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Institute for Education Policy Research & Evaluation

About Us

The Institute for Education Policy Research and Evaluation (IEPRE) at the University of Houston’s College of Education is a group of scholars and educational decision makers focused on improving P-20 education. IEPRE engages in evaluation of P-20 educational policy initiatives and translates research into evidence-based practice for decision makers, paying particular attention to the needs of historically underserved populations.  Through its research, policy evaluation, and dissemination of evidence-based practice, IEPRE hopes to improve educational quality and student success from preschool through college.

Mission

The mission of IEPRE is to produce research and provide academic and scholarly activities that contribute to the evidence-based discussion and development of sound educational policy, particularly policy focused on improving the experiences of groups historically underserved by the educational system.

Goals

  • Bring together diverse groups of key decision makers in P-20 education and educational policy
  • Provide stakeholders with access to relevant data, research, and recommendations for best-practice policy
  • Produce research (in collaboration with community partners) that is relevant for regional P-20 education policy
  • Translate educational policy research into best practice recommendations
  • Improve educational and economic opportunities at the regional level and beyond through increased evidenced-based educational decision-making.

Research

IEPRE engages in research serving our mission of evaluating educational policy impacting P-20 reform and student success.  Relevant research includes a wide variety of educational topics, with particular focus on the following areas:

  • Student access and success at all levels of education
  • Evaluation of educational reform initiatives
  • Closing the achievement gap and college readiness
  • Educational policy development and implementation
  • Education finance and affordability

IEPRE Director

Catherine “Cathy” Horn, Ph.D., serves as director of IEPRE. A Professor of Higher Education, she became dean of the UH College of Education in June 2023. She previously served as interim dean and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies.

Horn’s scholarship focuses on the systemic influences of secondary and postsecondary testing and related policies on the learning trajectories of students. She served as a research consultant on educational policy and higher education for numerous research institutions and organizations, including the World Bank.

Prior to joining the University of Houston, she worked as a research associate for The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University; senior research associate for the Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation and Educational Policy’s National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy at Boston College; and as a teacher at Northside (previously Davis) High School in the Houston Independent School District.

She has been honored with numerous awards, including a Fulbright Fellowship to Chile, a UH Teaching Excellence Award, and appointment as an American Council on Education Fellow. Horn was elected to serve as president of the Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education for a one-year term that began in May 2024. She was selected as an American Leadership Forum Fellow in 2023. She earned a Ph.D. from Boston College, an M.Ed. from UH and a B.A. from Rice University.