[3] Dynarski earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies from Harvard University; neither of her parents graduated college.
[6] Dynarski began her academic career as an assistant and associate professor at the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
[7] Dynarski's research focuses on the impact of financial aid on college students and their families, improving the design of such programs to achieve the greatest benefit to students (particularly those from low-income families) at the lowest cost to taxpayers, the effectiveness of charter schools, and the impact of price on private school attendance decisions.
[11][12] She has advised the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the White House, the United States Department of the Treasury, the United States Department of Education, and the Council of Economic Advisers on potential student aid reforms.
"[15] Senator Lamar Alexander cited her research in his advocacy to simplify the FAFSA, which was signed into law as part of the December 2020 U.S. Budget Act.