Educational Policy Institute

The Educational Policy Institute's mission is:

To expand educational opportunity for low-income and other historically-underrepresented students through high-level research and analysis. By providing educational leaders and policymakers with the information required to make prudent programmatic and policy decisions, we believe that the doors of opportunity can be further opened for all students, resulting in an increase in the number of students prepared for, enrolled in, and completing postsecondary education.{{cite web |url=http://educationalpolicy.org/aboutus/ourmission.html |title=Our Mission |publisher=Educational Policy Institute |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825022412/http://www.educationalpolicy.org/aboutus/ourmission.html |archive-date=2010-08-25 |url-status=dead }}{{Primary source inline|date=July 2020}}

In 2002, Dr. Watson Scott Swail founded EPI to establish stronger connections between educational research and educational policy, with an emphasis on historically underserved communities such as students from low-income families, students of color, and students with disabilities. Swail chose this focus because these student populations tend to be the primary target of the majority of educational policy programs, while their voices are simultaneously under-represented in the policy-making arena. This discrepancy points to the need for a greater understanding of what factors have the greatest influence on their educational outcomes.{{cite web |url=http://educationalpolicy.org/aboutus/whatisepi.html |title=Educational Policy Institute |publisher=Educationalpolicy.org |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825022423/http://www.educationalpolicy.org/aboutus/whatisepi.html |archive-date=2010-08-25 |url-status=dead }}

Another research focus for EPI is the expansion of access to educational opportunities that are found to be of high quality, with the rationale that access is only relevant if it is to a quality learning experience. As the economy has become increasingly global, EPI supports the notion that students must be armed with skills that set them up for success in a competitive and technologically savvy market. Thus, EPI recognizes the rising need for students to attain postsecondary degrees, and focuses a great deal of its research on the ability of underserved student populations to matriculate through and graduate from higher education institutions, including the financial and social challenges that come along with this goal.

EPI's areas of expertise include policy analysis, research design and evaluation, management solutions, data collection and professional development.{{cite web|url=http://www.educationalpolicy.org/epicompetencies_focus/default.htm |title=EPI COMPETENCIES_FOCUS |publisher=Educational Policy Institute |accessdate=2010-01-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114010400/http://www.educationalpolicy.org/epicompetencies_focus/default.htm |archivedate=January 14, 2010 }}

EPI designs and directs research and evaluation studies for organizations, schools and government agencies to answer questions that contribute to a better understanding of K-12 and postsecondary education and how to improve student outcomes. EPI designs and conducts research experiments, engages in evaluation research and survey development, and conducts data analysis. Recent projects include evaluations of federally funded initiatives including the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program,{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.html |title=Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs |publisher=United States Department of Education |date=2009-11-13 |accessdate=2010-01-20}} GEAR UP, Reading First,{{cite web |url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html |title=Reading First |website=www.ed.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031011045858/http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html |archive-date=2003-10-11}} Safe Schools/Healthy Students,{{cite web |url=http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov/ |title=School violence, Federal grants at Safe Schools / Healthy Students |publisher=Sshs.samhsa.gov |date=2009-11-03 |accessdate=2010-01-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131093227/http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov/ |archivedate=2010-01-31 }} Teacher Quality Partnership,{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/tqpartnership/index.html |title=Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Program - Office of Innovation and Improvement |publisher=United States Department of Education |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} Teaching American History,{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/index.html |title=Teaching American History |publisher=United States Department of Education |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} Title II Improving Teacher Quality,{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/index.html |title=Improving Teacher Quality State Grants |publisher=United States Department of Education |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} and Title III Strengthening Institutions;{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/iduestitle3a/index.html |title=Title III Part A Programs - Strengthening Institutions |publisher=United States Department of Education |date=2010-01-06 |accessdate=2010-01-20}} evaluation design and metrics development for the Library of Congress and the Texas Education Agency; policy analysis for the National Council on Disability; and research and policy studies and technical assistance related to postsecondary student success for DeVry, the Imagine America Foundation,{{cite web|url=http://www.imagine-america.org/ |title=Imagine America Foundation | Scholarships for Education |publisher=Imagine-america.org |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} and TG.{{cite web|url=http://www.tgslc.org/ |title=Student Loan Guarantee | FFELP | TG Online |publisher=Tgslc.org |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} EPI's research and evaluation team includes researchers from around the world, who are matched to specific projects based on prior experience and expertise.

EPI has developed several software products to support educators. In 2006, EPI developed the Institutional Student Retention Assessment (ISRA),{{cite web|url=http://www.isra-online.com/ |title=Institutional Student Retention Assessment |publisher=Isra-online.com |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} which serves as a web-based campus audit system focused on student retention. The ISRA was developed with funding from Lumina Foundation for Education.{{cite web|author=Lumina Foundation for Education |url=http://www.luminafoundation.org/ |title=Helping People Achieve Their Potential |publisher=Lumina Foundation |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} That same year, with support from TG, EPI created the Effective Practices in Student Success (EPSS){{cite web |url=http://www.educationalpolicy.org/epss/ |title=EPSS |publisher=Educational Policy Institute |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527212412/http://www.educationalpolicy.org/epss/ |archive-date=2010-05-27 |url-status=dead }} database. The EPSS currently includes 141 programs from across the US and Canada with evidence-based strategies for postsecondary access and success. In 2007, EPI created the Retention Calculator,{{cite web |url=http://www.educationalpolicy.org/calculator/ |title=EPI - Retention Calculator |publisher=Educational Policy Institute |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210055046/http://www.educationalpolicy.org/calculator/ |archive-date=2010-02-10 |url-status=dead }} which calculates the benefit-cost of saving or losing students in higher education institutions and systems. EPI unveiled the EPI-DAS in 2009,{{cite web|url=http://www.educationalpolicy.org/epicompetencies_focus/epidas/epidas.html |title=EPI DAS |publisher=Educational Policy Institute |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} a longitudinal data management system that can be used in conjunction with GEAR UP and other education initiatives to track individual students, collect and analyze data, and generate reports based on findings. EPI-DAS is designed to meet the reporting requirements of the federal government under the No Child Left Behind Act.{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml |title=No Child Left Behind |publisher=United States Department of Education |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}}

In the realm of professional development, EPI frequently hosts workshops, conferences, and webinars to support and inform professionals in the field of education research and policy.

• Member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD){{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/ |title=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |publisher=Oecd.org |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}}
• Member of the Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) forum{{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe |title=Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE):Department |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}}
• Member of the American Evaluation Association{{cite web|url=http://www.eval.org/ |title=American Evaluation Association |publisher=Eval.org |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}}
• Endorsing partner of the Data Quality Campaign{{cite web|url=http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/ |title=Data Quality Campaign |publisher=Data Quality Campaign |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}}
• Sponsor of the We Promise Foundation,{{cite web|url=http://www.wepromisefoundation.com/ |title=We Promise Foundation |publisher=Wepromisefoundation.com |date= |accessdate=2010-01-20}} a nonprofit organization dedicated to making dreams come true for children who struggle with severe illnesses and tremendous hardship

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Category:Education policy organizations in the United States