By Laurel White
A UW–Madison faculty member’s dissertation that sheds light on inequalities in student access and success and evaluates policies aimed at reducing barriers to opportunity has been honored as a standout publication by the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Taylor Odle, a new faculty member in the UW–Madison School of Education’s Department of Educational Policy Studies, defended the dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania last year. The paper was chosen to receive the AERA’s Outstanding Dissertation Award in the organization’s postsecondary division. The award will be presented at the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago next month.
Odle says he is honored by the recognition and hopes his work helps provide actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners looking to support student achievement.
“My work is driven by an explicit goal to identify barriers to student success while also testing the impacts of policies that can make college opportunities more accessible for all,” he says. “I hope my work not only moves policy conversations forward in these areas but also shows the power in connecting researchers with policymakers and practitioners. I’m deeply honored by this recognition of my work and grateful to be a part of the UW–Madison community where our pursuit of the Wisconsin Idea is embodied in all that we do.”
Odle’s dissertation outlines the findings of three separate essays united by a theme of disparities in educational access and proposed solutions. The first essay examines the education and labor market outcomes of students who combine community college credits with four-year college credits to earn their bachelor’s degrees. The paper was recently published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
The second essay tests whether free tuition programs raise high school students’ expectations to ultimately complete a college degree. The study found free college programs are effective at reducing racial and socioeconomic gaps in students’ college-going plans. Odle also recently offered expert testimony about a proposed statewide free college program before a committee of Minnesota state lawmakers.
The third essay provides the first documented evidence on students who begin a college application but never complete it. Odle is now working with the nonprofit Common App to identify ways to simultaneously raise overall college application rates while also reducing longstanding disparities.
Odle joined the UW–Madison School of the Education in the fall of 2022. He has also recently published a working paper on disparities in same-race instructor matching, a report that found the average full-time college student does not attempt enough courses to earn a bachelor’s degree in five years, and a paper on the effect of the Uniform Bar Examination on admissions, diversity, affordability, and employment prospects across law schools in the United States.