Director, Texas Schools Project
The University of Texas at Dallas
Box 830668 MS GR31
Richardson, Texas 75083
obri@utdallas.edu

Ph.D., Political Economy, University of Texas at Dallas
Curriculum Vitae
O'Brien Homepage
Expertise: achievement, affirmative action, college preparation, early childhood education, teacher quality 

Biography

Dan M. O'Brien is Director of the Texas Schools Project at the University of Texas at Dallas Education Research Center.  O’Brien is a member of CALDER’s Strategic Planning Group and directs the CALDER Texas work. Over the past decade he has helped to develop the Texas Schools Project database, a compendium of individual level data for all Texas public school, college and university students.  He teaches microeconomic theory, econometrics, mathematical economics, and the interrelationships between technology and the economy at the University of Texas at Dallas.  

O'Brien's research investigates the determinants of student academic progress, especially for minority and economically disadvantaged students, including studies of teacher quality, reading programs, early education, summer fallback, transition to middle school, high school completion, college preparation, college choice and transition to college, concurrent enrollment and affirmative action.  In addition, he works with school districts as an external evaluator and works with districts to help them develop value-added measures of student progress. Prior to joining the University of Texas at Dallas, O’Brien spent 25 years working in information technology.