

Stevenson explains 'double-whammy' for low-income households

Jul 6, 2021 CNN Business

Lower-income students are already more likely to be behind in school than their higher-income peers, but the COVID-19 pandemic worsened that gap. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, explained how the pandemic hit lower-income...

In the Media

Dynarski testifies on tax reform

Jun 30, 2021 Inside Higher Ed

On Tuesday, Susan Dynarski, professor of public policy, education and economics, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on how current tax benefits aren't reaching the students they are meant to help. “The education tax benefits...

News

Bentley gift bolsters MPP internships

Jun 28, 2021

Thanks to a generous gift from Ann Bentley and the Alvin M. Bentley Foundation in 2020 and in 2021, 10 MPP students were able to secure required summer internships without worrying about costs or income. “Funding support enables Ford School...

Headshots of Alex Baum, Bethany Haddad, Ben Levine, Rebecca Mendelsohn, and Cassidy Uchman

News

Tribute to Susan Dynarski as she departs the Ford School

Jun 23, 2021

Since 2008, Sue Dynarski has been one of the Ford School's most active faculty working to reform public education, fighting for educational equity and inclusiveness, and training the next generation of education policy experts. She has taught...

News

Weiland and colleagues discuss findings of pre-existing inequalities, increased stress within early childhood education

Jun 22, 2021

The Education Policy Initiative (EPI) along with the Urban Institute and other early childhood experts, recently dug into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on early childhood development. Their report, "Historic Crisis, Historic Opportunity:...

Photo of young children and their teachers in a classroom. By Yan Krukov

News

New policy brief reviews evidence of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on young children's learning and ECE programs, highlighting inequities, and points to solutions

Jun 18, 2021

How has COVID-19 impacted young children's educational experiences and learning outcomes? How has the pandemic impacted early childhood education (ECE) programs and the ECE workforce? A new report from the Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the...

In the Media

Erb-Downward analyzes trend between homeless students and school discipline

Jun 15, 2021 Bridge Michigan

According to U-M Poverty Solutions, homeless students face more disciplinary action at school than their housed counterparts. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Povery Solutions, explained the effects school discipline can have on...

News

Ford School team examines liberal arts impact on students’ lives a decade after graduation

Jun 11, 2021

What is the impact of a liberal arts education on students’ lives? University of Michigan researchers, including Ford School faculty members Paul Courant and Kevin Stange, were recently awarded a $1.1 million grant extension to answer this...

Headshots of Kevin Stange and Paul Courant

News

YPL report: Pre-COVID, more than half of Detroit students felt anxious or depressed, 1 in 4 considered suicide

Jun 10, 2021

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, serious mental health concerns impacted a significant portion of students in Detroit public schools, a new report shows. More than half of student respondents in the Detroit Public Schools Community District had...

State & Hill

Building strength

Jun 10, 2021

With new leading-edge research and faces at the school, the Ford School builds depth in two key policy areas. Energy and the environment Economics, political science, psychology, and community engagement are at the roots of the Ford School’s...

In the Media

Erb-Downward cites negative outcomes of school discipline on homeless children

Jun 6, 2021 WXYZ Detroit

Research done by Poverty Solutions at U-M has found negative outcomes in children resulting from school suspensions and expulsions, especially when those children have unstable housing. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty...

News

MIDAS grant to assist Stange research on liberal arts education

Jun 4, 2021

A challenge in any analysis looking at multiple higher education institutions is that each institution may have different labels for the same course - ENG101 may be "Composition I" at one institution but "Thinking Like an Engineer" at another. Ford...

News

From Arctic research to promoting the Port of Monroe, P3E students get real-world policy experience

May 27, 2021

Ford School students again went beyond the classroom, even though just virtually, to engage with communities across Michigan and the U.S. The graduate and undergraduate students took part in eight projects around racial justice, economic...

News

Examining Detroit students' college pathways

May 26, 2021

Academic and non-academic barriers are preventing Detroit high school students from enrolling and succeeding in college. Detroit Students’ College Pathways and Outcomes, a policy brief released by the Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the University of...

Publication

Barr and collaborators release third edition of Financial Regulation: Law and Policy textbook

May 24, 2021

Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr and his collaborators Howell E. Jackson of Harvard Law School and Margaret E. Tahyar from the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP, have released the third edition of their textbook, Financial Regulation: Law and...

