charter schools

News

Sarah Cohodes testifies before New Jersey Senate

Dec 17, 2024

On December 16, 2024, Ford School Associate Professor Sarah Cohodes testified before the New Jersey Senate Higher Education Committee. She was called on to speak at a public hearing to assist lawmakers in evaluating the status of charter schools...

News

Cohodes receives funding to dig deeper into charter school impact

Oct 10, 2024

With a $275,000 grant from MIT Blueprint Labs, two University of Michigan professors will tease out why some schools better prepare students for college than others.The project is led by Sarah Cohodes, associate professor at the Ford School of...

In the Media

Cohodes research on Massachusetts charter schools shows positive outcomes

Sep 16, 2024 Education Next

Research conducted by Sarah Cohodes on Massachusetts charter schools shows that "charter schools in urban areas, including Boston, do a great job boosting test scores, and the ones outside of those urban areas, tended to have no impact on test...

Publication

One size doesn't fit all: U-M study reveals different educational models can lead to college success

Aug 9, 2024

New research led by University of Michigan education economist Sarah Cohodes provides insights into how different K-12 educational environments shape college preparation, enrollment and graduation...

State & Hill

Faculty Findings, spring 2024

Apr 24, 2024

Inclusive innovation—the idea of introducing technologies designed for and by the poor to boost economic growth in impoverished communities—often misses the real problems facing these communities and champions solutions that benefit entrepreneurs at...

Colorful illustration of many different women

Publication

Lessons learned: Urban charter schools demonstrate potential to improve student performance

Feb 22, 2024

While the merits of charter schools vs. traditional public schools are well-documented, some charter schools in urban areas can dramatically improve student achievement, especially among disadvantaged students, says a University of Michigan...

In the Media

Erb-Downward discusses trends between poverty and school choice in Detroit

Apr 10, 2023 Chalkbeat Detroit

Jennifer Erb-Downward, Chalkbeat Detroit: "The deeper someone is in poverty, the more challenges they face, and that has a huge impact on a child’s ability to participate in their...

In the Media

Tompkins-Stange on Bloomberg's push to expand charter schools

Dec 10, 2021 Chalkbeat

Megan Tompkins-Stange, who studies philanthropic investments in education, calls former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's $750 million push to expand charter schools "unprecedented." But charter schools face fierce political opposition. "Bloomberg...

Brian Jacob in Chalkbeat: Five big questions researchers are asking about charters

Jun 19, 2017

Brian Jacob is cited in a new Chalkbeat article, “Beyond the test score race: Five big questions researchers are asking about charter schools.”While many researchers with an interest in charter schools focus on the impact these schools have had on...

WaPo cites Education Policy Initiative research on MI charter school practices

May 31, 2017

In “What ‘school choice’ means in the era of Trump and DeVos,” Washington Post journalist Valerie Strauss explores the varied policies and programs proposed by U.S. school-choice advocates. Strauss' primer on the movement cites recent research from...

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

Brian Jacob tracks trends in charter school research for Brookings' Evidence Speaks

Mar 31, 2017

In a March 23 piece for Brookings’ Evidence Speaks series, Brian Jacob outlines recent research that aims to answer key questions about the effectiveness of U.S. charter schools. Jacob’s article, “The evolution of the charter school market and...

Michigan charter school practices rarely differ from those offered in traditional public schools

Dec 1, 2016

A new study by the University of Michigan’s Education Policy Initiative (EPI) shows Michigan’s charter schools follow similar practices as the traditional public schools that their students would otherwise attend. At a time when one of the major...

"To me, it is immoral to deny children a better education" - Dynarski featured in NYT

Nov 4, 2016

David Leonhardt’s November 4 New York Times op-ed, “Schools that work,” features charter school research and commentary by Susan Dynarski, co-director of the Ford School’s Education Policy Initiative. The op-ed concerns a controversial ballot...

In Brookings, Dynarski advocates for expansion of charter school quota in Massachusetts

Sep 15, 2016

In some urban areas of Massachusetts, a statewide cap on charter schools restricts any additional charter seats. Susan Dynarski and Sarah Cohodes tackle this issue in “Massachusetts charter cap holds back disadvantaged students,” the latest Evidence...

