Maxwell School News and Commentary

Thomas Keck, Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, says the Princeton Principles do improve on the Chicago principles, which don’t use the term “academic freedom.” But he says the Princeton Principles still seem to privilege free speech over academic freedom. 

Bill Coplin, professor of policy studies, says he has been saving students from the damage done by the “bait-and-switch business model of the liberal arts programs” for fifty years. 

Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology, says that around 2018-2019, American universities began to see a slight decrease in the number of Chinese students. “And then the pandemic hit,” Ma says. “And with the rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China...[it] made Chinese students hesitate to come to the United States to study.”

Ying Shi, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs, and John G. Singleton of the University of Rochester, investigated what happens when educators are elected to school boards. "Despite raising teachers’ salaries, electing an educator to a school board does not translate into improved outcomes for students and has negative impacts on charter schools."

"'Model minorities'" in the classroom? Positive evaluation bias towards Asian students and its consequences," co-authored by Ying Shi, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs, and Maria Zhu, assistant professor of economics, was published in the Journal of Public Economics.

"Inequality in Literacy Skills at Kindergarten Entry at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race," co-authored by public administration and international affairs professors Michah Rothbart and Colleen Heflin, was published in Children and Youth Services Review.

The work of Sean Drake, assistant professor of sociology, Ying Shi, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs, and Maria Zhu, assistant professor of economics, was referenced in the article, "Asian American Students Face Bias, but It’s Not What You Might Think."

Yilin Hou, professor of public administration and international affairs, is among those who conceived of the idea to address challenges faced by institutions that offered the graduate degree program. 

Amy Ellen Schwartz, professor of economics and public administration and international affairs, was quoted in the Chalkbeat article, "Eric Adams is facing pressure to reverse NYC school budget cuts. Should he?"

Shana Gadarian, professor and chair of political science, was quoted in the North Country Public Radio article, "Stefanik says NY schools are forcing a 'radical and racist' agenda on children. The false claim fits a pattern."