Morgan Polikoff – The Conversation

Attendance rates are lower for students who struggle with mental health. Richard Clark / The Image Bank via Getty Images

August 15, 2024

Students with mental health struggles linked to absenteeism and lower grades, showing clear need for more in‑school support

Amie Rapaport, University of Southern California and Morgan Polikoff, University of Southern California

More preteen boys are struggling with behavioral issues, while more teen girls are experiencing anxiety and depression.

Academic gains made over the past four decades have begun to erode. Troy Aossey/The Image Bank via Getty Images

March 24, 2023

40 years ago ‘A Nation at Risk’ warned of a ‘rising tide of mediocrity’ in US schools – has anything changed?

Morgan Polikoff, University of Southern California

Polarization among the public and politicians threatens to undermine educational progress made over the past few decades.

Students without computers are having a rougher time with the new normal. damircudic/Getty Images

May 8, 2020

Not all kids have computers – and they’re being left behind with schools closed by the coronavirus

Morgan Polikoff, University of Southern California; Anna Rosefsky Saavedra, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Shira Korn, University of Southern California

This real-time snapshot of the digital divide illustrates why education experts are concerned that school closures could increase achievement gaps.

Clockwise from top left, Georgetown University, Stanford University, Yale University, and University of California, Los Angeles. AP

March 15, 2019

Why meritocracy is a myth in college admissions

Morgan Polikoff, University of Southern California; Jerome A Lucido, University of Southern California, and Julie Renee Posselt, University of Southern California

Even if wealthy parents don’t resort to the kind of illegal tactics in the recent college cheating scandal revealed by the FBI, the college admission process still favors the rich, scholars argue.

What’s the fuss about? Steve Rhodes

March 24, 2016

The Common Core explained

Morgan Polikoff, University of Southern California and Andy Porter, University of Pennsylvania

Polls indicate that a large percentage of Americans know very little about Common Core, the standards for teaching math and English language arts. Here are some Common Core facts.

Contact Morgan for