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2008 |
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Remarks on Accepting the Peter H. Rossi Award
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2008. Judith M. Gueron.
In a speech before the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference on November 7, 2008, Judith M. Gueron, President Emerita and Scholar in Residence at MDRC, accepted the Peter H. Rossi Award for Contributions to the Theory or Practice of Program Evaluation.
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Health Benefits for the Uninsured
Design and Early Implementation of the Accelerated Benefits Demonstration
Policy Brief
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2008. David Whittenburg, Peter Baird, Lisa Schwartz, and David Butler.
Many Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have serious and immediate health care needs, but, under current law, most are not eligible for Medicare until 24 months after they start receiving cash benefits. This policy brief describes a new project that is testing whether providing earlier access to health benefits, as well as other services, for new SSDI beneficiaries who have no other health insurance improves employment and health outcomes.
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The Impact of Two Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement
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U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance
2008. Michael S. Garet, Stephanie Cronen, Marian Eaton, Anja Kurki, Meredith Ludwig, Wehmah Jones, Kazuaki Uekawa, Audrey Falk, Howard S. Bloom, Fred Doolittle, Pei Zhu, and Laura Sztejnberg
This report presents findings on the effectiveness of two specific professional development strategies on improving the knowledge and practice of second-grade teachers in high-poverty schools and on the reading achievement of their students.
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Performance Trajectories and Performance Gaps as Achievement Effect-Size Benchmarks for Educational Interventions
Working Paper
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2008. Howard S. Bloom, Carolyn J. Hill, Alison Rebeck Black, and Mark W. Lipsey.
This MDRC working paper on research methodology explores two complementary approaches to developing empirical benchmarks for achievement effect sizes in educational interventions.
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Poverty and Philanthropy: Strategies for Change
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2008. Gordon Berlin.
This paper, by MDRC President Gordon Berlin, traces the economic and social trends that help explain the persistence of poverty, describes some of the unintended consequences of public policies that have exacerbated the challenges facing poor families, and discusses four overarching strategies to address one of the most powerful contributors to poverty: stagnant wages for low-income workers, particularly among men, young men, and men of color.
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Relationships, Rigor, and Readiness
Strategies for Improving High Schools
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2008. Janet Quint, Saskia Levy Thompson, and Margaret Bald, with Julia Bernstein and Laura Sztejnberg.
This report offers lessons from a conference sponsored by MDRC, the Council of the Great City Schools, and the National High School Alliance, which brought together leaders from 22 midsize school districts to describe their reform initiatives and to discuss ways in which research and evaluation can inform and complement school change.
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Implementation and Second-Year Impacts for New Deal 25 Plus Customers in the UK Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Demonstration
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UK Department for Work and Pensions
2008. Cynthia Miller, Helen Bewley, Verity Campbell-Barr, Richard Dorsett, Gayle Hamilton, Lesley Hoggart, Tatiana Homonoff, Alan Marsh, Kathryn Ray, James A. Riccio, and Sandra Vegeris.
This report published by the UK Department for Work and Pensions presents new findings on the effects of a program to help long-term unemployed individuals who receive government benefits in Great Britain and participate in a welfare-to-work program, New Deal 25 Plus, retain jobs and advance in the labor market.
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Designing a Marriage Education Demonstration and Evaluation for Low-Income Married Couples
Working Paper
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2008. Virginia Knox and David Fein.
This working paper introduces the Supporting Healthy Marriage evaluation, the first large-scale, multisite experiment that is testing voluntary marriage education programs for low-income married couples with children in eight sites across the country. The year-long programs consist of a series of marriage education workshops with additional family support services and referrals.
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A Comparison of Two Job Club Strategies
The Effects of Enhanced Versus Traditional Job Clubs in Los Angeles
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2008. David Navarro, Gilda Azurdia, and Gayle Hamilton.
This report, from the Employment Retention and Advancement Project, finds that unemployed welfare recipients in an enhanced job club had no better employment outcomes than participants in a traditional job club. At the end of the 18-month follow-up period, about half of both groups were employed.
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National High School Center Publishes Briefs for Practitioners by MDRC Experts
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The National High School Center has just released a set of briefs, authored by MDRC consultants Michael Bangser and Thomas J. Smith, that examine what is known about educational interventions that help students prepare for postsecondary education and employment.
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New Hope for the Working Poor
Effects After Eight Years for Families and Children
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2008. Cynthia Miller, Aletha C. Huston, Greg J. Duncan, Vonnie C. McLoyd, and Thomas S. Weisner.
