Erica Frankenberg

Erica Frankenberg is a Professor of Education and Demography in the College of Education at Pennsylvania State University. She also serves as Associate Director of the Penn State Social Science Research Institute, is an affiliate faculty member at Penn State Law, and is a research associate for the Population Research Institute. Dr. Frankenberg directs Penn State's Center for Education and Civil Rights, which uses research to inform policy and law to expand access to educational opportunity and reduce racial inequality in education.

Her educational background includes:

• Ed.D. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy-Research from Harvard University
• M.Ed. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University
• A.B. in Education Policy from Dartmouth College

Dr. Frankenberg's research focuses on racial desegregation and inequality in K-12 schools, examining the connections between school segregation and other metropolitan policies. Her work explores how demographic patterns relate to school segregation, the relationship between housing and school segregation, and how school choice policies affect racial and economic stratification. She has conducted extensive research on the implementation of diversity policies following the Supreme Court's 2007 voluntary integration decision.

Her research has been cited in U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and she has served as an expert witness in numerous school desegregation cases. Dr. Frankenberg has received funding from prestigious organizations including the National Science Foundation, Spencer Foundation, and W.T. Grant Foundation.

Her notable awards and recognitions include:

• Named one of education's most influential scholars (EdWeek, January 2017)
• Fellow of the National Education Policy Center
• Member of the National Coalition for School Diversity's Research Advisory Panel

Dr. Frankenberg has advised numerous school districts on integration policies and has co-planned voluntary integration convenings with the U.S. Department of Education. She serves as the only researcher on Connecticut's statewide advisory committee regarding one of the nation's leading school desegregation cases.

She has directed several research projects examining suburban racial change, school district responses to Supreme Court decisions on integration, and the impact of school choice policies on segregation. Her work combines demographic analysis with policy evaluation to address educational inequality.