Julia Lyskawa

Julia Lyskawa’s research focuses on programs and policies for low-income families and their children. She specializes in translating research findings into products for practitioners.

Lyskawa conducts qualitative research in several policy areas, including employment and training, family support, nutrition, and early childhood education. She currently serves as a site lead for the Evaluation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training Pilots, providing technical assistance to state and provider staff. In this role, she leads the implementation data collection of Washington State’s pilot program and facilitates the collection of administrative data. She also collects data on the implementation and costs of providing high quality early childhood education and analyzes the data to inform development of a new measure for the field. As part of a project for the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, she designs and conducts studies and provides technical assistance to state and local education stakeholders focused on students’ career readiness. In the past, she documented promising practices in program coordination between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Investment Act programs that serve TANF recipients and other low-income families. She also worked on the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse for more than six years, systematically reviewing education research and translating the findings of rigorous evidence into practical recommendations for educators.

Lyskawa joined Mathematica in 2011. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.