Benjamin L. Castleman
email: [email protected] Ed Policy Works
phone: (617) 299-0279 UVA – P.O. Box 400879
website: http://curry.virginia.edu/castleman Charlottesville, VA 22904
CURRENT POSITIONS
Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy, University of Virginia (2013 – present).
Founder and Director, Nudge
4
Solutions Lab, University of Virginia (2016 – present).
Faculty Director, University of Virginia – US Army Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis
Partnership On Veterans Education (2014 – present).
Senior Advisor, Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative (2016 – present)
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Evergreen National Education Prize (2018 – present).
HONORS AND RECOGNITIONS
University of Virginia Distinguished Faculty Speaker (2018)
Recognized by Washington Monthly as one of the 16 Most Innovative People in Higher Education
(2016).
AERA Reviewer of the Year Award (2016).
Winner (with College Forward), Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy National Competition for
Low-Cost Randomized Trials in Public Policy (June 2015).
Winner (with Bottom Line), Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy National Competition for Low-
Cost Randomized Trials in Public Policy (July 2014).
National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2013-2014).
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2013-2014).
K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award, The American Association for Colleges and Universities
(2012).
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Castleman, B.L., Long, B.T., & Mabel, Z.A. (forthcoming). “Financial Barriers To Studying STEM
In College: Causal Effect Estimates Of Need-Based Grants On The Pursuit And Completion
Of Courses And Degrees In STEM Fields.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
Castleman, B.L., Murphy, F.X., and Skimmyhorn, W. (forthcoming). “Marching Across
Generations? An Analysis Of The Benefits Transfer Provision Of The Post-9/11 GI Bill.”
Journal of Human Capital.
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
Castleman, B.L., Patterson, R., and Skimmyhorn, W. (forthcoming). “Benefits Left on the Table:
Behavioral Interventions and Consumer Financial Protections.” Economics of Education Review.
Page, L.C., Kehoe, S., Castleman, B.L., & Sahawedo, G.A. (forthcoming). “More Than Dollars for
Scholars: The Impact of the Dell Scholars Program on College Access, Persistence, and
Degree Attainment.” Journal of Human Resources.
Barr, A.C., and Castleman, B.L. (forthcoming). “Exploring Variation in College Counselor
Effectiveness”. American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings.
Castleman, B.L., and Meyer, K. (forthcoming). “Financial Constraints and Collegiate Student
Learning.” Daedalus.
Castleman, B.L., and Page, L.C. (2017). Parental Influences on Postsecondary Decision-Making:
Evidence from a Text Messaging Experiment. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(2):
361-377.
Castleman, B.L., & Goodman, J. (2017). Intensive College Counseling And The College
Enrollment Choices Of Low Income Students. Education Finance and Policy, 13(1): 19-41.
Castleman, B. L., Meyer, K., & Sullivan, Z. (2017). Nudging Students Beyond the FAFSA: The
Impact of University Outreach on Financial Aid Behaviors and Outcomes. Journal of Student
Financial Aid, 47(3).
Castleman, B.L., Haskins, R., Akers, B., Baron, J., Dynarski, S., Farran, D., Feldman, A., Jones, D.,
Keyes, B., Maynard, R., Sirinides, P., & Zinman, J.(2017). Behavioral Science and Policy:
Implications for Education. Behavioral Science and Policy 3(1): 43-50.
Castleman, B.L., & Long, B.T. (2016). Looking Beyond Enrollment: The Causal Effect Of
Need-Based Grants On College Access, Persistence, And Graduation. Journal of Labor Economics,
34(4): 1023-1073.
Castleman, B.L., & Page, L.C. (2016). Freshman Year Financial Aid Nudges: An Experiment To
Increase FAFSA Renewal And College Persistence. Journal of Human Resources, 31(51): 389-415.
Castleman, B.L., & Bird, K.A. (2016). Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? Investigating Rates And
Patterns Of Financial Aid Renewal Among College Freshmen. Research in Higher Education,
57(4): 395-422.
Castleman, B.L., & Page, L.C. (2015). Summer Nudging: Can Personalized Text Messages
And Peer Mentor Outreach Increase College Going Among Low-Income High School
Graduates? Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 115: 144-160.
