Professor Ingrid Gould Ellen recognized by NYU Wagner with its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion research award

NYU Wagner has awarded Ingrid Gould Ellen, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) research prize for the 2019-20 academic year. Part of NYU Wagner's schoolwide EDI plan, the recognition is designed to highlight the importance of research on this spectrum of issues.

Professor Ellen’s prize-winning paper is entitled “Do Housing Vouchers Improve Academic Performance? Evidence From New York City.” It was published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, or JPAM, and co-authored with a trio of Ellen’s research colleagues. The article examines the impact of housing choice vouchers on children’s educational outcomes. Ellen is the Faculty Director of the NYU Furman Center.

The U.S. Housing Choice Voucher program is currently the largest federal housing assistance program. While housing voucher receipt led to significant gains in the test scores of white, Asian, and Hispanic children, according to the article, it did nothing to boost the test scores of black children. In examining the mechanisms of the program, Ellen and her co-authors found that black families were less able to use the housing voucher to reach higher-quality homes, neighborhoods, or schools.

The award recognition marks the second annual EDI prize by NYU Wagner. Last year’s recipient was Professor Jacob W. Faber for his paper "Segregation and the Geography of Creditworthiness: Racial Inequality in a Recovered Mortgage Market."