Kalena Cortes
Assistant Professor
Dr. Kalena Cortes comes to the Bush School from her position as an assistant professor in the School of Education at Syracuse University with courtesy appointments at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the Department of Economics. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and has had post-doctoral appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, the National Bureau of Economic Research and Harvard University.
Dr. Cortes is an accomplished teacher and will contribute in significant ways to key Bush School course offerings in policy analysis, economic analysis and the economics of education, among others. She has an extensive publication record in the areas of the economics of education and economic demography. Her research focuses on policies relating to diversity in higher education, the effects of student financial aid on retention and the graduation of minority and low income college students, post-secondary returns to education, and educational outcomes of immigrant children in the United States.
Her emerging research interests in the economics of education and demography of immigration policy will contribute significantly to the School’s policy research program. In addition, Dr. Cortes has been involved in a variety of major service activities, both on campus and in her profession. She is also the recipient of many fellowships and awards as well as funded research grants from the U.S. Department of Education and a variety of foundations.
