About
The University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab was launched in 2016 with a vision for reducing socio-economic disparities through improvements in education and other social policies affecting youth. By developing evidence-based, policy-relevant research in partnership with local and state agencies, practitioners, and policymakers, Dr. Robin Jacob and Dr. Brian Jacob sought to build upon their exemplary careers in social science research by taking research findings out of academic journals and putting them in the hands of decision-makers. With this aim in mind, they have spent the past seven years bringing the resources and expertise of one of the nation’s leading public research universities to bear on some of Michigan’s most pressing social challenges.
The Youth Policy Lab, a joint research center of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Institute for Social Research, envisions a world where partner-driven research drives positive social change. Our mission is to inform public policy decisions by analyzing data and evaluating programs to help our partners answer their most pressing questions.
YPL: Data. Policy. Progress.
Our Core Values
In an iterative process with staff and leadership, the Youth Policy Lab expanded its prior list of core values and developed a series of statements that define how we work with each other (internal values) as well as our partners and communities (external values).
Internal Values:
- We set high expectations for ourselves.
- We encourage work-life balance.
- We believe that tackling complex social issues requires creative thinking.
- We promote collaboration and teamwork.
- We value the unique contributions of every member of our team.
External Values:
- We use data to develop solutions to social problems and inequities.
- We center partners in our work to generate actionable insights.
- We take a practical approach, adapting our methods to meet real-world conditions.
- We hold our work to the highest standards of quality.
- We communicate our findings widely to shape policy and practice.
For more information about our work, please contact us.