Education Policy at SU’s Maxwell School

Education Policy is a strong focus in our Social Policy concentration

Education Policy at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University

Education Policy has long been one of strongest research areas for faculty at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.  With four of the leading scholars in this field the research, scholarship, and depth of strength our school brings to this area is impressive.   Students benefit from coursework, mentoring and engaging with our faculty on topics of education policy across a variety of areas at Maxwell. An active student group, EPIC (Education Policy Inquiry Club) provides a structure for active engagement between faculty and students, as well as education leaders from our community.

Students enroll in courses across the many areas of social policy, including: Education Policy, Child and Family Policy, Urban Policy, State and Local Public Finance, Policy Implementation and a very specific course by Professor Bertini focused on access to education as a means to avoid the cycles of oppression and victimization of women in the developing world: Girls Education in the Developing World.

Maxwell and Teach for America – Teach for China – Teach for All – Teach for India
Over 14 years ago, the Department of Public Administration and International Affairs partnered with Teach for America. Given our shared public service mission and the strength of our schools Education Policy impact, this partnership has been very successful.  TFA alumni are provided an automatic financial award of $5000 per year toward tuition upon admission. Most TFA alumni receive awards much larger than this minimum guarantee.  This partnership had brought over 40 TFA alumni into the MPA program – and has been expanded to several of the international offshoots of this program.  Our TFA/Maxwell graduates hold positions impacting education and more generally urban policy/community development throughout the country and in a variety of sectors.

Education Related Research and Projects
One of the largest education policy experiments, Say Yes to Education, landed in the Syracuse City School District with its first district-wide implementation in 2008.  Many faculty, including our Department Chair/Associate Dean, Professor Rubenstein, have been involved in evaluation and research of the Say Yes program implementation in both Syracuse and more recently Buffalo, NY.  Professor Rubenstein’s research on Education Policy has been funded by many organizations including the US Department of Education, the American Education Research Association and the Russell Sage Foundation.  Professor Robert Bifulco’s (also a co-investigator on the evaluation of Say Yes) most recent work looks at the fiscal impacts of charter schools.  Professor John Yinger serves as Director of the Education Finance and Accountability Program (EFAP) within the Center for Policy Research, promoting research, education and debate about the fundamental issues in elementary and secondary education systems in the US.  Our newest faculty member, Amy Ellen Schwartz, conducts research focused on K-12 education issues and the relationship between student performance and housing and neighborhood change.  She explores the connection between education and community development.

Alumni of Maxwell’s MPA and MA IR programs hold and have held these and similar positions related to Education Policy:

Chief Redesign Officer, Lawrence Public Schools
Analyst, Transitions at DC Public Schools
Program Associate, Education Policy, New America Foundation
Director, Growth Strategy, Mass Insight Education
Senior Managing Director, Strategy & Operations, Teach for America
Partner, The New Teacher Project
Chief of School Operations, DC Public Schools
Program Specialist, US Department of Education
Director, National Elected Leadership Platforms at Leadership for Educational Equity
Program and Network Manager, Grantmakers for Education
Associate Director of Admission, Vassar College
Operations Manager, Cohen College Prep High, a New Orleans College Prep Academy
Product Associate, Zearn
Senior Specialist, Special Education at DC Public Charter School Board
Policy Associate, First Five Years Fund
Education Associate, State of Delaware, Department of Education