Research
My research interests lie in the area of education policy, with peripheral interests in urban economics, experimental methods, and economics pedagogy. More specifically, I am interested in equity issues in education, teacher labor markets, and teacher experiences.
Publications
“Learning-Mode Choice, Student Engagement, and Achievement Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” AERA Open (2022)
(With Jennifer Darling-Aduana, Henry T. Woodyard, and Tim R. Sass)
Open Access Publication
Poster Presentation from the 2022 AERA Annual Meeting
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unanticipated and near-universal shift from in-person to virtual instruction in spring 2020. During the 2020-21 school year, schools began to re-open and families were faced with decisions regarding the instructional mode for their children. We leverage administrative, survey, and virtual-learning data to examine the determinants of family learning-mode choice and associations between virtual education, student engagement, and academic achievement. Family preference for virtual (versus face-to-face) instruction was highly associated with subsequent school-level infection rates and appeared relatively uniform within schools. We find that students assigned to a higher proportion of instructional days in virtual mode experienced higher rates of attendance, but also negative achievement growth compared to students who were assigned a higher proportion of instructional days in face-to-face mode. Insights from this study can be used to better understand family preference as well as to target and refine virtual learning in a post-COVID-19 society.
Ph.D. Dissertation
Committee: Tim Sass (Chair), Jennifer Darling-Aduana, Stefano Carattini, Jonathan Smith
Dissertation Title: Essays on the Economics of Education
Chapter 1: Evaluating the Impact of a Summer School Program using a Regression Discontinuity Design (Job Market Paper)
Working Paper
GPL Policy Report
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a near-universal shift to remote and virtual learning which led to many schools developing acceleration programs to help get students back on track. This study analyzes the efficacy of one such recovery effort, a summer school program in one large urban school district in Georgia which was implemented in summer 2021, and focuses on students in elementary and middle grades. The summer school program was intended to serve students who had failed courses or were performing below grade level on exams with the hope that additional instruction would help students to get caught up. I employ a regression discontinuity design and find that the program had minimal impacts on student achievement. Further, the study notes low attendance with most attendees coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. This paper also explores potential equity impacts of the program as well as policy suggestions.
**Recipient of Outstanding Oral Presentation award at the 2022 GSU Graduate Conference**
Chapter 2: Understanding Teacher Labor Markets in Metro-Atlanta during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted teachers in new and unexpected ways. In the spring semester of 2020, most schools across the country were forced to switch to remote learning with little preparation with virtual learning continuing into the following school year for many districts. This study is intended to analyze the impacts of the pandemic on teacher labor markets in two large school districts in the southeast US. The goal is to not only gain a better understanding of teacher labor markets in Metro Atlanta in the context of the pandemic but also determine appropriate policy interventions in response to teacher mobility and retention findings. The first component of this study is to understand if and how the pandemic exacerbated existing teacher labor supply issues. The second component is to determine whether the pandemic brought about new teacher labor supply issues. We hope that by understanding the impact of the pandemic on teachers that we can better guide teacher-focused policies in a post-pandemic world.
Chapter 3: Examining the Impact of a Classroom Game on Student Knowledge of Environmental Policy
(With Caroline Lamprecht)
This study analyzes the impact of a cap-and-trade game on student knowledge of and attitudes towards environmental policy. The planned experiment uses undergraduate economics students at a large public university and uses survey data from before and after the game to measure attitudes towards environmental policy and knowledge of cap-and-trade policy. In addition, the experiment will employ random assignment of participation in an in-class game. The game is intended as an interactive method to teach students about cap-and trade policies which are popular mechanisms for reducing pollution and uses both technology and in-person interaction. This study contributes to the literature on active learning methods in environmental economics while also exploring the impact of teaching about environmental policy.