Castleman, B.L., Owen, L., & Page, L.C. (2015). Stay Late Or Start Early? Experimental Evidence
On The Benefits Of College Matriculation Support From High Schools Versus Colleges.
Economics of Education Review. 47: 168-179.
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
Arnold, K.C., Castleman, B.L., Chewning, A., & Page, L.C. (2015). Advisor And Student Experiences
Of Summer Support For College-Intending, Low-Income High School Graduates. Journal of
College Access, 1(1): Article 3.
Castleman, B. L. & Page, L. C. (2015). Beyond FAFSA Completion, Change, January / February: 28 –
35.
Castleman, B.L., Page, L.C., & Schooley, K. (2014). The Forgotten Summer: Mitigating
Summer Attrition Among College-Intending Low-Income High School Graduates. The Journal
of Policy Analysis and Management, 32(2): 320-344.
Castleman, B.L, and Page, L.C. (2014). Leveraging Behavioral Insights To Improve Postsecondary
Outcomes. Better: Evidence-Based Education, 6(3): 10-11.
Castleman, B.L., & Page, L.C. The Not-So Lazy Days Of Summer: Experimental Interventions To
Increase College Entry Among Low-Income High School Graduates. New Directions for Youth
Development, 2013 (140): 77-97.
Castleman, B.L., & Page, L.C. (2013). A Trickle Or A Torrent? Understanding The Extent Of
Summer Melt Among College-Intending High School Graduates. Social Science Quarterly, 95(1):
202-220.
Castleman, B.L., Arnold, K.D., & Wartman, K.L. (2012). Stemming The Tide Of Summer Melt: An
Experimental Study Of The Effects Of Post-High School Summer Intervention On College
Enrollment. The Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 5(1): 1 – 18.
Arnold, K.D., Fleming, S., Deanda, M.A., Castleman, B.L, Wartman, K.L., & Price, P. (2009).
The summer flood: The Invisible Gap Among Low-Income Students. Thought and Action, Fall
2009: 23-34.
Manuscripts under review
Castleman, B.L., & Meyer, K. “Can Text Message Nudges Improve Academic Outcomes in
College? Evidence from a Rural State Initiative.” Revise and Resubmit at Review of Higher
Education.
Avery, C., Castleman, B.L., Luca, M., Page, L., and Smith, J. “The Impact of Facebook
Advertisements: Evidence from Field Experiments in Education.” Revise and Resubmit at Journal
of Economic Behavior and Organization.
Barr, A.C., and Castleman, B.L. “Advising Students To and Through College: Experimental
Evidence from the Bottom Line Advising Program.”
Page, L.C., Castleman, B.L., & Meyer, K. “Customized Nudging To Improve FAFSA Completion
And Income Verification.”
Working papers
Castleman, B.L., and Sullivan, Z. “Cash for College Apps: The Effects of Conditional Cash
Transfers on Selective College Enrollment.”
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
Barr, A.C., Bird, K.A., & Castleman, B.L. “Prompting Active Choice Among High-Risk
Borrowers: Evidence From A Student Loan Counseling Experiment.”
Bird, K.A., Castleman, B.L., Goodman, J., and Lamberton, C. “Nudging At A National Scale:
Experimental Evidence From A FAFSA Completion Campaign.”
Bettinger, E., Castleman, B.L., and Sullivan, Z. “ The Effect of Virtual Advising on College
Choice: Evidence from a National Field Experiment.”
Columns and Op-Eds
Castleman, B.L. Fifty Cents or Five Thousand Dollars? The Behavioral Scientist. June 6
th
, 2017.
Castleman, B.L., and Rickard, J. Why Do High School Seniors Leave so Much Federal Money on
the Table? The Hechinger Report, May 2
nd
, 2017.
Castleman, B.L. Bringing Mentoring Models into the 21
st
Century. Getting Smart. April 27
th
, 2017.
Lamberton, C., and Castleman, B.L. Nudging in a Sludge-Filled World. Huffington Post, September
30
th
, 2016.
