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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
Despite the relative rarity of firearm-related violence and injury in U.S. schools, the salience of school shooting events can influence local-, state-, and even federal-level school safety policy. I discuss concerns related to such direction, including: 1) a lack of evidence-based strategies to prevent firearm injury in schools; 2) the disproportionate burden of students exposed to 'school hardening' strategies; and 3) student needs overshadowed by a focus on extreme violence.
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.
The goal of the conference is to facilitate dialogue between policymakers, practitioners, and researchers around the changing nature of skill demand in the U.S. workforce and how postsecondary institutions can better respond to these changes. The conference is made possible through funding from the National Science Foundation.
Despite the growing interest in social and emotional learning (SEL) implementation in K-12 settings, few measures exist to assess teachers’ SEL practices. In this talk, we describe the interactive mixed-method approach we took in developing the Racial Equity-oriented Social and Emotional Learning (REQSEL) practices measure.
Join the Center for Racial Justice for a workshop on creative practices for authentic community building with Holly Bass, part of our Racial Justice in Practice workshop series. Open to U-M students, faculty, staff, and community partners. In this workshop, we will explore the differences between activism, organizing, and culture shift work. We will explore how to build authentic relationships with those most affected by potential policy changes and those in the best position to bring about legal and social change. We will also explore how creativity and joy can guide our social justice work as individuals and collectives.
Join the Center for Racial Justice for a workshop on changemaking from the inside with Gabrielle Wyatt, part of our Racial Justice in Practice workshop series. Open to U-M students, faculty, staff, and community partners. In this virtual workshop, we will collectively visit frameworks and strategies for affecting change as institutional insiders. Specifically, we will discuss strategies for building and sustaining multi-generational change by exploring power, structural change, and leadership.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
EPI Speaker Series,
Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling Health Policy Fund
Join Professor Brian Jacob for a conversation on the academic impacts of the Flint Water Crisis 7-8 years later, and the big picture implications for young people in the community, featuring Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha - recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery effort - alongside Dr. Sam Trejo, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, and Flint Community Schools Superintendent Kevelin Jones.
The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Education Policy Initiative will be hosting a Policy Talk about the profound effects of COVID-19 on the state of education in Michigan.
Join our talk with Chris Weiland and Tim Burgess, co-authors of a recent policy report addressing the failure to provide high-quality universal preschool for all three- and four-year-old children in Washington.
Webinar to discuss bipartisan investment to stabilize and expand access to quality early childhood education (ECE). Congress and the Administration consider next major investments in ECE, requiring a need for a vision for a new and better system.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
EPI Speaker Series
Join us for a conversation on modern discourse with Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, moderated by Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes, as they discuss the topics in her new book, Thick, including race, gender, inequality, higher education access, technology, culture, and more.
Come learn from four stakeholders renowned for their experience and expertise in improving children's literacy; two professors of education, an education reporter, and the head of one of Michigan's school administrator associations.
Please join the Education Policy Initiative in welcoming Hirokazu Yoshikawa, the Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education at NYU Steinhardt and a University Professor at NYU, and Co-Director (with J. Lawrence Aber) of the Global TIES for Children center at NYU, for a virtual education policy talk.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Lecture Series
Join us for a panel discussion on the future of federal education policy, including the priorities of the new administration and the congressional agenda. Panel will be hosted by former deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and current Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence James Kvaal.
Please join us as EPI researchers and affiliated researchers present 23 papers at AEFP’s 41st annual conference in Denver, Colorado. The presentations highlight EPI’s ongoing work in education policy research, from early education through the labor market.