Education Policy

Towards Equitable and Accountable Education

Much of the research on education policy in the Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP) focuses on the U.S. context, with substantial work on educational achievement and attainment gaps between students of different demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Most, but not all, of this research uses quantitative and quasi-experimental methods to analyze large-scale administrative and survey datasets. In the K-12 setting, some of this research focuses on various aspects of the teacher labor market including measuring teacher effectiveness and diversity.

Other work focuses on accountability, equity and the sources and impacts of segregation within public schools.

Another common focus is on how out-of-school factors and student absences affect student success. Examples here include the impact of pollution and police shootings.

DPAP faculty also research topics in higher education, including factors that shape colleges and costs, postsecondary access, degree attainment and labor market outcomes.

To learn more about our research, consider reading these publications:


Meet DPAP Faculty in this Field