Sarah Cohodes

Publication

'From STEM to earn': High school programs aimed at diversifying the field drive gains in college, salaries

Jun 4, 2026

High school students participating in pipeline programs aimed at increasing diversity in STEM fields are more likely to enroll in—and graduate from—elite colleges with a related degree. Further, such improvements raised their predicted earnings by an...

'From STEM to earn': High school programs aimed at diversifying the field drive gains in college, salaries

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

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

News

Cohodes, Jacob, and Weiland make Education Week’s 2025 public influence rankings

Jan 9, 2025

Education Week has announced the annual 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, which highlights scholars who made significant contributions to educational practice and policy in the past year. Three Ford School faculty members have been ran...

Cohodes, Jacob, and Weiland make Education Week’s 2025 public influence rankings

News

Cohodes' research "helped define" education in 2024

Dec 22, 2024

Research conducted by the Ford School's Sarah Cohodes has been cited for "defining education in 2024." The 74 network, a non-profit education news service, highlighted Cohodes' research among 11 other studies as some of the "biggest discoveries from ...

Cohodes' research "helped define" education in 2024

News

Sarah Cohodes testifies before New Jersey Senate

Dec 17, 2024

On December 16, 2024, Ford School Associate Professor Sarah Cohodes testified before the New Jersey Senate Higher Education Committee. She was called on to speak at a public hearing to assist lawmakers in evaluating the status of charter schools with...

In the Media

Cohodes on disparate school of choice system in Michigan

Nov 22, 2024 Bridge Michigan

In Michigan, 1 in 4 K-12 students attend either a charter school or a school of choice district. Nearly all of Michigan's 532 public school districts participate in school choice. The Trump administration is shown to be an advocate for school of choi...

News

Cohodes receives funding to dig deeper into charter school impact

Oct 10, 2024

With a $275,000 grant from MIT Blueprint Labs, two University of Michigan professors will tease out why some schools better prepare students for college than others. The project is led by Sarah Cohodes, associate professor at the Ford School of Publi...

In the Media

Cohodes research on Massachusetts charter schools shows positive outcomes

Sep 16, 2024 Education Next

Research conducted by Sarah Cohodes on Massachusetts charter schools shows that "charter schools in urban areas, including Boston, do a great job boosting test scores, and the ones outside of those urban areas, tended to have no impact on test scores...

Publication

One size doesn't fit all: U-M study reveals different educational models can lead to college success

Aug 9, 2024

Student test scores are not the only indicator of future college success. New research led by University of Michigan education economist Sarah Cohodes provides insights into how different K-12 educational environments shape college preparation, enrol...

News

Ford School researchers to study Michigan’s education governance

May 1, 2024

In partnership with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), a team of researchers from the Ford School will conduct a study into how Michigan’s education governance system can be improved for the benefit of public school students. “An effective s...

Ford School researchers to study Michigan’s education governance

State & Hill

Faculty Findings, spring 2024

Apr 24, 2024

Innovation that benefits societyInclusive innovation—the idea of introducing technologies designed for and by the poor to boost economic growth in impoverished communities—often misses the real problems facing these communities and champions solutio...

Publication

Lessons learned: Urban charter schools demonstrate potential to improve student performance

Feb 22, 2024

While the merits of charter schools vs. traditional public schools are well-documented, some charter schools in urban areas can dramatically improve student achievement, especially among disadvantaged students, says a University of Michigan researche...

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, pr...

News

In Brookings, Dynarski advocates for expansion of charter school quota in Massachusetts

Sep 15, 2016

In some urban areas of Massachusetts, a statewide cap on charter schools restricts any additional charter seats. Susan Dynarski and Sarah Cohodes tackle this issue in “Massachusetts charter cap holds back disadvantaged students,” the latest Evidence ...

Susan Dynarski on Michigan Radio's "Stateside": Ways to fix America’s student loan mess

EPI Working papers

Stand and Deliver: Effects of Boston's Charter High Schools on College Preparation, Entry and Choice

September 1, 2013

Susan Dynarski, Joshua Angrist, Sarah Cohodes, Parag Pathak, Christopher Walters

We use admissions lotteries to estimate the effects of attendance at Boston's charter high schools on college preparation, college attendance, and college choice. Charter attendance increases pass rates on the high-stakes exam required for high schoo...

Student walking down a hallway at school

Other reports

Charter Schools and the Road to College Readiness: The Effects on College Preparation, Attendance and Choice

May 1, 2013

Susan Dynarski, Joshua Angrist, Sarah Cohodes, Parag Pathak, Christopher Walters

Boston’s over-subscribed charter schools generate impressive gains on tests taken through the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Lottery estimates show that each year spent at a charter middle school boosts MCAS scores by about a f...

Other reports

Informing the Debate: Comparing Boston's Charter, Pilot, and Traditional Schools

January 1, 2009

Susan Dynarski, Atila Abdulkadiroglu, Joshua Angrist, Sarah Cohodes, Jon Fullerton, Thomas Kane, Parag Pathak

Findings of groundbreaking study suggest charter school students in Boston outperform their peers at other public schools in Boston. Results for pilot schools were less clear; some analyses showed positive results at the elementary and high school le...