Erin Welch specializes in qualitative, implementation, and formative research on programs and policies that advance adult learning, professional development, and engagement in human services programs. She is passionate about building evidence to foster equity and is experienced in providing evidence-based technical assistance and using rapid-cycle evaluation methods to improve programs for families with low income and their children.
Since joining Mathematica in 2019, Welch has worked on a range of projects in K–12 education, employment, and family support. Currently, she is the deputy implementation and monitoring task lead of a study designed to understand the impact of a teacher leader role on student and teacher outcomes. She also serves as technical assistance lead and site coach to a large, urban human services agency as it revamps its approach to assessing and serving clients with low income. She employs human-centered design principles and the Learn, Innovate, Improve (LI2) framework to help agencies unpack the challenges they face and identify innovative opportunities for program improvement to better serve their clients.
In addition, Welch has helped recruit for national randomized controlled trials; designed data collection approaches for and collected data through literature reviews, site visits, and interviews; and led and conducted data analysis for several federal agencies. She is also a certified reviewer for the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, which systematically reviews evidence about employment and training programs for people with low income and synthesizes findings for use by practitioners. She served as the clearinghouse’s screening task lead, where she led a team in identifying and screening studies for review by the clearinghouse.
Before joining Mathematica in 2019, Welch spent nearly a decade working in K–12 education as an elementary school English/language arts teacher and in the nonprofit education sector. She holds a master's degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Education outcomes improve for students of color who are taught by a teacher of the same race or ethnicity. This blog post shares evidence of this and introduces how New Jersey is working to build an educator workforce that more closely reflects its diverse student body.
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