Education

  • Ph.D. 2015 – University of Chicago, Public Policy
  • M.P.P. 2008 – University of Chicago, Public Policy
  • B.A. 2004 – University of Texas at Austin, Government and History

Background

Lauren Sartain studies a range of topics in urban education policy. She is interested in understanding the policies and practices that have positive effects on the lives of students and adults in school buildings. She is a product of public schools herself, spending her K-12 and college years in public schools in the state of Texas. Those experiences have led her to work on issues related to access to quality public schools for all children.

Research

Lauren Sartain is a quantitative researcher, using experimental and quasi-experimental methods to understand the impacts of policy changes on students, teachers, and administrators. She has published and presented on a wide range of topics, including educator quality, educator labor markets, and school choice. While Sartain believes it is critical to apply rigorous methods to answer important policy questions, strong research only goes so far. Being able to take key findings and communicate them in a way that is meaningful for families, practitioners, and policymakers is also essential and at the heart of making research findings actionable.

  • EDUC 994, Doctoral Research and Dissertation
  • EDUC 930, Economics of Education
  • EDUC 710, Introductory Statistical Methods
  • EDUC 785, Program Evaluation in Education
  • EDUC 741, School Inquiry and Reform for the School Executive
  • EDUC 257, Inquiry and Data Applications
  • EDUC 994
  • EDUC 796B, Independent Study Doctoral Level
  • EDUC 390, Special Topics in Education
  • “UNC LEADS”, Horner, M., Lead Principal Investigator; Lindsay, C., Co-Principal Investigator; Sartain, L., Co-Principal Investigator; Springer, M., Co-Principal Investigator; UNC System Office, $4,293,372. (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2027).
  • “How Do Unrepresentative College Grades Shape Race and Gender Gaps in the STEM Pipeline?”, Klasik, D., Lead Principal Investigator; Hutt, E., Co-Principal Investigator; Sartain, L., Co-Principal Investigator; NSF, $498,250. (September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2025).
  • “Accelerating Attainment: Identifying High-Leverage Strategies in Support of North Carolina’s 2030 Attainment Goal”, Springer, M., Lead Principal Investigator; Kelly, A., Co-Principal Investigator; Klasik, D., Investigator; Sartain, L., Investigator; John M Belk Endowment, $1,500,000. (May 16, 2021 – May 15, 2025).
  • “Junior Faculty Development Award”, Sartain, L., Lead Principal Investigator; UNC Committee on Faculty Research and Scholarly Leaves, $10,000. (January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022).
  • “Building Best Practices for School Mental Health Supports during Isolation from Schools: Supporting Adolescents with Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors”, Marraccini, M., Lead Principal Investigator; Griffin, D., Co-Principal Investigator; Sartain, L., Co-Principal Investigator; Society for the Study of School Psychology (SSSP), $20,000. (September 1, 2020 – February 28, 2022).
  • “Understanding School Mental Health Supports for Adolescents with Suicide Risk during COVID-19: Improving Practice During Social Isolation”, Marraccini, M., Lead Principal Investigator; Sartain, L., Co-Principal Investigator; Griffin, D., Co-Principal Investigator; NC TraCS, $2,000. (August 1, 2020 – July 31, 2021).
  • “Getting Effective Leaders into High-Needs Schools: A Cross-Site Mixed-Methods Examination of Principal Preparation, Recruitment, and Hiring and Their Associations with Principal and School Outcomes”, Sartain, L., Lead Principal Investigator; University of Chicago (NORC), $70,395. (Prime Project: $897,400, IES). (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021).
  • “Supporting Adolescents with Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in the Context of COVID-19”, Marraccini, M., Lead Principal Investigator; Griffin, D., Co-Principal Investigator; Sartain, L., Co-Principal Investigator; North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, $55,000. (May 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020).
  • “Improving Instruction through Data Use on Teaching Quality”, Sartain, L., Co-Principal Investigator; Spencer Foundation, $275,142. (July 1, 2019 – December 31, 2020).
  • Teaching Award Excellence finalist, UNC SoE. (2022).
  • AERA Division H Outstanding Publication: Assessment and Accountability, AERA. (March 2021).
  • Association for Education Finance and Policy.
  • Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Journal Article

Sartain, L., & Estrera, E. (accepted). Follow the Leader: Principal Influence on Teacher Job Search. Education Administration Quarterly.

Barrow, L., Komisarow, S., & Sartain, L. (accepted). Are Friends of Schools the enemies of equity? The interplay of school funding policies and external fundraising. Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Griffard, M., Marraccini, M., Barber, D., Sartain, L., & Griffin, D. (2025). School climate during COVID-19: Qualitative Comparisons of Remote and Hybrid Learning Environments. Published. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251338

Megan, G. R., Marraccini, M., Danette, B., Sartain, L., & Griffin, D. (2025). “This Is Not Online Education. It’s Disaster Education”: A Qualitative Study of Remote and Hybrid School Climates During COVID-19. AERA Open. Published. https://doi-org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/10.1177/23328584251338058

Sartain, L., Lewers, R., & Barrow, L. (2025). Assigning Students to Schools in an Era of Public School Choice: Patterns in Enrollment, Applications, and Offers in Chicago. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 47(1), 292–305. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737231206777

Sartain, L., & Steinberg, M. P. (2025). Can Personnel Policy Improve Teacher Quality? The Role of Evaluation and the Impact of Exiting Low-Performing Teachers. Education Finance and Policy, 20(1), 137–163. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00417

Griffard, M. K., Marraccini, M. E., Wood, C., Whitcomb, C., Griffin, D., & Sartain, L. (2024). School Mental Health Professionals’ Perceptions of Principal Leadership and Working Conditions During Remote and Hybrid School Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Education Human Resources, 42(3), 407–445. https://doi.org/10.3138/jehr-2022-0012

Barrow, L., Morris, W., & Sartain, L. (2024). The Expanding Landscape of Online Education: Who Engages and How They Fare. Journal of Labor Economics, 42(51), S417–S443.

