Biraj Bisht

Doctoral Candidate · University of California, Irvine

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Education Policy at the University of California, Irvine, and a National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellow.

My research asks how K–12 schools can support students’ learning and connection to school by becoming more responsive to who students are and what they need. I study curriculum and pedagogy that connect learning to students’ lives, tutoring that responds to individual learning needs, and how schools organize and support the work of paraeducators. Using administrative data, causal inference, and natural language processing, I examine how these approaches shape students’ experiences, engagement, and academic outcomes, and how their design, implementation, and school context influence their effectiveness.

My work has been published in the American Educational Research Journal and Educational Researcher, and featured by Education Week, Brookings, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Previously, I was a Research Analyst at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, where I also completed my MA in Urban Education Policy. I received my BS in Economics from the University of Oregon's Clark Honors College.

CV (PDF) Google Scholar biraj.bisht@uci.edu

Research

Cultural Relevance at Scale: The Effects of an Ethnic Studies Expansion on Academic Outcomes

American Educational Research Journal · 2026 · Bisht, Bonilla, Kim & Penner

PDF EdWorkingPaper EdWorkingPaper Summary

Media SF Chronicle K–12 Dive The 74

Ethnic studies is a culturally relevant curriculum designed to address the instructional needs of an increasingly diverse student population. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of this curriculum at scale remains limited. This study evaluated the impact of districtwide implementation using a student-level difference-in-differences design with two-way fixed effects. We found that enrollment increased overall grade-point average by 0.17 points (0.24 SD), with the largest gains observed in math and science, and reduced course failure by 5.6 percentage points (0.14 SD). These benefits extended to all student groups, with stronger effects among academically vulnerable, male, Black and Latinx students and those with individualized education plans. Our findings suggest that well-implemented ethnic studies can be scaled effectively and can potentially reduce disparities in student outcomes.

The Inequity of Opt-in Educational Resources and an Intervention to Increase Equitable Access

Educational Researcher · 2025 · Robinson, Bisht & Loeb

PDF EdWorkingPaper

Media Hechinger Report Brookings Education Week

Billions of dollars are invested in opt-in educational resources to support struggling students. Yet there is no guarantee these students will use these resources. We report results from a school system's implementation of on-demand tutoring. The take-up was low. At baseline, only 19% of students ever accessed the platform, and low-performing students were even less likely to log in. We conducted a randomized controlled trial (N = 4,763) testing behaviorally informed messages directed at students and/or their parents to increase participation. Communications to students alone had no impact, whereas those to parents and students together increased usage by 46%. We found suggestive evidence that receiving these communications led to a four-percentage point decrease in course failures. Nonetheless, take-up remained low, highlighting that opt-in resources may increase—instead of reduce—inequality. Without targeted outreach, opt-in educational resources are unlikely to reach many students who could benefit.

Paraeducators: Growth, Diversity, and a Dearth of Professional Supports

Annenberg Institute EdWorkingPaper · 2022 · Bisht, LeClair, Loeb & Sun

EdWorkingPaper

Media FutureEd New America Education Week

Paraeducators perform multiple roles in U.S. classrooms, including among others preparing classroom activities, working with students individually and in small groups, supporting individualized programming for students with disabilities, managing classroom behavior, and engaging with parents and communities. Yet, little research provides insights into this key group of educators. This study combines an analysis of national administrative data to describe the paraeducator labor market with a systematic review of collective bargaining agreements and other job-defining documents in ten case-study districts. We find a large and expanding labor market of paraeducators, far more diverse along ethnic and racial lines than certified teachers but with far lower wages, fewer performance incentives, less professional development, and fewer opportunities for advancement within the profession.

Works in Progress

Curriculum and Students' Connection to School: Evidence from Districtwide Ethnic Studies

What Do Ethnic Studies Syllabi Reveal? A Computational Text Analysis of Pedagogical Quality and Student Outcomes

Why AI Tutoring Systems Struggle to Achieve Meaningful Implementation: A Districtwide Case Study

Race Match and Cultural Relevance: Mechanisms of Impact in Ethnic Studies Classrooms

Contact

I welcome questions about my research or potential collaborations. Please feel free to reach out for drafts or more information on any of my papers.

Email

biraj.bisht@uci.edu

Office

School of Education
University of California, Irvine