Youth Policy Lab

Stacey Brockman

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Wayne State University

Stacey L. Brockman, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Wayne State University. Dr. Brockman spent a significant portion of her career as a high school teacher, teacher educator, and intervention specialist...

Megan Foster Friedman

Managing Director

[email protected]

Megan Foster Friedman is the Managing Director of the Youth Policy Lab. In this role, Megan provides global project oversight, manages YPL’s internal operations and systems, and provides day-to-day leadership and staff supervision. Megan joined YPL a...

Sam Hallman

ASPIRE Curriculum Lead

Sam Hallman is the Curriculum Lead for the ASPIRE Program in the Youth Policy Lab at the University of Michigan. A proud first-generation college student, she received her joint Ph.D. in Social Work and Psychology in 2015 from the University of Michi...

Sara Heller

Assistant Professor of Economics, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and Faculty Associate, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research

[email protected]

Sara Heller is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Michigan and studies interventions to reduce crime and improve other life outcomes among disadvantaged youth. She uses large-scale experiments to isolate the causal effects of a ...

Sam Owusu

Policy Fellow, MiLEAP

Sam Owusu (He/Him) is a Data & Policy Fellow at the Youth Policy Lab. He is embedded in the Office of Early Childhood located within the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP). Originally from Chicago, IL, Sam h...

Michael Ricks

Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Michael is an applied public economist working as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. His research applies theory and econometrics to analyze the welfare implications of government programs, including educatio...

Joseph P. Ryan

Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work and Faculty Associate, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research

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 driv...

Luke Shaefer

Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy; Director, Poverty Solutions; Professor of Social Work

H. Luke Shaefer, Ph.D. is the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy and Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. At U-M, he is also the inaugural director ...

Jennifer Smith

Research Administrator Lead

Jennifer Smith is a research process manager with the Youth Policy Lab at the Survey Research Center at U-M. She has been in sponsored research administration at the University of Michigan for 24 years and serves as the key administrator and fiscal o...

Megan Tompkins-Stange

Associate Professor of Public Policy

Megan Tompkins-Stange is an associate professor of public policy at the Ford School. She is the author of Policy Patrons: Philanthropy, Education Reform, and the Politics of Influence (Harvard Education Press, 2016). She is a scholar of education pol...

Staff

Dave Kobel

Student Research Assistant

Dave Kobel, MPH, is a Doctoral Student in the University of Michigan's Combined Program in Education and Psychology. Dave's research revolves around school health, school safety, positive youth development, and public health approaches to child and a...

Staff

Yaqing Nan

Student Research Assistant

Yaqing is a junior majoring in Statistics at the University of Michigan. She is particularly interested in applying data analysis to education and policy.She has experience in tutoring and working with educational materials, and is excited to contrib...

Staff

Avery Northrop

Student Research Assistant

Avery Northrop is a Master of Social Work student at the University of Michigan, where she is in her second year concentrating in Children, Youth, and Families as part of the Child Welfare Scholars Program. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychol...

Publication

Lockable phone pouches in schools improve student well-being over time, not test scores or bullying

May 8, 2026

A popular device for restricting cell phone use in middle and high schools is effective at achieving that aim, leading to short-term disruption but ultimately positive effects on student well-being, new research finds. The U.S. study conducted by Bri...

Lockable phone pouches in schools improve student well-being over time, not test scores or bullying

News

Youth Policy Lab welcomes Morehouse and Spelman students to 2026 ASPIRE summer program

Apr 27, 2026

The Youth Policy Lab at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Institute for Social Research is proud to announce the 2026 Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE) cohort. This summer, Spelman students Toni Flemmi...

Youth Policy Lab welcomes Morehouse and Spelman students to 2026 ASPIRE summer program

In the News

Four faculty members recognized with research awards

Apr 23, 2026 The University Record

The Office of the Vice President for Research will award four research faculty members from across the University of Michigan for their leadership and significant contributions in fields ranging from economics and rehabilitation medicine to human gen...

Robin Jacob: Research Faculty Mentor Award Thumbnail

News

What happens when schools restrict phones? U-M Youth Policy Lab convenes national conference as new studies get underway

Apr 16, 2026

On April 10, the University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab (YPL) convened a National School Cell Phone Policy Conference, inviting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from Michigan and beyond to compare notes on a rapidly changing school pol...

