Taylor Odle

Taylor Odle is Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a faculty affiliate in Data Science, the Institute for Research on Poverty, the Institute for Diversity Science, and the Interdisciplinary Training Program in Education Sciences. His work leverages quantitative methods and data science techniques to study issues concerning the economics of education and education policy with a specific focus on college access and success, including college admissions practices, financial aid, and college advising and coaching. Taylor’s work leverages field experiments with national partners and quasi-experimental evaluations of existing policies to study “what works” in states, systems, and institutions for improving students’ transitions to and through college. His work has been funded by the American Educational Research Association/National Science Foundation, Arnold Ventures, the Joyce Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation and featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Hill, Forbes, Bloomberg, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Taylor is a member of the editorial boards of The Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, and the American Journal of Evaluation. He received the 2023 Raymond Vernon Memorial Award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management. He is also a former Summer Fellow with the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, and his dissertation won the 2023 American Educational Research Association (Division J) Outstanding Dissertation Award.

Before earning his PhD, Taylor led fiscal policy and research activities for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and worked with MDRC, the National Student Clearinghouse, the College Board, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.