Bio

Rachel is a researcher and data analyst interested in using evidence to develop policy that will improve outcomes for children and families. She is primarily interested in equitable access to publicly-funded early care and education, but her interests and experience also include K-12 education policy, social policy, and parenting. She has a strong background in applied quantitative research, including working directly with the Delaware Department of Education. She is also skilled in qualitative and mixed-methods research, including conducting and coding interviews, content analysis, and survey development. Her dissertation work involves a mixed-methods study focusing on state pre-kindergarten expansion, including a qualitative document analysis identifying cross-state patterns in successful approaches to pre-kindergarten expansion, and a quantitative study of the causal impact of state pre-kindergarten expansions on maternal employment.

She will defend her dissertation this fall, and she is currently on the job market.

Degrees

University of Delaware, PhD in Education and Social Policy, expected Fall 2025

University of Delaware, M.A. in Education and Social Policy, May 2024

University of Central Florida, B.S. in Psychology, May 2020

​PhD Advisor

Dr. Anamarie Whitaker