A professor at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), Dr. Magnus Lofstrom, along with two other distinguished panelists, will discuss the causes and costs associated with high school dropouts during a public policy seminar on Friday, Sept. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Belo Mansion, located at 2101 Ross Avenue in downtown Dallas.  The event is free and open to the public.

 

Featured speakers include:

 

    • Lofstrom, an assistant professor of economics in the School of Economics, Political and Policy Sciences at UTD.  His work charts the impact of dropping out on a student’s financial prospects.  He also studies welfare issues — including how welfare behavior differs between immigrants and native-born individuals — and the dynamics of self-employment.

 

    • Dr. John Tyler, chairman and associate professor in the Department of Education at Brown University.  Tyler is a leading scholar on the efficacy of the GED.  His research interests include human capital development, examining returns to skills in the labor market, K-12 school reform, adult education and prison-based education and training.

 

    • Dr. Angela Valenzuela, a professor in the Cultural Studies in Education Program at The University of Texas at Austin.  Valenzuela states that Texas’ emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing pushes many students, especially Latinos, to drop out.  She is a fellow of Dallas’ J. McDonald Williams Institute, a contributor to the Williams Review and is the executive director of The University of Texas Education Policy Alliance.

 

The event is co-sponsored by UTD’s School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences; the Texas Schools Project, a research initiative of UTD; and the Williams Institute.  For additional information, please contact Jim Murdoch at (972) 883-4989 or murdoch@utdallas.edu.