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Federal funding supports critical education research at the University of Michigan

Mar 21, 2025

A new brief from the Ford School's Education Policy Initiative and Youth Policy Lab shows the impact of federally funded education research. The policy-relevant research is developed in partnership with local and state agencies, practitioners, and...

Federal funding supports critical education research at the University of Michigan

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Cohodes, Jacob, and Weiland make Education Week’s 2025 public influence rankings

Jan 9, 2025

Education Week has announced the annual 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, which highlights scholars who made significant contributions to educational practice and policy in the past year.Three Ford School faculty members have been...

Cohodes, Jacob, and Weiland make Education Week’s 2025 public influence rankings

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State program significantly reduces homelessness, utility insecurity, U-M report reveals

Dec 3, 2024

The pilot of a Michigan program created to help improve health outcomes for pregnant parents and their children shows positive impacts on families, including food and financial security and housing stability, according to a new report from the...

State program significantly reduces homelessness, utility insecurity, U-M report reveals

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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

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Youth Policy Lab celebrates growth and expansion in annual report

Aug 5, 2024

Since launching in 2016, The Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the University of Michigan has helped community and government agencies make informed, impactful policy and program decisions. The most recent annual report shares remarkable growth and...

Youth Policy Lab celebrates growth and expansion in annual report

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Youth Policy Lab welcomes Spelman and Morehouse students to 2024 ASPIRE Summer Program

May 24, 2024

Summer 2024 brings another exceptional cohort of undergraduate students from Spelman College and Morehouse College to the University of Michigan’s Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE). Launched in 2023, the eight-week...

Youth Policy Lab welcomes Spelman and Morehouse students to 2024 ASPIRE Summer Program

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Ford School researchers to study Michigan’s education governance

May 1, 2024

In partnership with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), a team of researchers from the Ford School will conduct a study into how Michigan’s education governance system can be improved for the benefit of public school students.“An effective...

Ford School researchers to study Michigan’s education governance

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Embracing Growth Mindsets: A Practical Approach for Leaders to Address Class-Based Disparities

Mar 6, 2024

In work environments where a four-year degree is the norm, employees who are skilled through alternative routes (STARs), such as apprenticeships or on-the-job training, are less likely to feel like they belong in those environments, contributing to...

Embracing Growth Mindsets: A Practical Approach for Leaders to Address Class-Based Disparities

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Youth Policy Lab fellowships bridge public policy and academic research

Mar 5, 2024

Since 2019, the Youth Policy Lab has partnered with the State of Michigan and with local school districts to place early-career professionals in government agencies to make specific, measurable improvements in policies and programs that impact...

Youth Policy Lab fellowships bridge public policy and academic research

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School enrollment during COVID-19: U-M study reveals racial disparities

Feb 21, 2024

Student enrollment in districts that provided in-person schooling in fall 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic showed a greater decline among nonwhite students than white students.But in districts that offered virtual learning, the opposite was true,...

School enrollment during COVID-19: U-M study reveals racial disparities

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Inaugural ASPIRE cohort enjoys rewarding summer research experience with the Youth Policy Lab

Aug 24, 2023

Summer 2023 proved to be eventful and rewarding for the inaugural Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE) cohort. The program, a collaboration between the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Spelman College, provided...

Inaugural ASPIRE cohort enjoys rewarding summer research experience with the Youth Policy Lab

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PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life

Aug 2, 2023

What are the dynamics of inequity in labor markets? How do we determine appropriate categories for people in a multicultural society? How is the U.S. approach to ethnicity and nationality different from what they are doing in Europe? These were...

PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life

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Ford School welcomes PPIA 2023 cohort

Jun 19, 2023

The 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) has welcomed 23 students from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This year’s cohort will spend seven weeks taking classes, participating in...

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Spelman students chosen for the Youth Policy Lab’s summer policy research experience

May 23, 2023

This summer, four outstanding undergraduate students from Spelman College will participate in the University of Michigan’s Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE)—a seven-week summer program run by the Youth Policy Lab...

Spelman students chosen for the Youth Policy Lab’s summer policy research experience

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YPL wins grant to evaluate Michigan child welfare program

Apr 24, 2023

In Michigan, each year 140,000 children are investigated for suspected child abuse or neglect. Many of these youth end up in foster care, where they are especially vulnerable to long-term difficulties. Research has shown that children associated...

YPL wins grant to evaluate Michigan child welfare program

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Ford School Fellow finds outlet in music

Mar 6, 2023

Downtown Ann Arbor’s thriving music scene attracts crowds of University of Michigan students to bars and music venues each weekend to see live bands perform.Some Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy students may be surprised to see a familiar face...

