<< Back to Faculty Benjamin Castleman Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education Education & Training Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2013 A.B. Honors, Environmental Studies, Brown University, 2000 castleman@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Curriculum Vitae (238.61 KB) Courses taught Applied Policy Project II Innovation in Education Research interests Postsecondary education and workforce Areas of focus Education UVA partners EdPolicyWorks: Center for Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness School of Education and Human Development Ben Castleman is an associate professor of public policy and education at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on policies and strategies to improve postsecondary educational and workforce outcomes for individuals from lower-income and historically-marginalized communities. Castleman conducts this research through collaborative research-policy partnerships with public agencies and organizations at the local, state, and federal levels. His current work focuses on innovations to increase economic mobility among lower-wage adults, including digital- and health-skills training programs; state-funded career and technical education; and competency-based education models for working adults. Castleman was a senior advisor to Former First Lady Michelle Obama's Reach Higher Initiative. He has presented about his research at several White House convenings and in testimony before Congress. Castleman's research has appeared in top public policy and economics journals, including The Journal of Labor Economics, The Journal of Public Economics, The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and The Journal of Human Resources. His research has been generously supported by numerous philanthropic foundations and has received extensive media coverage, including The New York Times, National Public Radio, Time Magazine, and the Washington Post. Before returning to graduate school, Castleman was a public school teacher and administrator in Providence, RI. Recent working papers and research briefs: College Advising at a National Scale: Experimental Evidence from the CollegePoint Initiative Do Financial Incentives Support Educational Programs to Scale? Experimental Evidence from a National College Advising Initiative Noncredit workforce training programs are very popular. We know next to nothing about them. Human versus Machine: Do college advisors outperform a machine-learning algorithm in predicting student enrollment? Are Algorithms Biased in Education? Exploring Racial Bias in Predicting Community College Student Success Can Information and Advising Affect Postsecondary Participation and Attainment for Non-Traditional Students? Evidence from a Large-Scale Experiment with the U.S. Army The Bottom Line on College Advising: Large Increases in Degree Attainment Related Content Castleman Receives Prestigious Research Award News Congratulations to UVA Batten associate professor Benjamin Castleman who has received the 2024 University Public Impact Focused Research Award for his outstanding scholarship and public service to improve college success and job opportunities for America’s lower-income populations. Peer Mentoring Improves College Success for Lower-Income Students News In a research update brief, Batten Associate Professor Ben Castleman and colleagues show a sustained positive effect of peer mentoring on college persistence for lower-income students. First Gen Students Are Missing from the Nation’s Top Colleges. Here’s How Virtual Advising Could Help News Batten School professor Ben Castleman spoke with USA Today about the benefits of virtual peer-to-peer advising for first-generation college students. UVA Has 5% of Education Scholars Ranked as 'Most Influential' News Four Batten School faculty members affiliated with the EdPolicyWorks research center once again placed in the national rankings of influential education scholars. Netflix Suggests Your Next Show. Should An Algorithm Suggest Your Next Class? News Ben Castleman, associate professor of public policy and education at the Batten School, researches whether predictive analytics can be used to provide students and instructors with tailored recommendations about course and career pathways. Batten Showcase 2022: Innovations to Transform the Lives of Youth ft. Ben Castleman News In this lecture, associate professor at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, Ben Castleman, shares innovations that transform the lives of youth worldwide, and walks the class through the nuances and unidentified consequences of these innovations. Batten Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Teaching, Service, Research and Engagement News This academic year, Batten School professors won a slew of internal and external recognitions for excellence in teaching, service, research and engagement. Unfinished Business? Academic and Labor Market Profile of Adults With Substantial College Credits But No Degree Research Using data from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), this case provides the first detailed profile on the academic, employment, and earnings trajectories of the SCND population and how these compare with VCCS graduates. The scholars show that the share of SCND students who are academically ready to re-enroll and would benefit from doing so may be substantially lower than policy makers anticipate. Why aren’t more adults finishing community college? News Batten School professor Ben Castleman and colleagues explore programs enacted by states to increase enrollment in community colleges. Despite these efforts, numbers have been steadily declining for much of the 2010s. Is there a way to get adults back to community college? View All
Castleman Receives Prestigious Research Award News Congratulations to UVA Batten associate professor Benjamin Castleman who has received the 2024 University Public Impact Focused Research Award for his outstanding scholarship and public service to improve college success and job opportunities for America’s lower-income populations.
Peer Mentoring Improves College Success for Lower-Income Students News In a research update brief, Batten Associate Professor Ben Castleman and colleagues show a sustained positive effect of peer mentoring on college persistence for lower-income students.
First Gen Students Are Missing from the Nation’s Top Colleges. Here’s How Virtual Advising Could Help News Batten School professor Ben Castleman spoke with USA Today about the benefits of virtual peer-to-peer advising for first-generation college students.
UVA Has 5% of Education Scholars Ranked as 'Most Influential' News Four Batten School faculty members affiliated with the EdPolicyWorks research center once again placed in the national rankings of influential education scholars.
Netflix Suggests Your Next Show. Should An Algorithm Suggest Your Next Class? News Ben Castleman, associate professor of public policy and education at the Batten School, researches whether predictive analytics can be used to provide students and instructors with tailored recommendations about course and career pathways.
Batten Showcase 2022: Innovations to Transform the Lives of Youth ft. Ben Castleman News In this lecture, associate professor at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, Ben Castleman, shares innovations that transform the lives of youth worldwide, and walks the class through the nuances and unidentified consequences of these innovations.
Batten Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Teaching, Service, Research and Engagement News This academic year, Batten School professors won a slew of internal and external recognitions for excellence in teaching, service, research and engagement.
Unfinished Business? Academic and Labor Market Profile of Adults With Substantial College Credits But No Degree Research Using data from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), this case provides the first detailed profile on the academic, employment, and earnings trajectories of the SCND population and how these compare with VCCS graduates. The scholars show that the share of SCND students who are academically ready to re-enroll and would benefit from doing so may be substantially lower than policy makers anticipate.
Why aren’t more adults finishing community college? News Batten School professor Ben Castleman and colleagues explore programs enacted by states to increase enrollment in community colleges. Despite these efforts, numbers have been steadily declining for much of the 2010s. Is there a way to get adults back to community college?