Castleman, B.L. The First Lady’s New Tool for Students: Up Next. United States Department of
Education blog. September 29
th
, 2016.
Castleman, B.L. How Texting Can Change the Way First Generation Students Experience College.
Education Post. September 6
th
, 2016.
Castleman, B.L. and Skillman, J. Learn to Ad: Madison Avenue Strategies to Strengthen School
Communication. The Brookings Institution Brown Center Chalkboard, September 6
th
, 2016.
Lamberton, C., and Castleman, B.L. Nudge 2.0: A Broader Toolkit For Lasting Behavior Change.
Huffington Post, May 24
th
, 2016.
Castleman, B.L. & Sullivan, Z. How To Pay For Success In Higher Education. The Brookings Institution
Brown Center Chalkboard, April 25, 2016.
Castleman, B.L. Big Data, Meet Behavioral Science. The Brookings Institution Brown Center Chalkboard,
March 10, 2016.
Castleman, B.L. & Lamberton, C. This Holiday Season, Nudge Like The Private Sector Taught You.
The Brookings Institution Brown Center Chalkboard, December 19, 2015.
Castleman, B.L. Smart Phones: A Nudger’s Best Or Worst Friend? The Brookings Institution Brown
Center Chalkboard, October 19, 2015.
Castleman, B.L. When It Comes To Student Loans, There’s No Simple Nudge. The Brookings
Institution Brown Center Chalkboard, September 1, 2015.
Castleman, B.L. Knowing When To Nudge In Education. The Brookings Institution Brown Center
Chalkboard, August 6, 2015.
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
Castleman, B.L., Schwartz, S., and Baum, S. (2015). Apple’s Lessons For Higher Ed Inequality. Inside
Higher Ed, April 9, 2015.
Castleman, B. L. & Page, L. C. (2014). Stymied On The Cusp Of College. The Chronicle of Higher
Education, October 6, 2014.
Castleman, B.L., & Page, L.C. (2014). From College-Intending To College-Attending: Understanding
And Mitigating Summer Melt. The Solutions Journal, 5(2): 41 - 45.
Castleman, B. L. & Page, L. C. (2014). Summer Melt—Who’s At Risk And Why? Michael and Susan
Dell Foundation blog, August 11, 2014.
Castleman, B. L. & Page, L. C. (2014). Summer Melt—Six Low-Cost Tactics Help Students Stay On
Track To College. Michael and Susan Dell Foundation blog, August 13, 2014.
Castleman, B.L., Page, L.C., & Snowdon, A. (2013). SDP Summer Melt Handbook: A Guide To
Investigating And Responding To Summer Melt. Harvard University: Strategic Data Project.
Castleman, B.L., & Page, L.C. (2013). Can Text Messages Mitigate Summer Melt? New England Journal
of Higher Education. May 2013.
SCHOLARLY BOOKS
Castleman, B.L. (2015). The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messages and Other Behavioral Strategies
Can Improve Education. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Castleman, B.L., & Page, L.C. (2014). Summer Melt: Supporting Low-Income Students Through the
Transition to College. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
EDITED VOLUMES
Castleman, B.L., Schwartz, S., & Baum, S. (eds.). (2015). Decision Making for Student Success. New
York, NY: Routledge Press.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Castleman, B.L. (2015). Prompts, Personalization, and Pay-offs: Strategies to Improve the Design
and Delivery of College and Financial Aid Information. In Castleman, B.L., Schwartz, S., &
Baum, S. (eds.). Decision making for student success. New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Castleman, B.L. (2018). Behavioral Insights to Guide Federal Education Policy. In Baum,
S. (ed.) Memos to the President On Higher Education. Urban Institute.
Castleman, B.L. & Meyer, K. (2018). Nudges, Norms, and Navigation: Behavioral
Insights to Improve Student Success. In Feldman, R. (eds.). The First Year of College: Research,
Theory, and Practice on Improving the Student Experience And Increasing Retention. Cambridge
University Press.
GRANTS
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
State Partnerships to Drive Educational and Economic Opportunity.
• Lumina Foundation. $930,000. (2019-2020).
