Jennifer King Rice

Jennifer King Rice is a Professor of Education Policy and Dean of Graduate Studies and Faculty Affairs in the College of Education at the University of Maryland. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University and previously worked at Mathematica Policy Research in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on education policy, emphasizing efficiency, equity, and adequacy in U.S. education systems, particularly regarding teacher quality and resource allocation. She has authored or edited influential books such as Teacher Quality: Understanding the Effectiveness of Teacher Attributes, which won a 2005 national award.

Dr. Rice consults with policy research organizations and state/federal agencies, and has held roles like Visiting Fellow at the Urban Institute. She served as past president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy. Her recent work includes studies on virtual schools and their policy implications, as well as contributions to the Price of Opportunity initiative exploring equitable educational resource allocation.

• Educations: Ph.D. and M.S. in Education Policy (Cornell University)
• Awards: AACTE Book Award (2005), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Fellowship (2002–03)

Her advising and grants involve collaborations on education finance, policy analysis, and systemic equity initiatives. She leads institutional efforts in graduate education policy and faculty development.