Departments and Research Centers

Education Policy Initiative

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Showing 1 - 30 of 588 results
Staff

Katie Hyland

Research Assistant
Katie Hyland is a Research Assistant for the Education Policy Initiative and MPP candidate at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Katie previously worked as a research associate at American Institutes for Research, where she conducted…
katie-hyland-profile
Staff

Lauren O'Hair

Research Assistant
Lauren O'Hair is a research assistant at the Education Policy Initiative. She is a first-year MPP student with an interest in education policy due to her seven years as an elementary teacher in both public and charter schools across the country. This…
Lauren O'Hair profile picture
Staff

Joseph Payovich

Web Developer, Office of Communications & Outreach
Joe Payovich is a web designer at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where he supports the web and digital projects needs of the Education Policy Initiative, Program for Practical Policy Engagement, Poverty…
Joe Payovich
Affiliates

Deborah Rivas-Drake

Professor, School of Education; Professor Psychology, College of Literature, Science and the Arts
drivas@umich.edu
(734) 647-0614
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…
rivas-drake_profile_1800x2280
Staff

Stacey Rzeszut

Administrative Coordinator
Stacey Rzeszut is the administrative coordinator for EPI and provides fiscal, operational and administrative support to the EPI team and predoctoral candidates. Outside of work, Stacey enjoys traveling with her…
Headshot of Stacey Rzeszut
Staff

Anne Taylor

Senior Data Analyst, Education Policy Initiative
Annie Taylor is a senior data analyst with the Education Policy Initiative. Her work at EPI focuses on early childhood projects, including designing and implementing research agendas for universal preschool programs in the Boston area. She joined EPI…
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
News

Dr. Stange Goes to Washington

Sep 13, 2023
The Ford School is proud of its record of welcoming policymakers-in-residence. This past year, Ford School professor Kevin Stange played a different role – academic-in-residence. He had a one-year assignment working in the U.S. Department of...
Dr. Stange Goes to Washington
News

Ford School welcomes Sarah Cohodes as associate professor

Aug 16, 2023
Leading education policy economist Sarah Cohodes joins the Ford School as an associate professor with tenure. Cohodes uses quantitative causal inference methods to evaluate educational policies and programs. Her research focuses on school choice,...
Ford School welcomes Sarah Cohodes as associate professor
News

PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life 

Aug 2, 2023
What are the dynamics of inequity in labor markets? How do we determine appropriate categories for people in a multicultural society?  How is the U.S. approach to ethnicity and nationality different from what they are doing in Europe?  These were...
PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life 
In the Media

Jacob's study on teacher loan forgiveness cited in Chalkbeat

Aug 1, 2023 Chalkbeat
Brian Jacob, Chalkbeat: “The program has really good intentions,” said Brian Jacob, a professor at the University of Michigan and coauthor of the study. But, ultimately, “it’s not effective as it’s currently structured.” “The teachers in schools...
Jacob's study on teacher loan forgiveness cited in Chalkbeat
News

MEDC shares its knowledge in a data-hungry world

Jul 31, 2023
Education researchers across the country are always in search of more data. They all have access to resources like the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), but each state has different models of collaboration and data sharing. A recent example in...
MEDC cited as a model for other states
In the Media

MEDC cited as a model for other states

Jul 13, 2023 Chalkbeat Colorado
Chalkbeat Colorado: Strunk said she sees Michigan, where she previously was an education professor, as a model. The Michigan Education Data Center, created through a partnership between the state education department and its flagship public...
MEDC cited as a model for other states
News

Weiland's expertise cited on Boston's pre-K success

Jul 10, 2023
An article in HuffPost highlights the efforts in Boston to provide Universal Pre-K, and refers to the expertise of Christina Weiland, faculty co-director of the Education Policy Initiative (EPI). The Boston program was initiated in 2005, and since...
Weiland's expertise cited on Boston's pre-K success
Publication

Jacob explores barriers to Teacher Loan Forgiveness program

Jul 10, 2023
The Biden Administration is preparing a new set of student loan debt-relief measures in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of its previous, ambitious plan, which would have eliminated between $10,000 and $20,000 per student. A number of...
Jacob explores barriers to Teacher Loan Forgiveness program
In the Media

Jacob on grade retention debate

Jun 20, 2023 Chalbeat
Brian Jacob, Chalkbeat: Brian Jacob, a professor at University of Michigan, has studied retention for many years, but he still is ambivalent about the policy. “I do really come out kind of in the middle,” he said. Maybe students themselves make...
Jacob on grade retention debate
News

Ford School welcomes PPIA 2023 cohort

Jun 19, 2023
The 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) has welcomed 23 students from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This year’s cohort will spend seven weeks taking classes, participating in...
Ford School welcomes PPIA 2023 cohort
News

Taylor on the value of long-term research partnerships

Jun 19, 2023
Every year the Strategic Data Project convenes more than 500 data strategists,  education researchers, faculty, and leaders to examine “what works in making evidence-informed change.” The Harvard-led initiative chose “Battle Lines'' as the theme for...
Annie Taylor on the value of long-term research partnerships
News

The education journey of EPI's Sam Owusu

Jun 19, 2023
Research analyst Sam Owusu recently worked on a project, which surveyed every school district in the state of Michigan about the availability of early childhood programs. It is a part of his job as a research analyst at the Education Policy...
The education journey of EPI's Sam Owusu
In the Media

Weiland touts her preschool research findings

Feb 8, 2023 MIT News
Christina Weiland, MIT News: "I am really excited by this work. We’re seeing the really positive long-term effects of attending preschool. A really important question is not only whether preschool works, yes or no, but how, and what kind of...
Weiland touts her preschool research findings
In the Media

Investment in Pre-K can expand access, increase pay - Weiland

Feb 6, 2023 Chalkbeat Detroit
Chalkboard Detroit: A shift toward free preschool for all 4-year-olds — which the Legislature will debate this session — could increase access and improve teacher pay at the same time. Indeed, that’s what happened in other states with universal...
Investment in Pre-K can expand access, increase pay - Weiland
Publication

EPI brief looks at "Pre-k boost"

Jan 31, 2023
Children who attend a prekindergarten (Pre-K) program generally score higher on academic, social-emotional, and cognitive assessments at the start of kindergarten than children who do not. However, Pre-K nonattenders typically catch up to Pre-K...
EPI brief looks at "Pre-k boost"