Teach For America
 "Quality in the Classroom: How Does Teach for America Measure Up?" Trends in Education Research, Issue Brief #1. Paul Decker, Daniel Mayer, and Steven Glazerman, August 2004. This four-page issue brief summarizes findings from Mathematica's evaluation of Teach For America. The researchers found that TFA teachers outperformed non-TFA teachers in the same schools in math and achieved the same results in reading. However, TFA teachers also reported greater challenges in managing their classrooms. TFA and non-TFA teachers had very different educational and teacher preparation backgrounds, with TFA teachers generally coming from more competitive undergraduate backgrounds but with less formal teacher training. However, non-TFA teachers came from a diversity of backgrounds and preparation, with many entering the profession without substantial teacher training. Read a related discussion paper.
Ticket to Work
 “Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program.” Craig Thornton, Gina Livermore, David Stapleton, John Kregel, Tim Silva, Bonnie O’Day, Thomas Fraker, W. Grant Revell, Jr., Heather Schroeder, and Meredith Edwards, February 2004. Examines early implementation issues and findings on enrollment and participation patterns in the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program, which attempts to increase access to, and the quality of, rehabilitation and employment services available to Social Security disability beneficiaries. Emerging issues include low beneficiary participation, difficulty with recruitment and retention of employment networks (ENs), uncertain financial viability of ENs, and marketing challenges.
 “Implementing Programs to Strengthen Unwed Parents’ Relationships: Lessons from Family Connections in Alabama.” M. Robin Dion and Debra A. Strong, May 2004. Family Connections in Alabama (FCA), a 12-month project conducted in 2003, provided family life education to low-income unmarried parents of young children. This report describes and develops lessons learned from FCA that are relevant for designing and implementing programs to serve low-income unmarried couples having a child together––the population being served by Building Strong Families programs. Implementation lessons identified include issues relating to staffing, service delivery format, recruitment and retention, and curriculum use.
Trends in Health Care Costs
 "Managed Care Rebound? Recent Changes in Health Plans' Cost Containment Strategies." Glen P. Mays, Gary Claxton, and Justin White. Health Affairs Web Exclusive, August 11, 2004. Large increases in health care costs combined with an economic slowdown have created pressures for health plans and employers to reconsider cost containment strategies that were scaled back after the managed care backlash. This paper uses data from the Community Tracking Study to examine how plans’ approaches to cost containment and care management have evolved since 2001. Plans reintroduced and refocused some utilization management techniques during 2002 and 2003 while continuing to invest in disease and case management. Some also began to experiment with new variants of managed care, including tiered provider networks and incentive-based provider payments. However, few respondents believed that these strategies alone would greatly reduce future costs.
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