Michal Kurlaender

Michal Kurlaender
Michal Kurlaender
Professor of Education Policy,
University of California, Davis

Michal Kurlaender is professor of education policy at the University of California, Davis. She is also a faculty director at Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). Her work focuses on inequalities in access to college and success in college; alignment of public K–12 and postsecondary systems of education; and alternative pathways to college and careers. She works closely with administrative data from all three of California’s public higher education sectors: California State University, the University of California, and California Community Colleges. She is lead researcher at Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research at UC Davis and a research affiliate with the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness at Teachers College. She received her PhD in education policy from Harvard University.

updated 2021

Publications by Michal Kurlaender
Completing the A–G course sequence is the standard pathway to college for California high school graduates; however, findings indicate that there is substantial variation in A–G enrollment and completion rates across student subgroups and schools.…
Despite clear evidence of the benefits of taking advanced math courses in high school, access to and success in these courses are not experienced equally. Only about half of California high school seniors enroll in an advanced math course, and…
An Updated Look at High School Math Course-Taking in California
Evidence from the 2021 PACE/USC Rossier Annual Poll
The 2021 PACE/USC Rossier poll provides key insights into Californians’ perceptions of higher education issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically equity and affordability. A large percentage of Californians acknowledge that college…