Nicole Lawrence

Dr. Lawrence has a primary focus on designing and conducting community-based research and evaluation studies of programs serving at-risk children and their families across a range of disciplines including early childhood and elementary education, mental health, and social services/child welfare.  Her research interests were established through prior professional experiences in program development and management within non-profit organizations underscoring the needs for, and the challenges associated with, conducting research and evaluation of human services programs in community-based settings. Her work at the Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) at Duke University has provided the opportunity to bridge these areas through building partnerships with city, county, state, and non-profit agencies that serve children and families, for the shared purpose of collecting and analyzing data in “real time” to improve practice, enhance outcomes, inform policy, and contribute to the literature. Since joining CCFP in 2006, she had led or co-led 18 studies utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods and experimental and quasi-experimental designs.

Research Interests:

• Program Evaluation
• Child Maltreatment
• Education
• Children's Mental Health

• Ph.D. University of Nebraska, Lincoln - 2009
• M.P.P.A. California State University, Sacramento - 2001
• B.A. Sonoma State University - 1994