ERC board approves multiple research proposals on career certifications, financial aid, dual enrollment, school health and pollution impacts

The Education Research Center (ERC) board approved seven research proposals on Oct. 25, 2025, advancing studies on industry-based certifications, the role of financial-aid uncertainty in college application decisions, a centralized dual-enrollment model, the effects of school health staffing, peer effects on upward mobility and the academic impacts of pollution exposure.

The approvals cover projects from university and research partners including University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), UT El Paso, Washington University in St. Louis, the American Institutes for Research, Harvard and the University of Texas at Austin. Several approvals were unanimous; three proposals were approved with clarifying amendments requiring additional documentation or justification from researchers.

The actions move forward both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Holly Hurd presented a proposal, jointly led with UTRGV and UT El Paso, to examine how industry-based certifications (IBCs) awarded in high school align with CTE programs of study and local occupational needs. Hurd said the project will “investigate the provision of industry based certifications in high school and to determine how well they're aligned or misaligned with career preparation course taking.” She also said the team will study whether IBCs correspond to wage attainment within two years after high school.

Nathan (PhD student, Washington University in St. Louis) proposed a study of financial-aid uncertainty and its role in undermatching. He described using the Texas top-10% automatic-admission rule to separate admissions uncertainty from aid uncertainty and wrote that the design “becomes a window into how financial aid uncertainty specifically is influencing application behavior.” The ERC approved that…