Michael W. Kirst

Biography

Michael Kirst was born on August 1, 1939, in West Reading, Pennsylvania, and received his bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College in 1961 and his M.P.A. in government and economics from Harvard University in 1963. He earned his Ph.D. in political economy and government from Harvard in 1964. His bachelor, M.P.A. and Ph.D. studies were funded primarily through merit scholarships.

Kirst worked for the federal government before joining the faculty at Stanford. He held several positions, including staff director of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Manpower, Employment and Poverty, and director of program planning and evaluation for the Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education. He also held positions in the federal Office of Management and Budget, the White House Fellows, and worked as a program analyst for the Title I Elementary and Secondary Education Act Program since it began in 1965.

University positions Kirst has held a variety of university positions throughout his career. At Stanford University, he has served as: Chair, Administration and Policy Analysis, 1984-1992 Coordinator, Joint Degrees with Graduate School of Business and School of Education, 1969-2002 University Fellow, 1986-1988 Chair, Public Service Center Faculty Board, 1989-1991 Academic Senate, 1995-1998; 2004-2006

Publications Kirst is the author of a variety of literature regarding school finance, curriculum politics, intergovernmental relations, and education reform policies.

Books: Higher Education and Silicon Valley (Johns Hopkins University Press: Scott, W. Richard, 2017) Remaking College (Stanford: Stevens, Mitchell, 2015) The Political Dynamics of American Education (Richmond, Ca.:McCutchan, 2009) with Fred Wirt From High School to College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education (Jossey Bass/Wiley, 2004) with Andrea Venezia.