Allan R. Odden

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Allan R. Odden
Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, School of Education,
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Allan R. Odden is professor emeritus of educational leadership and policy analysis in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is co-director emeritus of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), a consortium of the University of the Wisconsin–Madison; Teachers College, Columbia University; and Harvard, Northwestern, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Stanford Universities. Odden is also director emeritus of Strategic Management of Human Capital in Education and a former director at Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). He formerly was professor of education policy and administration at the University of Southern California and director of Policy Analysis for California Education.

updated 2025

Contributing topics
Access, quality & alignment in early childhood education
College access & postsecondary success
Continuous school improvement & support
Education finance
Educational governance & policy
Educator workforce & effectiveness
Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes
Allan R. Odden in the Media
: Falling Test Scores Fuel Support for Vouchers California Voters Weigh School Funding Plan
: Union Role in Anton’s Departure Debated—Some Say Teachers’ Group Exerts Too Much Power
: Teacher Union Leader Wonders Whether Administration Has Taken Fair Share of Reductions. Administrators Reply that Essential Services Cannot be Pared
: Switching to Year-Round Operation Makes More Than Economic Sense—There’s Something in It for Teachers, Students and Parents
: State Needs $20.6 Billion More in Next Decade, Professors Assert: Study Sees Mediocrity in Schools’ Future
Publications by Allan R. Odden
How State Education Reform Can Improve Secondary Schools - Part II: Background and Technical Appendices
How State Education Reform Can Improve Secondary Schools—Part II
Background and Technical Appendices
California's education system faced a decline in the early 1980s, prompting reforms such as a common core curriculum, higher graduation requirements, and tougher academic standards. A Nation at Risk report further pushed for nationwide school…
Data: A By-Product of Reform
Data
A By-Product of Reform
The Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) Project provides nonpartisan information to policymakers about California's education system. Their "Conditions of Education in California" report is a yearly benchmark for policymakers. PACE also…
PACE California Public School Finance Programs, 1986–97
California Public School Finance Programs, 1986–87
This report provides an overview of California's school finance system, including selected school finance facts; descriptions of the general revenue limit and categorical programs funding formulas; and, for each program, the amount appropriated for…
Scholars Bridge Gap between Policy, Research
Scholars Bridge Gap between Policy, Research
PACE, a university-based research center, provides "nonpartisan, objective, independent" information on K-12 schooling in CA. Its analyses have been invaluable to lawmakers and educators during the state's active education-reform period. PACE has…