Fall BU Wheelock Ed Policy Seminar Series

Boston University's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and The Wheelock Educational Policy Center are excited to host leading scholars this Fall for an Ed Policy Seminar Series. Given growing interest in our local community and increased prominence of presenters, we're happy to open this speaker series to individuals outside of the BU faculty and students typically in attendance.

All are welcome. The seminar series is geared towards an academic audience and will include detailed and technical discussion about methods used in the research, in addition to the policy context and implications. If you are policymaker or community member intrigued by unsure if it's the right event to attend, reach out to us at [email protected] to learn more.

Register for one or all. Events are in-person. Reception to follow. Space is limited, please RSVP. If you require parking or other logistics support, please email [email protected].

Specific talk titles will be shared a week in advance with registered attendees. Confirmed speakers are as follows:

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Sarah Cohodes (University of Michigan): Tuesday, September 24th at 3:00 - 4:30pm

Location: Kilachand Eichenbaum Colloquium Room 101

Topic: Diverse Paths to College Success: The Impact of Massachusetts' Urban and Nonurban Charter Schools on College Trajectories

Abstract: The charter school movement encompasses many school models. In Massachusetts in the 2010's, the site of our study, urban charter schools primarily used "No Excuses" practices, whereas nonurban charters had greater model variety. Using randomized admissions lotteries, we estimate the impact of charter schools by locality on college preparation, enrollment, and graduation. Urban charter schools boost all of these outcomes. Nonurban charter schools raise college enrollment and graduation despite reducing state test scores and AP enrollment. Our results suggest that there is more than one path to a college degree and that test score impacts may not predict college outcomes.

Bio: Sarah Cohodes is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University. She is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a co-editor at the Journal of Public Economics. Her research uses quantitative causal inference methods to evaluate policies and programs that are intended to increase access to high-quality education. Her past positions include Visiting Scholar at the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, co-editor at the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and Associate Professor of Economics and Education and Program Director of Economics and Education at Teachers College.

Peter Blair (Harvard University): Tuesday, October 29th at 3:00-4:30pm

Location: Boston University Questrom School of Business, Room 430

Bio: Peter Q. Blair is on the faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he co-directs the Project on Workforce. He serves as a faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the principal investigator of the BE-Lab — a research group with partners from Harvard University, Clemson University, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His group’s research focuses on the link between the future of work and the future of education, labor market discrimination, occupational licensing, and residential segregation.

Blair received his Ph.D. in applied economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, his M.Sc. in theoretical physics from Harvard University, and his B.Sc. in physics and mathematics from Duke University. He is the youngest of his parents’ seven sons, and got his start understanding markets by selling fruit and vegetables in the Bahamas in the Nassau Straw Market with his brothers.

Sade Bonilla (University of Pennsylvania): Tuesday, November `19th at 3:00 - 4:30pm

Location: George Sherman Union Terrace Lounge Room 239

Bio: Sade Bonilla draws on her expertise in economics of education and education policy to understand the transformational potential of contemporary education policies for marginalized youth and their communities. Dr. Bonilla’s research interests include local and state policies affecting transitions between high school and college and the labor market. She engages in research–practitioner partnerships to produce actionable research for schools and policymakers. Dr. Bonilla is the lead author of a study on the longer-term impacts of ethnic studies that appeared in the .

Dr. Bonilla was named the 2019 Outstanding Predoctoral Fellow by the Institute of Education Sciences. She received a 2018 Spencer/NAEd Dissertation Fellowship and a 2016 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Equity and Inclusion Fellowship.

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