About the Education Research Center

Who We Are

The Texas A&M University Education Research Center (ERC) was established as a university-wide research center in 2007, with the mission to investigate the nature of educational practice and school resources and to examine their impact on student learning and achievement gaps in order to improve PreK-16 educational policy and decision-making.

In addition to its research agenda, the ERC conducts multiple evaluation and assessment studies in collaboration with a wide range of clients and stakeholders. Researchers from the ERC complete formative and summative projects and utilize a variety of methodologies to meet the needs of its diverse project partners.

Since its establishment, the ERC has received funding from over 40 grants for research and evaluation studies related to its mission. This funding has been received from a variety of:

Federal agencies (e.g., NSF through TAMU Corpus Christi, NSF through Stephen F. Austin State University)
State agencies (e.g., Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas Education Agency, Education Service Center Region VI)
Private organizations and non-profits (e.g., NCS Pearson, International Baccalaureate Organization, United Way of Greater Houston, ESCAPE Family Resource Center, Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, Reasoning Mind™)
Foundations (e.g., Houston Endowment, Qatar National Center for Educator Development)
Other TAMU departments and colleges (e.g., Department of Physics and Astronomy)

What We Do

Texas A&M University Education Research Center has made its mark on education policy and practice. Our record of successful grant writing has resulted in almost $7 million of external funding since 2007.

Employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies, ERC researchers focus on topics ranging from college access and college readiness, to Turnaround School efforts and the effectiveness of charter schools. A significant portion of the ERC’s research and evaluation studies has focused on the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in PreK-16 education.

For one recent research project, for example, the ERC conducted a mixed method study of schools across Texas implementing an online mathematics learning system. Researchers analyzed pre-existing data to identify evidence of the effectiveness of the program in increasing students’ mathematics achievement. In addition, case studies were conducted at a sample of participating schools. Results from a cross-case examination identified themes related to policies and practices that facilitate or inhibit student engagement and motivation in the program, as well as participants’ attitudes toward, and perceptions of, the program.

In addition to research and evaluation efforts, ERC team members write and publish peer-reviewed articles, books, and book chapters and present at professional conferences to disseminate study results, as well as research-based best practices in evaluation and assessment.

Let Us Help You With

Rigorous research and evaluation design
Formative and summative evaluation design and implementation
Logic model development
Needs assessment
Measurement of implementation fidelity
Grant proposal assistance, specifically in regard to evaluation component
Focus group facilitation
Database development
Data management
Face-to-face and telephone interviews
Structured observations
Online and paper and pencil survey administration, analysis, and reporting
Research literature review, pertinent to individual programs
Technical report writing and presentation
Review and assessment of documents and program records
Analysis and summary of your extant data
Case study design and implementation
Instrument development (including online and paper surveys, interview and focus group protocols, observation instruments, rubrics, pre- and post-tests)
Thematic analysis of qualitative data
Statistical analysis using SPSS, SAS, and STATA