Michael W. Kirst

Michael Kirst
Michael W. Kirst
Former President of the California Board of Education and Professor Emeritus of Education and Business Administration,
Stanford University

Michael W. Kirst is professor emeritus of education and business administration at Stanford University and a co-founder of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). He is a longtime education advisor to former California Governor Jerry Brown, who four times appointed Kirst president of state board. In this position, Kirst was instrumental in reshaping education policy and finance in California, overseeing the new academic standards and assessments in math and English language arts, the new science standards, and the Local Control Funding Formula. Before joining the Stanford University faculty, Kirst held several positions with the federal government. He is also currently an advisor to PACE. Kirst has written or edited more than a dozen books, including Political Dynamics of American Education, and, with Andrea Venezia, From High School to College. Kirst received his PhD in political economy and government from Harvard University.

updated 2021

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
Supporting students’ social-emotional, mental & physical health
Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes
Contributing initiatives
CORE-PACE Research Partnership
COVID-19 Recovery
Getting Down To Facts II
LCFF Research Collaborative
PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll
Policy Research Panels
Commentary by Michael W. Kirst
: California’s Dashboard Data Will Guide Improvement
: Michael Kirst on New Federal and State Policies
Michael W. Kirst in the Media
: Public School Choice Exists in California, but Few Districts Offer It
: California Spends More on Schools With the Neediest Kids. Here’s How It’s Succeeded, and Failed.
: Inside California’s Education System: A Conversation with PACE Cofounder Dr. Michael W. Kirst
: A Refresher Guide to the California School Dashboard
: California’s Achievement Gap Defies Extra Billions in School Spending
Publications by Michael W. Kirst
Scholars Bridge Gap between Policy, Research
Scholars Bridge Gap between Policy, Research
Two years ago, in the midst of a heated debate in the California legislature over whether to eliminate the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, a proponent of the proposal stood up, waved a red, white, and blue publication, and declared: "PACE says…
On the Trail of the Omnibeast: Evaluating Omnibus Education Reforms in the 1980s
On the Trail of the Omnibeast
Evaluating Omnibus Education Reforms in the 1980s
In this study, the authors investigate curricular changes in California compre­hensive high schools from 1982–83 to 1984–85. During this period, a number of educational reforms occurred, all aimed at bolstering the academic demands of secondary…
Conditions of Education in California, 1986–1987
Conditions of Education in California, 1986–87
Continuing growth and sustained progress on educational reform characterize California's public schools, but the Gann spending limit, which potentially restricts state dollars for education, and projected shortages of highly qualified teachers…
Beyond Mutual Adaptation, Into the Bully Pulpit
Beyond Mutual Adaptation, Into the Bully Pulpit
Recent Research on the Federal Role in Education
The federal government has always been a junior partner to state and local agencies in financing and operating U.S. schools. The impacts of federal policies on the nation's classrooms, however, continue to fascinate researchers, policymakers, and…