Mathematica Policy Research

Program Analyst Position

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:32:59 GMT

Mathematica is seeking a program analyst with one or two years of experience with Medicare and/or Medicaid quality measures or electronic health record technology to work on one of our largest Data Quality Consulting Group's projects assisting the federal government with the collection of clinical quality measures for eligible professional incentives.

Speroni to Present at AYPF Forum on Dual Enrollment

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:39:14 GMT

Researcher Cecilia Speroni will present "Dual Enrollment: A Strategy to Improve College and Career Success" at the American Youth Policy Forum. Speroni will discuss her recent working papers, "High School Dual Enrollment Programs: Are We Fast-Tracking Students Too Fast?" and "Determinants of Students' Success: The Role of Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment Programs."

Evaluating the Early Head Start Family Child Care Project

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:44:23 GMT

A new report evaluates the Early Head Start Family Child Care Project, designed to develop and pilot strategies for building Early Head Start and family child care partnerships. It documents characteristics of grantees, child care partners, child care partnership coordinators, and communities. The report describes how the work was implemented at local and state levels, including progress toward reaching targeted outcomes and types of partnerships formed to support collaboration. It also addresses sustainability of the partnerships and highlights lessons learned about collaborations designed to create more seamless service delivery for families. An additional report profiles the 22 partnership teams.

Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS) Public Report 2011

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:46:50 GMT

Each year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services conducts a survey of Medicare fee-for-service providers and suppliers to measure satisfaction with contractor performance, as required by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. The MCPSS elicits information from all types of Medicare providers, such as hospitals, physicians, skilled nursing facilities, and laboratories, among others.

Assessing Cultural Perspectives on Healthcare Quality

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:48:14 GMT

This article in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health (subscription required) explores cultural differences in perceptions of quality of care and examines whether existing surveys, such as the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS^®) questionnaires, adequately capture conceptions of care quality among members of racial or ethnic minority groups. The study found that members of racial and ethnic minority groups are more likely than whites to identify demonstrating cultural competency and providing a holistic approach to care as important to care quality, concepts not included in the core CAHPS^® questionnaire.

A Roadmap to a 21st-Century Disability Policy

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:49:23 GMT

Despite decades of increases in program participation and spending, the disability support infrastructure in the United States and the economic independence of people with disabilities have eroded. Rather than tighten eligibility or reduce program benefits, this issue brief proposes gradual programmatic reforms and evidence-based structural changes to improve the economic status of Americans with disabilities.

Money Follows the Person Demonstration: Overview of State Grantee Progress, January to June 2011

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:50:38 GMT

This report summarizes the implementation progress of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration for 30 grantee states (29 states and the District of Columbia) from January 1 to June 30, 2011. Enrollment in MFP continued to grow steadily, with 15,818 cumulative transitions to the community as of June 30, 2011, a 33 percent increase from the end of 2010. During this period, grantees assisted 3,722 people living in institutions to return to the community, more than half of the annual goal. If states continue making progress at this rate throughout 2011, they will achieve or exceed the aggregate 2011 transition goal.

Links Between Young Children's Behavior and Achievement: The Role of Social Class and Classroom Composition

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:51:31 GMT

This article in the American Behavioral Scientist (subscription required) examines the association between attentive and aggressive behavior (at the child- and class-level) and individual child achievement. Children with low attention, alone or in combination with aggressive behavior, made fewer gains in test scores during kindergarten. Additionally, having more children in the classroom with low attention was linked with lower achievement gains, even for children who did not themselves demonstrate problem behaviors.

Using TANF Funds to Support Subsidized Youth Employment: The 2010 Summer Youth Employment Initiative

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:52:54 GMT

In summer 2010, state and local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and workforce agencies partnered to plan and administer summer youth employment initiatives. This study examines qualitative data collected in 10 local sites across seven states to describe these partnerships, particular aspects of the TANF-funded youth employment initiatives, and summer work experiences.

