Dana Robinson

Dana Robinson is a researcher in Mathematica’s Human Services Division who specializes in quantitative and qualitative research to inform programs and strengthen community investments in education. Her research focuses on K–12 and higher education, with an emphasis on bridging secondary and postsecondary education.

Robinson supports process-tracing analysis and helped develop the systems change crosswalk for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s P-16 Community Investment project. She analyzed qualitative data from interviews and focus groups to identify themes across the five P-16 communities. Her expertise helped compare systems change frameworks across a range of policy areas to identify implications for systems change practitioners, funders, and researchers.

Working with foundations and federal agencies, Robinson focuses on impact evaluations to understand the effectiveness of interventions to support students and educators. She recruits school districts and community-based organizations to participate in impact evaluations that test promising practices. Robinson is also a certified reviewer for the What Works Clearinghouse.

Robinson joined Mathematica in 2020. She holds an M.P.P. and an M.A. in higher education from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in economics from Duke University.