Erica Frankenberg

Erica Frankenberg is a professor of education and demography at Pennsylvania State University and associate director of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute. Her research focuses on school segregation, educational equity, civil rights, school choice, and how education policy shapes racial and socioeconomic opportunity. Frankenberg is the author or editor of more than 150 scholarly publications on education policy, school integration, and educational equity; her research has informed education policy, school districts, and federal civil rights efforts nationwide. Before joining Penn State, she served as research and policy director for the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is presently a fellow of the National Education Policy Center and received the American Educational Research Association's Early Career Award for distinguished scholarship. Frankenberg holds an EdD in education policy, an MEd from Harvard University, and an AB in education policy from Dartmouth College.

updated 2026