News

Congratulations to Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi, both now associate professors, with tenure

May 21, 2021

Professors Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi have received promotions to associate professor, with tenure, at the Ford School. Their status was approved by the U-M Board of Regents at their meeting on May 20. "Natasha Pilkauskas is deepening...

Headshots of Kaitlin Raimi and Natasha Pilkauskas

Publication

Tompkins-Stange’s new study highlights crucial role of resources in shaping federal education policy

May 20, 2021

In 2008, Bill Gates gave a speech about how his foundation viewed teacher quality—specifically, separating high-performing teachers from low-performing ones through teacher evaluation—as their most important funding priority. In 2009, the Obama...

Publication

Michigan’s HAIL scholarship program meaningfully changes students’ college trajectory, report shows

May 19, 2021

Research for years has shown that low-income students face unique barriers to applying to colleges, let alone being able to afford tuition and living costs. To address the concern that not enough high-achieving, low-income students were applying to...

Publication

Career and technical education offers pathways for students with disabilities in Michigan

May 13, 2021

Career and Technical Education (CTE) could offer one way of bolstering educational attainment among and providing valuable job skills to students with disabilities (SWD). A new release by the Youth Policy Lab at the Ford School looks at CTE...

News

Biden's plan for universal preschool, explained - Weiland

May 12, 2021

On April 28, the Biden Administration announced the American Families Plan, which includes universal preschool for all three- and four-year-olds. Christina Weiland, associate professor of education at the Ford School, weighed in on the plan and...

News

Gates divorce sends shockwaves through global philanthropic community

May 7, 2021

The news of the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates shook the international philanthropic community, with speculation about the the split would mean to the foundation that bears their name. Megan Tompkins-Stange, who studies philanthropy, was widely...

News

Dynarski’s research and advocacy for a simplified FAFSA becomes reality

Apr 23, 2021

Professor Sue Dynarski laid out the reality of pursuing higher education for many students in a 2015 NYT op-ed. “Many smart students forgo college in the mistaken belief that they cannot afford it,” she wrote. “The financial aid system, which is...

News

HUD competition second place for Ford School student's team

Apr 15, 2021

A team comprised of four University of Michigan graduate students from the Ford School, Taubman College, and Ross Business along with a student from Harvard University are the runners-up in the 2021 Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design...

News

U-M's Ford School to expand social policy, equity work, thanks to Kohn Charitable Trust

Apr 9, 2021

A set of gifts totaling $17 million from the Kohn Charitable Trust will establish a resource hub at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy to catalyze interdisciplinary research on policy that promotes social equity and...

Publication

New EPI report provides snapshot of pandemic challenges for early childhood education providers

Mar 29, 2021

Even in a steady-funded “best case” scenario, teacher turnover, decreases in enrollment, and new safety protocols strain resources and stall quality improvements. Early childhood education (ECE) centers across the country are facing unprecedented...

A parent/guardian and two young children in masks walking outdoors (Credit: Shutterstock)

News

The Institute for Social Research announces the launch of its first research professorship: the Robert F. Schoeni Research Professorship

Mar 28, 2021 Institute for Social Research

The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR) is pleased to announce the launch of its first research professorship, the Robert F. Schoeni Research Professorship. This professorship honors Robert Schoeni, whose career has...

News

Katherine Michelmore joins Ford School faculty, adding social and education policy expertise

Mar 25, 2021

On March 25, the University of Michigan Regents approved the appointment of Katherine Michelmore as associate professor of public policy, with tenure, effective August 30, 2021. Michelmore is a leading scholar and educator on the social safety...

In the Media

Stevenson and Wolfers' textbook praised for helping to modernize how we teach economics

Mar 20, 2021 The Economist

"Textbooks are evolving too. Last year, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers of the University of Michigan published a tome that tries to avoid representation biases. Its description of the mechanics of monetary policy also scores well," writes The...

News

Wolfers co-authored paper looks at systemic sexism in economics

Feb 28, 2021

A paper on which Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers collaborated (with Pascaline Dupas, Alicia Sasser Modestino, Muriel Niederle, and a broader set of 97 economist collaborators known as the Seminar Dynamics Collective), “Gender and the...

News

Courant to deliver Distinguished University Professor lecture, "Society, the University, and How I Spent the Last 40-odd Years"

Feb 17, 2021

In July 2019, the University of Michigan Regents named Ford School professor Paul Courant as a Distinguished University Professor (DUP), the university’s highest faculty honor. Courant will deliver his DUP lecture, "Society, the University, and...