Walter Herring is a Researcher at Mathematica. He earned his PhD in Education Policy Studies from the University of Virginia.
Prior to entering graduate school, Walter taught Algebra I in his hometown of Dallas, Texas, and later worked as a data analyst and program manager at an education non-profit in San Jose, California. In each of these positions, he witnessed the central and complex role that data-driven decision making plays in education. He entered graduate school to develop a skill set that would allow him to help education stakeholders wield the increasing amount of information available to them to drive equitable decisions for students.
In this vein, Walter’s research explores how stakeholders can leverage data from kindergarten entry assessments, statewide longitudinal data systems, and other sources to highlight inequities and inform decision making in the early elementary grades. His current projects demonstrate how these emerging data can be used to document disparities in children’s early reading outcomes and inform intervention resource allocation decisions at the state and district levels.
PhD in Education Policy Studies, 2022 (Expected)
University of Virginia
MPP in Public Policy, 2019
University of Virginia
BA in Public Policy, 2013
Stanford University
We leverage unique data from a statewide kindergarten readiness assessment to explore whether the relationship between early skills and third-grade reading outcomes varies by race and socioeconomic status.
We leverage unique data from a statewide kindergarten readiness assessment to explore whether the relationship between early skills and third-grade reading outcomes varies by race and socioeconomic status.
I combine information from a kindergarten entry assessment and a statewide longitudinal data system to explore how these emerging data could improve the accuracy of intervention identification. Manuscript available upon request.
We document large increases in the proportion of kindergarten and first-grade students identified as considerably behind in their acquisition of literacy skills in the fall of 2020 relative to prior years.
Louisiana requires all lead teachers in publicly funded child care centers to earn a new credential called the Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate (ECAC). We administered a survey to leaders of programs that offer ECAC coursework to better understand the barriers that teachers face en route to earning the credential.
Co-instructor: Fall 2019, University of Virginia
TA: Fall 2018, University of Virginia
Instructor: Summer 2018, Summer 2019, University of Virginia
Teacher: 2013-2015, WW Samuell High School
I started bird watching as a way to get outside during the COVID-19 pandemic and am keeping a running tally of my currently-humble list of “lifer” species.
For the last four years, my program-mate Brian Kim and I have created a series of goofy holiday cards ( click here for the 2021 edition). Brian does the design and most of the thinking, I’m more of an “ideas guy”.