Benjamin Castleman

Benjamin Castleman

Newton and Rita Meyers Associate Professor in the Economics of Education and Associate Professor of Public Policy
Education & Training
Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2013
A.B. Honors, Environmental Studies, Brown University, 2000

Ben Castleman is an associate professor of public policy and education at the University of Virginia. Ben’s research focuses on policies to improve college access and success for low-income students. Several of his papers examine innovative strategies to deliver high-quality information about the college-going process to low-income students and their families, and to ease the process of students and families getting professional support when they need assistance. He has conducted several randomized trials to investigate how the offer of additional support during the summer after high school impacts the rate and quality of low-income students’ college enrollment. In addition, Ben uses quasi-experimental methods to study the impact of state and federal need-based grant programs on students’ long-term collegiate outcomes. His research has been featured on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, as well as in Time MagazineUSA Today, and the Huffington Post.