Departments and Research Centers

Youth Policy Lab

The Youth Policy Lab coordinates activities to provide information and analyses that social services organizations need to do their jobs most effectively.

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Showing 1 - 30 of 164 results
Core faculty

Brian A. Jacob

Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Education Policy; Professor of Public Policy, Economics, and Education
Jacob is co-director of the Youth Policy Lab. His primary fields of interest are labor economics, program evaluation, and the economics of education. Jacob's current research focuses on urban school reform, with a particular emphasis on standards and accountability initiatives.
Headshot of Brian Jacob
Core faculty

Megan Tompkins-Stange

Associate Professor of Public Policy
Tompkins-Stange is a scholar of education policy and philanthropy, focusing on the influence of private foundations on the politics of K-12 school reform.
Megan Tompkins-Stange
Staff

Kaj Althaus

Michigan Data and Policy Fellow
Kaj Althaus is a Michigan Data and Policy Fellow with the Youth Policy Lab, a joint initiative of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Institute for Social Research. As a fellow, he will be placed at the Michigan State Court…
Headshot of Kaj Althaus
Staff

Milagros Chocce

Project Manager, Youth Policy Lab
Milagros Chocce is a project manager at the Youth Policy Lab. Milagros holds a MPP degree from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Economics from Universidad del Pacifico in Lima, Peru. Prior to…
Headshot of Milagros Chocce
Staff

Megan Foster Friedman

Managing Director, Youth Policy Lab
Megan Foster Friedman is the Managing Director for the Youth Policy Lab, focusing on maternal and infant health issues. Prior to joining the Youth Policy Lab, Megan was a senior healthcare analyst at the Center for Health and Research Transformation…
Headshots of Megan Foster Friedman
Staff

Zaiyi Jiang

Project Manager, Youth Policy Lab
Zaiyi Jiang is a project manager at the Youth Policy Lab. Zaiyi holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard Kennedy School and an MA in international journalism and communication from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. During her time in…
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Staff

Yejae Kim

Data Analyst, Youth Policy Lab
Yejae Kim is a data analyst with the Youth Policy Lab. Yejae holds a bachelor’s degree in data science and international relations and a GIS certification from Calvin University in 2021. Yejae has worked for Calvin University Center for Social…
Headshot of Yejae Kim
Staff

Shiyu Nitsos

Administrative Assistant, Youth Policy Lab
Shiyu Nitsos joined the Ford School in July 2018 and currently provides administrative support for the operations and programs of the Youth Policy Lab.  Shiyu grew up in China and graduated from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics…
Headshot of Shiyu Nitsos
Staff

Liz Reosti

Data Team Manager
Liz comes to YPL with seven years of experience working in the California Department of Public Health. She holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master's degree in Sociology. At YPL, she will oversee our data operations, analyze and…
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News

PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life 

Aug 2, 2023
What are the dynamics of inequity in labor markets? How do we determine appropriate categories for people in a multicultural society?  How is the U.S. approach to ethnicity and nationality different from what they are doing in Europe?  These were...
Group of PPIA students posing in front of Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy courtyard
News

Ford School welcomes PPIA 2023 cohort

Jun 19, 2023
The 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) has welcomed 23 students from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This year’s cohort will spend seven weeks taking classes, participating in...
PPIA Welcome 2023
In the Media

Jacob on the effects of SEL in schools

May 18, 2023 Hour Detroit
Robin Tepper Jacob, Hour Detroit: “Social-emotional learning involves teaching students about self-awareness, self-management, social skills, and responsible decision-making,” says Robin Tepper Jacob, faculty co-director and founder of the Youth...
Headshot of Robin Tepper Jacob
News

YPL wins grant to evaluate Michigan child welfare program

Apr 24, 2023
In Michigan, each year 140,000 children are investigated for suspected child abuse or neglect. Many of these youth end up in foster care, where they are especially vulnerable to long-term difficulties. Research has shown that children associated...
Family
News

Ford School fellow finds outlet in music

Mar 6, 2023
Downtown Ann Arbor’s thriving music scene attracts crowds of University of Michigan students to bars and music venues each weekend to see live bands perform. Some Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy students may be surprised to see a familiar...
Kaj Althaus playing guitar
News

Ford School names Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy Fellows

Jan 24, 2023
Seven outstanding master’s students have been named as 2022 Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy Fellows. Weill Scholars Shirley Araiza Santaella (MPP ‘24), David Castro (MPP '24), Moriah Nacionales-Tafoya (MPP ‘24), Juan Sandoval (MPP ‘24), and...
Headshots of Shirley Araiza Santaella, David Castro, Christiana Verdelus, Juan Sandoval, Moriah Nacionales-Tafoya, Eneida Hysi, and Paloma Ramos
State & Hill

COVID-19 and education: A tough time for all

Dec 19, 2022
Ford School education researchers look for answers By Shaun Manning From early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered public education in the United States. Many schools introduced remote learning for at least part of the 2020-2021...
Photo of a teacher in a classroom, speaking to a young student who is seated at their desk
State & Hill

Data for good: Expanding college opportunity in Michigan

Dec 19, 2022
By Daniel Rivkin When the state of Michigan issued its COVID-19 stay at home order in March 2020, Youth Policy Lab (YPL) Data and Policy Fellow Ava Attari found herself in the middle of an ambitious state program. The thousands of workers who had...
Futures for Frontliners
News

Tompkins-Stange weighs in on no-strings-attached donations

Dec 5, 2022
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is changing the world of education philanthropy by giving no-strings-attached, multimillion-dollar donations to schools. Megan Tompkins-Stange, associate professor of public policy, analyzed the donations, and the...
Megan Tompkins-Stange