Policy Topics

Accountability

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Showing 1 - 30 of 38 results
Affiliates

Susan M. Dynarski

Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Susan M. Dynarski is a professor at Harvard University, where she holds an appointment at the Graduate School of Education. She recently moved from the University of Michigan, where she held appointments in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public…
Susan Dynarski
Affiliates

Joseph P. Ryan

Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work and Faculty Associate, Population Studies Center, ISR
Joe Ryan's research and teaching build upon his direct practice experiences with child welfare and juvenile justice populations. Dr. Ryan is the Co-Director of the Child and Adolescent Data Lab an applied research center focused on using data to…
ryan_joseph_profile_1800x2280
News

The student loan system has "layers and layers of dysfunction"

Jan 6, 2021 "The student loan system has 'layers and layers of dysfunction'" podcast
 As President-elect Joe Biden mulls forgiving $10,000 in student loan debt — and leading Democrats and others on his left push for more — one of our listeners wants to know: What would that do to the economy, and is it even possible for the White...
Fatigued student working on a laptop
News

Low-income students lose ground

Dec 4, 2020 "Low-income students lose ground" article
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the gaps between low-income and high-income students, according to an editorial in Science magazine by Ford School professor Sue Dynarski, written with Christopher Avery of Harvard and Sarah Turner from the...
Susan Dynarski
News

The School Year Really Ended in March

May 13, 2020 "The School Year Really Ended in March" article
“Abrupt closings have stalled the learning of millions of students. U.S. education needs a rescue, an economist says, and it won’t be cheap.” (read...
A student attending school virtually
News

Report finds gaps in access to career, technical ed programs

Feb 5, 2020
A new University of Michigan report detailing access to career and technical education programs in Michigan has found that while CTE courses are popular among high school students, there’s a gap in access to them. CTE courses prepare students to...
Report finds gaps in access to career, technical ed programs
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
EPI Working papers

The Changing Federal Role in School Accountability

January 30, 2017
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Brian Jacob
This is a point / counterpoint. The goal of the article is to discuss the influence of school accountability policies on educational inputs (e.g., funding, teacher quality, instructional practices, and school organization) as well as outputs (e.g.,...
United States Capitol Building
Other reports

Rules vs. Discretion: Manipulation of NYS Regents Exams

August 1, 2011
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Brian Jacob, Thomas Dee, Jonah Rockoff , Justin McCrary
The challenge of designing effective performance measurement and incentives is a general one in economic settings where behavior and outcomes are not easily observable. These issues are particularly prominent in education where, over the last two...
Student taking a standardized test
Other reports

Principled Principals

July 1, 2011
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Brian Jacob
If principals have the authority to dismiss teachers, will they dismiss the less effective ones, or will they instead make perverse decisions by letting the good teachers go? Evidence from low-stakes surveys suggests that principals are able to...
Teacher instructing students in class
EPI Working papers

Manipulation in the Grading of New York's Regents Examinations

February 1, 2011
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Brian Jacob, Thomas Dee, Justin McCrary
The challenge of designing effective performance measurement and incentives is a general one in economic settings where behavior and outcomes are not easily observable. These issues are particularly prominent in education where, over the last two...
Student taking a standardized test
EPI Working papers

The Impact of No Child Left Behind on Student Achievement

November 1, 2009
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Brian Jacob, Thomas Dee
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act compelled states to design school-accountability systems based on annual student assessments. The effect of this Federal legislation on the distribution of student achievement is a highly controversial but...
Two students conversing
EPI Working papers

Teacher Attitudes on Pay for Performance: A Pilot Study

October 1, 2007
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Brian Jacob, Matthew Springer
Researchers at the National Center on Performance Incentives recently examined teacher attitudes towards pay for performance policies in education, and how these views vary by teacher experience, subject area specialization, grade level taught,...
Teacher writing on chalk board
Other reports

To Catch a Cheat

July 1, 2006
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Brian Jacob, Steven Levitt
The pressures of accountability may encourage school personnel to doctor the results from high-stakes tests. Here’s how to stop...
Student taking a standardized test
Other reports

When Principals Rate Teachers

March 1, 2006
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Brian Jacob, Lars Lefgren
Elementary- and secondary-school teachers in the United States traditionally have been compensated according to salary schedules based solely on experience and education. Concerned that this system makes it difficult to retain talented teachers and...
Two people with laptops reviewing a document
Support for K-12

Evaluation of Michigan's Read by Grade Three Law

September 2019
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Brian Jacob, Christina Weiland, Katharine Strunk, Tara Kilbride, Nicole Wagner Lam, Jasmina Camo-Biogradlija, Kyle Kwaiser, Thomas Staines
Literacy knowledge and skills developed in the early elementary grades predict long-term literacy achievement, on-time graduation, and later-life outcomes. In recognizing the critical importance of establishing early literacy skills, there has been substantial instructional and policy attention given to improving rates of reading proficiency in the elementary grades. In 2016, based on the recommendation of the Michigan Third Grade Reading Workgroup, the Michigan legislature passed the Read by Grade Three Law (RBG3), which requires schools to identify learners who are struggling with reading...
Young child completing a written assignment

Bringing the Actual Science of Reading to Policy and Practice

Nov 19, 2020 1:29:12

Come learn from four stakeholders renowned for their experience and expertise in improving children's literacy; two professors of education, an education reporter, and the head of one of Michigan's school administrator associations.