• Overdeck Family Foundation. $300,000. (2019).
Nudges to the finish line: Experimental interventions to prevent late college departure. Principal
Investigator. The Institute for Education Sciences. $3,953,422. 2016 – 2020.
The Nudge
4
Solutions Lab. Principal Investigator.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York. $400,000. 2016-2017.
• The Heckscher Foundation for Children. $500,000. 2016-2020.
• Curry School of Education IDEAS grant. $10,000. 2016.
Investigating the efficacy of virtual college advising. Principal Investigator. Bloomberg
Philanthropies. $560,000. 2014-2020.
Behavioral Strategies to Improve Employment Outcomes. Co-Principal Investigator. The Laura
and John Arnold Foundation. $299,843. (Fiscal agent: Texas A&M University). 2016 – 2019.
Improving prisoner re-entry outcomes through large-scale behavioral interventions. Co-Principal
Investigator.
• The Koch Foundation. $455,000. 2016 – 2019.
• JPAL-North America. $117,999. 2016-2018.
Large Scale Outreach to Promote Early FAFSA Submission and Informed College Search.
Principal Investigator. The Kresge Foundation. $500,000. 2016 – 2018.
Financial Aid Nudges: A National Experiment to Increase Retention of Financial Aid and College
Persistence (using NPSAS:16 data). Co-Principal Investigator. The Institute for Education
Sciences. $3,499,999 (Fiscal agent: Wisconsin HOPE Lab). 2016 – 2020.
Research-philanthropy collaboration to increase the rigor of grantees’ evaluation. Principal
Investigator. The Centerbridge Foundation. $250,000. 2016-2019.
Personalized postsecondary information for US Army Service Members. Principal Investigator.
2014-2017.
• The Kresge Foundation. ($140,000).
• The Lumina Foundation. ($128,500).
• The Heckscher Foundation for Children. ($138,074).
• The Spencer Foundation. ($43,617).
National nudge campaign to improve college affordability and FAFSA completion. Principal
Investigator. 2015-2016.
• Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. $324,321 (Fiscal agent: The Common Application).
• Laura and John Arnold Foundation. $110,626.
• Heckscher Foundation for Children. $165,000 (Fiscal agent: The Common Application).
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
Long-term evaluation of intensive college advising programs. Principal Investigator. Bottom Line.
$105,689. 2014-2021.
Improving loan borrowing and repayment decisions among community college students. Principal
Investigator. The Lumina Foundation. $130,000. 2014-2016.
Digital Messaging to Improve College Enrollment and Success. Co-Principal Investigator. Institute
for Education Sciences. $3,499,999 (Fiscal agent: Harvard University). 2014-2018.
Study of Statewide Pilot of a Personalized Text Messaging Intervention to Increase College
Enrollment.” Co-Principal Investigator. 2014-2016.
• The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ($224,295).
• The Great Lakes Foundation. ($74,992).
FAFSA Completion and Income Verification for College-Intending Low-Income Students. Co-
Principal Investigator with Lindsay Page. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. $119,957 (Fiscal
agent: University of Pittsburgh). 2014-2016.
Text messaging interventions to increase postsecondary matriculation and retention. Co-Principal
Investigator with Adam Green and Jessica Kennedy. The Kresge Foundation. $225,000 (Fiscal
agent: West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. 2013-2016.
Austin, TX and Baltimore, MD summer melt transition support program. 2013-2014.
• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Co-principal investigator with Chris King,
Laura Owen, and Lindsay Page. ($94,433).
• Abell Foundation. Co-principal investigator with Laura Owen and Lindsay Page. ($10,000).
Late stage support to college-ready students in Delaware. Co-principal investigator with Lindsay
Page and Bruce Sacerdote. The Heckscher Foundation for Children. $31,000. 2013-2014.
Leveraging text messaging to increase college persistence among low-income and first-generation
college students. Co-principal investigator with Jon Fullerton and Lindsay Page. The Heckscher
Foundation for Children. $28,627. 2012-2013.
Project SCOPE: Summer Counselor Outreach to improve Postsecondary Enrollment. Co-
principal investigator with Christopher Avery and Lindsay Page. W.T. Grant Foundation. $25,000.
