Policymakers often seek the expertise of Michigan State University faculty members as they address critical education decisions across the state and country. This includes, for example, partnerships with state and federal agencies, writing white papers, testifying before legislators and serving on committees of the National Research Council and other organizations that influence the national and international agenda.
The faculty strives to keep Michigan’s educational leaders and lawmakers informed about latest research findings and best practices with implications for current policy issues.
The Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) conducts pioneering data analysis and works in partnership with schools, districts and state education agencies to deliver timely findings directly to decision-makers. The researchers’ approach to inform education policy issues, such as teacher quality, school improvement and school choice, focuses not only on what works, but how, why and for whom. EPIC conducts research with consequence, especially when it comes to improving K-12 education for students in urban, rural and historically disadvantaged communities.
Building on previous such partnerships, the Michigan Education Research Institute (MERI) was created in 2018 to support research that improves education for all students in Michigan. MERI partners work collaboratively to make the state’s education data available to researchers nationwide, and to support the state education department’s research agenda. Partners include the MSU Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC), the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy Education Policy Initiative’s Michigan Education Data Center, the University of Michigan School of Education, the Michigan Department of Education and Michigan’s Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI).
The Office of K-12 Outreach has partnered with the State of Michigan and lawmakers across the state on a variety of research-based, practitioner-oriented programs for more than 20 years. The President’s Education Forums, co-sponsored by the Office of K-12 Outreach and the MSU Office of the President, inform Michigan policymakers and education leaders about current policy issues while fostering discussion around research and best practice.
The Education Policy Forum provides a space for collecting and disseminating research by Michigan State University scholars connected to the Education Policy Ph.D. program and through the former Education Policy Center.
Faculty and doctoral students from Michigan State University’s Office of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies evaluate critical aspects of rehabilitation services provided by the state of Michigan through a program called Project Excellence. The long-standing partnership with Michigan Rehabilitation Services has influenced significant improvements for citizens with disabilities seeking help with employment.