Elliot Regenstein will discuss how state early childhood systems really work – how state governments oversee publicly funded programs, how community capacity supports state work, how advocates and philanthropists try to exercise influence, and how data is used to shape policy.
Faculty sexual misconduct targeted at students is a widespread problem. The consequences of such incidents include direct harm to victims and may also entail a loss to science if students who encounter misconduct become discouraged from continuing their studies in their chosen field.
Join the Ford School’s Kohn Collaborative—our Kohn Professors and Kohn Scholars—for a roundtable conversation on shaping social policy for a thriving society. Explore bold ideas and insights from leading voices as they discuss what it takes to build communities where everyone can truly thrive.
This talk explores new ways of making sense of racism as it operates across institutions and systems. The presentation highlights emerging ideas that sharpen how scholars and practitioners might define, study, and respond to racial inequities. By tracing connections between theory, measurement, and policy, the discussion invites participants to consider what becomes possible when we approach racism with greater conceptual clarity. The goal is not just to revisit old debates, but to spark a forward-looking conversation about how definitions shape research design, intervention, and social change.
This Ed Policy discussion looks at the impact of philanthropy’s contribution to improving postsecondary access and success. Over the past 15 years, several foundations, including the Kresge Foundation based in metro Detroit, have partnered together and with nonprofits, universities and community colleges to improve postsecondary attainment among US adults, moving the needle from 38% in 2008 to 54.9% as of 2023. Hear how they did it – and how the approach is gaining traction overseas, too.
Walter and Leonore Annenberg Auditorium (Room 1120)
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
The Ford School's Karl and Martha Kohn Professor of Social Policy, Christina Weiland, will deliver her Kohn lecture reflecting on her work on early childhood interventions and public policies on children’s development, especially on children from families with low incomes.
Please join Dean Elizabeth Moje of the Marsal Family School of Education, and Professors Kevin Stange and Christina Weiland, to discuss potential federal government funding cuts to IES, the Institute of Education Sciences. IES is the independent, non-partisan statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education, which supports "improving instruction, student behavior, teacher learning, and school and system organization."
Many prominent social scientists have advocated for random-draw lotteries as a solution to the “problem” of college admissions. They argue that lotteries will be fair and equitable, eliminate corruption, reduce student anxiety, restore democratic ideals, and end debates over race-conscious admissions. In response, we simulate potential lottery effects on student enrollment by race, gender, and income, using robust simulation methods. If we went to a lottery system, what would happen to student diversity? And how would this change the built relationship between students and selective colleges?
Sense of belonging has long been recognized as a fundamental psychological need and essential component of achievement motivation and socioemotional thriving. However, research on school belonging has only recently begun to examine the barriers to, supports for, and experiences of belonging among racially marginalized students of color within US schools and universities.
In this presentation, Dr. Wright will share findings from three studies focused on the implementation of Michigan’s Read by Grade Three Law. The first study examines the implementation of literacy coaching in Michigan, the second study focuses on literacy curriculum materials used in elementary classrooms, and the third study examines literacy instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together these studies help us to understand the implementation of a state-wide literacy policy and to consider some of the unforeseen challenges associated with its implementation.
Join the Center for Racial Justice in welcoming author and journalist Benjamin Herold for a conversation about his latest book Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs. Through the stories of five American families, Disillusioned a masterful and timely exploration of how hope, history, and racial denial collide in the suburbs and their schools.
Real World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions introduces key issues regarding the causes and consequences of poverty through an in-person lecture series featuring experts in policy and practice from across the nation.
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.
Educator staffing shortages have drawn considerable attention from policymakers and the public in recent years. While much attention is directed towards K-12 teachers, there is growing concern about shortages of substitute teachers because of the negative impact on teachers and administrators when schools regularly have insufficient staff to cover teacher absences and vacancies.
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.
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St.
Ann Abor MI 48104
Literati Bookstore is proud to welcome Laura Meckler to present and discuss her book Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity. This event is presented in collaboration with Wallace House Center for Journalists, Education Policy Initiative, Center for Racial Justice, Youth Policy Lab, and The Department of English Language and Literature at The University of Michigan.
Underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic workers in STEM fields contributes to racial wage gaps and reduces innovation and economic growth. Billions of dollars a year are spent on "pipeline'' programs to increase diversity in STEM, but there is little rigorous evidence of their efficacy.
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.
Postsecondary education plays a vital role in promoting intergenerational mobility in the United States; however, there are large and growing gaps in college attendance, college quality, and college completion rates by family income. As a policy response, colleges and universities have tried to increase economic diversity, and several interventions have been promising.
Diversifying the teaching force could be a key step to closing student achievement gaps and moving schools closer to equity goals. In their book, Teacher Diversity and Student Success: Why Racial Representation Matters in the Classroom, Seth Gershenson, Brookings Senior Fellow Michael Hansen, and Constance Lindsay present nuanced policy recommendations to increase teacher diversity in classrooms and promote more inclusive schools.
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.
In this talk, Professors Michelmore and Pilkauskas will discuss their study the effect of one of the largest work-contingent cash transfer programs in the United States – the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – on the child care arrangements of children.
Professor Tepper Jacob's talk will tell the story of an on-going evaluation of the Reading Partners program, a successful one-on-one volunteer tutoring program that serves struggling readers in elementary schools serving students from families with low-income
The official start of the school year, welcome week and orientation activities at the Ford School give new master's students the opportunity to meet and engage with peers, faculty, and staff, and begin the process of preparing for the academic year.
Researchers will share new findings from the College and Beyond II research study at the University of Michigan that illuminate liberal education’s links to long-term political engagement.
