Data and Research at Craft
Our team conducts research on work-based learning, registered apprenticeships, and workforce development to enable data-driven decision-making for policymakers and partners.
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Objectives and Mission
Ending the skilled labor shortage takes perspective and depth, compliance and clarity, investigation and momentum. Craft brings it all together through the workforce education data platform designed to integrate labor and learning.
Mission Expansion
To expand what Craft can do with its platform, the research team helps to generate the data, insights, and evidence needed to accelerate this work and promote economic mobility nationwide.
Research Leadership
Patricia Saenz-Armstrong is our Head of Data & Research. She leads teacher workforce dashboards across five states and researches teacher diversity, compensation, and education policy.
Impact Partnerships
Forming impactful partnerships with philanthropy, academia, research groups, and government agencies to boost the reach and influence of Craft research.
Examples of our Work
We partner with states and institutions to build data dashboards and tools that translate complex workforce and education data into clear, actionable insights—helping policymakers, educators, and workforce leaders identify talent gaps, align programs to demand, and make informed decisions.
In Indiana, we are working with the Department of Education and the Chamber of Commerce on a multi-phase initiative to map work-based and blended learning programs, develop a shared taxonomy, and assess data availability. Building on this foundation, we then conduct a rigorous evaluation to estimate impacts on retention, completion, employment, and earnings— turning those findings into practical guidance for scaling what works.
Our research portfolio examines critical workforce challenges, including educator workforce dynamics, data system capacity, and access to preparation pathways. We also develop frameworks and tools to support decision-making across the ecosystem—from standardizing and automating key metrics to building ROI frameworks that help employers and partners assess the value of workforce investments.
We work with national and state leaders to define and operationalize shared data standards for work-based learning and apprenticeships. We collaborate with leading organizations and research partners—including Apprenticeships for America, the Aspen Institute, Arnold Ventures, and SHEEO—to expand the reach and impact of Craft-enabled research, strengthen the evidence base for workforce innovation, and inform policy and practice nationwide.
Team Skills
Our team brings a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary skill set that blends rigorous methods, domain depth, and modern analytics.
Clear methods, reliable results
Design, Evaluate, and Explain What Works
We run causal and descriptive analyses, mixed methods and qualitative studies, and full program and policy evaluations. We add policy analysis, forecasting, and web scraping to answer practical questions with evidence you can trust.
Focused domains, practical impact
Economics, Workforce, Education, Strategy
We work in public economics, workforce development, education policy and the economics of education, and organizational strategy. This mix helps us connect learning to labor markets and deliver insights that move programs forward.
Modern tools, usable outputs
From Raw Data to Ready Decisions
We build and analyze data with Databricks, Stata, SQL, Python, SAS, Google Colab, Tableau, Power BI, Salesforce, R, and ThoughtSpot. The outcome is clean datasets, clear dashboards, and analytics that support fast, confident decisions.
Meet Our Team
Patricia Saenz-Armstrong
Head of Data & Research
Ph.D., Economics (George Mason); M.S., Economics (Texas A&M). Leads teacher workforce dashboards across five states and researches teacher diversity, compensation, and education policy.
Patricia Saenz-Armstrong is Head of Data & Research at Craft, leading data strategy and research to strengthen workforce systems, with deep expertise in education, workforce, and policy. She directs a team that generates data-driven insights to inform workforce strategy, policy, and practice.
Stephanie Quinn
Senior Business Analyst
Ph.D. English (BGSU); M.S. Finance (CSU Global); Ed.S. Admin & Leadership (BGSU); Certification: Data Science & Business Analytics. Builds dashboards and datasets to inform state workforce strategies and policies.
Jorge Ugaz
Senior Research Scientist
Ph.D. Public Policy (UChicago); M.A. Public Policy (Georgetown). Designs evidence-based education-to-employment strategies; leads evaluations and partnerships; focuses on access, quality, equity, and financing.
Nell Williams
Senior Research Analyst
Ph.D. Education Policy (UPenn); M.A. Statistics (UPenn); M.A. Science Education (Brooklyn College). Analyzes administrative data; builds workforce dashboards; authors industry reports; conducts quantitative analyses and mixed-methods research focused on equitable access.
Collaborate With Our Research Team
Do you have a project, grant, or question to pursue?
Fill out this form to get in touch with our research team, or email Patricia at: patricia.saenz-armstrong@crafteducation.com.
If you're looking for a demo of the platform, you can connect with our sales team here.