Gregory Collins
Education
- B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Wilkes University
- B.A., Physics, Wilkes University
- M.B.A., Business Administration, Lehigh University
- M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
- M.Ed., Earth Science, The Pennsylvania State University
- A.M., Statistics, University of Pennsylvania
- Ph.D., Education Policy, University of Pennsylvania
Teaching Interests
I’m passionate about using data to make better decisions, and I love leading courses where I can share my enthusiasm and the lessons I’ve learned with my students.
I regularly teach Operations and Information Systems, where we learn about key strategic and day-to-day decisions made in supply chain management and their consequences for business and society. We use spreadsheets and basic data analysis techniques to develop service and production planning skills.
I also teach a course on business analytics, where we extend beyond basic statistical skills and begin applying some of the mathematical methods that underlie machine learning. In addition to writing code and making sense of authentic datasets, we also explore aspects of organizational culture and leadership that help facilitate a sensible use of data.
Other courses that I have taught at Muhlenberg include Business Decisions in Sports, Project Management, Economics of Education, Statistical Analysis, and a first-year seminar on canals. Prior to joining the Muhlenberg community, I taught quantitative methods for education leaders and public policy analysts, and I taught high school physics, Earth science, energy and economics at a public school in the Lehigh Valley.
Research and Scholarship
My research interests center on education finance and policy, with a particular emphasis on organizational size. Contrasts between my first career as a private-sector operations engineer and my second career as a public school teacher were stark, and they inspired many questions that fascinate me. Are students and teachers more successful in smaller, more intimate schools? Are larger schools and school systems able to operate more efficiently?
My doctoral research studied the consolidation of school districts in Arkansas, examining changes in school spending and student outcomes. A related study estimated a cost-optimal size for school districts in Pennsylvania. More recently, my research has focused on child care and preschool settings. There, the law strictly limits the ratio of children to teachers, creating different implications for the ideal organizational size.
- Analytics for Management and Marketing
- Business Administration Independent Study/Research: Honors Research
- Operations & Information Systems
- Spc:Proj Mangmnt Theory/Prac
- Special Topic: Artificial Intelligence in Business: Applications & Strategy
Supovitz, J. A., Ebby, C. B., & Collins, G. (2024). Pathways to performance: The
experimental impacts of learning trajectory-oriented formative assessment in mathematics. American Journal of Education, 130(4).
Sirinides, P., Collins, G. , Wehnau, S., Sturges, N., Shook, N., Dabbs, E., Diefenderfer, K., & Eglinton, E. (2023). A closer look at the market rate and cost of care in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg: Institute of State and Regional Affairs.
Ingersoll, R., May, H., Collins, G., & Fletcher, T. (2022). Trends in the recruitment,
employment and retention of teachers from under-represented racial-ethnic groups. In C. Gist & T. Bristol (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
Ingersoll, R., Merrill, E., Stuckey, D., Collins, G., & Harrison, B. (2021). The
demographic transformation of the teaching force in the United States. Education Sciences, 11(5).
Sirinides, P. & Collins, G. (2020). The cost of child care in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg:
Institute of State and Regional Affairs.
Castillo, W., Collins, G. J., & Maynard, R. A. (2020). A systematic review of the
effectiveness of targeted college access programs offering no-cost or subsidized college enrollment. In L. W. Perna & E. J. Smith (Eds.), Improving research-based knowledge of college promise programs. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
Collins, G. J. (2019). Cost-optimal school district size in Pennsylvania: Comparing
Cobb-Douglas least squares and generalized additive model estimation. Journal of Education Finance, 45(2), 217-231.
Presentations
Collins, G. J., Sirinides, P , & Eglinton, E. (2024, April). Rurality and resources in early care and education. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Collins, G. J., Eglinton, E., Kushner, R. J. & Sirinides, P. (2023, November). Sectoral differences in resource allocation by nonprofit child care providers. Presented at the meeting of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action, Orlando, FL.
Kushner, R. J., Watkins, T. A., & Collins, G. J. (2023, June). The Regional
interconnectedness of arts & culture: Examining agglomeration and spillovers among US counties. Presented at the meeting of Association for Cultural Economics International, Bloomington, IN.
London, M., Granowitz, T., & Collins, G. J. (2023, April). Navigating group projects: The impact of social loafing. Presented at the Mid-Atlantic Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Watkins, T. A., Kushner, R. J., & Collins, G. J. (2022, December). Adjacency,
evolution, mobility and trade in regional arts & culture: Examining agglomeration spillovers in U.S. counties. Presented at the meeting of Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts, Seoul, Korea.
Ingersoll, R. M., May, H., & Collins, G. J. (2022, April). Trends in the recruitment,
employment, and retention of teachers from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
Sirinides, P. & Collins, G. J. (2021, March). Local variation in early childhood subsidy gaps and its association with access to high-quality care. Presented at the meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, online.
Accounting, Business, Economics & Finance
Business Administration
Contact: gregcollins@muhlenberg.edu