The People Behind the Policies

As a high schooler, a precocious Zakiya Smith Ellis, GRD’16, printed out the entire No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 on her home computer and read it.

“I realized,” she said, “that as a teacher, you can’t control what time of day you start, the curriculum, the books, if students wear uniforms or not, the disciplinary policy.”

So began her interest in the intersection of education and policy—and, ultimately, her life’s work, with an eye toward creating greater equity. Currently, the Atlanta-area resident is a principal at EducationCounsel, a Washington, DC, consultancy that collaborates with policymakers, foundations, and nonprofits to advance evidence-based educational ideas through the legislative process.

Early on, Ellis toiled long hours for the Bush and Obama administrations, including in the White House, and focused on increasing access to Pell Grants. The behind-the-scenes labor that is policy work demands a certain tenacity, she shared. “You can work on something for years and years,” Ellis said. “Even when it becomes law and is announced, no one says, ‘Thank you, Zakiya.’ You have to be comfortable that you don’t get the public credit.”

Her Penn GSE doctorate in higher education management propelled her into the roles of New Jersey’s Secretary of Higher Education—where she helped make community college free for low- and moderate-income students—and chief policy advisor to Gov. Phil Murphy during the pandemic. “I learned how to be more effective,” she said of her studies at Penn GSE. “I’m concerned about making an impact. What are the things that need to happen in the world for more people to have opportunities?”

That question drives many GSE alumni into the world of policy. Like Ellis, other graduates have used their advanced degrees—and the deep expertise they confer—to create significant change in K–12 and higher education. They have helped research and formulate bills on student aid and debt, vocational training, and STEM education as well as develop state and city initiatives. They also have used their training to launch a state’s first charter school, co-found a STEM research center, train teachers as policy advocates, and certify students as community organizers.

Read the full story in the most recent issue of Penn GSE Magazine.