Publishing Nutrition Research: A Review of Multivariate Techniques Part 2: Analysis of Variance

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:53:55 GMT

This article in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (subscription required) is the eighth in a series exploring the importance of research design, statistical analysis, and epidemiology in nutrition and dietetics research. It is the second article in that series focused on multivariate statistical analytical techniques. This review examines the statistical technique of analysis of variance (ANOVA), from its simplest form to multivariate applications. It addresses all these applications and includes hypothetical and real examples from the field of dietetics.

Register now March 15 Center for Studying Disability Policy Forum

Communications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:34:47 GMT

The Center for Studying Disability Policy will hold Forum Number 18: Causes of the Chasm: Factors That Impact Employment Among Persons with Disabilities, on Thursday, March 15 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Mathematica's Washington, DC, office. This forum has been rescheduled from February 16.

Reaching Those in Need: State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2009

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:42:26 GMT

This document presents estimates of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation rates for all eligible people and for the working poor, by state, for fiscal year 2009. Eighteen states had rates that were significantly higher (in a statistical sense) than the national rate, and 12 states had rates that were significantly lower. Among the regions, the Midwest Region had the highest participation rate—82 percent—a rate significantly higher than all of the other regions. The Western Region's participation rate of 63 percent was significantly lower than the rates for all of the other regions.

Regulating Abortion: Impact on Patients and Providers in Texas

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:44:56 GMT

This article in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (subscription required) describes the effects of enforcement of the Woman's Right to Know Act, a Texas law requiring that all abortions at or after 16 weeks' gestation be performed in an ambulatory surgical center. In the month the law went into effect, none of the 54 nonhospital abortion providers in Texas met the requirements of a surgical center. The number of abortions performed in Texas at or after 16 weeks' gestation dropped 88 percent, from 3,642 in 2003 to 446 in 2004, and the number of residents who left the state for a late abortion almost quadrupled. By 2006, abortions at or after 16 weeks' gestation in a nonhospital setting were available in four major cities in Texas (down from nine in 2003), and the abortion rate at or after 16 weeks' gestation remained 50 percent below its pre-act level.

Consumer Voices for Coverage: Advocacy Evaluation Toolkit

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:46:07 GMT

This toolkit is designed to help advocacy organizations, evaluators, and other groups collect and analyze data using the instruments and methods Mathematica used in its Consumer Voices for Coverage evaluation. It includes surveys of advocacy coalition members, interviews with policymakers, and measures of coalition advocacy capacity.

Children's Health Insurance Program: An Evaluation (1997-2010)

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:48:32 GMT

This interim report, the first of two reports to Congress, uses qualitative and quantitative data to document the development of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), particularly focusing on changes states have made since Congress reauthorized CHIP in 2009. The report found that CHIP and Medicaid have contributed to reducing the number and percentage of children without insurance. States have also made great progress in enrolling and retaining eligible children, but there is still room for improvement in program retention.

Paul Decker Named President-Elect of APPAM

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:16:40 GMT

Paul Decker, Mathematica's president and chief executive officer, has been named president-elect of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM). Decker has been a longtime participant in many of APPAM's activities, often taking a leadership role. For more than two decades, he has presented at the annual APPAM fall research conference. He has also contributed to the organization's Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, served as Mathematica's institutional representative to APPAM, and for the past four years he has been a Policy Council member. Decker is also chair of the David N. Kershaw Award Selection Committee, an award in honor of Mathematica's first president, who died of cancer in 1979 at age 37. The award is presented every two years at the APPAM fall research conference.

Become a Mathematica Summer Fellow

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:18:03 GMT

Since 1992, Mathematica's summer fellowship program has helped promote careers in social policy research, particularly for scholars who might otherwise be drawn to government or academe. The program, open to qualified students enrolled in a master's or Ph.D. program in public policy or a social science, supports independent, self-directed research on economic or social problems that affect minority groups and individuals with disabilities. Our summer fellowships run from approximately June 1 to August 31 with opportunities in all of our offices.

Employment Research in Brief: An Annotated Bibliography of ETA-Sponsored Studies

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:49:17 GMT

This annotated bibliography provides a summary of research publications released by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, since 1995. The summarized publications include research, evaluation, and demonstration reports, as well as other papers and sets of policy recommendations. Each summary includes a brief description of the study's topic area, study sites, data and methods, and results.

