Biography
Qing Zhang is a doctoral candidate in the Education Policy and Social Context (EPSC) specialization. Prior to her doctoral study, Qing worked as an early childhood home visitor serving disadvantaged immigrant children and families in Chicago. This firsthand experience was her primary motivation to pursue a Ph.D. and specialize in education policy.
Qing's research sits at the intersection of education, economics, and developmental science and evaluates the effectiveness of PK-12 education policy. She specifically focuses on early childhood education (ECE) policy and is currently examining the (1) system-level impacts of ECE programs and policies on access and quality, and (2) features in the ECE and post-ECE environments that serve to sustain early learning gains in later schooling. Methodologically, she specializes in quantitative analysis, especially causal inference methods, and uses large-scale longitudinal data at the state, national, and international level to conduct causally-driven studies. Qing’s dissertation, Addressing Challenges in the Scale-up of Early Education Programs, was awarded the prestigious American Educational Research Association – National Science Foundation Dissertation Grant ($25,000), which supports “highly competitive dissertation research using rigorous quantitative methods to examine large-scale, education-related data.”
Qing holds a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Social Work from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. She was also a certified Teen Outreach Program facilitator at the Wyman Center and implemented her own cross-cultural communication after-school program in local middle schools in St. Louis.
Publications
Xu, D., Zhang, Q., & Zhou, X. (2020). The impacts of low-ability peers on cognitive and noncognitive outcomes: Random assignment evidence on the effects and operating channels. Journal of Human Resources, published ahead of print March 9, 2020, doi:10.3368/jhr.57.2.0718-9637R2
Working Papers
Zhang, Q. & Jenkins, J. M. Did state pre-kindergarten programs affect Head Start enrollment of children with disabilities? A quasi-experimental analysis of shifting landscapes in early childhood education. (Revise and resubmit, Exceptional Children)
Zhang, Q. & Farkas, G. Oral vocabulary and parenting activities as mediators between family SES and kindergarten academic performance: A quantitative analysis of nationally representative data.
Work In Progress
Zhang, Q., Jenkins, J. M., & Sauval, M. Impacts of COVID-19 on child care supply: Evidence from North Carolina.
Zhang, Q. & Jenkins, J. M. A rising tide that lifted all boats? The effects of competition on early childhood education quality and medium-term student outcomes.
Zhang, Q. & Jenkins, J. M. Unintended consequences or benefits? A comprehensive evaluation of the impact of state pre-kindergarten programs on Head Start.
Zhang, Q. Peer effects of preschool attendance: Experimental evidence on student outcomes in early adolescence.
Shea, Z. M., Zhang, Q., Jenkins, J. M., & Watts, T. W. Does a higher proportion of preschool peers in Kindergarten affect children’s outcomes?
January 2021
Qing Zhang is a doctoral candidate in the Education Policy and Social Context (EPSC) specialization. Prior to her doctoral study, Qing worked as an early childhood home visitor serving disadvantaged immigrant children and families in Chicago. This firsthand experience was her primary motivation to pursue a Ph.D. and specialize in education policy.
Qing's research sits at the intersection of education, economics, and developmental science and evaluates the effectiveness of PK-12 education policy. She specifically focuses on early childhood education (ECE) policy and is currently examining the (1) system-level impacts of ECE programs and policies on access and quality, and (2) features in the ECE and post-ECE environments that serve to sustain early learning gains in later schooling. Methodologically, she specializes in quantitative analysis, especially causal inference methods, and uses large-scale longitudinal data at the state, national, and international level to conduct causally-driven studies. Qing’s dissertation, Addressing Challenges in the Scale-up of Early Education Programs, was awarded the prestigious American Educational Research Association – National Science Foundation Dissertation Grant ($25,000), which supports “highly competitive dissertation research using rigorous quantitative methods to examine large-scale, education-related data.”
Qing holds a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Social Work from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. She was also a certified Teen Outreach Program facilitator at the Wyman Center and implemented her own cross-cultural communication after-school program in local middle schools in St. Louis.
Publications
Xu, D., Zhang, Q., & Zhou, X. (2020). The impacts of low-ability peers on cognitive and noncognitive outcomes: Random assignment evidence on the effects and operating channels. Journal of Human Resources, published ahead of print March 9, 2020, doi:10.3368/jhr.57.2.0718-9637R2
Working Papers
Zhang, Q. & Jenkins, J. M. Did state pre-kindergarten programs affect Head Start enrollment of children with disabilities? A quasi-experimental analysis of shifting landscapes in early childhood education. (Revise and resubmit, Exceptional Children)
Zhang, Q. & Farkas, G. Oral vocabulary and parenting activities as mediators between family SES and kindergarten academic performance: A quantitative analysis of nationally representative data.
Work In Progress
Zhang, Q., Jenkins, J. M., & Sauval, M. Impacts of COVID-19 on child care supply: Evidence from North Carolina.
Zhang, Q. & Jenkins, J. M. A rising tide that lifted all boats? The effects of competition on early childhood education quality and medium-term student outcomes.
Zhang, Q. & Jenkins, J. M. Unintended consequences or benefits? A comprehensive evaluation of the impact of state pre-kindergarten programs on Head Start.
Zhang, Q. Peer effects of preschool attendance: Experimental evidence on student outcomes in early adolescence.
Shea, Z. M., Zhang, Q., Jenkins, J. M., & Watts, T. W. Does a higher proportion of preschool peers in Kindergarten affect children’s outcomes?
January 2021
