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Michah Rothbart

Michah W. Rothbart

Contact Information:

mwrothba@syr.edu

315.443.2868

426 Eggers Hall

Office Hours:

By Appointment

Michah W. Rothbart

Associate Professor, Public Administration and International Affairs Department


Senior Research Associate, Center for Policy Research

Courses

  • 2023 Summer
    • PAI 734 Public Budgeting
  • 2022 Fall
    • PAI 731 Financial Management in State and Local Governments

Highest degree earned

Ph.D., New York University, 2016

Bio

Michah W. Rothbart is an associate professor of public administration and international affairs in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and is a senior research associate in the Center for Policy Research. His research and teaching interests are in public finance and financial management, particularly in the fields of education and food policy.

His current research includes the relationships between social welfare participation, pre-kindergarten utilization, and school readiness; the consequences of COVID-19 on student health and academic outcomes; the causes, effects and measurement of student absenteeism; and the impact of universal free meals on schools and students. He received a Ph.D. in public administration from New York University and an M.P.A. and a B.S. from Cornell University.

Areas of Expertise

Nonprofit and public financial management, public budgeting, education policy

Research Grant Awards and Projects

"COVID-19, Vaccinations and School/ Community Resources: Children's longitudinal health and education outcomes using linked administrative data.", Sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH)/DHHS.

"SNAP Uptake and School Readiness in Virginia", Sponsored by Department of Agriculture.

"Does Universal Free School Meals Reduce Childhood Obesity?", Sponsored by Department of Agriculture.

"Impact of the Food Environment on Child Body Mass Index", Sponsored by National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Selected Publications

Presentations and Events

Syracuse Law Review Symposium on Education Access and Equity, Syracuse Law Review, "Towards Inclusive K-12 Education: Rights, Restrictions, and Reforms" (October 14, 2023 - October 14, 2023)

University of Delaware Biden School of Public Policy & Administration, "Beyond the Classroom: The Broader Effects of Public Preschool Expansion on Children’s Early Educational Experiences and Early Literacy Skills" (2023)

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference, "Do Peers Influence Covid-19 Vaccination Take-up? Evidence from New York City public schools" (2023)

Association for Budgeting and Financial Management Conference, "Hold Harmless or Hidden Benefits: Consequences for Resources and Student Outcomes" (2023)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "Racial Disparities in COVID Risk at Schools" (2023)

COVID-19 and Policy: Looking Backward and Looking Forward Conference, The Maxwell School, "Racial Disparities in COVID Risk at Schools" (2023)

NYU Food Studies Program, "The Impact of the Universal Free Meals and Other Policy Levers to Improve Food Security" (2023)

NYU/Federal Reserve Bank of New York Fiscal Policy Breakfast Series, "Cutting Back State Aid to School Districts in the COVID Era: Consequences for Racial Funding Equity in New York State" (2022)

NYU Food Studies Program, "Inequality in Kindergarten Literacy Skills at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race" (2022)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "Low Income Children’s Participation Across Public Programs: Public Pre-K, Child Care Subsidies, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" (2022)

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference, "Low Income Children’s Participation Across Public Programs: Public Pre-K, Child Care Subsidies, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" (2022)

What’s at Stake Panel, The Maxwell School Center for Policy Research, The Maxwell School Center for Policy Research, "What’s at Stake for U.S. Food Security?: Implications of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health" (2022)

Recent Advancements in Education Finance and Policy Convening, "Cutting Back State Aid to School Districts in the COVID Era: Consequences for Racial Funding Equity in New York State" (2021)

NYU Food Studies Program, "Implications of Food Safety Inspections for Public Policy and Finance" (2021)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "Public Pre-Kindergarten Availability and School Readiness: Which Students Benefit?" (2021)

NYU Food Studies Program, "Implications of Food Safety Inspections for Public Policy and Finance" (2020)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "Inequality in Kindergarten Literacy Skills at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race" (2020)

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference, "Inequality in Kindergarten Literacy Skills at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race" (2020)

University at Albany Department of Public Administration and Policy, "Paying for Free Lunch: The Impact of the Universal Free Meals on Revenues, Spending, and Student Health" (2020)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "The Impact of Pork-Barrel Capital Funding in Schools" (2020)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "Beyond the Classroom: The Broader Effects of Public Preschool Expansion on Children’s Early Educational Experiences and Early Literacy Skills" (2019)

The Maxwell School of Syracuse University Critical Issues for Food Policy Research Conference, "Inequality in Kindergarten Literacy Skills at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race" (2019)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "Paying for Free Lunch: The Impact of the Universal Free Meals on Revenues, Spending, and Student Health" (2019)

Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference, "Paying for Free Lunch: The Impact of the Universal Free Meals on Revenues, Spending, and Student Health" (2019)

NYU/Federal Reserve Bank of New York Fiscal Policy Breakfast Series, "Paying for Free Lunch: The Impact of the Universal Free Meals on Revenues, Spending, and Student Health" (2019)

Association for Budgeting and Financial Management Conference, "Stretched to the limit? Overcrowded schools, shared buildings, and underserved students" (2019)

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference, "The Impact of Pork-Barrel Capital Funding in Schools" (2019)

Association for Budgeting and Financial Management Conference, "What Schools Buy When They Don’t Buy Instruction: Evidence on Noninstructional Expenditures in Schools" (2019)

Honors and Accolades

Birkhead-Burkhead Teaching Excellence Award and Professorship, Department of Public Administration and International Affairs, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University (2019)