Skip to main content

Policy Briefs

IEPRE BRIEF 1.1                                                    

UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT ACCESS TO IN-STATE TUITION

As the 84th Texas legislature authors Keough (R) and Tinderholt (R) file House Bill 360, which would deny undocumented students in-state resident tuition if they are unable to provide citizenship or lawful residency verification, the topic of undocumented student college access is again debatable in the state.  Since Texas enacted in-state tuition to undocumented students (HB 1403; SB 1528) in 2001, there have been 18 other states that have established similar legislation while others either have rescinded or banned such policies. The studies in this brief illustrate the effect in-state tuition policies for undocumented youth have on such issues as state level high school completion, college persistence, and college completion.  Read more about the effects of the policy on states with in-state tuition compared to states without an in-state tuition policy for undocumented students. (Read more)

IEPRE BRIEF 1.2

TEACHER RETENTION THROUGH MENTORSHIP

High quality teacher retention is essential.  In Texas, after five years in the profession, 28.8% of beginning teachers leave the teaching force.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board identifies four key components to retaining effective teachers, including, the development of mentorship programs to support beginning teachers and principal and administration leadership. Although current Texas statute, TEC §21.458(a), does not require school districts to provide mentors to beginning teachers, rigorous scholarship  in the field of teacher retention  recognizes the positive impact teacher retention has on student learning. (Read more)