education policy

Jacob quoted in Bridge Magazine’s report on Northern Michigan elementary school’s remarkable progress

May 4, 2018

Four years ago, Kenwood Elementary, a historically economically disadvantaged school in Cadillac, MI was ranked in the second percentile of all state schools by the Michigan Department of Education. Two years later, the school rose to the 59th...

Prof. Brian Jacob says child abuse and neglect should be ‘central concern’ for state in new Brookings report

Apr 10, 2018

Late last month the Brookings Institution released a report by U-M professors Brian Jacob and Joseph Ryan. The assessment was the result of a partnership between the University and the State of Michigan, detailing the prevalence of abuse and...

Jacob in Brookings: States need to support research on Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Nov 7, 2017

"The single best way to avoid... selection problems and determine the causal impact of a policy or program is through a randomized control trial. While such experiments can be expensive and are often logistically or politically difficult, they have...

APPAM to honor Dynarski: Spencer Foundation Award for transformative ed policy work

Sep 26, 2017

Professor Susan Dynarski has been named a recipient of the Spencer Foundation Award by the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) for her noteworthy contributions through research and analysis in the field of education policy...

Jacob on Michigan Radio: MI reforms of under-performing schools have been unsuccessful

Jun 9, 2017

On June 6, Brian Jacob spoke with Dustin Dwyer of Michigan Radio about recent research that explores whether Michigan's Priority and Focus schools have benefitted from reforms implemented in 2012. The work is published in “Differentiated...

Susan Dynarski in New York Times on the recent FAFSA fumble

Mar 13, 2017

Susan Dynarski’s recent article, "A fumble on a key FAFSA tool, and a failure to communicate," was published by The New York Times earlier today. The piece takes a critical look at the IRS shutdown of the FAFSA's data retrieval tool earlier this...

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

Brian Jacob debates the effects of NCLB school accountability policies in JPAM articles

Jan 1, 2017

In "The changing federal role in school accountability" and "The potential and limits of federal policy: A response to Ladd," two January articles in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Brian Jacob engages with Helen Ladd of Duke...

Dynarski on "Fulfilling the promise of community college: The ASAP demonstrations"

Dec 7, 2016

Community colleges throughout the United States have low graduation rates, yet preliminary evidence from a new randomized trial suggests an effective policy prescription, write Susan Dynarski and Meghan Oster. Their article, “Fulfilling the promise...

Youth Policy Lab announces application for new technical assistance program

Nov 30, 2016

The Youth Policy Lab has issued a request for proposals to organizations seeking to use data to improve service delivery or program design for Michigan youth. Applications for the Michigan Technical Assistance Partnership (M-TAP) Program are due...

Susan Dynarski in NYT, “A conveyor belt of dropouts and debt at for-profit colleges”

Oct 31, 2016

Susan Dynarski, in Sunday’s New York Times, describes for-profit colleges as having “a conveyor belt of dropouts and debt.”Dynarski points out that enrollment at for-profit colleges has jumped, especially since the Great Recession, when increased...

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...

Brian Jacob in Brookings: "The wisdom of mandatory grade retention" in Michigan

Sep 30, 2016

Brian Jacob's latest contribution to Brookings' Evidence Speaks focuses on “The wisdom of mandatory grade retention.”In the article, Jacob investigates whether it is sound public policy to require third graders who fall behind in grade-level reading...

Megan Tompkins-Stange addresses the influence of private foundations on education policy

Sep 20, 2016

This week, Megan Tompkins-Stange and her research were featured in a variety of programs: Michigan Radio's Stateside program, Prospect magazine, and the Tiny Spark podcast.In each, Tompkins-Stange discusses her new book, Policy Patrons:...

Policy Patrons in WaPo, "Obama's ed department and Gates fdn were closer than you thought"

Aug 25, 2016

Policy Patrons, a recently published book by Megan Tompkins-Stange, is the focus of the Washington Post article, “Obama’s education department and Gates foundation were closer than you thought.”“Policy Patrons looks at the effect of the...

