Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    College Advising
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
Education Policy

Why Does the Education Department Need a Chief Economist?

By Eric Kelderman June 13, 2022
Jordan Matsudaira, the U.S. Department of Education’s chief economist.
Jordan Matsudaira, the U.S. Department of Education’s chief economistTeachers College Columbia University

Jordan Matsudaira already has a job in the U.S. Department of Education, as a deputy under secretary. Now, he will have a second title, having been named the first-ever chief economist for the department, and given a somewhat expanded scope of responsibility to bring more economic data and analysis to higher-educationpolicy decisions.

Matsudaira’s experience and academic background appear to fit well with his titles. He has a doctorate in economics and public policy from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and has held several faculty positions in those fields. Most recently, he was appointed associate professor of economics and education at Columbia University’s Teachers College. He also worked as chief economist of the White House Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama administration.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Jordan Matsudaira already has a job in the U.S. Department of Education, as a deputy under secretary. Now, he will have a second title, having been named the first-ever chief economist for the department, and given a somewhat expanded scope of responsibility to bring more economic data and analysis to higher-education policy decisions.

We want to put together the evidence that helps the administration design policies that promote student success.

Matsudaira’s experience and academic background appear to fit well with his titles. He has a doctorate in economics and public policy from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and has held several faculty positions in those fields. Most recently, he was appointed associate professor of economics and education at Columbia University’s Teachers College. He also worked as chief economist of the White House Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama administration.

The job of chief economist isn’t unusual for other executive agencies, Matsudaira said, and is a role the Education Department could have benefited from in past policy making. It’s not just about having a “chief” economist, he said. The department is assembling a new team to focus on the economic outcomes of current policies and to help design new programs.

Matsudaira talked with The Chronicle about the department’s new approach and what he thinks people both inside and outside the government can learn. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The department’s news release noted “staff are already using sophisticated data analyses and experimentation to inform policy and improve operations.” So, what does it mean to add a “chief economist?”

There are definitely a large number of people in the department who are working with data to help inform policy, who are working with data to help understand how these programs are functioning, how they’re helping borrowers. So all of that is ongoing. I think what we’re doing is really adding a lot of capacity in that regard and in particular really bringing in the kind of top-tier social-science researchers and economists to come in and help think about all these issues and really improve upon a good foundation that already exists.

Looking back, are there higher-education policies that would have benefited from more economic analysis during the Obama administration?

We’ve all had experience working on higher-ed policy making where we haven’t had all the facts at our disposal that we really thought would be helpful to design the kind of best policy that we would want to. Some of the issues that we’re working on now are refinements on issues that we’ve worked on in the past. Those are things like the design of an accountability system — the gainful employment rule — where really having all the metrics at our fingertips to help measure program performance and really think about what kinds of programs are serving students well versus not serving students well. And making good use of taxpayer dollars to really promote student success has been a struggle in the past.

Having that kind of talent on board to be able to put together simulation models that help us think about, for example, how borrowers’ earnings outcomes evolve over time, how that differs across race and gender lines, like where people attend school and what kind of programs they’re in, how all of those things intersect with student borrowing levels across different programs. To then think about how successful students are when they go to repay their loans and how, you know, modifying the terms of income-driven repayment plans might help to target benefits to the people we feel really need that help the most.

Everyone who reads this is going to be asking how your new role will affect a possible policy on student-loan cancellation.

I don’t have any new news to break for you on that ground. Where we’re really focused is on helping the administration understand, broadly, the contours of who will benefit from various proposals under consideration.

Is there a broad philosophy or any guiding principles that you’re bringing to this job?

The broad philosophy is that we want to put together the evidence that helps the administration design policies that promote student success in terms of what the big picture goal is, advancing equitable outcomes for students and doing that through federal policy; helping people in the field and institutions use their own data to do the same. And then helping to put together data that helps us understand the determinants of successful outcomes for our borrowers.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Innovation & Transformation
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Eric Kelderman
About the Author
Eric Kelderman
Eric Kelderman covers issues of power, politics, and purse strings in higher education. You can email him at eric.kelderman@chronicle.com, or find him on Twitter @etkeld.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Pro-Palestinian student protesters demonstrate outside Barnard College in New York on February 27, 2025, the morning after pro-Palestinian student protesters stormed a Barnard College building to protest the expulsion last month of two students who interrupted a university class on Israel. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Campus Activism
A College Vows to Stop Engaging With Some Student Activists to Settle a Lawsuit Brought by Jewish Students
LeeNIHGhosting-0709
Stuck in limbo
The Scientists Who Got Ghosted by the NIH
Protesters attend a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, March 10, 2025, in New York.
First-Amendment Rights
Noncitizen Professors Testify About Chilling Effect of Others’ Detentions
Photo-based illustration of a rock preciously suspended by a rope over three beakers.
Broken Promise
U.S. Policy Made America’s Research Engine the Envy of the World. One President Could End That.

From The Review

Vector illustration of a suited man with a pair of scissors for a tie and an American flag button on his lapel.
The Review | Opinion
A Damaging Endowment Tax Crosses the Finish Line
By Phillip Levine
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan keeps his emotions in check during a news conference, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Charlottesville. Va. Authorities say three people have been killed and two others were wounded in a shooting at the University of Virginia and a student is in custody. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The Review | Opinion
Jim Ryan’s Resignation Is a Warning
By Robert Zaretsky
Photo-based illustration depicting a close-up image of a mouth of a young woman with the letter A over the lips and grades in the background
The Review | Opinion
When Students Want You to Change Their Grades
By James K. Beggan

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin