Director of Education
Dr. Stephen Owens
Dr. Stephen Owens is the education director at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Stephen advocates for diverse, inclusive and excellent public schools through research and data analysis.
Prior to joining GBPI in 2018, Stephen was a research and data analyst at the Georgia Department of Education. He created data visualizations to help district and state policymakers better understand school outcomes, assisted in the creation of Georgia’s plan to implement federal education legislation (the Every Student Succeeds Act), and produced analyses that shaped public policy for Georgia’s schools.
Stephen graduated from the University of Georgia, where he holds a doctorate with a focus on education policy. His dissertation centered on state-level agenda formation.
Recent Posts by Stephen
State of Education Funding (2021)
This report offers an assessment of the state of education funding in Georgia by analyzing how it compares …
Fact Sheet: English for Speakers of Other Languages
Thank you to Latin American Association & Center for Pan Asian Community Services for translation services …
English Learners Deserve More: An Analysis of Georgia’s Education for Speakers of Other Languages
Thank you to Latin American Association & Center for Pan Asian Community Services for translation services …
Difficult Choices Made Worse by Budget Cuts: Results from GBPI’s 2020 School District Survey
Each year, the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute sends a survey to every public school superintendent …
Georgia Education Budget Primer for State Fiscal Year 2021
Georgia’s 2021 Education Budget Georgia lawmakers cut $1 billion from the state’s budget for the Department of Education. …
Georgia at a Crossroads: Raising Revenues Sensibly or Forcing Schoolchildren to Pay for Years to Come
Key Takeaways: Due to COVID-19, Georgia revenues are lagging. State leaders must either raise new revenues or make …
Crises Demand Counselors: Pandemic Underscores Need for More School Counselors, Mental Health Professionals
Key Takeaways School closures triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic mean that students are not receiving the mental health …
Online Instruction Could Leave Rural Schools, Vulnerable Students Behind
Recently, Gov. Kemp ordered the state’s public schools to close for the remainder of the academic year in …
Potential Voucher Expansion Leaves Students and Parents at a Loss
Bill Analysis: Senate Bill 386 (LC 49 0125) Established in 2007, the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) is …
What Are School Vouchers?
Vouchers Overview Georgia legislators have debated educational vouchers since the 1950s.[1] A school voucher is an amount of …
Overview: Georgia’s 2021 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education
Governor Kemp’s budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2021 provides Georgia’s public schools $10.9 billion, a $272 million increase above current funding. The largest single addition provides funding for …