What happens when schools restrict phones? U-M Youth Policy Lab convenes national conference as new studies get underway

In the News

We collected data on how 779 Michigan school districts are regulating student cellphones − here are the trends

Apr 9, 2026 The Conversation

What is the best way to handle cellphones in schools? That’s a question Michigan educators are grappling with this spring after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a ban on smartphone use in Michigan schools. The law goes into effect in the s...

A student uses the unlocking mechanism as he leaves school for the day. Keith Srakocic/AP Photo

News

First-of-its-kind national educator survey reveals both promise and peril in school cell phone policies

Feb 27, 2026

Teachers report more face-to-face interaction as bell-to-bell bans spread, but laptops emerge as next challenge. Over 68,000 teachers surveyed to date; data collection to continue through end of school year.

First-of-its-kind national educator survey reveals both promise and peril in school cell phone policies

News

Michigan governor signs classroom cell phone ban: U-M experts available to comment

Feb 11, 2026

Jacob comments on competing screen policies for students

Publication

Jacob and Weiland raise concerns about potential bias in traditional retention studies

Jan 30, 2026

In a recent article published in the Journal of Public Economics, University of Michigan professors Brian Jacob, Christina Weiland, and Jordan Berne (who earned his doctorate in economics from U-M), along with Katharine Strunk, dean of the University...

Jacob and Weiland raise concerns about potential bias in traditional retention studies

In the News

Jacob comments on competing screen policies for students

Jan 28, 2026 EdSurge

Brian Jacob, the co-director of University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab, believes the two initiatives can co-exist, as they address two separate ideas. One expresses enthusiasm for applying AI for educational purposes, while the other centers fear ...

In the News

Will School Cellphone Bans Morph Into Wider Screen Time Regulations for Kids?

Jan 28, 2026 EdSurge

What started off more than five years ago as one-off bans in individual classrooms grew into statewide efforts to curb student cellphone use during school. Now, the idea of limiting children’s tech use has arrived at the Capitol steps in Washington, ...

Decorative image of a cell phone locked with chain and a padlock

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

In the Media

Jacob comments on fall in public school enrollment in wealthy districts

Jan 8, 2026 The 74

Brian Jacob found that white families removed their children from public schools at much higher rates in districts that were slow to reopen for in-person instruction. Jacob said in an interview that he was "not surprised" to see that parents who had ...

Jacob comments on fall in public school enrollment in wealthy districts

In the News

NC Ed Corps maintains strong literacy impact despite North Carolina budget setbacks

Dec 8, 2025 EdNC

North Carolina Education Corps (NCEC), a tutoring network and program, is continuing to demonstrate significant, research-backed impact for elementary students, even as statewide budget limitations force the organization to scale back operations for ...

Literacy tutor Lorie Jamison-Phillips works with fourth grade students at Tar River Elementary. Photo Courtesy of Amy Rhyne (Project PI Catherine Asher)

In the News

Would more emphasis on high-stakes testing help address America’s learning woes?

Dec 2, 2025 Chalkbeat

No Child Left Behind, enacted in 2002, was a dramatic shift in American education. Schools across the country were required to give tests every year in reading and math in grades three through eight. Those scores could then be used to sanction school...

Publication

Youth Policy Lab evaluates Michigan youth mental health initiative, provides blueprint to further develop mental health services for youth

Nov 13, 2025

Public schools, especially in rural communities, often lack the sustainable mental health infrastructure needed to address rising youth behavioral health challenges. Project AWARE, a federal program implemented by the Michigan Department of Education...

Youth Policy Lab evaluates Michigan youth mental health initiative, provides blueprint to further develop mental health services for youth

In the News

As CTE programs expand in Michigan, not all students are getting opportunities

Oct 30, 2025 ChalkBeat Detroit

CTE programs are gaining traction in Michigan and nationwide, in part because of student demand but also as advocates promote them as a way for students to explore careers and gain important skills in emerging fields. But high costs, a lack of fundin...

Camari Vawters, a junior at Ypsilanti Community High School, focuses as he directs his drone through an obstacle course, part of an activity in the school’s drone aviation class on Thursday, October 9, 2025.

In the News

University of Michigan researchers studying cell phone use in classrooms

Oct 13, 2025 Click on Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV

Should cell phones be allowed in the classroom? Researchers at University of Michigan are looking into the impact cell phones can have on the classroom.

Brian Jacob and news reporter side by side for interview