Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education
Ph.D., University of Kentucky, 1997
Joined faculty in 2010
Ron Zimmer is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education in the Peabody College at Vanderbilt University and is currently serving as an associate editor of Economics of Education Review.Prior to coming to Vanderbilt University, Dr. Zimmer was a faculty member at Michigan State University and spent a number years at the RAND Corporation.
Dr. Zimmer’s research focuses on school choice and school finance which has led to a number of scholarly articles, book chapters, and monographs.Much of this research has been funded by an array of foundations, state governments, and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).The findings from some of this research have been highlighted in major media outlets including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Education Week, and CNN.In addition, Dr. Zimmer has also briefed some of his findings to congressional staffers.Currently, Dr. Zimmer is co-leading an IES funded study of reform efforts and programs in a major urban district.He is also co-leading an evaluation of the impact Chicago’s charter schools are having on long-term educational attainment.
