Lauren Scher

Lauren Scher has expertise in evaluation technical assistance, study design to support evidence use, and program evaluation. Her work focuses on K-12 education and family support programs and policies, including those aimed at reducing sexual and reproductive health risks.

Scher directs a project for the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education that provides technical support on evidence-building and evidence use, including the development and dissemination of guides and resources for education researchers. Scher is a partnership lead for the U.S. Department of Education’s Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, where she works closely with Delaware Department of Education leaders as they examine statewide implementation of a new educator evaluation tool. She also conducts systematic reviews for projects such as the What Works Clearinghouse.

Scher plays a lead role on technical assistance projects supporting the evaluation needs of recipients of teen pregnancy prevention grants funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs. In particular, she oversees technical assistance activities supporting grant recipients implementing rigorous impact evaluations of promising interventions aimed at reducing sexual and reproductive health risks.

Before joining Mathematica, Scher spent over a decade as founder and principal researcher at Concentric Research & Evaluation, a woman-owned small business. She holds an Ed.M. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Pennsylvania.