Ron Zimmer, PhD

Professor, Director of the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration

Dr. Ron Zimmer is a Professor and Director of the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coming to the University of Kentucky, Dr. Zimmer was a faculty member at Vanderbilt University and spent a number of years at the RAND Corporation. Dr. Zimmer has been coeditor or associate editor for Journal Policy Analysis & Management, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Economics of Education Review. He is currently a board member of all three journals. Dr. Zimmer's research focuses on school choice and school finance which has led to a number of scholarly articles, book chapters, and monographs. Much of this research has been funded by an array of foundations, state governments, and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The findings from some of this research have been highlighted in major media outlets including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Education Week, ABC News, U.S. News and World Report, and CNN. Currently, Dr. Zimmer is co-leading two studies funded by the Walton Family Foundation and Tennessee Score to evaluate Kentucky’s Workforce-Aligned Scholarship Program and the relative performance of Tennessee's Charter School during and after the pandemic.