Publications

Classrooms in the United States serve students from a broader range of backgrounds than in past decades, and teachers are increasingly expected to provide instruction that is fair and responsive to all students, yet little evidence exists on whether new teachers are prepared to do so. This brief summarizes a study, published in The Urban Review, of how beginning teachers describe accounting for students' cultural, racial, and linguistic backgrounds. Researchers analyzed nearly 1,900 survey responses from new teachers in one of California's largest induction programs. Only 3.8% described their teaching in clearly equity-oriented terms, but those who did outlined a progression from including diverse voices to directly addressing systemic inequities, pointing to specific practices that preparation and induction programs can use to support more new teachers.

A student's choice of college major shapes long-term career outcomes and earnings, yet many capable students never consider certain fields without encouragement. This brief summarizes a study, published in Economics of Education Review, of whether a short, supportive email from a professor can influence students' course and major decisions. Using a regression discontinuity design with more than 10,000 students in a large introductory economics course at Texas A&M University, researchers found that receiving the email raised the likelihood of enrolling in the next economics course, with the largest effects for first-generation and underrepresented students. The email did not change students' ultimate major, minor, or projected earnings.

A student's choice of college major shapes long-term career outcomes and earnings, yet many capable students never consider certain fields without encouragement. This brief summarizes a study, published in Economics of Education Review, of whether a short, supportive email from a professor can influence students' course and major decisions. Using a regression discontinuity design with more than 10,000 students in a large introductory economics course at Texas A&M University, researchers found that receiving the email raised the likelihood of enrolling in the next economics course, with the largest effects for first-generation and underrepresented students. The email did not change students' ultimate major, minor, or projected earnings.

Black students in Texas experience the highest suspension rates among all racial groups and consistently perform below their peers on state assessments. Research shows these two problems are connected. This brief identifies urban schools in Texas that have achieved high academic performance while maintaining proportional suspension rates for Black students.

Using state and federal data from 2020–2021, researchers found that only 87 of 3,988 urban schools in Texas (2%) met both benchmarks. These schools, called DEEP schools (Disciplinary Excellence and Exemplary Performance), were mostly located near the Texas-Mexico border and in and around Houston and Dallas. They had more diverse teachers than average, but most did not have full-time counselors, social workers, or psychologists. These results show what Black students in Texas can achieve and point to where more support is needed.

Community colleges are a key pathway to higher education, but many students live too far to attend. This brief explores how driving distance to public colleges affects college enrollment and degree completion in Texas. It highlights that Hispanic, Black, and lower-income students are most impacted when access is limited.

Using data from all Texas public high school graduates (2013–2017), researchers found that students living more than 30 minutes from a community college are less likely to enroll or complete degrees. While White and higher-income students often select four-year schools, Hispanic, Black, and lower-income students are more likely to forgo college, thereby widening degree gaps up to eight years after graduation.

Kwok, A., & Macfarlane, K. O. (2025, February). Strengthening early-career teachers: Effective components of teacher induction programs (Overview Brief No. 32). EdResearch for Action; Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED671234

Svajda-Hardy, M., & Kwok, A. (2025). Extending culturally responsive classroom management to enhance contemporary classrooms: A conceptual framework. Texas Education Review. https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/58397

Bartanen, B., Avitabile, A., & Kwok, A. (2025). Who wants to be a teacher in America? (EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1275). Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED678193

Svajda-Hardy, M., & Kwok, A. (2025). Analyzing state-level training statutes to support classroom and behavior management. Education Finance and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1162/EDFP.a.424

Kisida, B., Bowen, D. H., Diemer, A., & Frankel, G. (2025). Say Something, Do Something: the impact of participatory theater on preventing and reducing violence and bullying. Arts Education Policy Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2025.2476958