Jacob Kirksey, Ph.D.

Education

• PhD (2020), Education, University of California- Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
• MA (2016), Education, University of California- Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
• BA (2015), Economics and Education, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO

Areas of Expertise

• K-12 Education Policy
• Economics of Education
• Causal Inference
• Program Evaluation

Selected Publications

Kirksey, J. J. (In Press). Weeks after the raid: The immediate and sustained changes in student attendance rates following immigration arrests. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Kirksey, J. J., & Sattin-Bajaj, C. (In Press). Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids the pillar of a community: Student achievement, absenteeism, and mobility following a large worksite enforcement operation in north Texas. American Behavioral Scientist. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642231215992

Edwards, W., Kirksey, J. J., Burden, K., & Miller, A. (In Press). Teaching close to home: Exploring new teachers’ geographic employment patterns and retention outcomes. Teaching and Teacher Education, 145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104606

Lansford, T., & Kirksey, J. J. (2024). A matter of course: Student attendance under new graduation requirements of the Texas Foundation High School Program. The High School Journal, 106(3), 246-265. 

Kirksey, J. J., ^*Mansell, K. E., & ^*Lansford, T. M. (2024). Literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills of adults with disabilities in STEM fields. Policy Futures in Education, 22(3), 427-453.

Kirksey, J. J., & ^*Elefante, J. (2024). Familiar faces in high school: How having the same peers from year-to-year links to student absenteeism. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 29(1), 23-42.

Freeman, J. A., & Kirksey, J. J. (2023). Linking IEP status to parental involvement for high school students of first-generation and native-born families. Exceptional Children, 89(2), 197-215.

Kirksey, J. J. (2022). Preparedness and experiences of novice teachers in the sociopolitical context of heightened immigration enforcement: Evidence from a survey of California teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 73(1), 37-51.

Kirksey, J. J., & Lloydhauser, M. (2022). Dual certification in special and elementary education and associated benefits for students with disabilities and their teachers. AERA Open, 8(1), 1-11.

Kirksey, J. J., & Sattin-Bajaj, C. (2021). Immigration arrests and educational impacts: Linking ICE arrests to declines in achievement, attendance, and school climate and safety in California. AERA Open, 7(1), 1-17.

Kirksey, J. J., & Gottfried, M. A. (2021). The effect of serving ‘Breakfast After-the-Bell’ meals on school absenteeism: Comparing results from regression discontinuity designs. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(2), 305-328.

Kirksey, J. J. (2019). Academic harms of missing high school and the accuracy of current policy thresholds: Analysis of preregistered administrative data from a California school district. AERA Open, 5(3), 1-13.

Selected External Funding

Landel, C. (Principal Investigator), Woulfin, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), & Kirksey, J. J. (Co-Principal Investigator). “RP3 Implementation of Pathways Research Support for Field,” Sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Foundation, $3,300,000. (October 2024 – September 2027).

Kirksey, J. J. (Principal Investigator), Freeman, J. A. (Co-Principal Investigator), & Crevar, A. R. (Co-Principal Investigator). “Long-term Social and Economic Benefits of CTE Courses and Credentials: A Closer Look at Texas.” Sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation, Foundation, $298,583. (November 2024 – October 2026).

Greenhalgh-Spencer, H. (Principal Investigator), Shin, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), Cheon, J. (Co-Principal Investigator), Mansell, K. E. (Co-Principal Investigator), Gottlieb, J. J. (Co-Principal Investigator), Wiseman, A. W. (Co-Principal Investigator), Childers, G. (Co-Principal Investigator), Kirksey, J. J. (Co-Principal Investigator), Hite, R. (Co-Principal Investigator), & Stevens, T. (Co-Principal Investigator). “MIZ Design and Implementation Certification,” Sponsored by the Texas Education Agency, State, $1,728,000. (September 2023 – August 2026).

Kirksey, J. J. (Principal Investigator), & Gottlieb, J. J. (Co-Principal Investigator), "Exploring Potential Payoffs: Effect of the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment on Student Attendance and Parent Engagement," Sponsored by the Overdeck Family Foundation, Foundation, $186,037. (July 2024 – May 2026).

Kirksey, J. J. (Principal Investigator), Gottlieb, J. J. (Co-Principal Investigator), Higgins, R. (Co-Principal Investigator), Johnson, L. (Co-Principal Investigator), & Spott, J. L. (Co-Principal Investigator), "Investigating Pre-College Predictors and Post-Secondary Effects of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences in Texas," Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $499,999. (June 2022 – May 2026).

Kirksey, J. J. (Principal Investigator), Wiseman, A. W. (Co-Principal Investigator), Gottlieb, J. J. (Co-Principal Investigator), Lansford, T. (Co-Principal Investigator), Mansell, K. E. (Co-Principal Investigator), & Crevar, A. R. (Co-Principal Investigator). "Bold Action for a Prosperous Future: Evaluation of Texas House Bill 5 and Academic and Career Trajectories of Texas Public High School Graduates," Sponsored by Communities Foundation of Texas, Foundation, $99,579. (January 2022 - September 2022).

Gottlieb, J. J. (Principal Investigator), McNaughtan, J. (Co-Principal Investigator), & Kirksey, J. J. (Co-Principal Investigator), "Community College Finance Research Project," Subaward from Texas A&M University (Principal Investigator: Lori Taylor), $42,260.00. Prime award sponsored by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, State, $480,000. (May 2022 - October 2022).