Research Scientist in the Houston Education Research Consortium at Rice University
About
Dr. Brian Holzman is a research scientist at the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) at Rice University. At HERC, he leads research projects that study and evaluate interventions, policies, and practices in Houston-area school districts. Dr. Holzman's research examines the pathway from middle school to and through college, paying particular attention to educational equity among first- and second-generation immigrants, english learners, students of color, and students from socioeconomically marginalized backgrounds. His ongoing work includes a study of recent immigrant students and school structures than enable their english language acquisition, as well as a study of pathways to and through STEM in the wake of a state policy change to high school graduation requirements. Dr. Holzman completed his graduate education at Stanford University, earning a master's degree in sociology and a PhD in sociology of education and higher education administration.
Current Work:
Dr. Holzman's research focuses on the barriers to college enrollment for students from marginalized backgrounds like immigrant and English learner students, racial/ethnic minorities, and students from lower-income families. His dissertation research studied the pathway to college for first- and second-generation immigrants, as well as undocumented students. Recently, he published two papers that examined race- and income-based gaps in the steps to college enrollment. Dr. Holzman's ongoing work has focused on high school course tracking, paying attention to differences by language, gender, and characteristics. He is also leading a project that examines recent immigrant students in the Houston metropolitan area and special schools that can help them learn English and adjust to U.S. life. In future work, he will evaluate a competitive program for low-income, high-achieving students and determine whether it impacts college enrollment.
Research Area(s):
- sociology of education; Higher Education; education policy analysis; quantitative research methods; race/ethnicity
