Erin is a PhD candidate in the Education Policy Studies Program in the College of Education. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., she spent five years teaching middle and high school English and social studies in high-needs schools throughout Colorado. During this time, she also served as an active member of the school's RTI team, school culture committee, AVID elective teacher, and data team lead. Her research focuses largely on policies and issues related to teacher retention in high poverty schools, particularly the ways recurring patterns of attrition effect teacher working environments and student outcomes. During her time at the University of Maryland, Erin worked for the Maryland Equity Project for three years writing policy and data briefs on teacher staffing and school discipline trends in the state of Maryland. She also worked with the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement supporting the center's continuous improvement efforts in low-income schools and leadership development work. Erin received her B.A. in English and political science, M.A. in communication from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, and teaching certification from the University of Denver.