Departments and Research Centers

Education Policy Initiative

Content type
Showing 1 - 30 of 687 results
Core faculty

Walter Ecton

Assistant Professor, Marsal Family School of Education
Dr. Walter Ecton, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, researches the intersections between high school, higher education, and the workforce, and the pathways students take...
Walt Ecton, Assistant Professor, Marsal Family School of Education
Core faculty

Jeremy Wright-Kim

Assistant Professor, Marsal Family School of Education
Jeremy Wright-Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, where he regularly teaches courses in finance and public policy. Utilizing a range of critical approaches and methodologies, his research e...
Jeremy_Wright-Kim_profil
Affiliated faculty

Deborah Rivas-Drake

Professor, School of Education; Professor Psychology, College of Literature, Science and the Arts
Deborah Rivas-Drake, is a Professor of Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan. Together with the Contexts of Academic + Socioemotional Adjustment (CASA) Lab, she examines how school, peer, family, and community settings can support ad...
Debbie_Rivas-Drake_profile
Staff

Rachel Barra

Research Assistant
Rachel Barra is a second-year Master's student in Public Policy and Business Administration and a research assistant at the Education Policy Initiative. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked at Chegg as an Academic Relations Content Coordina...
rachel-barra-profile-pic
Staff

Maya Kapur

Research Assistant
Maya Kapur is a Master's of Public Policy student at the Ford School and research assistant at the Education Policy Initiative. Her primary research interest is early childhood education. Prior to joining the Ford School, Maya worked in public opinio...
maya kapur profile
Staff

Kate Lyons

Research Assistant
Kate Lyons is a second-year Master of Public Policy student and a research assistant at the Education Policy Initiative. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a program associate for the Council of Chief State School Officers, where she supported s...
kate-lyons-profile-pic
Staff

Lauren O'Hair

Research Analyst
Lauren O'Hair is a Research Analyst at the Education Policy Initiative. Her work at EPI has primarily focused on evaluating elementary education grants, education governance structures, and the implementation of early literacy curricula. Prior to EPI...
Lauren O'Hair profile picture
Staff

Stacey Rzeszut

Administrative Specialist
Stacey Rzeszut is an administrative specialist for EPI and provides fiscal, operational and administrative support to the EPI team, predoctoral candidates, and the Michigan Education Data Center. Stacey also manages the Education Policy Speaker Serie...
Headshot of Stacey Rzeszut
Staff

Anne Taylor

Senior Project Manager, Education Policy Initiative
Annie Taylor is a senior project manager focusing on early childhood with the Education Policy Initiative. Her work at EPI includes designing and implementing research agendas and studies for universal preschool programs around the county. She joined...
Annie Taylor_directory
Staff

Qia Yang

Data Programmer
Qia Yang is the data programmer at the Education Policy Initiative. His primary work is to maintain the Michigan Education Data Center, import data from the State of Michigan and export data to MERI researchers. He also optimizes the code in MEDC to ...
Qia Yang profile
Alumni

Paige Foster

Alumni
Paige Foster received her BFA in art and design at the University of Michigan’s Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design, concentrating on graphic design and visual communication, and a History of Art minor at LSA. Paige is interested in using design...
Paige Foster Headshot
Alumni

Luz Mayancela

Alumni
Luz Mayancela graduated with a BA from the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy and was a research assistant for the Education Policy Initiative. As a Chicago native and a product of public schools, she is passionate about early childhood education an...
luz-mayancela-caho
In the Media

Jacob: Standardized tests gave clear targets for math achievement

Jun 10, 2026 The Washington Post
The 2000s were defined by high-stakes standardized testing, rigid teacher evaluations and other federal accountability standards that researchers say had positive effects on math achievement. "By no means were these policies perfect or even sufficien...
Jacob: Standardized tests gave clear targets for math achievement
News

Hausman, Michelmore, and Pilkauskas promoted to full professors

May 22, 2026
On May 21, the Regents of the University of Michigan approved promotions for Catherine Hausman, Katherine Michelmore, and Natasha Pilkauskas. All three were promoted to professor of public policy, with tenure, at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public P...
Hausman, Michelmore, and Pilkauskas promoted to full professors
In the Media

Jacob: "No Child Left Behind" did improve test scores

May 16, 2026 The New York Times
The law, though, was deeply unpopular with many educators and parents. Critics said it put an outsize focus on testing, pushing schools to teach to the test and spend less time on other important subjects, like the arts or social studies. In 2015, Co...
Jacob: "No Child Left Behind" did improve test scores
State & Hill

"This research is not partisan"

May 7, 2026
With federal education data fading, Michigan's democratized approach empowers researchers and policymakers to drive evidence-based improvements in educationWhat are the long-term returns on public schooling? Does transitional kindergarten lead to bet...
"This research is not partisan"
In the Media

Weiland explains the benefits of kindergarten

Feb 26, 2026 EdSurge
"Any time a group of kids are being underserved, it's not good for the kid or family," Christina Weiland, a professor of education and public policy at the University of Michigan, says.
Kindergarten explains the benefits of kindergarten
In the Media

Charter schools are becoming more popular - Cohodes

Feb 22, 2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A unique coalition has historically supported charter schools, Cohodes said: Republicans who back school choice efforts and Democrats largely from urban areas who argue schools have failed to support students of color and those from low-income famili...
Charter schools are becoming more popular - Cohodes
In the Media

Jacob comments on competing screen policies for students

Jan 28, 2026 EdSurge
Brian Jacob, the co-director of University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab, believes the two initiatives can co-exist, as they address two separate ideas. One expresses enthusiasm for applying AI for educational purposes, while the other centers fear ...
Jacob comments on competing screen policies for students
News

Ford School faculty among the nation's top education scholars

Jan 8, 2026
Professors Sarah Cohodes, Brian Jacob, and Christina Weiland are ranked among the top 200 university-based scholars in the U.S. who had the biggest impact on educational practice and policy last year. This is according to Education Week's 2026 RHSU E...
Ford School faculty among the nation's top education scholars