Scholars Strategy Network

Scholars Strategy Network Research to improve policy and strengthen democracy.

06/03/2026

🎙️ 300 episodes of our No Jargon podcast! 🎉

To celebrate, we sat down with SSN's new board chair Mark Schmitt (New America) to talk about the state of American political parties. Schmitt explains how endless fundraising and weak local infrastructure have fueled public frustration with both parties, why parties still matter for organizing collective action, and what it would take to rebuild trust and bring more people into the political process.

🎧 Listen to the full ep via the link in the comments. ⬇️

When Maine lawmakers introduced LD 2106, a bill that prevents ICE agents from targeting schools, hospitals, and other se...
05/19/2026

When Maine lawmakers introduced LD 2106, a bill that prevents ICE agents from targeting schools, hospitals, and other sensitive locations without a warrant, Maine SSN mobilized.

After being contacted by State Rep. Ambureen Rana to rally researchers to submit evidence-based testimony on the topic, Maine chapter co-leaders Robert W. Glover and Jordan LaBouff (University of Maine) quickly coordinated with SSN's policy team to organize and submit testimony from scholars across the state. In just 72 hours, 20 scholars wrote, received feedback on, and submitted testimony based on their research expertise and experience as educators in the state's public universities.

In the end, the coalition that mobilized in support of the bill — including the Maine SSN chapter — was successful. LD 2106 passed in the legislature and Governor Mills signed it into law on April 23rd.

🔗 Learn more about this story in our latest Chapter Spotlight via the link in the comments. ⤵️

05/12/2026

💵 Can cash improve pregnancy outcomes?

In our latest podcast episode, Ali Groves (Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University) explains how programs that provide direct cash support given to expectant parents during pregnancy work. She focuses on the Philly Joy Bank, a guaranteed income pilot program for pregnant Philadelphians, and shares why receiving money with no strings attached can ease stress and help families during a critical period.

🎧 Listen to the full episode via the link in the comments. 🔗 ⤵️

SSN is excited to announce Mark Schmitt as the new chair of the Board of Directors. The Director of the Political Reform...
05/07/2026

SSN is excited to announce Mark Schmitt as the new chair of the Board of Directors. The Director of the Political Reform program at New America and a long-time friend and supporter of SSN, Schmitt has a wealth of insight from his time in government, philanthropy, and journalism to help guide the organization for years to come.

“I’ve long thought that state and federal policymaking would benefit from the insights of scholars, and that scholarship would benefit from engagement with urgent public questions,” Schmitt said. “As soon as I came across SSN, in its earliest days, I saw that it could change the incentives for both policymakers and academics, and support decisions based on real evidence and insight.”

At a time when American democracy is under threat, Schmitt will bring critical new insights to the board, drawing on his expertise on political reform, budget and tax policy, and U.S. social policy, as well as his extensive professional experience.

Since SSN’s founding, the board has been led by Robert Bowditch Jr, and he will continue to serve as a regular member of the board. Leaving SSN’s board are professors Amy Fried and Larry Jacobs. We thank these leaders for their years of dedication and service.

Finally, SSN is excited to announce Ethan Stein as the new Director of Chapters, working to strengthen chapter leadership and provide support to our 35+ chapters across the country.

Read the full announcement: https://scholars.org/features/ssn-welcomes-mark-schmitt-new-board-chair

🔎 We’re hiring a part-time Education Policy Intern/Fellow to support our Education Scholars Training Program (ESTP)! The...
04/30/2026

🔎 We’re hiring a part-time Education Policy Intern/Fellow to support our Education Scholars Training Program (ESTP)!

The ESTP is an initiative that helps a diverse cohort of scholars who study education build relationships with policymakers and transform education policy in the United States. This internship is an opportunity for a current graduate or undergraduate student to learn about how to build connections between researchers and policy actors to support research-informed policymaking.

The Membership Intern/Fellow will assist with policy actor outreach and facilitating relationships with scholars, help with meeting preparation, support policy brief editing, and more.

• Remote
• $15-$18 per hour
• 10-15 hours a week

🔗 Learn more, share, and apply via the link in the comments! 👇 👇

04/28/2026

In our latest podcast episode, Alejandro Camacho (UCLA School of Law) uses history to explain why the current moment of environmental policymaking is marked by polarization, legal battles, and uncertainty—a period he calls the “contested era.”

Camacho also dives into the EPA’s 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding which was the legal foundation for U.S. climate regulation under the Clean Air Act for more than a decade. He unpacks why it mattered for environmental policy and what its repeal by the administration in February now means.

🎧 Listen the full episode via the link in the comments. 👇

04/14/2026

By now, most students who applied to college for the fall semester have received their decisions, bringing a mix of emotions. For many, especially those turned away from top-choice schools, the admissions process can feel arbitrary and even unfair.

In this No Jargon podcast episode, education researcher Julie J. Park (University of Maryland) draws on her book, “Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era," to break down what’s changed for college applicants since the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision restricting race-conscious admissions.

Park also explores the uneven return of standardized testing and how policy shifts are reshaping who gets into selective colleges and what schools can still do to make the process more fair.

🎧 Listen to the episode via the link in the comments. 🔗 ⤵️

Americans are struggling to navigate a broken health care system. For health policy scholar Miranda Yaver (University of...
04/01/2026

Americans are struggling to navigate a broken health care system.

For health policy scholar Miranda Yaver (University of Pittsburgh), research is not meant to sit quietly behind journal paywalls. She believes it should move into government offices, newsrooms, classrooms, and everyday conversations with people navigating the American health care system.

Driven by that belief, Yaver co-leads the SSN Central Pennsylvania chapter, engages legislators and hospital systems, and helps other scholars bring their work into public debate.

🔗 Learn how she is turning research into real-world impact via the link in the comments. ⤵️

03/31/2026

Under RFK Jr.'s "Make America Health Again," , agenda, the federal government aims to dictate what Americans eat.

In this No Jargon episode, nutrition policy researcher Pasquale Rummo of NYU Grossman School of Medicine breaks down what the debate about ultra-processed foods is all about and how Americans' diets, especially for those who rely on SNAP, are shaped by both choice and policy.

🎧 Listen to the full episode via the link in the comments. ⤵️

03/27/2026

Larry J Walker (University of Central Florida) doesn't just research housing policy, he helps shape it.

Most recently, through the 2025 SSN Education Scholars Training Program, Walker was connected with Florida State Representative Yvonne Hinson, reviewed draft language for a Florida housing bill, HB51, and offered feedback before it was introduced in the Florida House.

Walker is an associate professor whose research focuses on racism, leadership, and policy. A former Congressional Black Caucus Foundation fellow and legislative director for Representative Major R. Owens of New York, he has spent his career bridging scholarship and public service.

Read his full member spotlight to learn more about how Walker bridges research, policy, and the common good via the link in the comments. 🔗

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