Gema Zamarro (Ph.D. Economics, CEMFI & UNED, Madrid (Spain), 2006) is a Professor (Full) and 21st Century Endowed Chair in Teacher Quality at the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, Zamarro was a Senior Economist at the Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California (2013-2014), an Economist at the RAND Corporation (2007-2013; Adjunct Economist 2013-2016) and Professor of Econometrics at the Pardee RAND Graduate School of Public Policy (2007-2013), as well as, assistant professor in the Department of Econometrics at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and a junior research fellow at NETSPAR (Network for Studies on Pensions, Aging and Retirement) (2005-2007). Dr. Zamarro’s research is motivated by policy-relevant questions and the use of rigorous methods to help inform policy, with a focus on education policy. A second strand of her research focuses on methodological challenges to answer policy-relevant questions and the innovative uses of data to measure difficult concepts. Dr. Zamarro has performed research in the areas of education and labor economics. She has completed studies on heterogeneity in returns to education, the relationship between teacher quality and student performance, the effect of school closing policies on student outcomes, the properties of value-added methods for estimating teacher quality, the effect of dual-language immersion programs on student outcomes, and on the causal effect of retirement on health, among others. Her current research focuses on the study of teacher labor markets, including the effects of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, teacher recruitment and retention, teacher quality and teacher pensions issues, measurement and development of socio-emotional skills, determinants of gender gaps in STEM, and gender and education impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Zamarro’s work has been featured numerous times in the media, including Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post of Chicago, Chalkbeat, NPR, Scientific American, CBS news, 4029News, Telemundo, KUAF radio, KTLA news, Kqed, EL Pais, El Mundo, and Arkansas Democrat Gazette, among others, and has helped inform policy at the state, national and international levels.
Gema Zamarro
EdWorkingPapers
Examining Racial Disparities in School Discipline Throughout the Pandemic
This study explores trends and disparities in school discipline during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the persistence of racial gaps in exclusionary practices. Using student-level data from Arkansas from 2017/18 to 2022/23, we study how disciplinary outcomes relate to student race while… more →
Unlocking College Potential: The Role of Student Expectations and Non-Cognitive Skills in College Success
Attending college is a significant human capital investment but only about 60% of those who start college will have a completed degree six years later. This makes identifying the skills associated with college success an important policy concern.
Teacher Salary Raises and Turnover: Evidence from the First Year of the Arkansas LEARNS Act
Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers is a pressing policy concern. Increasing teacher salaries and creating more attractive compensation packages are often proposed as a potential solution. Signed into law in March 2023, the LEARNS Act increased Arkansas's minimum teacher salary from $… more →
Teacher Turnover During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Teachers' levels of stress and burnout have been high throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a potential increase in teacher turnover and future teacher shortages. We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected teacher turnover in Arkansas from 2018-19 to 2022-23 using… more →
Revisiting Ethnic Differences in In-Person Learning During 2021-2022
During the 2020-21 school year, Black and Hispanic students were less likely to attend school in-person than white students. Prior research indicated multiple factors helped explain this gap. In this study, we revise these observed racial gaps in in-person learning to examine whether the… more →
Changes in Teachers’ Mobility and Attrition in Arkansas During the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a trying period for teachers. Teachers had to adapt to unexpected conditions, teaching in unprecedented ways. As a result, teachers' levels of stress and burnout have been high throughout the pandemic, raising concerns about a potential increase in… more →
Understanding how COVID-19 has Changed Teachers’ Chances of Remaining in the Classroom
The 2020-2021 academic year was a trying year for teachers. We use a nationally representative sample of teachers from the RAND American Teacher Panel to document that teachers’ stated consideration of leaving the profession increased during the pandemic. We also study factors associated with… more →
Understanding Performance in Test Taking: The Role of Question Difficulty Order
Standardized assessments are widely used to determine access to educational resources with important consequences for later economic outcomes in life. However, many design features of the tests themselves may lead to psychological reactions influencing performance. In particular, the level of… more →
Determinants of Ethnic Differences in School Modality Choices during the COVID-19 Crisis
A growing body of research and popular reporting shows racial differences in school modality choices during the COVID-19 crisis, with white students more likely to attend school in person. This in-person learning gap raises serious equity concerns. We use unique panel survey data to… more →
The role of student effort on performance in PISA: Revisiting the gender gap in achievement
International assessments are important to benchmark the quality of education across countries. However, on low-stakes tests, students’ incentives to invest their maximum effort may be minimal. Research stresses that ignoring students’ effort when interpreting results from low-stakes assessments… more →