Swail chose this focus because these student populations tend to be the primary target of the majority of educational policy programs, while their voices are simultaneously under-represented in the policy-making arena.

As the economy has become increasingly global, EPI supports the notion that students must be armed with skills that set them up for success in a competitive and technologically savvy market.

[3] EPI's areas of expertise include policy analysis, research design and evaluation, management solutions, data collection and professional development.

[4] EPI designs and directs research and evaluation studies for organizations, schools and government agencies to answer questions that contribute to a better understanding of K-12 and postsecondary education and how to improve student outcomes.

Recent projects include evaluations of federally funded initiatives including the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program,[5] GEAR UP, Reading First,[6] Safe Schools/Healthy Students,[7] Teacher Quality Partnership,[8] Teaching American History,[9] Title II Improving Teacher Quality,[10] and Title III Strengthening Institutions;[11] evaluation design and metrics development for the Library of Congress and the Texas Education Agency; policy analysis for the National Council on Disability; and research and policy studies and technical assistance related to postsecondary student success for DeVry, the Imagine America Foundation,[12] and TG.