EdPolicyWorks is a center for research built as a collaboration between the School of Education and Human Development and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy to investigate and solve problems in systems of education. According to the website, its research spans college access and success, early childhood education, school leadership and accountability, teacher quality, labor market trends and methodology and measurement studies. EdPolicyWorks also serves as a home for policy discussions and intellectual exchange between students and faculty.
The EdPolicyWorks Center was established in 2010, and its research is published through scientific journals as well as on their website. The Center currently has 15 faculty members, six affiliated faculty members in Batten, four Ph.D. students and four members of professional research staff. Once students at EdPolicyWorks are admitted to the program, they are paired with faculty affiliated with the Center.
Allison Atteberry, director of EdPolicyWorks and associate professor of education and public policy, said that research alongside partners including the Virginia Department of Education has been a major focus of the Center’s work since its founding.
“Broadly speaking, [the Center’s] mission is to conduct high-quality research that informs education policy decisions in ways that are beneficial for students and teachers and families,” Atteberry said.
The Education School offers a specialized Ph.D. in education with a concentration on education policy. In addition to the Ph.D., The Education School also offers a dual Ph.D. and Master of Public Policy in conjunction with Batten.
According to Atteberry, faculty members of EdPolicyWorks have also worked with the Maryland State Department of Education, the Louisiana Department of Education, the Arkansas Department of Education, Denver Public Schools and Massachusetts schools, among others.
Atteberry referenced the work of Daphna Bassok, associate director of EdPolicyWorks and professor of education and public policy, as influential in the EdPolicyWorks initiative. Bassok’s lab has had a long-standing partnership with the VDOE’s Division of Early Childhood Care and Education.
Bassok directs the Study of Early Education through Partnerships — an education policy research partnership between the University and UCLA — and through her research attempts to improve early childhood systems at scale, particularly through the early childhood workforce. Atteberry said that Bassok’s lab has recently been examining access and opportunities for quality early education for families in Virginia.
Stephanie Rowley, William R. Kenan Jr. professor of education and dean of the Education School, said that the Center has a direct connection to many state legislators and the Department of Education. According to Rowley, in some cases, the state approaches the Center to collaborate with faculty, asking them to investigate questions and problems relating to education.
“EdPolicyWorks really is like a think tank,” Rowley said. “That mix of working directly with partners to help make sure that the research is getting into the hands of people who actually make decisions is really effective — but oftentimes, it’s really difficult to accomplish because … it takes a long time to build these kinds of relationships.”
Ian Callen, third-year Ph.D. candidate and EdPolicyWorks student, said that he finds value in the collaborative nature of the Center. Callen studies teacher labor markets and access to education, investigating how students’ interest in entering the teaching profession changes as they navigate higher education and how teacher salaries influence acquisition and retention.
“I think some of the most rewarding work that I’ve ever done in my career has been partnering with districts who actually have to face a lot of the challenges and issues that I think we, as academics, sometimes think about but don’t ever actually have to interact with on a day-to-day basis,” Callen said.
In addition to research, EdPolicyWorks offers programming for the University community with the Ed Policy Explorers program, through the Center’s Speaker Series and the Ed Policy Association Club. The Speaker Series brings policy experts from across the U.S. to Grounds to share their work with the public. These policy experts have spoken about their scholarship areas, ranging from college access and success, early childhood education, school leadership and accountability, educational equity and more.
The Ed Policy Association is a group co-led and coordinated by faculty members and researchers for undergraduate and graduate students. It offers opportunities for conversations with faculty and education policy talks, events and workshops.
Andrew Avitabile, fifth-year Ph.D. candidate and EdPolicyWorks student, studies teacher labor markets, in particular methods of teacher preparation, certification and retention.
Avitabile said that his research is largely based on data from Texas due to large quantities of available data from a teacher preparation program in the state. In one working paper, Avitabile used large language models to analyze supervisor evaluations and preservice teacher reflections. He found that supervisor feedback for teachers in training often lacks actionable advice and highlights classroom management issues. Further, he found teachers in training who receive this feedback are more likely to receive lower evaluation scores and less likely to return to their placement schools as in-service teachers.
However, Avitabile said he believes that the takeaways from the data are applicable in various contexts. He cited Texas’ Teacher Retention Allotment — which was established under House Bill 2 and is meant to give bonuses to experienced teachers in Texas — and how similar policies have been discussed in the Commonwealth.
Although Virginia does not currently have a direct equivalent policy to HB 2, the Code of Virginia currently has an initiative where grants are awarded on a competitive basis to incentivize teachers or teams with “essential expertise.” According to the code, the award recipients have assumed additional responsibilities or helped students make significant progress.
For Callen and other members of the EdPolicyWorks Center, its impact expands beyond just the policy itself — but also to the community that it creates.
“I think being part of this community has been really wonderful, honestly. I've learned a lot by just being in the same space as people that are extremely talented and extremely passionate and caring individuals about the work and the impact of our work on the world,” Callen said. “I would say it's been a wonderful experience, and I am extremely thankful that the Center exists and that it's available to students.”
Charlotte Gabriel is a second-year student and serves as a staff writer on the news desk. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, painting and being with her dog Buddy.
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