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Ron Zimmer, Profile
Location
423 Patterson Office Tower
Phone
859-323-5413
Email
ron.zimmer@uky.edu

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 GlobeAs charters grow, public schools see sharp enrollment drop

Education WeekCharter School Graduates More Likely to Stay in College, Earn Higher Salaries

U.S. News and World ReportStudy: Florida's Charter School Grads Earn More

Miami HeraldBroward could make history with ‘charter conversion’

WorldSplit decisions: Charter growth may hurt private schools and other good/bad education news

Education WeekNew Study: Data Say Charters Aren't 'Pushing Out' Students

New York TimesCalifornia Charter Schools Rated as Equal to Public Ones in Study

New York TimesSchool Vouchers Aren't Working, But Choice Is

Los Angeles TimesCharter Schools Keep Pace, Study Says

Wall Street JournalThe Conflicting Charter-School Numbers

Philadelphia InquirerKIPP students show major improvement, study finds

Education WeekKIPP Schools Boost Academic Performance, Study Finds

Education WeekTaking a Deeper Look at Charters' Discipline Policies

Wisconsin ReporterWalker’s school choice plan could spark another Act 10-style battle

WPLN News (Nashville): Task Force Frames Sticky Debate Over School Vouchers

The TennesseanVoucher Formula Isn't Nailed Down by Task Force

Texas Public Radio: The Source: Education in America

PoliticoD.C.'s Education in School Reform

Atlanta Constitutional JournalFulton 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

Evaluating the Gifted Program of an Urban School District using a Modified Regression Discontinuity Design

Charter Schools: A Survey of Research on Their Characteristics and Effectiveness

Estimation of Causal Effects in Experiments with Multiple Sources of Noncompliance

How Does Grade Configuration Impact Student Achievement? Evaluating the Effectiveness of K-8 Schools.

Charter High Schools’ Effects on Long-Term Attainment and Earnings (Issue Brief) (Working Paper)

Can broad inferences be drawn from lottery analyses of school choice programs? An exploration of appropriate sensitivity analyses

Choice in a World of New School Types

Is There Empirical Evidence Consistent with the Claim that Charter Schools "Push Out" Low-Performing Students?

Charter School Authorizers and Student Achievement