Implemented in 1994 in Milwaukee, New Hope provided full-time, low-wage workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. A random assignment study shows positive effects for both adults and children, some of which persisted five years after the program ended.
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Empirical Issues in the Design of Group-Randomized Studies to Measure the Effects of Interventions for Children
Working Paper
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2008. Howard Bloom, Pei Zhu, Robin Jacob, Stephen Raudenbush, Andres Martinez, and Fen Lin.
This MDRC working paper on research methodology provides practical guidance for researchers who are designing studies that randomize groups to measure the impacts of interventions on children.
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Career Academies
Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood
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2008. James J. Kemple with Cynthia J. Willner.
Eight-year findings on Career Academies — a popular high school reform that combines academics with career development opportunities — show that the programs produced sustained employment and earnings gains, particularly among young men. Career Academy participants were also more likely to be living independently with children and a spouse or a partner.
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The Evaluation of Enhanced Academic Instruction in After-School Programs
Findings After the First Year of Implementation
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U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance
2008. Alison Rebeck Black, Fred Doolittle, Pei Zhu, Rebecca Unterman, and Jean Baldwin Grossman
This report presents one-year implementation and impact findings on two supplemental academic instruction approaches developed for after-school settings — one for math and one for reading. Compared with regular after-school programming, the supplemental math program had impacts on student SAT 10 test scores and the supplemental reading program did not — although the reading program had some effect on reading fluency.
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Welfare Time Limits
An Update on State Policies, Implementation, and Effects on Families
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Published with the Lewin Group.
2008. Mary Farrell, Sarah Rich, Lesley Turner, David Seith, and Dan Bloom.
One of the most controversial features of the 1990s welfare reforms was the imposition of time limits on benefit receipt. This comprehensive review, written by The Lewin Group and MDRC, includes analyses of administrative data reported by states to the federal government, visits to several states, and a literature review.
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Helping Community College Students Cope with Financial Emergencies
Lessons from the Dreamkeepers and Angel Fund Emergency Financial Aid Programs
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2008. Christian Geckeler with Carrie Beach, Michael Pih, and Leo Yan.
For low-income students, education can be easily derailed by a temporary financial emergency, like the loss of a job or a car repair. This final report offers lessons from two programs created by Lumina Foundation for Education that provide emergency grants or loans to help students at risk of dropping out. Eleven community colleges participated in Dreamkeepers, and 26 tribal colleges or universities participated in Angel Fund.
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The Employment Retention and Advancement Project
Results from the Valuing Individual Success and Increasing Opportunities Now (VISION) Program in Salem, Oregon
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2008. Frieda Molina, Wan-Lae Cheng, and Richard Hendra.
A program to promote better initial job placements, employment retention, and advancement among unemployed applicants to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program faced implementation challenges and had no employment-related impacts after one year of follow-up.
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Reading First Impact Study
Interim Report
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U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance
2008. Beth C. Gamse, Howard S. Bloom, James J. Kemple, and Robin Tepper Jacob.
This report, written by Abt Associates and MDRC and published by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, finds that Reading First increased the amount of time that teachers spent on the five essential components of reading instruction, as defined by the National Reading Panel. While Reading First did not improve students' reading comprehension on average, there are some indications that some sites had impacts on both instruction and reading comprehension. An overview puts these interim findings in context.
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The Learning Communities Demonstration
Rationale, Sites, and Research Design
Working Paper
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Published with the National Center for Postsecondary Research
2008. Mary G. Visher, Heather Wathington, Lashawn Richburg-Hayes, and Emily Schneider,with Oscar Cerna, Christine Sansone, and Michelle Ware.
Launched in 2007 by MDRC and the National Center for Postsecondary Research, the Learning Communities Demonstration is testing models of this promising approach in six community colleges in five states. This report describes the research design, including information about the colleges and their models, the random assignment process, data sources, analysis plans, and reporting schedule.
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Implementation and Second-Year Impacts for Lone Parents in the UK Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Demonstration
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UK Department for Work and Pensions
2008. James A. Riccio, Helen Bewley, Verity Campbell-Barr, Richard Dorsett, Gayle Hamilton, Lesley Hoggart, Alan Marsh, Cynthia Miller, Kathryn Ray, and Sandra Vegeris.
This report presents new and positive findings on the effects of Britain’s Employment Retention and Advancement demonstration. After two years, the program increased employment and earnings for single-parent participants. ERA offered a combination of job coaching and financial incentives to encourage low-income individuals to sustain employment and progress in work.
