We are pleased to announce that the 2016 Public Policy Alumni Fellow is Gregory Fitzgerald. A part-time MPP student in the education policy track, Greg is the Chief of Staff and Title IX Coordinator at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Prior to coming to Notre Dame, he worked at the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Maryland General Assembly.

Greg is a Maryland native and graduate of University of Maryland, College Park, where he received a BA in Political Science and Government. When deciding where to pursue the MPP degree, Greg said: “the School of Public Policy’s outstanding reputation and faculty made it an easy decision.” He chose education policy because: “a quality education can be the single most important influence on an individual’s future. Providing supportive policies can really make all the difference. The MPP will allow me to continue to advance in the field and make a meaningful difference on behalf of students.”

The Public Policy Alumni Fellowship is supported by contributions from Public Policy alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the School.

New research published by Public Policy assistant professor F. Chris Curran examines the impact of state zero tolerance laws on suspension rates, racial gaps in discipline, and student behavior. The article, “Estimating the Effect of State Zero Tolerance Laws on Exclusionary Discipline, Racial Discipline Gaps, and Student Behavior,” is available in the Online First section of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. His work demonstrates that the presence of a state mandatory expulsion law, one that mandates expulsion for offenses such as weapons or assault, is predictive of increased use of exclusionary discipline. Furthermore, the increase is greater for Black and Hispanic students than for White students. For instance, Curran finds the presence of such a state law predicts a three time larger increase in suspensions for Black students as compared to White students.

The research was featured in the "Hit and Run" blog on Reason.com, and was mentioned in Politico's Morning Education Report under the heading “And on a related note, new school discipline research.”