White, Rachel
Rachel White began the MSU doctoral program in Education Policy in the Fall of 2012. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Public Policy with a focus in multicultural education and a minor in International Relations from the University of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan, Rachel moved to Columbus, Ohio to pursue a Master's in Education Policy in Leadership from The Ohio State University. In the OSU Ed Policy program, Rachel was part of the Cultural Foundations, Technology & Qualitative Inquiry cohort and received a Master's Minor in Statistical Data Analysis. Between her time at UofM-Ann Arbor and Ohio State, Rachel worked for the Educational Policy Institute as a research assistant and The Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) as the Director of Policy and Advocacy. While at OCAN, Rachel created, lead, and managed the first ever Ohio Student Education Policy Institute, a student-led program aiming to increase engagement and participation of students in the policy making process; influence the education debate through student-passed policy resolutions, specifically, issues of college preparation, access, success, and economic opportunity; and coordinate policymaking efforts between community organizations, colleges, students, and Legislators.
At Michigan State University, Rachel is generously supported through the Dean's Scholar program. Her research interests include: changing education and economic policies and their impacts on college and career readiness, the role of public education in the development of the American workforce, implementation and interpretation of teacher and school leader accountability policies and measures. Additionally, as a former NCAA Division I cross country and track athlete, Rachel is also interested in the ways in which participation in athletics impacts college and career readiness at both the high school and college level.