2012-2013.
Summer College Connect: Examining the impact of peer mentor outreach on whether low-income
high school graduates enroll in college. Co-principal investigator with Lindsay Page. 2012-2013.
• Lindback Foundation. ($14,000).
• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Research Grant. ($3,000).
TEACHING
What the Innovators Do: Strategies to Transform the Lives of Youth (EDLF 2050). University of
Virginia. (2015 - 2019).
US Education Policy. University of Virginia (EDLF 6080). (2014, 2015).
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
POLICY ENGAGEMENTS
Academic Affiliate, White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team/Office of Evaluation
Services. (2016 – present)
Fellow, Behavioral Science and Policy Association, and assistant chair of the Education group
(2016 – present).
J-PAL North America Special Invited Researcher (2017 – present).
Senior Fellow, Civic Nation. Project lead, Civic Nation – Vote.org mobile messaging campaign.
(2016 – present)
Academic Affiliate, ideas42 Behavioral Design Lab (2013 – present).
Invited Moderator, Behavioral Science Insights and Evidence-based Policymaking panel, White
House Social and Behavioral Sciences Conference (September 2016).
Witness, United States House of Representatives Labor-Health and Human Services-Education
Subcommittee Oversight Hearing on Closing the Achievement Gap in Higher Education (March
2015).
Presenter and participant, White House Summits on Increasing College Opportunity for Low-
Income Students (January and December 2014).
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Technical Review Panels and Working Groups; Federal Policy Convenings:
• United States Department of Education Technical Review Panel: White House College
Scorecard
• United States Department of Education Technical Review Panel: Baccalaureate and
Beyond National Longitudinal Survey
• United States Department of Education Meeting on Low-Cost Technological Interventions
and Rapid Turnaround Evaluations
• United States Department of Education Loan Counseling Convening
• United States Department of Education Income Based Repayment Survey Development
Group
• United States Department of Labor Technical Working Group: Development of an
Evidence-Based Navigator Model for Opportunity Youth
Advisory Board, New York City Community College Innovation Fund
Editorial Boards: Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Manuscript reviewer: American Economic Review; American Economic Journal: Economic Policy; Economics of
Education Review; Economic Inquiry; Education Finance and Policy; Educational Evaluation and Policy
Analysis; Educational Policy; Journal of Economic Literature; Journal of Human Resources; Journal of Policy
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
Analysis and Management; Quarterly Journal of Economics; Research in Higher Education; Review of Economics
and Statistics; Sociology of Education; Southern Economic Journal.
Grant Proposal Reviewer: The Smith Richardson Foundation; The Spencer Foundation; The W.T. Grant
Foundation; JPAL North America
Conference Proposal Reviewer: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness; Association for the Study of
Higher Education
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
University of Virginia Search Committee for the Newton and Rita Meyers Professorship in the
Economics of Education (2015-2016).
Scientific Advisory Board, Jefferson Education Accelerator (2015 – present).
Faculty director, University Admissions/Student Financial Services text campaign to increase
financial aid application and college matriculation (2014 – present)
Faculty co-director, University Human Resources Employee College Match program (2014-2015).
University of Virginia Presidential Task Force on Financial Aid (2013-2014).
Coordinator, Ed Policy Works Policy Lab (2014 – present).
EDUCATION
Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education (2013)
Concentration in Quantitative Policy Analysis
Qualifying Paper: “Looking Beyond Enrollment: The Causal Effect of Need-Based Grants
on College Access, Persistence, and Graduation.”
Committee: Bridget Terry Long (chair), Richard Murnane, and John Willett
Dissertation: “Assistance in the 11
th
Hour: Experimental Interventions to Mitigate Summer
Attrition among College-Intending High School Graduates.”
Dissertation Committee: Bridget Terry Long (chair), Christopher Avery, Thomas Kane,
and Lawrence Katz
A.B., Honors, Brown University, Environmental Studies (2000).
Honors thesis: “Who Wants Wilderness? Adolescents’ Perceptions of the National Parks.”
BCastleman - CV - January 2019.pdf