Ford School fellow finds outlet in music

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Ford School welcomes local and state elected officials to boost collaborative work

Feb 16, 2023

Elected officials from local, county, and state government came to the Ford School to hear about the potential for collaborations with their offices and the School’s faculty, research centers, and students. Fifteen members of the Michigan State...

Ford School welcomes local and state elected officials to boost collaborative work

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Ford School names Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy Fellows

Jan 24, 2023

Seven outstanding master’s students have been named as 2022 Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy Fellows. Weill Scholars Shirley Araiza Santaella (MPP ‘24), David Castro (MPP '24), Moriah Nacionales-Tafoya (MPP ‘24), Juan Sandoval (MPP ‘24), and...

Ford School names Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy Fellows

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Tompkins-Stange weighs in on no-strings-attached donations

Dec 5, 2022

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is changing the world of education philanthropy by giving no-strings-attached, multimillion-dollar donations to schools. Megan Tompkins-Stange, associate professor of public policy, analyzed the donations, and the...

Tompkins-Stange weighs in on no-strings-attached donations

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Jacob breaks down increasing importance of school board elections

Oct 23, 2022

With midterms quickly approaching, school board races are getting increasing attention. Brian Jacob, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Education Policy, explained to WWMT Channel 3. “School boards I think even before COVID had started being more...

Jacob finds little benefit, large costs to pretrial juvenile detention

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U-M Youth Policy Lab and TRAILS to study effectiveness of student mental health programming

Aug 18, 2022

The University of Michigan’s Youth Policy Lab (YPL) and TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) have been awarded a $3.8 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The...

U-M Youth Policy Lab and TRAILS to study effectiveness of student mental health programming

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Math games: High 5s program brings the 'math out of play'

Apr 11, 2022

TAYLOR—While groups of first graders work in clusters at pods around the classroom, four children face their teacher at a U-shaped desk, backs straight and eyes alert as she deals cards to each of them. They're playing "Chocolate Chip Count," a...

Math games: High 5s program brings the 'math out of play'

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YPL co-director-led project to receive $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education

Dec 15, 2021

Over a five-year period, Reading Partners and third-party education program evaluator, MDRC, will receive $8 million in Education Innovation and Research (EIR) funding through the U.S. Department of Education in order to expand Reading Partners’...

YPL co-director-led project to receive $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education

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Ford School names Weill Youth Policy Fellow and Weill Scholars

Oct 12, 2021

The Ford School recognizes three outstanding master’s students—Paolo Mutia (MPP/MSI ‘24) and Anna D. Nguyen (MPP/MSI ‘24) as Weill Scholars and Sharon Ceron Espinosa (MPP ‘23) as the Weill Youth Policy Fellow. All three are recipients of the...

Ford School names Weill Youth Policy Fellow and Weill Scholars

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Jacob and Parthasarathy receive prestigious University awards

Oct 11, 2021

Brian Jacob and Shobita Parthasarathy have been recognized by the University of Michigan Provost for their scholarly contributions, teaching, and service to the University. They will be honored with other faculty members at a dinner and ceremony on...

Jacob and Parthasarathy receive prestigious University awards

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Pre-COVID, more than half of Detroit students felt anxious or depressed, 1 in 4 considered suicide

Jun 10, 2021

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, serious mental health concerns impacted a significant portion of students in Detroit public schools, a new report shows.More than half of student respondents in the Detroit Public Schools Community District had...

YPL report: Pre-COVID, more than half of Detroit students felt anxious or depressed, 1 in 4 considered suicide

News

Examining Detroit students' college pathways

May 26, 2021

Academic and non-academic barriers are preventing Detroit high school students from enrolling and succeeding in college. Detroit Students’ College Pathways and Outcomes, a policy brief released by the Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the University of...

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Jacob and Dynarski ranked among top U.S. education policy influencers

Jan 11, 2021

Education Week released their 11th annual RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings—the top 200 university-based scholars who shape education practice and policy. Ford School professors Brian Jacob and Susan M. Dynarski were two of the four...

Jacob and Dynarski ranked among top U.S. education policy influencers

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MDHHS and Youth Policy Lab announce selection of agencies to participate in evaluation of Maternal Infant Health Program

Dec 1, 2020

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Youth Policy Lab have announced the selection of 11 provider agencies to participate in a rigorous impact evaluation of Michigan’s Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP), the...

MDHHS and Youth Policy Lab announce selection of agencies to participate in evaluation of Maternal Infant Health Program

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Ford School students help local townships navigate and adapt during pandemic

Sep 29, 2020

Four teams of undergraduate and graduate Ford School students embarked on research and engagement projects this past summer to help the Michigan Township Association (MTA) better understand the state of affairs for local townships and the challenges...

Ford School students help local townships navigate and adapt during pandemic