MDRC is informing the education policy debate by bringing to the evaluation of education initiatives the rigor that has made it one of the nation’s most renowned sources of authority for what works in programs targeted to meet the needs of low-income populations.  more

Building Better After-School Programs Research suggests that after-school programs can make a difference in academic performance and socio-emotional development, but the record is far from consistent and the two rigorous studies of the largest federal programs found limited or no impacts on student outcomes. The logical next step is a systematic effort to improve the quality of federally funded after-school programs. Ninth-Grade Attendance Rates Predict High School Graduation OMB Director Peter Orszag: Using Rigorous Evidence to Drive Policy MDRC’s Study of Supplemental Literacy Classes for Ninth-Graders Added to the What Works Clearinghouse Career Academies Judged “Top Tier” in Effectiveness by Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy

Understanding Reading First What We Know, What We Don’t, and What’s Next Studies of Reading First released in 2008 found no overall effect on student reading comprehension, and the program was eliminated in 2009. However, the research findings were more nuanced than was widely reported, and they offer lessons for policymakers making critical choices today about how the federal government can best support the teaching of reading to young children. Reengaging High School Dropouts Early Results of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program Evaluation Using Student Data to Improve Teaching and Learning Findings from an Evaluation of the Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading (FAST-R) Program in Boston Elementary Schools The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study Findings from the Second Year of Implementation