Ed Policy News

  • PhD student Sebastian Cherng was awarded a 2013-2014 AERA Dissertation Award for his dissertation "The Lonely Social World of Racial and Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Youth: Examining Social Isolation of Adolescents from Their Peers, Teachers, and Parents."
  • Laura Desimone and four ed policy master's students co-authored a paper in Phi Delta Kappan on the challenges of first-year teachers and what they wish they'd learned in teacher prep programs
  • Matthew Steinberg authored a forthcoming article  “Does Greater Autonomy Improve School Performance?" in Education Finance and Policy

Education Policy

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Penn GSE's Education Policy program is ranked #8 by U.S. News & World Report among all graduate schools offering similar degrees.

 

The Education Policy degree programs offer coursework and research training in education policy research and analysis for individuals interested in careers in academic, governmental, and non-governmental research settings. The program prepares students to apply sound analytical techniques to the design and evaluation of education and social policy interventions; to conduct rigorous implementation and process evaluations; and to analyze a wide range of program and policy issues related to the sociology, politics, and economics of education. In addition to the foundational and research methodology courses, students build a program of study that includes courses in education policy evaluation and assessment, the economics of education, school finance, cost-benefit analysis, policymaking, and school organization.

Research training includes multiple methods of inquiry, covers all levels of education from pre-K through higher education, and addresses multiple levels of public policy interests, including state, national and international. Students build their research skills through a combination of research apprenticeships with faculty and courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods. The program covers four essential components associated with effective policy and practice:

  • Implementation of a coherent set of policies and practices;
  • Inclusion of meaningful incentives for individuals and organizations;
  • Development of the capacity of individuals and organizations to institute and sustain necessary changes;
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of education policies.

For more information about our Education Policy program:

The Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) combines the talents of researchers and technical assistance providers from seven major universities in promoting improvements in teaching and learning.  GSE’s Ed Policy division maintains a close relationship with CPRE, providing research and mentorship opportunities for its students.

Funded by the Institute of Education Science (IES) at the Department of Education, the IES Pre-Doc program in Interdisciplinary Methods for Field-based Education Research at GSE is designed to train pre-doctoral students in employing rigorous impact studies in field settings using the most sophisticated research design and analytical techniques.

Program Degrees

EP, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Education Policy doctoral program offers coursework in education policy research and analysis, with the primary aim of preparing students for careers in leading research universities. The program prepares students to apply sound analytical techniques to the design and evaluation of education and social policy interventions, to conduct rigorous implementation and process evaluations, and to analyze a wide range of program and policy issues related to the sociology, politics, and economics of education.

EP, Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.)

The M.S.Ed. degree in Education Policy requires 10 course units of approved graduate work beyond the baccalaureate degree. All students in the program should complete courses in a 4/4/2 pattern. Students must satisfy a distributional requirement that demonstrates breadth within the field of education and write a master's research paper in order to complete the degree requirements.

Download a program of study form here.

Program Faculty
Program Contact: 

Janet White
Education Policy Program
Graduate School of Education
3700 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216
(215) 898-0597
jawhite@gse.upenn.edu