David N. Plank

David Plank
David N. Plank
Professor (Research) Emeritus,
Stanford Graduate School of Education

David Plank was the executive director of PACE for 11 years. Before joining PACE, he was a professor at Michigan State University, where he founded and directed the Education Policy Center. Plank is the author or editor of six books, including the AERA Handbook of Education Policy Research. He has published widely in a number of fields, including economics of education, history of education, and educational policy. His interests include the role of the state in education and the relationship between academic research and public policy. In addition to his work in the U.S., Plank has extensive international experience. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago.

updated 2021

Publications by David N. Plank
Views from the 2021 PACE/USC Rossier Poll
Growing inequities and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic together with billions of dollars in new funding present an opportunity to make substantial changes to K–12 education to better serve all students in California. In May 2021, PACE…
Views from the 2020 PACE/USC Rossier Poll
With important state and national elections looming, where do California voters stand on some of the major education policy issues of the day? This report examines findings from the 2020 PACE/USC Rossier Poll of California voters. The poll…
Survey Results
In this brief we summarize findings from three surveys that sought to learn how county offices of education (COEs) are changing in response to the implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and the Statewide System of Support (SSS).…
Evidence from the 2019 PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll
Governor Gavin Newsom campaigned on a “cradle to career” education strategy that identified childcare and early education as key priorities. The Governor’s 2019 Budget Proposal follows through with the inclusion of several initiatives aimed at…