Publications

Introducing ERC Explains — a new series that breaks down the bills and policies shaping education in Texas, one topic at a time, in plain language. Our first installment covers Senate Bill 2 and the Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) program it created: how the $1 billion program is funded, who gets priority, what families receive, and what it changes for special education. This guide comes with a companion infographic.

Approximately 7.2 million students are identified with a disability in K-12 schools across the United States, representing 15% of total public school enrollment. Most of these students are educated alongside peers without disabilities, with 95% spending at least part of the school day in general education, inclusive settings. However, many teachers report feeling unprepared for this responsibility.

This brief summarizes a research study in The New Educator that investigates how education leaders believe teachers should be prepared to educate students with disabilities. The qualitative study interviewed 12 education leaders from multiple school divisions, all of whom had experience supporting students with disabilities. Their responses converged on a clear set of priorities for both what teachers should learn and how they should practice it.

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