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Katherine Michelmore wins the 24th David N. Kershaw Award and Prize

Sep 25, 2024

Katherine Michelmore, associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy has been awarded the 2024 David N. Kershaw Award and Prize for her contributions as a leading scholar and educator on...

Katherine Michelmore wins the 24th David N. Kershaw Award and Prize

News

Ford School’s Katherine Michelmore Senate testimony - “Assessing 25 years of the Child Tax Credit”

Jul 13, 2023

Ford School Associate Professor Katherine Michelmore testified before the United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, sharing her insights into the effectiveness, and drawbacks, of the first 25 years of the Child Tax...

Ford School’s Katherine Michelmore Senate testimony - “Assessing 25 years of the Child Tax Credit”

News

Ford School expert shares thoughts on next steps after US report on social media's effects on youth

Jun 5, 2023

A Ford School public policy expert who has reviewed the U.S. surgeon general's advisory outlining social media's profound risks to children's mental health says policymakers will need a great deal more data before making any formal...

State & Hill

COVID-19 and education: A tough time for all

Dec 19, 2022

Ford School education researchers look for answers By Shaun Manning From early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered public education in the United States. Many schools introduced remote learning for at least part of the 2020-2021...

COVID-19 and education: A tough time for all

News

EPI examines education impacts of the Flint Water Crisis

Dec 4, 2022

Eight years ago, the Flint water crisis captured national attention when the city’s tap water was shown to be contaminated with lead. Since then, researchers have been rigorously studying this crisis and measuring the effects of this lead exposure...

Lead in the water: What are the educational impacts on Flint students?

Publication

Income, segregated schools drive Black-white education gaps, study finds

Oct 19, 2022

Given the same levels of family, school, and neighborhood hardship, Black students would be more likely than their white classmates to complete high school and attend college—reversing current disparities, according to new research from the...

Income, segregated schools drive Black-white education gaps, study finds

News

2021 Child Tax Credit reduced hardship for families in poverty, had no significant impact on employment

Oct 5, 2022

New research from the University of Michigan focuses on the effect of the 2021 Child Tax Credit on families living in poverty, noting that the monthly payments reduced certain types of hardship and had little to no impact on parents’ employment...

2021 Child Tax Credit reduced hardship for families in poverty, had no significant impact on employment

News

Jacob in the media discussing Flint academic performance study

May 22, 2022

The recent Education Policy Initiative study about Flint, which found Math achievement for school-age children in Flint decreased and the proportion of children with special needs increased as a result of the Michigan city's water crisis during...

Jacob's study on teacher loan forgiveness cited in Chalkbeat

Publication

EPI studies Flint water crisis effects on academic outcomes

May 19, 2022

Math achievement for school-age children in Flint decreased and the proportion of children with special needs increased as a result of the Michigan city's water crisis during 2014-16, according to a new University of Michigan study. Those are the...

Publication

Investment in public schools reduces contact with criminal justice system - EPI working paper

May 10, 2022

Increased investment in public schools pays off through reductions in adult crime, a new Education Policy Initiative brief shows. The working paper, “Public School Funding, School Quality, and Adult Crime,” authored by E. Jason Baron, Joshua Hyman,...

School funding and crime report highlighted

News

Vasquez, Baron, and Hyman receive support for "More School Funding, Less Crime?” project

Dec 16, 2021

“Does investing in public education reduce crime in adulthood?” That is the essential question being examined by Brittany Vasquez, Jason Baron, and Joshua Hyman, recent and current PhD affiliates of the Education Policy Initiative (EPI). Their work...

Vasquez, Baron, and Hyman receive support for "More School Funding, Less Crime?” project

Publication

Earned Income Tax Credit affects intergenerational marriage and childbirth decisions, says U-M study

Dec 3, 2021

Children of Earned Income Tax Credit beneficiaries delayed marriage and first births, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Michigan professor, suggesting the cost-effectiveness of the federal program. Little has been known...

Publication

Michelmore and Pilkauskas find EITC boosts employment, with decreasing impact as children age

Oct 4, 2021

Existing research has largely overlooked the variation in maternal employment effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) depending on the age of their children. In a new study, Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas, both associate...

Who’s caring for the kids? The Earned Income Tax Credit and child care arrangements

Publication

Michigan’s HAIL scholarship program meaningfully changes students’ college trajectory, report shows

May 19, 2021

Research for years has shown that low-income students face unique barriers to applying to colleges, let alone being able to afford tuition and living costs. To address the concern that not enough high-achieving, low-income students were applying to...

Michigan’s HAIL scholarship program meaningfully changes students’ college trajectory, report shows

News

Parthasarathy on the dangers of facial recognition technology in schools

Jan 29, 2021 Los Angeles Times

As facial recognition technology has become more commonplace in law enforcement, some schools have considered implementing facial recognition technology on their respective campuses. However, after public backlash over privacy concerns, many...

Parthasarathy on the dangers of facial recognition technology in schools

News

Applications for financial aid lagging among Michigan low-income students

Aug 9, 2020

The economic hardship for low-income families caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have another casualty: high school seniors accessing financial aid to attend college. Applications for federal and state financial aid for college are a leading...

