Founded in 1974, MDRC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan social policy and education research organization. With a staff of nearly 200, we mount large-scale evaluations of government and community programs targeted to low-income people, develop and field-test promising new initiatives, provide technical assistance, and work to ensure that our evidence informs the design and implementation of policies and programs. We helped pioneer the use of random assignment — the most reliable evaluation methodology — in social policy research.

Our experts are available to discuss the results of MDRC’s studies in these policy areas:

• Family Well-Being and Child Development
  Strategies that benefit the social, emotional, and cognitive development of low-income children — some by improving the life prospects of parents and others by working directly with children.
  
  
• K-12 Education
  High school reform models, programs to raise literacy and math skills in elementary and middle schools, and school district-level and systemic reform initiatives.
  
  
• Young Adults and Postsecondary Education
  Initiatives designed to increase persistence and academic achievement among low-income students at community colleges.
  
  
• Low-Wage Workers and Working Communities
  Strategies to “make work pay” — providing financial supports that build a safety net around work while continuing to encourage employment — and to help low-income people find more stable jobs, advance, and achieve long-term self-sufficiency.
  
  
• Welfare and Barriers to Employment
  Tailored interventions for specific hard-to-employ groups that will dramatically expand the body of knowledge about how to address particular barriers to employment.