Marketplace Morning Report asks, "Are powerful philanthropic groups good for education?"

Aug 26, 2016

Amy Scott interviews Megan Tompkins-Stange, author of Policy Patrons, for the Marketplace Morning Report segment, “Are powerful philanthropic groups good for education?”In the book, Tompkins-Stange takes a deep dive into the philosophy and practice...

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...

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,...

Our World Needs Pioneers

Nov 1, 2013

A single gift can make a difference, and gifts to the Ford School yield impressive returns.The Annenberg Professorship, established to honor the life and legacy of President Ford, enabled the Ford School to attract and retain Brian Jacob, a rising...

Susan M. Dynarski, Brian A. Jacob receive Institute of Education Sciences grant to study charter schools

Mar 15, 2012

Susan M. Dynarski and Brian A. Jacob, as part of a National Bureau of Economic Research team, received a three-year, $1.6 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to study charter schools.The project will examine why some charter...

State & Hill

State & Hill's Winter 2012 issue explores education reform, policy, evaluation, and more

Jan 5, 2012

State & Hill's Winter 2012 issue offers readers an opportunity to learn about the wide array of education reform and policy issues that our students, alumni, and faculty are tackling right now. Click through the magazine below to read about Susan M....

State & Hill

Waiting for Superman, the sequel

Jan 5, 2012

Whether we believe in charter schools or harbor our reservations, the fact remains that they're a vital part of our nation's education landscape. Today, some 5,000 charters across America enroll 1.6 million children, and those numbers are increasing...

House majority leader says government should support innovators

Nov 1, 2011

U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Monday told a packed gathering at the Michigan League Ballroom that to build the economy government needs to continue supporting those who create businesses and opportunity, from whose ranks have sprung...

News

Ford School expands scope of education policy research

Oct 19, 2011

Over the past year, significant new research and post-doctoral training grants added to the already active slate of education policy initiatives underway at the Ford School. In May, Susan M. Dynarski and Brian A. Jacob received a $250,000 grant...

Michigan Radio highlights new study by Susan M. Dynarski, Brian A. Jacob

Jun 8, 2011

A new study by Susan M. Dynarski and Brian A. Jacob was highlighted on the University of Michigan's NPR station, Michigan Radio, in a segment called "U of M to study effectiveness of Michigan's charter schools."The study of more than 200 Michigan...

Susan M. Dynarski, Brian A. Jacob receive grant to study Michigan's charter schools

May 5, 2011

Susan M. Dynarski and Brian A. Jacob received a $250,000 grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation to study charter schools in Michigan. Over the next two years Dynarski and Jacob will conduct a rigorous, Michigan-wide analysis of the effect of...

Susan Dynarski co-authored report on charter schools, federal government

Dec 16, 2010

Susan Dynarski co-authored a report for The Brookings Institution about government regulation of charter schools. In "Charter Schools: A Report on Rethinking the Federal Role in Education," the authors explain the government’s current role in...

Susan Dynarski co-authored report on charter schools, federal government image

Susan Dynarski quoted in Wall Street Journal blog, "The Conflicting Charter-School Numbers"

Nov 19, 2010

Susan M. Dynarski was quoted in a Wall Street Journal blog about the research comparisons of student performance at charter schools versus traditional schools. Though many charter schools use a lottery system to select students, the systems aren't...

Profile of MPP alum, Dudley Benoit

May 1, 2006

There was a time not too long ago when major U.S. banks simply refused to extend loans into many poor urban and rural areas of America. If one wanted, for instance, to build a new shopping center or a movie theater in parts of Harlem or the South...

Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

School Discipline and the New Orleans School Reforms

Jul 26, 2017, 11:30 am-1:00 pm EDT

Weill Hall, Room 3240

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.

Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

The Impact of Charter Schools on Student Achievement: New Evidence from Michigan

Feb 1, 2017, 8:30-10:00 am EST

Weill Hall, Room 1220