Jennifer Rice

Research Interests

Research draws on the discipline of economics to explore education policy concerning the efficiency, equity, and adequacy of U.S. public education. Current research examines teacher quality and the implementation of pay for performance policies in school

Bio

Jennifer King Rice is dean of the University of Maryland College of Education and professor of education policy. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University. Prior to joining the faculty at Maryland, she was a researcher at Mathematica Policy Research in Washington, D.C. Dr. Rice’s research draws on the discipline of economics to explore education policy questions concerning the efficiency, equity, and adequacy of U.S. education systems. Her current work focuses on teachers as a critical resource in the education process. Her authored and edited books include Fiscal Policy in Urban Education; High Stakes Accountability: Implications for Resources and Capacity; and Teacher Quality: Understanding the Effectiveness of Teacher Attributes, winner of the 2005 American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education book award. As a national expert in education finance and policy, Dr. Rice regularly consults with numerous policy research organizations and state and federal agencies. She was a National Academy of Education / Spencer Foundation post-doctoral fellow in 2002-03, and spent a recent sabbatical leave as a Visiting Fellow at the Urban Institute. She is a past president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy.

Publications

Books

Rice, J.K. & Roellke, C.F., Eds. (2009). High-stakes accountability: Implications for resources and capacity. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Rice, J.K. (2003). Teacher quality: Understanding the effectiveness of teacher attributes. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute.

Roellke, C.F. & Rice, J.K., Eds. (2003). Fiscal policy in urban education. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Journal Articles

Rice, J.K. (2013). Learning from experience: Evidence on the impact and distribution of teacher experience and the implications for teacher policy. Education Finance and Policy, 8(3), 332-348.

Rice, J.K., Malen, B. Baumann, P., Chen, E., Dougherty, A., Hyde, L., Jackson, C., Jacobson, & R., McKithen, C. (2012). The persistent problems and confounding challenges of educator incentives: The case of TIF in Prince George's County, Maryland. Educational Policy, 26 (6), 892-933.

Kolbe, T. & Rice, J.K. (2012). And they’re off: Tracking “Race to the Top” investments from the starting gate. Educational Policy, 26(1), 185-209.

Rice, J.K., Roellke, C.F., Sparks, D., & Kolbe, T. (2009). Piecing together the teacher policy landscape: A policy-problem typology. Teachers College Record, 111(2), 511-546.

Roellke, C.F. & Rice, J.K. (2008). Responding to teacher quality and accountability mandates: The perspective of school administrators and classroom teachers. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 7(3), 264-295.

Rice, J.K. & Hall, L.J. (2008). National Board Certification for teachers: What does it cost and how does it compare? Education Finance and Policy, (3)3, 339-373.

Rice, J.K. (2008). From highly qualified to high quality: An imperative for policy and research to recast the teacher mold. Education Finance and Policy, 3(2), 151-165.

Croninger, R.G., Rice, J.K., Rathbun, A., and Nishio, M. (2007). Teacher qualifications and early learning: Effects of certification, degree, and experience on first-grade student achievement. Economics of Education Review, 26(3), 312-324.

Malen, B. & Rice, J.K. (2004). A framework for assessing the impact of education reform on school capacity: Insights from studies of high stakes accountability initiatives. Educational Policy, 18(5), 631-660.

Recent Reports

Molnar, A., Cuban, L., Miron, G., Huerta, L., Rice, J.K. & Shaffer, S. (2013). The state of virtual schools 2012: Performance, Policy issues, and research evidence. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.

Rice, J.K. (2011). Time to level the playing field: Disparities in the quantity and quality of learning time. Paper prepared for the National Center on Time and Learning.

Malen, B. Rice, J.K., Jackson, C., Hoyer, K.M., Hyde, L., Bivona, L., Blaisdell, L., Bowsher, A., Cortes, K., Coverdale, B., de la Torre, A., Goldstein, M., Pimpawathin, A., & Sutter, J. (2011). Implementation, payouts, and perceived effects: A formative analysis of Financial Incentive Rewards for Supervisors and Teachers (FIRST). Prince George’s County Public School System: Prince George’s County, MD.

Rice, J.K. & Malen, B. (2010). School reconstitution as an education reform strategy: A synopsis of the evidence. Washington, DC: National Education Association.

Malen, B. Rice, J.K., Baumann, P., Beaner. T., Chen, E., Dougherty, A., Hyde, L., Jackson, C., Jacobson, R., McKithen, C., & Robinson, C. (2009). Building the plane in flight: A formative evaluation of Financial Incentive Rewards for Supervisors and Teachers (FIRST). Prince George’s County Public School System: Prince George’s County, MD.