Research

Research

Peer-reviewed articles, work under review, and policy writing. Funded projects are listed under Grants. A complete record is available in my CV.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Economic returns to postsecondary credential stacking
Lenard, M. A. & Wright-Kim, J.
2026 · Education Finance and Policy · In press
Informal social interactions, academic achievement and behavior: Evidence from peers on the school bus
Lenard, M. A. & Silliman, M.
2025 · The Economic Journal, 135(671), 2359–2373
Preprint
Balancing weights for estimating treatment effects in educational studies
Keele, L., Ben-Michael, E., Lenard, M., & Page, L.
2025 · Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness
The attraction of magnet schools: Evidence from embedded lotteries in school assignment
Dur, U., Hammond, R., Lenard, M., Morrill, M., Morrill, T., & Paeplow, C.
2025 · Economics of Education Review, 107, 102663
Preprint Education Exchange podcast
Overlap violations in clustered observational studies of educational interventions
Keele, L., Lenard, M., & Page, L.
2024 · Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 17(1), 1–18
New schools and new classmates: The disruption and peer group effects of school reassignment
Hill, D. V., Hughes, R. P., Lenard, M. A., Liebowitz, D. D., & Page, L. C.
2023 · Economics of Education Review, 92, 102316 · EER Best Paper Award (2022)
Preprint Journal EducationNext
A software tutorial for matching in clustered observational studies
Keele, L., Lenard, M., Miratrix, L., & Page, L.
2023 · Observational Studies, 9(4), 73–96
Journal
Can a commercial screening tool help select better teachers?
Chi, O. L. & Lenard, M. A.
2022 · Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 45(3), 530–539
Preprint Journal Policy brief
The kids on the bus: The academic consequences of diversity-driven school reassignments
Domina, T., Carlson, D., Carter III, J., Lenard, M., McEachin, A., & Perera, R.
2021 · Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 40(4), 1197–1229 · Vernon Prize (2021)
Preprint Journal Brookings EducationNext
Matching methods for clustered observational studies in education
Keele, L., Lenard, M., & Page, L.
2021 · Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 14(3), 696–725
Preprint Journal
High school start times and student achievement: Looking beyond test scores
Lenard, M., Morrill, M. S., & Westall, J.
2020 · Economics of Education Review, 76, 101975
Journal Usable Knowledge AJC
The design of clustered observational studies in education
Page, L. C., Lenard, M. A., & Keele, L.
2020 · AERA Open, 6(3), 1–14
Preprint Journal
The development of students' engagement in school, community and democracy
Holbein, J. B., Hillygus, S. D., Lenard, M. A., Gibson-Davis, C., & Hill, D. V.
2020 · British Journal of Political Science, 50(4), 1439–1457
Preprint Journal The 74
Math acceleration in elementary school: Access and effects on student outcomes
Hemelt, S. W. & Lenard, M. A.
2020 · Economics of Education Review, 74, 101921
Journal Chalkbeat IndyWeek
Socioeconomic-based school assignment policy and racial segregation levels: Evidence from the Wake County Public School System
Carlson, D., Bell, E., Lenard, M. A., Cowen, J. B., & McEachin, A.
2019 · American Educational Research Journal, 57(1), 258–304
Journal EdWeek K-12 Dive
Building bridges to life after high school: Contemporary career academies and student outcomes
Hemelt, S. W., Lenard, M. A., & Paeplow, C. G.
2019 · Economics of Education Review, 68, 161–178
Preprint Journal WWC Review CALDER Brief Fordham
Maturity and minorities: The impact of redshirting on achievement gaps
Lenard, M. A. & Peña, P. A.
2018 · Education Economics, 26(6), 593–609
Optimal multilevel matching using network flows: An application to a summer reading intervention
Pimentel, S. D., Page, L. C., Lenard, M., & Keele, L.
2018 · Annals of Applied Statistics, 12(3), 1479–1505

Under Review and In Progress

Revise & resubmit
Evaluating balancing weights for clustered observational studies
with Luke Keele, Eli Ben-Michael, & Lindsay Page
Under review
Disrupted trajectories: College enrollment and employment among high school graduates through the COVID-19 pandemic
with Elc Estrera & Steve Hemelt
Under review
Backlash? Schooling reassignments and the politics of school desegregation
with Nate Barron, Deven Carlson, Jay Carter III, Thurston Domina, & Rachel Perera
Under review
Trends in local teacher supply since the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from teacher job applications
with Olivia Chi & Elc Estrera
Under review
Promises, pitfalls, and tradeoffs in identifying gifted learners: Evidence from a curricular experiment
with Angel Harris & Darryl Hill
Preprint

Policy Briefs and Public Scholarship

2022
Assessing integration in Wake County: Loud debate, but muted effects for students and schools
EducationNext, with James S. Carter III, Rodney P. Hughes, David D. Liebowitz, & Rachel M. Perera
2022
SEM Advancement Act Report: Academic Acceleration Policy
Report to the Tennessee Legislature, with Danesha Ward
2021
Student reassignments achieve diversity without academic adversity
Brookings Institution, with Thurston Domina, Deven Carlson, James Carter III, Andrew McEachin, & Rachel Perera
2021
Graduation Rate and Ready Graduate Indicator Report
Report to the Tennessee Legislature
2018
Career academies and the resurgence of career and technical education in the United States
CALDER Research Brief, with Steven Hemelt

Earlier agency and policy reports for the Wake County Public School System and the Southern Regional Education Board are listed in my CV.