Ron Zimmer

Professor and Distinguished University Research Professor; Director, Martin School of Public Policy and Administration,

University of Kentucky

Ron Zimmer is professor, distinguished university research professor, and director in the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Kentucky. He was a former policy analyst with the RAND Corporation; and coeditor or associate editor for Journal Policy Analysis & Management, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Economics of Education Review. His research focuses on school choice and school finance, including colead on two studies to evaluate Kentucky’s Workforce-Aligned Scholarship Program and the relative performance of Tennessee's Charter School during and after the pandemic; he has also conducted an evaluation of the impact charter schools in Chicago are having on long-term educational attainment. He has published scholarly articles, book chapters, and monographs, and been featured in such outlets as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Education Week, ABC News, U.S. News and World Report, and CNN. He has briefed some of his findings to U.S. Congressional staffers and the Governor of Tennessee. Zimmer received his PhD in public policy from the University of Kentucky.