Dr. Giersch is an associate professor who teaches courses on American politics, research methods, state and local politics, politics & film, and education policy. He is also the associate director of the university’s Public Policy program. His research focuses on education policy, specifically the areas of school choice, high-stakes testing, segregation, and teacher quality, as well as political ideology and how it affects individuals’ interpretations of messages in various contexts. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Giersch taught in public, private, and charter high schools. He also taught at the college level in Pennsylvania and in Nairobi, Kenya. He has served on the boards of the North Carolina Association for Research in Education and the North Carolina Political Science Association.<\/p>\n
Giersch CV Aug 2025<\/a><\/p>\n POLS Lab<\/a><\/p>\n JOURNAL ARTICLES<\/strong><\/p>\n Giersch, Jason, <\/strong>and Christopher Dong (2025). “Partisan Schools: The Political Alignment of Charter School Leadership,” American Politics Research<\/em>. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1532673X251367386<\/a><\/p>\n Giersch, Jason <\/strong>(2023). \u201cThrough the Lens of Ideology: Asymmetry in Expectations of Movie Quality<\/a>,\u201d The Social Science Journal<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason, <\/strong>Carina Carlhed Ydhag, and Vesa Korhonen (2021). \u201cMotivations to teach in Finland, Sweden, and the United States<\/a>.\u201d Nordic Studies in Education<\/em>, 41(1), 62\u201479.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason,<\/strong> Martha Kropf, and Elizabeth Stearns (2020). \u201cUnequal Returns to Education: How Women Teachers Narrow the Gender Gap in Political Knowledge among Students<\/a>.\u201d The Journal of Politics<\/em>.<\/p>\n Stearns, Elizabeth, Martha Bottia, Jason Giersch,<\/strong> Roslyn Mickelson, Stephanie Moller, Nandan Jha, and Melissa Dancy (2020). \u201cDo Relative Advantages\u00a0 in STEM Grades Explain the Gender Gap in Selection of a STEM Major in College? A Multimethod Answer.<\/a>\u201d American Educational Research Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason <\/strong>(2019). \u201c\u2018Desperately Afraid of Losing White Parents\u2019: Charter Schools and Segregation<\/a>.\u201d Race Ethnicity and Education.<\/em><\/p>\n Giersch, Jason,<\/strong> Martha Cecilia Bottia, Elizabeth Stearns, Roslyn Mickelson, and Stephanie Moller (2019). \u201cThe Predictive Role of School Performance Indicators on Students\u2019 College Achievement<\/a>,\u201d Educational Policy.<\/em><\/p>\n Giersch, Jason<\/strong> & Christopher Dong (2018). \u201cPrincipals\u2019 preferences when hiring teachers: a conjoint experimen<\/a>t.\u201d Journal of Educational Administration<\/em>, 56<\/em>(4), 429-444.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason<\/strong> & Christopher Dong (2018). \u201cRequired Civics Courses, Civics Exams, and Voter Turnout<\/a>,\u201d Social Science Journal<\/em>, 55<\/em>(2), pp. 160-170.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason <\/strong>(2018). \u201cAcademic Tracking, High-Stakes Tests, and Preparing Students for College: How Inequality Persists within Schools<\/a>,\u201d Educational Policy, 32<\/em>(7), 907\u2013935.<\/p>\n Bottia, Martha Cecilia, Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, Jason Giersch<\/strong>, Elizabeth Stearns, & Stephanie Moller (2018). \u201cThe Role of High School Racial Composition and Opportunities to Learn in Students\u2019 STEM College Participation<\/a>,\u201d Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55<\/em>(3), 446\u2014476.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason <\/strong>(2016). \u00a0<\/strong>“A Test of Personal and Social Utility Values and the Appeal of a Career in Teaching<\/a>,” Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 15<\/em>(3), 163-173.<\/p>\n Giersch<\/strong>, Jason, <\/strong>Martha Cecilia Bottia, Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, & Elizabeth Stearns (2016). \u201cExposure to School and Classroom Segregation in Charlotte-Mecklenburg High Schools and Students\u2019 College Achievement<\/a>,\u201d Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24<\/em>(32).<\/p>\n Bottia, Martha Cecilia, Jason<\/strong> Giersch<\/strong>, Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, Elizabeth Stearns, & Stephanie Moller (2016). \u201cDistributive Justice Antecedents of Race and Gender Disparities in First-Year College Performance<\/a>,\u201d Social Justice Research, 29<\/em>(1), 35-72.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason<\/strong> (2015). \u201c<\/strong>New Trends in Academic Achievement among Teachers<\/a>,\u201d Journal of Applied Educational and Policy Research<\/em>, 1<\/em>(1), 74-83.<\/p>\n Whitaker, Beth & Jason Giersch,<\/strong> (2015). \u201cPolitical Competition and Attitudes toward Immigration: Evidence from Africa<\/a>.\u201d Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies<\/em>, 41<\/em>(10), 1536-1557.<\/p>\n Giersch<\/strong>, Jason<\/strong> (2014). “Effects of Vacation Properties on Local Education Budgets<\/a>,” Cogent Economics and Finance<\/em>, 2<\/em>(1), 1-9.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason <\/strong>(2014). \u201cVouchers for Religious Schools and the Development of Democratic Values<\/a>,\u201d The Educational Forum<\/em>, 78<\/em>(2), 142-149.<\/p>\n Mickelson, Roslyn, Jason<\/strong> Giersch<\/strong>, Elizabeth Stearns, & Stephanie Moller (2013). \u201cHow (and Why) NCLB Failed to Close the Achievement Gap: Evidence from North Carolina, 1998-2004<\/a>,\u201d ECI Interdisciplinary Journal for Legal and Social Policy<\/em>, 3<\/em>(1), 1-25.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason<\/strong> (2012). \u201cAiming for Giants: Charter School Legislation and the Power of Teacher Unions<\/a>,\u201d Education and Urban Society<\/em>, 46<\/em>(6), 653-671.<\/p>\n Giersch, Jason<\/strong> (2009). \u201cLessons in Ethics in American High Schools: Getting out the Wrong Message<\/a>,\u201d Public Integrity<\/em>, 11<\/em>(3), 251-260.<\/p>\n Whitaker, Beth & Jason<\/strong> Giersch<\/strong> (2009). \u201cVoting on (More than) a Constitution: Implications for Democracy in Kenya<\/a>,\u201d Journal of Contemporary African Studies<\/em>, 27<\/em>(1), 1-20.<\/p>\n BOOK CHAPTERS<\/strong><\/p>\n Mickelson, Roslyn Arlin, Jason Giersch<\/strong>, Amy Hawn Nelson, and Martha Cecilia Bottia (2018). Do Charter Schools Undermine Efforts to Create Racially and Socioeconomically Diverse Public Schools? In Iris Rotberg and Joshua Glazerman (Eds.), Choosing Charters: Better Schools or More Segregation?<\/em><\/a> New York: Teachers College Press.<\/p>\n