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 children and families in Chicago. This firsthand experience was her primary motivation to pursue a Ph.D. and specialize in early childhood education (ECE).
Qing's research sits at the intersection of education, economics, and developmental science and evaluates the opportunities and challenges in scaling up ECE programs. She has expertise in quantitative analysis, particularly causal methods using large-scale longitudinal data. Her current work focuses on two specific areas: (1) the unintended consequences and benefits of the expansion of ECE programs on the child care ecosystem and quality; and (2) how to prevent fadeout and preserve early learning gains when ECE programs are implemented at scale.
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. 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., Sauval, M., & Jenkins, J. M. Impacts of COVID-19 on child care supply: Evidence from North Carolina. (Under review, Early Childhood Research Quarterly)
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.
Selected Work In Progress
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. Testing the effects and mechanisms of preschool peers in the sustaining environments hypothesis: Evidence from the ECLS-K: 2011.
June 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 children and families in Chicago. This firsthand experience was her primary motivation to pursue a Ph.D. and specialize in early childhood education (ECE).
Qing's research sits at the intersection of education, economics, and developmental science and evaluates the opportunities and challenges in scaling up ECE programs. She has expertise in quantitative analysis, particularly causal methods using large-scale longitudinal data. Her current work focuses on two specific areas: (1) the unintended consequences and benefits of the expansion of ECE programs on the child care ecosystem and quality; and (2) how to prevent fadeout and preserve early learning gains when ECE programs are implemented at scale.
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. 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., Sauval, M., & Jenkins, J. M. Impacts of COVID-19 on child care supply: Evidence from North Carolina. (Under review, Early Childhood Research Quarterly)
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.
Selected Work In Progress
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. Testing the effects and mechanisms of preschool peers in the sustaining environments hypothesis: Evidence from the ECLS-K: 2011.
June 2021
