Driving Policy Through Research

The Texas A&M University Education Research Center

This Spring, the Education Research Center (ERC) held its inaugural Colloquium, inviting leaders from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to share how faculty, researchers and students can make the most use of the state’s education data. The day reflected the center’s goal of connecting research to real-world decision making in education.

“The Educator Data, Research, and Strategy team greatly appreciated getting to join the ERC faculty, staff and students for a day of sharing research and data resources,” said Dr. Mark Olofson of TEA. “We look forward to continuing to learn from the research on education systems in Texas coming out of the center.”

Drs. Andrew Kwok (pictured) and Daniel Bowen lead ERC’s effort to support education researchers.

Housed in our college, the center serves as a hub where researchers can access the numbers, insights, and partnerships needed to help shape educational policy and practice in Texas and beyond. Under the leadership of Drs. Andrew Kwok and Daniel Bowen, the center is committed to conducting diverse and rigorous research across PK-16 education, sharing findings to drive systemic change and foster collaborations across disciplines and institutions.

One of those collaborations involved Dr. Sarah Nagro of our Department of Educational Psychology, who worked with ERC to strengthen her proposal for funding from the Office of Special Education Programs. “Their ability to connect researchers across disciplines and streamline complex processes not only strengthened the proposal itself but also fostered a culture of innovation and partnership,” said Nagro.

The center’s reach spans across all four CEHD departments, as well as the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the College of Arts and Sciences.

In the coming academic year, ERC will continue building connections and sharing expertise by hosting leading educational policy scholars on topics such as teacher preparation, K-12 effectiveness, and school choice. ERC also looks to convene an extended conference on research in higher education.

The ERC seeks to assist faculty and organizations with research needs, inform the public on leading evidence-based knowledge, and shape local and national policy on educational issues.

To stay up to date or contact the Education Research Center, click on the link: tx.ag/CEHDERC.

For media inquiries, contact Ruben Hidalgo.