Past events

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 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.   

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.  

Key dates and deadlines for the November 8 election, plus how to register and vote.

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.

The Ford School is proud to celebrate the achievements of the graduating classes of 2022!

Catherine Asher will talk about the Youth Policy Lab's project to understand and support the use of Early Intervention Services in Washtenaw County.

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.

Join MDRC Director, K-12 education, William Corrin, for a talk about relevance, rigor, and relationships in education policy research.

As a part of the Education Policy Speaker Series, Rodriguez, Davis, and Deane will discuss racialized policymaking that pushes back on the race-neutral framings of prevailing policy-making theories...

A panel of distinguished scholars will discuss the past, present, and possible futures of college student activism, as well as the relationship of student activism to liberal education and democratic engagement.

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.

This is the second event in the 2021-22 College and Beyond II: The Outcomes of Liberal Education colloquium series.

Michigan will hold elections on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, and the Ford School strongly encourages all eligible voters to make their voices heard.

Nancy Thomas and Vincent Hutchings, in a conversation moderated by Susan Jekielek, will discuss the conflicting forces at play in 2020 and what it all means for democratic learning across disciplines, healthy political campus climates, and planning for the 2022 election and beyond.

Dr. Rucker Johnson—a labor economist who specializes in the economics of education—will join Dr. Celeste-Watkins-Hayes in conversation as part of a virtual series on the historical roots and impact of race in shaping public policy.