Education Policy Speaker Series

Dr. Ericka Weathers
Assistant Professor – University of Pennsylvania

Ericka Weathers is an assistant professor in Penn GSE’s Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems division. She studies the causes and consequences of inequality in K–12 education as well as the effects of K–12 policies on student and school outcomes.

Professor Weathers’ work has been funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She serves on the editorial board of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and co-chairs the Association of Education Finance and Policy’s Scholars of Color Community Group. Professor Weathers was named a 2021 Spencer Foundation/National Academy of Education postdoctoral fellow for her work on racial disparities in special education decision points.

Research Interests and Current Projects
Professor Weathers uses quasi-experimental research methods to conduct K–12 education policy research that is informed by sociological perspectives. Her research focuses on racial and socioeconomic inequality, with an emphasis on two overarching questions. First, what are the processes and contexts that lead to and/or are associated with racial and socioeconomic disparities in education? Second, how might K–12 education policies, practices, and programs reduce or exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequality in education? More specifically, the first arm of her research is about mechanisms, whereas the second arm is about the effects of specific education policies. Professor Weathers believes that studying these mechanisms and education policies can inform implementation and/or efforts to improve K–12 educational programs and policies in ways that promote educational equity. Her current areas of focus include truancy, special education, school segregation, and school officers.