Dr. Andrew Bacher-Hicks’ Dissertation Receives Honorable Mention from Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Dr. Andrew Bacher-Hicks, BU Wheelock assistant professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, has received an honorable mention for the 2020 PhD Dissertation Award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM). Each year, APPAM recognizes one winner and two honorable mentions. Dr. Bacher-Hicks’ dissertation, Essays on the Economics of Education, comprises three essays, which focus primarily on the links between crime and education. His lead essay, which was covered in the New York Times and presented at the National Bureau of Economic Research, estimates the impact of New York City’s stop and frisk policing program on education attainment, finding that police stops have harmful net effects on students’ high school graduation, college enrollment, and college persistence.
His second essay examines the impact of school suspensions on the school-to-prison pipeline, finding that schools with strict discipline policies have substantial impact on students’ subsequent involvement with the criminal justice system as adults.
“I am honored to be among the emerging scholars whose doctoral dissertation work has been recognized by APPAM,” said Bacher-Hicks. “I am grateful for the wonderful guidance I’ve received from my doctoral advisors and excited to pay this forward as a new faculty member at BU Wheelock.”
At BU Wheelock, Dr. Bacher-Hicks studies K-12 education policy in the United States with a focus on teacher labor markets, school discipline, and the link between crime and education. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Economics of Education Review, Education Finance and Policy, and Educational Researcher. It has also been featured in a range of media outlets, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. Dr. Bacher-Hicks holds a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard University.
“Andrew is a talented scholar with a bright future,” said Marcus Winters, BU Wheelock associate professor and department chair for Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. “We’re thrilled for the opportunity to work with Andrew as he grows into the next stages of his career – BU Wheelock is quickly emerging as among the most productive and exciting education policy programs in the country.”
