MDRC

Historically disinvested neighborhoods, shaped by harmful public policy and industry practices, have long been a part of the urban landscape in the United States. This report examines one approach to addressing that problem, known as Purpose Built Communities. It currently operates in 28 locations around the country and aims to foster thriving, mixed-income communities by focusing on small geographic areas and three domains: mixed-income housing, education, and community wellness. A nonprofit organization called a “Community Quarterback” (CQB) operates the model, in collaboration with local partners, in each neighborhood. In 2020, RWJF selected MDRC to evaluate the model in five communities that were among the first to adopt it. The study combines qualitative research and quantitative outcomes analysis and covers roughly the first 10 years after these CQBs began operations — a relatively short time frame for such efforts. The study illustrates a novel way of addressing the important issue of statistical uncertainty in measuring change over time in small areas.

The transition from high school into postsecondary education and a career has become particularly challenging given today’s complex, fast-moving, and highly technological economy. To combat this problem, one approach widely adopted is the career academy model, which combines a college-preparatory and career and technical curriculum with a career theme and is often structured as a small learning community within a larger high school. A landmark MDRC randomized controlled trial of career academies, starting in the mid-1990s, found sustained earnings gains for academy participants in the eight years after expected high school completion. Shifts in the labor market, reforms to secondary education, and a growth in both high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates across the United States prompt new questions about how participating in career academies may affect current students’ academic and labor outcomes. To answer these questions, MDRC is conducting a long-term randomized controlled trial of California Partnership Academies (CPAs), which are partially state-funded career academies within high schools across California. This report explores the impacts of CPAs on students’ high school graduation and college readiness at the end of high school as well as their college enrollment during the first year after graduation.

This guide is intended to support early childhood education (ECE) coaches in building a foundation for strong partnerships with teachers and to ease some of the challenges encountered during the initial stages of implementing a curriculum-based coaching initiative. It is based on technical assistance provided by MDRC and MEF Associates to coaches and ECE centers as part of the?ExCEL Quality project, a large-scale study of approaches to improve classroom quality in preschool classrooms. This technical assistance was designed to support coaches focusing on curriculum implementation in Head Start and community-based child care centers serving a high proportion of children from families with low incomes. However, many of the strategies presented here can be applied to other types of coaching efforts as well.

MDRC's SaraJane David invites undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students to apply for 2025 summer #internships and #fellowships in the Gueron Scholars Program! Info on how to apply: https://lnkd.in/e78Znjpp

Scenes from MDRC's 50th anniversary reception at the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management Fall Research Conference in National Harbor, Maryland! Thanks to all our friends and colleagues for celebrating with us! #2024APPAM #MDRCat50 #MDRC50

Excited to attend #2024APPAM! Enjoyed moderating a terrific session featuring Jared Barnett, Melissa Wavelet, and Britany Orlebeke on leveraging data insights and the evidence base to inform policy and practice decision making. Appreciating their thought leadership on this important topic!

Come join SkillUp Coalition, MDRC, Jobs for the Future (JFF), and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a virtual conversation grounded towards unlocking the potential of STARS (individuals skilled through alternative routes) with human-centered AI! Save the date for December 11 at 1:00 PM/ET or register to catch the recording! https://lnkd.in/gDPM48XB

I would definitely recommend this opportunity! I had an incredible experience as an undergraduate intern in the Gueron Scholars Program this past summer.

The Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management Annual Conference is off to a great start! #2024APPAM

"There is evidence that when students from lower-income backgrounds or from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups participate in CTE, they may benefit from it even more than more affluent, more widely represented students. There is also evidence that students with disabilities who take CTE courses and programs are more likely to graduate on time and to earn industry-recognized credentials than their peers." -Rachel Rosen & Joshua Malbin