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 University of Kentucky. Prior to coming to University of Kentucky, Dr. Zimmer was a faculty member at Vanderbilt University and spent a number years at the RAND Corporation. Dr. Zimmer is currently the coeditor of Journal Policy Analysis & Management and previously was the coeditor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and Economics of Education Review. He is currently a board member of both 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 a study funded by the Walton Family Foundation and Laura and John Arnold Foundation to evaluate Tennessee's Achievement School District, which is tasked with raising the performance of low performing schools.
Published papers can be accessed via Google Scholar.
Media Mentions
Seattle Times: School Stats: Do charter schools in Washington actually serve students with disabilities?
Austin Statesman: Austin school district enrollment tumbles by 1,600 students, as adjacent districts grow
WDBR Louisville: Past school takeovers yield mixed results
Tennessean: How Tennessee districts are honing in on strategies to address struggling schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Deal’s school-takeover bid fails basic logic test
Boston Globe: As charters grow, public schools see sharp enrollment drop
Education Week: Charter School Graduates More Likely to Stay in College, Earn Higher Salaries
U.S. News and World Report: Study: Florida's Charter School Grads Earn More
Miami Herald: Broward could make history with ‘charter conversion’
World: Split decisions: Charter growth may hurt private schools and other good/bad education news
Education Week: New Study: Data Say Charters Aren't 'Pushing Out' Students
New York Times: California Charter Schools Rated as Equal to Public Ones in Study
New York Times: School Vouchers Aren't Working, But Choice Is
Los Angeles Times: Charter Schools Keep Pace, Study Says
Wall Street Journal: The Conflicting Charter-School Numbers
Philadelphia Inquire: KIPP students show major improvement, study finds
Education Week: KIPP Schools Boost Academic Performance, Study Finds
Education Week: Taking a Deeper Look at Charters' Discipline Policies
Wisconsin Reporter: Walker’s school choice plan could spark another Act 10-style battle
WPLN News (Nashville): Task Force Frames Sticky Debate Over School Vouchers
The Tennessean: Voucher Formula Isn't Nailed Down by Task Force
Texas Public Radio: The Source: Education in America
Atlanta Constitutional Journal: Fulton Recognizes Parent Demand for Choice and Plans to Offer More. Good Idea?
Chalkbeat: Another Voucher Bill – for Students with Special Needs – Advancing in Legislature
Working Papers
Push or Pull: School-Level Factors That Influence Teacher Mobility in Turnaround Schools
Charter Schools: A Survey of Research on Their Characteristics and Effectiveness
Estimation of Causal Effects in Experiments with Multiple Sources of Noncompliance
Charter High Schools’ Effects on Long-Term Attainment and Earnings (Issue Brief) (Working Paper)