Centers and Institutes
In addition to our five departments of academic study, the College of Education is proud to be the home of the following research institutes, centers and support offices.
These programs have their own administrative offices and are affiliated with the research conducted by our faculty and graduate students. Each center aims to increase the knowledge and practices of teaching and learning from multiple perspectives of education.
Center for Applied Psychometric Research
The Center for Applied Psychometric Research is dedicated to providing cutting-edge statistical and psychometric research and evaluation services to further educational improvements at the K-12 and higher education levels and to inform educators, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders in the education process.
Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE)
CCCSE, a service and research initiative, assists institutions and policymakers in using information to promote improvements in student learning, persistence and attainment by delivering “aha” moments about the student experience based on insights that matter. Since its founding in 2001, more than 70% of the nation’s community colleges have participated multiple times in a CCCSE survey.
The Fitness Institute of Texas
The Fitness Institute of Texas (FIT) opened in 2001 to enhance the education of UT students and to provide the greater Austin community with a resource to design and execute health-related research. Initially focused on conducting fitness assessments, FIT began offering nutritional services and Get FIT, a 12-week group exercise and weight loss program in 2008. At this time, FIT conducts more than 2,000 assessments and works with approximately 500 Get FIT participants each year.
H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
The H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports is a research center housed within the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education. It is a unique combination of library, archive, and gallery/exhibit space featuring The Joe and Betty Weider Museum of Physical Culture.
Institute for Public School Initiatives
The Institute for Public School Initiatives focuses on improving student performance from preschool through high school via strategic partnerships with UT institutions, community colleges, school districts and state agencies.
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk
The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk is dedicated to generating and disseminating empirically validated knowledge and practices to influence educators, researchers, policy-makers, families and other stakeholders who are striving to reduce academic, behavioral and social risk in all learners, particularly those with disabilities.
National Deaf Center
As deaf people leave high school and prepare for college or careers, the National Deaf Center (NDC) wants them to succeed. Our research shows that deaf people are not completing college degrees, getting jobs or earning as much as hearing people. We’re here to change that.
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD)
NISOD provides budget-friendly, high-quality and faculty-focused programs and resources for community and technical colleges that want to make the most of their professional development dollars. For over 40 years, NISOD has aligned a wide array of benefits with the needs of our members, which explains why the American Association of Community Colleges named NISOD, “The country’s leading provider of professional development for community college faculty, staff, and administrators.”
Texas Center for Education Policy
The Texas Center for Education Policy engages in extensive research, analysis, development, and implementation of state educational policy. The center is dedicated to defining major policy issues and assessing the effectiveness of various policy-development strategies and alternatives.
Texas Center for Equity Promotion
TexCEP supports and conducts high quality applied culturally-centered research, disseminates evidence-based information, and trains future professionals regarding the nature, origins, contexts, effects, and elimination of inequalities in education and health. TexCEP focuses on populations burdened with the greatest impact of educational and health disparities as a result of adverse social and economic conditions.
Texas Education Research Center (Texas ERC)
The Texas ERC provides access to longitudinal, student-level data for scientific inquiry and policymaking purposes. Since its inception in 2006, the Texas ERC’s goal has been to bridge the gap between theory and policy by providing a cooperative research environment for study by both scholars and policy makers.
University of Texas High School Special Purpose District
The University of Texas at Austin High School Special Purpose District (UTHSD) consists of two virtual high schools that provide full-time or part-time instruction featuring award-winning courses to Texans and non-Texans alike. UTHSD also engages in partnerships with school districts, providing curricula, assessments and professional development while also helping school districts launch their own full-time virtual academies with UTHSD’s online courses.
The Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts
The Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts provides information to educators statewide and nationally about research-based effective practices in the teaching of reading and language arts. The center aims to promote academic success for students in Texas and across the nation.
