Educational Policy Studies

Taylor Odle

Assistant Professor

todle@wisc.edu


211 Education Building

1000 Bascom Mall

Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Odle, Taylor

Download CV   https://www.taylorodle.com/  

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, 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, and the Spencer Foundation and featured in The Hill, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed.

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.

Education

  • PhD Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, 2022
  • AM Statistics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 2020
  • MEd Higher Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 2016
  • BA College Scholars: Organizational Behavior, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 2014

Select Publications

  • Gottfried, M. A., Freeman, J. A., Odle, T., Plasman, J. S., Klasik, D., & Dougherty, S. (2023). Does high school STEMM career coursework align with college employment?. Teachers College Record, 125(3), 207-236.
  • Freeman, J. A., Gottfried, M. A., & Odle, T. (2023). Explaining course enrollment gaps in high school: Examination of gender-imbalance in the applied sciences. Educational Policy
  • Odle, T., & Russell, L. (2023). The impact of reverse transfer associate degrees on education and labor market outcomes. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 42(3), 648-676.
  • Odle, T. (2022). Free to spend? Institutional autonomy and expenditures on executive compensation, faculty salaries, and research activities. Research in Higher Education, 63(1), 1-32.
  • Odle, T., Bae, J., & Gonzalez Canche, M. S. (2022). The effect of the Uniform Bar Examination on admissions, diversity, affordability, and employment prospects across law schools in the United States. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 45(3), 520-529.
  • Gurantz, O., & Odle, T. (2022). The impact of merit aid on college choice and degree attainment: Reexamining Florida's Bright Futures program. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(1), 79-104.
  • Odle, T., & Delaney, J. A. (2022). You are admitted! Early evidence on enrollment from Idaho's direct admissions system. Research in Higher Education, 63, 899-932.
  • Odle, T., Lee, J. C., & Gentile, S. P. (2021). Do promise programs reduce student loans? Evidence from Tennessee Promise. The Journal of Higher Education, 92(6), 847-876.
  • Odle, T., & Monday, A. (2021). Spending more or spending less? Institutional expenditures and staffing in the free-college era. AERA Open, 7(1), 1-21.

Select Awards and Honors

  • Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association, Division J, 2023
  • Raymond Vernon Memorial Award, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), 2023
  • National Science Foundation Dissertation Grant, American Educational Research Association (AERA), (2021-2022)
  • Institute of Education Sciences Predoctoral Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania, (2020–2022)
  • Fellow, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2020
  • Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students, University of Pennsylvania, 2020