Zamarro Named Editor of 'Education Finance and Policy'

Gema Zamarro, a faculty member in the College of Education and Health Professions' Department of Education Reform, has been named an editor of the Education Finance and Policy journal.

Zamarro, professor of education reform and economics and Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in Teacher Quality, was introduced as one of three new journal editors at the Association for Education Finance and Policy annual conference in Chicago.

"For over 15 years, AEFP has been a place where I have received thoughtful feedback, built meaningful relationships and grown as a scholar in education policy," Zamarro said. "Because of that, I have felt a strong desire to give back to the organization and to support the community that has shaped so much of my professional journey."

Education Finance and Policy publishes policy-relevant research papers concerning education finance, policy and practice. The journal draws from a range of fields like economics, political science and education, covering topics that span from early childhood to graduate education in the U.S. and around the world.

"Gema's selection as an editor of Education Finance and Policy reflects both the quality of her research and her deep engagement with the most pressing issues in education policy," said Harry Patrinos, head of the Department of Education Reform. "For us, this is an important milestone, one that signals that our department continues to shape the field by producing work that is not only methodologically strong, but directly relevant to policymakers."

Zamarro said she wanted to serve as an editor of the journal to give back to an organization that has meant so much to her throughout her career. She also emphasized how meaningful it will be for her to support the work being done across the field, particularly by junior scholars.

"I came to the United States without an established professional network, having completed my doctoral studies in Spain," she said. "The AEFP conference was the first conference where I presented my work in the U.S., and it quickly became a welcoming intellectual home for me."

Zamarro is joined on the new editorial team by Michael Kofoed, assistant professor of economics at the University of Tennessee, and Tommaso Agasisti, a professor at the Politecnico di Milano School of Management.

Li Feng, Gregg Excellence Professor of Economics at Texas State University and current EFP editor, said editors of the journal must be able to combine scholarly expertise with a commitment to the field and the ability to build an editorial community — all things she feels Zamarro can bring to the job.

"I have had the privilege of serving alongside Gemma on the AEFP Board, and I can say firsthand that she is one of the most collaborative and collegial people I have worked with," Feng said. "She listens; she brings people together, and she elevates the work of everyone around her. I am confident that under her leadership, Education Finance and Policy will soar to new heights."

Zamarro teaches empirical methods and education economics as it relates to teacher quality and teacher labor markets. She previously worked as a senior economist at the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research, an economist at the RAND Corporation, a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School of Public Policy and an assistant professor in the Department of Econometrics at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. 

Her research is motivated by policy-relevant questions and rigorous methods to inform policy, with a focus on education policy. She has studied the relationship between teacher quality and student performance, teacher recruitment and retention issues, the gender and educational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of school closing policies on student outcomes and the effect of dual-language immersion programs on student outcomes, among other topics. 

Her work has been featured numerous times in the American and Spanish media and has helped inform policy at the state, national and international levels.