Name: Ericka Weathers
Title: Assistant Professor of Education
Department: Education Policy Studies
Phone: 814-863-3769
Email: esw71@psu.edu
Office address: 310C Rackley Building
Directory entry: https://ed.psu.edu/directory/esw71
Weathers’ research focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of racial and socioeconomic inequality in education, with particular focus on two overarching questions. The first area explores processes and contexts that lead to and/or are associated with racial and socioeconomic disparities in educational outcomes. The second area examines the role of K-12 education policies and programs in either reducing, maintaining or exacerbating educational inequality. Weathers believes that studying processes, contexts and policies can inform implementation and/or efforts to improve K-12 educational programs and policies in ways that promote educational equity. Her recent scholarship focuses on the relationship between school segregation and school funding disparities, the effects of school resource/police officers on student outcomes, racial disparities in special education decision points and the effects of truancy laws on educational outcomes. Her current work on truancy is supported by a Russell Sage/Gates Pipeline Initiative Grant. Weathers holds a doctorate in education policy from Stanford University, a master of arts in policy studies from the University of Washington Bothell and a bachelor of arts in psychology from Hampton University.