Michelle Yin

Biography

Michelle Yin is the director of Northwestern University’s Dual Masters Degree Program offered jointly with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and associate professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. She is also the founder of the Research and Innovation for Social and Economic Inclusion Lab. Dr. Yin works at the nexus of education and labor economics, with a focus on special populations that include people with disabilities, youth at risk of not graduating from high school, and adult literacy learners. Her exemplary work has been applied in these content areas to provide empirical evidence that informs policy, practice, and advocacy to improve people’s lives. She currently serves as the principal investigator on an intervention evaluation to help youth and adults with disabilities to move from subminimum wage jobs into competitive integrated employment funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Serices Administration. She also leads multiple efforts to evaluate the impact of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools on students with intellectual disabilities’ behavior and schooling outcomes, both domestically and internationally. Dr. Yin also serves as a member of the SOI Global Center Research Collaborative and recently developed a global evaluation framework for Special Olympics that will be employed by more than 170 countries to encompass educational and social activities in different countries, languages, and cultures. She is also a co-investigator to study the universal design and accommodations features using NAEP process data, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education. Her work has been published and featured in leading journals and newspapers, such as the Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hill.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

Yin, M., Siwach, G. and Lin, D. (2022), Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Labor Market Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities in Maine. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Vol. 00, No. 0, 1–32 https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22446

Yin, M., Siwach G., and Belyakova Y. Impact of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools Program on High School Completion (2020) American Educational Research Journal. Vol. 59, No. 2, pp. 315–344 https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312211032744

Yin, M., Pathak, A., Lin D., and Dizdari N. Identifying Racial Differences in Vocational Rehabilitation Services (2020) Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00343552211048218

Yin, M., Cronen, S., Condelli, L., and Ogut, B.Teacher Effectiveness in Adult Education: The Relationship Between Teacher Characteristics and Student Test Gains and Transitions Into Postsecondary Education (2020) Adult Education Quarterly. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07417136211044515

High-profile Research and Policy Briefs 

Yin, M., Siwach, G., Lin, D., and Fatima, S., Return on Investment of Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Transition Age Youth With Disabilities in MaineWashington, DC: American Institutes for Research. (2021)

Yin, M., Shaewitz, D., and Megra, M. The Purchasing Power of Working-Age Adults With Disabilities in Boston and Other Top Metropolitan Areas. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. (2020)

Yin, M., Shaewitz, D., and Megra, M. Leading the Way, or Falling Behind? What the Data Tell Us About Disability Pay Equity and Opportunity in Boston and Other Top Metropolitan Areas. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. (2020)

Yin, M. Commentary: Improving Lives for People with Disabilities in the Workplace and the Marketplace (2019) https://www.air.org/resource/improving-lives-people-disabilities-workplace-and-marketplace

Yin, L. M., and Shaewitz, D. A Hidden Market: The Purchasing Power of Working-Age Adults With Disabilities (2018). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.

Yin, L. M., and Shaewitz, D. One Size Does Not Fit All: Reexamining the Labor Force Participation of People With Disabilities (2016). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. Featured by The Wall Street Journal https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/09/08/job-market-for-disabled-workers-helps-explain-labor-force-participation-puzzle/