Sartain, L., & Morris, W. T. (2024). Are Teachers Satisfied With Their Evaluations? The Importance of Teaching Context and Trends Over Time. AERA Open, 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584231221539

Griffard, M. R., Marraccini, M., Whitlock, C., Wood, C., Griffin, D., & Sartain, L. (2023). School mental health professionals’ perceptions of Principal leadership and working conditions during remote and hybrid school operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Education Human Resources. Published. https://doi.org/10.3138/jehr-2022-0012

Marraccini, M., Griffard, M., Whitcomb, C., Wood, C., Griffin, D., Pittleman, C., & Sartain, L. (2023). School-based Mental Health Supports for Students with Suicide-Related Risk During COVID-19: School Professional Perspectives. Psychology in the Schools, 60(7), 2460–2482. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22869

Sartain, L. (2023). School District Investments in General Skills: The Case of Principal Residency Programs. IZA Journal of Labor Economics. Published. https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/izajole-2023-0001

Sartain, L., & Barrow, L. (2022). The Pathway to Enrolling in a High-Performance High School: Understanding Barriers to Access. Education Finance and Policy, 17(3), 379–407. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00349

Steinberg, M. P., & Sartain, L. (2021). What Explains the Race Gap in Teacher Performance Ratings? Evidence From Chicago Public Schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(1), 60–82. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720970204

Barrow, L., Sartain, L., & de la Torre, M. (2020). Increasing Access to Selective High Schools through Place-Based Affirmative Action: Unintended Consequences. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 12(4), 135–163. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20170599

Lee, H., & Sartain, L. (2020). School Closures in Chicago: What Happened to the Teachers?. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 42(3), 331–353. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720922218

Hinze-Pifer, R., & Sartain, L. (2018). Rethinking Universal Suspension for Severe Student Behavior. Peabody Journal of Education, 93(2), 228–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956x.2018.1435051

Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P. T., Sartain, L., & de la Torre, M. (2017). The Educational Benefits of Attending Higher Performing Schools: Evidence From Chicago High Schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(2), 175–197. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373716672039

Steinberg, M. P., & Sartain, L. (2015). Does Teacher Evaluation Improve School Performance? Experimental Evidence from Chicago’s Excellence in Teaching Project. Education Finance and Policy, 10(4), 535–572. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00173

Other

Hanushek, E., Morgan, A., Rivkin, S., Schiman, J., Shakeel, A., & Sartain, L. (2024). The Lasting Impacts of Middle School Principals. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w32642

Sartain, L., Zou, A., Gutierrez, V., Hinton, E., Brown, E. R., & Easton, J. Q. (2020). Teacher Evaluation in CPS: Perceptions of REACH Implementation, Five Years In. University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/2020-03/Teacher%20Evaluation%20in%20CPS%20Perceptions-Mar2020-Consortium.pdf

Sartain, L., & Zou, A. (2020). Teacher Evaluation in CPS: REACH Ratings and Teacher Mobility. University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/2020-03/Teacher%20Evaluation%20in%20CPS%20Mobility-Mar2020-Consortium.pdf

Barrow, L., & Sartain, L. (2019). GoCPS: A First Look at Ninth-Grade Applications, Offers, and Enrollment. University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/gocps-a-first-look-at-ninth-grade-applications-offers-and-enrollment

Professional

  • Reviewer/Referee, Journal of Public Economics. (2026 – 2027).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. (2025 – 2027).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. (2021 – 2027).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Association of Education Finance and Policy. (December 2020 – December 2027).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Journal of Human Resources. (2020 – 2027).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Educational Researcher. (November 2019 – 2027).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. (2019 – 2027).

University

  • Member, Curriculum Committee. (2025 – 2027).
  • Member, MSA admissions committee. (2025 – 2026).
  • Member, Carolina Engagement Council. (September 19, 2024 – 2026).
  • HOLD admissions committee. (2022 – 2026).
  • Qualitative faculty search committee. (2023 – 2024).
  • HOLD admissions committee. (2022 – 2024).
  • Assistant Professor representative, Faculty Executive Council. (2023).
  • Qualitative Faculty search committee. (2022 – 2023).
  • Member, School Advisory Council. (September 2020 – 2023).
  • Student Appeals Committee. (2021 – 2022).
  • HOLD admissions committee. (2021).
  • NC Principal Fellows proposal. (October 2019 – November 2019).

Public

  • Participant, Wake County Public Schools HR Strategic Plan Working Group, Raleigh, NC. (2024).
  • Member, Durham Public Schools Title I PAC/Family Engagement Steering Committee, Durham, NC. (2023 – 2024).
  • Volunteer, Durham Public Schools literacy efforts, Durham, NC. (2022 – 2024).
  • Committee Member, Durham Public Schools Student Reassignment Working Group, Durham, NC. (2022 – 2023).
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