Jennifer Steele Professor SOE Faculty
- Additional Positions at AU
- Affiliate Faculty, Department of Public Administration and Policy
- Degrees
- Ed.D. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy, Harvard University;
M.A. in Education, Stanford University;
M.A. in English, Georgetown University;
B.A. in Psychology and Honors English, Georgetown University - Languages Spoken
- English, Spanish
- Bio
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Dr. Jennifer L. Steele is a Professor in the School of Education at American University (AU), and an affiliate faculty member in AU's Department of Public Administration and Policy. Her research, which emphasizes quantitative methods that support causal inference, focuses on education policy and the economics of education at the P-12 and postsecondary levels. Her current research examines school-to-work transitions and the role of information access in students’ college-and-career readiness, as well as effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the labor force. Her work has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the American Council on Education, among others, and has appeared in outlets such as the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, American Educational Research Journal, and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Dr. Steele’s recent studies have estimated the causal effects of dual-language immersion education and the effects of alternative school leadership pathways on student achievement. Her other work has examined the distribution of teacher effectiveness in urban districts; teachers’ responsiveness to financial incentives for working in low-performing schools; implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill®; and effects of competency-based education in five states. She previously worked as a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, as a teacher at the elementary and secondary levels, and as a manager of teacher recruitment and training for a private education company. She holds a doctorate in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University.
Note: GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
- See Also
- Twitter: @jensteeledc
- Research & Teaching: https://jensteele1.github.io/
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Fall 2024
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EDU-634 Education and Public Policy
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EDU-790 Quantitative Research in Educ
Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities
Selected Publications
AU Experts
Area of Expertise
Urban Education, Education Reform, Teacher Quality, Program Evaluation
Additional Information
Jennifer Steele’s research interests focus on urban education policy at the K-12 and postsecondary levels, with a focus on education reform, teacher quality, and transitions between K-12 and higher education. Her work emphasizes quantitative methods that support causal inference, though she also uses mixed-methods research designs in the context of program evaluation.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.