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The Employment Retention and Advancement Project
Results from Two Education and Training Models for Employed Welfare Recipients in Riverside, California
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2007. David Navarro, Stephen Freedman, and Gayle Hamilton.
Two education and training programs for employed, single-parent welfare recipients had small impacts on attendance in basic education or training overall but had larger impacts for disadvantaged groups. However, over two years, neither program increased employment and earnings levels overall or for any subgroup.
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A Good Start
Two-Year Effects of a Freshmen Learning Community Program at Kingsborough Community College
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2008. Susan Scrivener, Dan Bloom, Allen LeBlanc, Christina Paxson, Cecilia Elena Rouse, and Colleen Sommo, with Jenny Au, Jedediah J. Teres, and Susan Yeh.
Freshmen in a “learning community” at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, NY, moved more quickly through developmental English requirements, took and passed more courses, and earned more credits in their first semester than students in a control group. Two years later, they were also somewhat more likely to be enrolled in college.
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New Hope’s Eight-Year Impacts on Employment and Family Income
Working Paper
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2008. Greg Duncan, Cynthia Miller, Amy Classens, Mimi Engel, Heather Hill, and Constance Lindsay.
Implemented in 1994, New Hope provided full-time workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. This working paper examines the program’s impacts on employment and earnings, as well as on family income and poverty, up to eight years beyond the point of random assignment.
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New Hope’s Effects on Children’s Future Orientation and Employment Experiences
Working Paper
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2008. Vonnie C. McLoyd, Rachel Kaplan, and Kelly M. Purtell.
Implemented in 1994, New Hope provided full-time workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. This working paper examines the program’s impacts on children’s future orientation and employment experiences eight years after random assignment.
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Long-Term Effects of New Hope on Children’s Academic Achievement and Achievement Motivation
Working Paper
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2008. Aletha C. Huston, Jessica Thornton Walker, Chantelle J. Dowsett, Amy E. Imes, and Angelica Ware.
Implemented in 1994, New Hope provided full-time workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. This working paper examines the effects of New Hope on children’s academic achievement and achievement motivation eight years after random assignment.
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New Hope’s Effects on Social Behavior, Parenting, and Activities at Eight Years
Working Paper
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2008. Aletha C. Huston, Anjali E. Gupta, Alison C. Bentley, Chantelle Dowsett, Angelica Ware, and Sylvia R. Epps.
Implemented in 1994, New Hope provided full-time workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. This working paper examines the effects of New Hope on children’s social behavior, parent-child relationships, and participation in out-of-school activities eight years after random assignment.
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Helping Low-Wage Workers Persist in Education Programs
Lessons from Research on Welfare Training Programs and Two Promising Community College Strategies
Working Paper
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2008. Lashawn Richburg-Hayes.
This working paper, prepared for a conference sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, reviews what is known about education acquisition by low-wage workers and highlights promising strategies being tested at several community colleges.
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The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study
Early Impact and Implementation Findings
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U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance
2008. James J. Kemple, William Corrin, Elizabeth Nelson, Terry Salinger, Suzannah Herrmann, and Kathryn Drummond
This report presents early findings from a demonstration and random assignment evaluation of two supplemental literacy programs that aim to improve the reading comprehension skills and school performance of struggling ninth-grade readers. On average, the programs produced a positive, statistically significant impact on reading comprehension among students.
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The Employment Retention and Advancement Project
Impacts for Portland's Career Builders Program
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2008. Gilda Azurdia and Zakia Barnes.
A program in Portland, Oregon, to remove employment barriers and assist with job placement and employment retention and advancement for welfare applicants and recipients was never fully implemented and, not surprisingly, had no any effects on employment, earnings, or receipt of public assistance.
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Preparing High School Students for Successful Transitions to Postsecondary Education and Employment
Policy Brief
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National High School Center.
2008. Michael Bangser.
This issue brief, published by the National High School Center, highlights lessons from selected policies and programs designed to improve students’ preparation for life after high school.
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Striking the Balance
Career Academies Combine Academic Rigor and Workplace Relevance
Policy Brief
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National High School Center.
2008. Thomas J. Smith.
This “snapshot,” published by the National High School Center, takes a close look at implementation of the Career Academy model in one high school in Oakland, California.
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Evaluating the Impact of Interventions That Promote Successful Transitions from High School
Policy Brief
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National High School Center.
2008. Michael Bangser.
This research brief, published by the National High School Center, examines the challenges and opportunities presented in evaluating whether an intervention achieves defined goals of increasing students’ educational attainment, employment, and earnings after high school.
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2008
