Florence Xiaotao Ran

Florence Xiaotao Ran is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, specializing in higher education policy with a focus on community colleges. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Education from Columbia University, alongside degrees from Renmin University of China and the University of Maryland. Dr. Ran's research examines how education policies and resources impact student success in postsecondary institutions, particularly in community colleges and labor market outcomes. She is a research affiliate with the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, and teaches courses on higher education policy, causal inference, and secondary data analysis.

Her work bridges research, policy, and practice through collaborations with higher education institutions and organizations. Key research areas include corequisite remediation, instructor quality, and non-tenure-track faculty dynamics. Her studies have been published in leading journals such as Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and William T. Grant Foundation.

Dr. Ran actively contributes to initiatives like Achieving the Dream’s Engaging Adjuncts Project, exploring strategies to support part-time faculty in community colleges. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates economics, education, and policy analysis to address systemic challenges in postsecondary education.