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...

Forbes highlights Dynarski Brookings paper, dispelling student loan default myth

Jan 14, 2016

In a new paper for Brookings, "The Trouble with Student Loans? Low Earnings, Not High Debt," Susan Dynarski debunks the popular notion that more student debt leads to higher student loan default rates.In fact, research shows that default rates are...

U-M receives $4 million federal grant for predoctoral research training program in education sciences

Jun 9, 2015

The University of Michigan has received a $4 million federal grant to establish a predoctoral research training program in education sciences.The grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences unites U-M's School of...

Newly endowed education policy fund honors the life and legacy of Maggie Weston (MPP ’08)

Jan 12, 2015

Margaret E. (Maggie) Weston (MPP ’08) passed away unexpectedly in her sleep on July 24, 2014 at 32 years of age. A new endowed fund, established by Maggie’s parents Lawrence and Kathryn Weston, will benefit future Ford School students who share...

Ford School faculty members make Education Week list of most influential education scholars

Jan 7, 2015

Four University of Michigan scholars, including three Ford School faculty members, made Rick Hess’s Education Week ranking of the most influential U.S. scholars in education policy--those who contribute most substantially to public debates about...

State & Hill

The Power of Policy

Dec 17, 2014

Public policy is a principled guide to action, designed to lead to the greater good. As we celebrate our centennial as America’s first graduate-level training program in public administration, we take a moment to reflect on the powerful role policy...

The Atlantic cites Jacob's teacher tenure study

Jun 12, 2014

As a California judge rules that the state's teacher tenure system is disproportionately harmful to children from low-income families, Dana Goldstein explores the origins and impacts of the state's teacher tenure system—both positive and negative—in...

The Atlantic cites Jacob's teacher tenure study image

Jacob part of expert line-up on State of Opportunity special on high stakes testing

Jan 16, 2014

In a State of Opportunity broadcast, Brian Jacob discusses the impact of high stakes testing, particularly for low-income students and school districts. High stakes testing refers to standardized tests with results that have important consequences...

Jacob part of expert line-up on State of Opportunity special on high stakes testing image

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...

Jacob discusses MEAP results on "The Craig Fahle Show"

Feb 16, 2012

WDET talk show host Craig Fahle interviewed Ford School professor of education policy Brian A. Jacob about the recent Michigan Education Assessment Program results and their implications for Michigan.Higher standards for the MEAP this year resulted...

Jacob discusses MEAP results on "The Craig Fahle Show" image

The Detroit Free Press quotes Brian A. Jacob on improving student performance

Feb 15, 2012

Michigan significantly raised the bar for its Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) last year, and the first test results are in: many students and schools have a long way to go to meet the new standards, according to an article in the...

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...

Brian Jacob's research cited in The Washington Post, "What No Child Left Behind did and didn't do"

Sep 17, 2010

Brian Jacob's research about the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was cited in The Washington Post. The paper, written with Thomas S. Dee from the University of Virginia, reviewed existing NCLB research and synthesized the findings into...

New research by Brian Jacob shows results are mixed for impact of No Child Left Behind Act

Nov 19, 2009

Updated January 7: Read Brian's op-ed in the Detroit NewsBrian Jacob has co-authored the first known rigorous national impact evaluation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, finding that the legislation has had mixed effects on student...

EPI Speaker Series

Researchers, Practitioners, and Funders: Perspectives on Strengthening Education Policy in Partnership Across Different Roles

Feb 8, 2024, 12:00-12:50 pm EST

1230 Weill Hall

In this presentation, Drs. McCormick and Sachs will discuss how their experiences as a researcher and practitioner working in partnership have prepared them for their new roles at the Overdeck Family Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They will also share opportunities they see to use research and evaluation to make a positive impact on education policy and how these opportunities vary across roles.

McCormick-Sachs-Ed-Policy-Speaker-Series