Departments and Research Centers

Youth Policy Lab

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Showing 1 - 30 of 179 results

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…
Stacey Brockman

Megan Foster Friedman

Managing Director
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…
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Sara Heller

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

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…
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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…
Michael Ricks

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…
Joseph Ryan

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…
Luke Shaefer

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…
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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…
Megan Tompkins-Stange profile photo
In the Media

Opinion: Research needed to make CTE more effective for students, state

May 27, 2025 Crain's Detroit Business
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allocated $125 million for career and technical education (CTE) in her recent budget proposal, the largest funding allocation for CTE ever in the state of Michigan. CTE is popular on both sides of the aisle. A recent review of...
A construction worker. Credit: unsplash
News

What is the secret to better reading outcomes?

May 26, 2025 Education Week
As states have struggled for decades to improve 3rd grade literacy on a large scale, many have enacted policies to hold struggling readers back a year. Education Week recently highlighted Christina Weiland and Brian Jacob's evaluation of Michigan’s...
What is the secret to better reading outcomes?
In the Media

Opinion | The case for thoughtful cellphone restrictions in schools

Mar 14, 2025 Bridge Michigan
As educators throughout the state design and implement rules regarding cellphone use in school, we urge them to think carefully about how they will know if their policies are working as intended. It is easy for anecdotes and perceptions to shape the...
profile photo of Brian Jacob and Justin Heinze
In the Media

Jacob questions efficiency in the use of tech in classrooms

Jan 22, 2025 The Wall Street Journal
The Ford School's Brian Jacob recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal regarding his 2023 research survey on the use of technology in classrooms. Jacob's survey was conducted among 1,000 educators and showed technology is used for completing...
Jacob questions efficiency in the use of tech in classrooms
In the Media

Michigan board of education seeks greater technical education funding

Jan 16, 2025 Michigan Advance
The resolution, which passed by a 7-1 vote, states that “CTE offers students opportunities to earn college credit, industry certification, and licenses in high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand fields,” ranging from agriculture to skilled trades, to...
A factory workspace
In the Media

How did the pandemic change schooling?

Sep 4, 2024 American Enterprise Institute: The Report Card Podcast
On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Brian Jacob about the ways in which the pandemic changed the grammar of schooling. Nat and Brian discuss the pandemic’s effects on student technology use, parent-teacher communication, and...
Brian Jacob on The Report Card Podcast: How Did the Pandemic Change Schooling?
News

ASPIRE program bridges research and real-world impact

Aug 6, 2024
When Chaelee Farquarson learned about the Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE), she applied out of curiosity. As a rising senior studying psychology at Spelman College, much of her research was theoretical.“I was drawn...
ASPIRE program bridges research and real-world impact