Joseph Cimpian
Professor of Economics and Education Policy; Co-Director of the Education and Social Policy Masters Program
Applied Statistics, Social Science, and Humanities
Joseph (Robinson) Cimpian, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics and Education Policy at NYU Steinhardt and associated Professor of Public Service at NYU Wagner. He earned a M.A. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics of Education, both from Stanford University.
Dr. Cimpian's research focuses on the use and development of novel and rigorous methods to study equity and policy, particularly concerning language minorities, women, and sexual minorities. One line of his research examines how policies - particularly, reclassification policies - can be amended to improve long-term outcomes for English learners. A second line of research examines the relationships among gender, achievement, and college majors, and the roles of individual and societal factors in gender gaps. A third line of his research aims to identify and isolate the biasing effects of invalid data, such as mischievous responders (i.e., respondents who willfully exaggerate their responses), in research and policymaking about LGBTQ youth and beyond.
His work has been funded by the Spencer Foundation, the AERA Grants Board, the National Science Foundation, and the Institute of Education Sciences. His research has been published in some of the top journals in education, psychology, health, and policy, and has been featured by numerous media and policy outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, and Brookings. He is currently an Editor of the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
Selected Publications
- Cimpian, J. R., Kim, T. H., & McDermott, Z. T. (2020). Understanding persistent gender gaps in STEM. Science, 368(6497), 1317–1319.
- Cimpian, J. R. (2020). Why focusing on test metrics may impede gender equity: Policy insights. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 7(1), 64–71.
- Cimpian, J. R., & Timmer, J. D. (2020). Mischievous responders and sexual minority youth survey data: A brief history, recent methodological advances, and implications for research and practice. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(4), 1097–1102.
- Copur-Gencturk, Y., Cimpian, J. R., Lubienski, S. T., & Thacker, I. (2020). Teachers’ bias against the mathematical ability of female, black and Hispanic students. Educational Researcher, 49(1), 30–43.
- Cimpian, J. R., & Timmer, J. D. (2019). Large-scale estimates of LGBQ–heterosexual disparities in the presence of potentially mischievous responders: A pre-registered replication and comparison of methods. AERA Open, 5(4), 1–35.
- Cimpian, J. R., Timmer, J. D., Birkett, M. A., Marro, R. L., Turner, B. C., & Phillips II, G. L. (2018). Bias from potentially mischievous responders on large-scale estimates of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ)–heterosexual youth health disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 108(S6), e1–e8.
- Ganley, C. M., George, C. E., Cimpian, J. R., & Makowski, M. (2018). Gender equity in college majors: Looking beyond the STEM/non-STEM dichotomy for answers regarding female participation. American Educational Research Journal, 55(3), 453–487.
- Cimpian, J. R. (2017). Classification errors and bias regarding research on sexual minority youths. Educational Researcher, 46(9), 517–529.
- Cimpian, J. R., Thompson, K. D., & Makowski, M. (2017). Evaluating English learner reclassification policy effects across districts. American Educational Research Journal, 54(1_suppl), 255S–278S.
- Porter, K. E., Reardon, S. F., Unlu, F., Bloom, H. S., & Cimpian, J. R. (2017). Estimating causal effects of education interventions using a two-rating regression discontinuity design. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 10(1), 138–167.
- Cimpian, J. R., Lubienski, S. T., Timmer, J., Makowski, M. B., & Miller, E. K. (2016). Have gender gaps in math closed? Achievement, teacher perceptions, and student behaviors across two ECLS-K cohorts. AERA Open, 2(4), 1–19.
- Robinson-Cimpian, J. P., & Thompson, K. D. (2016). The effects of changing test-based policies for reclassifying English learners. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 35(2), 279–305.
- Robinson-Cimpian, J. P., Thompson, K. D., & Umansky, I. M. (2016). Research and policy considerations for English learner equity. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1), 129–137.