Morgan Polikoff

Morgan Polikoff
Morgan Polikoff
Professor of Education, Rossier School of Education,
University of Southern California

Morgan Polikoff is professor of education in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. His research focuses on K–12 education policy, curriculum, standards, accountability, and assessment policy. His recent work examines curriculum material adoption and use, voter education policy preferences, and the impact of COVID-19 on families’ educational experiences. He previously served as co-editor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and associate editor of the American Educational Research Journal, and he is on the editorial boards of Educational Researcher and AERA Open. Polikoff is the author of Beyond Standards: The Fragmentation of Education Governance and the Promise of Curriculum Reform and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. He earned his BA in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and PhD in education policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

updated 2024

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
Continuous Improvement and Support Systems in California
CORE-PACE Research Partnership
COVID-19 Recovery
Getting Down To Facts II
LCFF Research Collaborative
PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll
Commentary by Morgan Polikoff
: For Aligned Instruction, State Must Have Aligned Standards, Assessments
Morgan Polikoff in the Media
: How California Can Fix Its School Crisis. Two PACE Projects Point the Way
: The Fight for Education—Insights from PACE Faculty Director Julie Marsh and PACE Board Advisor Carl Cohn
: What California Gov. Newsom’s Fight With a School District Says About Local Control
: The Pandemic Interrupted School for Three Years. How Long Will It Take to Fix the Damage?
: Critics Pan State’s Justification for Threatening Stanford Education Professor Over Breach of Data Contract
Publications by Morgan Polikoff
GDTFII Brief LCFF
The Local Control Funding Formula After Four Years
What Do We Know?
The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) shifts control of education dollars to local districts, enhancing resource allocation practices. However, inadequate base funds may constrain progress. Stakeholder engagement is evolving yet remains…
How a Research Center Based at USC Rossier, Stanford and UC Davis Is Helping California Forge Its Own Path in Advancing Its Education System
Setting the PACE
How a Research Center Based at USC Rossier, Stanford and UC Davis Is Helping California Forge Its Own Path in Advancing Its Education System
Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) is a consortium of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from USC Rossier, Stanford, and UC Davis Schools of Education working to improve education policy in California. PACE's focus has been…
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Who Is Opposed to Common Core and Why?
This analysis explores predictors of opposition to Common Core Standards (CCS) using data from a California poll. Opposition was found to be strongly associated with views about President Obama, testing, and negative conceptions about the standards…
Californians and Public Education
Results from the Fourth PACE/USC Rossier Poll
CA is undergoing significant changes in its education system. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) has decentralized authority and responsibility, with the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) focusing on local strategies for improvement.…