Stange and co-authors study cost differences across fields of study at colleges and universities

News

Dynarski addresses remote learning inequities

May 20, 2020

“The pandemic has revealed enormous inequalities in homes, in schools, in families. So the technological challenges are large, and they are very much connected to a family's financial resources,” according to Ford School professor Susan Dynarski,...

Susan Dynarski: University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor Lecture

News

U-M faculty members Dynarski, Shaefer named Carnegie Fellows

May 12, 2020 "U-M faculty members Dynarski, Shaefer named Carnegie Fellows" article

University of Michigan faculty members Susan Dynarski and H. Luke Shaefer have been chosen from hundreds of nominees as part of the prestigious Carnegie Fellows program. (read...

Susan Dynarski sitting on the steps of a building

News

Online learning out of reach for millions of students

May 1, 2020

UNESCO, the United Nations’ education agency, released data on April 21 revealing that half of all children currently out of school due to stay-at-home orders do not have access to a computer, and forty percent do not have access to the internet....

News

Ball, Cohen, Duke, Dynarski, and Jacob on 2020 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Ranking list

Jan 8, 2020 "Ball, Cohen, Duke, Dynarski, and Jacob on 2020 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Ra…

American Enterprise Institute director of education policy studies and Education Week blogger Frederick M. Hess released his 2020 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Ranking. This list spotlights the top 200 education scholars who move ideas from academic...

News

Mike Widerspan was appointed ED of Iowa College Aid

Dec 18, 2019 "Mike Widerspan as ED of Iowa College Aid" page

The Iowa College Aid Board of Commissioners has selected Dr. Mark Wiederspan as the agency’s new Executive Director. Current Executive Director Karen Misjak will retire January 24 after 15 years at the agency and more than 30 years in the field of...

A block M on the ground on University of Michigan's campus

News

Dynarski’s work on school day SAT testing cited in Inside Higher Ed analysis of the 2019 test results

Nov 8, 2019

Sue Dynarski’s research is cited in a recent Inside Higher Ed analysis of an initiative that expanded access to the SAT for low-income, first-generation, and minority students. 2019 marked the highest number of SAT test-takers to date: 2.2...

News

Dynarski named one of inaugural Distinguished Diversity & Social Transformation Professors

Sep 19, 2019

On Thursday, September 19, Ford School Professor Susan Dynarski was named one of nine inaugural recipients of the University of Michigan Distinguished Diversity & Social Transformation Professorship. The designation was recently created to...

Dynarski named one of inaugural Distinguished Diversity & Social Transformation Professors

State & Hill

HAILed it - Tuition-free promise attracts low-income students to U-M

Apr 5, 2019

A research study that centered around a large maize-and-blue-striped envelope caught the attention of more than just the students it sought to target. The work launched a larger initiative at the University of Michigan and is being lauded as...

HAILed it - Tuition-free promise attracts low-income students to U-M

News

Dynarski calls the legacy admission bump 'unconscionable'

Oct 30, 2018

As universities hone their admissions processes to reflect fairness and build a diverse student body, legacy students still have an advantage, warns Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. Susan Dynarski, Ford School professor, agrees. “Legacy...

HAILed it: Tuition-free promise effectively recruits low-income students to U-M

News

Professor Susan Dynarski’s research confirms the basis for radical educational innovation

Sep 28, 2018

In the most poverty-stricken school district in San Antonio, the work of Syracuse University’s Katherine Michelmore and Ford professor Susan Dynarski is helping to reshape educational reform. In an effort to bolster college-readiness, increase...

Professor Susan Dynarski’s research confirms the basis for radical educational innovation

EPI Policy briefs

Public School Funding, School Quality, and Adult Crime

July 14, 2022

Jason Baron, Joshua Hyman, Brittany Vasquez

Given the large costs of crime to society, there is substantial policy interest in identifying effective crime-prevention strategies. Many studies have focused on the effects of increasing the size of the police force and on the effects of tougher...

EPI Policy briefs

Understanding the Psychosocial Effects of the Flint Water Crisis on School-Age Children in Michigan

May 19, 2022

Sam Trejo, Gloria Yeomans-Maldonado, Brian Jacob, Samuel Owusu

In early 2016, the Flint Water Crisis captured national attention; major news outlets reported that the city’s tap water had been contaminated with lead since April of 2014. While Flint residents alerted officials about the changes to their drinking...

EPI Working papers

Public School Funding, School Quality, & Adult Crime

March 1, 2022

Jason Baron, Joshua Hyman, Brittany Vasquez

This paper asks whether improving the quality of public schools can be an effective long-run crime-prevention strategy in the U.S. Specifically, we examine the effect of school quality improvements early in children's lives on the likelihood that...

Other reports

Historic Crisis, Historic Opportunity: Using Evidence to Mitigate the Effects of the COVID-19 Crisis on Young Children and Early Care and Education Programs

June 1, 2021

Christina Weiland, Erica Greenberg, Daphna Bassok, Anna Markowitz, Paola Guerrero Rosada, Grace Luetmer, Rachel Abenavoli, Celia Gomez, Anna Johnson, Brenda Jones-Harden, Michelle Maier, Meghan McCormick, Pamela Morris, Milagros Nores, Deborah Phillips, Catherine Snow

The COVID-19 crisis has brought unprecedented challenges to the high-quality early care and education (ECE) experiences that are essential for young children to thrive. Throughout the pandemic, early childhood policymakers had to quickly make...