Mathematica Seeking Disability Benefits Analyst

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:19:08 GMT

Mathematica is seeking a disability benefits analyst with significant experience in SSDI and SSI claims processing or benefits counseling. Visit our employment page for a full list of job opportunities.

Organizing Care for Complex Patients in the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:47:02 GMT

Drawing on a white paper and brief for the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, this article in the Annals of Family Medicine summarizes strategies to help smaller primary care practices transform into medical homes that effectively serve patients with complex needs, particularly the frail elderly and working-age adults with disabilities.

Promoting Public Benefits Access Through Web-Based Tools and Outreach

Communications — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:52:13 GMT

This report summarizes existing web-based benefits access efforts and presents a small subset of case studies of efforts identified through a national scan. It focuses on issues related to the design and management of web-based tools; technology options and requirements; financial considerations; outputs and outcomes; and issues for sustaining, expanding, and replicating existing web-based tools.

Register now for the Center for Studying Disability Policy forum on January 20

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:09:39 GMT

Mathematica's Center for Studying Disability Policy will hold a forum, "The Transition to 21st-Century Disability Policy in an Era of Fiscal Austerity: A Road Map," on Friday, January 20, 2012 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m in Mathematica's Washington, DC office (note new location).

Medicare Advantage 2012 Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:55:48 GMT

This Data Spotlight reviews trends in Medicare Advantage plan offerings, choices available to beneficiaries, and the premiums and selected characteristics of the available plans in 2012. Despite concerns about the potential effects of reductions in payments included in the 2010 health reform plan, the number and type of Medicare Advantage plans offered in 2012 and premiums charged for them will be similar to those offered in 2011.

Using Data to Drive State Improvement in Enrollment and Retention Performance

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:56:27 GMT

The Maximizing Enrollment program has worked with eight states to help them use Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment and retention data to monitor and improve performance in enrolling and retaining eligible individuals. This issue brief summarizes 12 core performance measures that states can use to monitor how long individuals stay covered once they are enrolled, track the results of eligibility-related policy changes, determine trends in program performance, and track progress as they implement changes in eligibility and retention policies under health reform.

Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program: State Implementation Progress School Year 2010-2011

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:57:14 GMT

This report to Congress assesses the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals without the need for household applications by using data from other means-tested programs. At the start of the 2010-2011 school year, 1.9 million more children were directly certified for free school meals than in the previous year. Executive Summary.

Mathematica Launches New Research on Health Care Quality Measures

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:43:45 GMT

In new projects spanning behavioral health, ehealth, and physician performance, Mathematica's health experts are creating quality measures that give policymakers, practitioners, and patients the information they need to make informed and effective medical decisions and help address changes called for in health care reform. Two projects are helping develop new quality benchmarks in ehealth technology. We are also collaborating with the National Committee for Quality Assurance on two projects that are helping define quality measures for behavioral health.

New Mathematica Projects Strengthen Focus on Fatherhood and Family Support Programs

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:46:09 GMT

To help ensure that family policy is supported by evidence, Mathematica is building on work in healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood interventions, family support, and teen pregnancy prevention with several new studies. Our family support experts are evaluating programs aimed at strengthening fatherhood and families and preventing teen pregnancy. These studies will provide objective analysis of the programs and assess their effectiveness in giving low-income couples and teens the tools they need to nurture and sustain healthy relationships that benefit themselves, their families, and the greater community.

Improving Sanitation at Scale: Lessons from TSSM Implementation in East Java, Indonesia

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:48:06 GMT

This study, conducted for the Gates Foundation, examines how the Total Sanitation and Sanitation Marketing initiative program was implemented in Indonesia. The program moved beyond simply building sanitation "hardware" and relied, instead, on providing training and technical assistance to promote collective action to eliminate open defecation and to strengthen demand for and supply of sanitation products and services. The study focused on identifying factors related to successful implementation in some locations and the barriers and challenges to less successful implementation in others. Political commitment for the program, high levels of coordination among stakeholders, and adequate resource allocation were found to be important determinants of successful implementation.

Money Follows the Person 2010 Annual Evaluation Report

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:52:58 GMT

This is the second annual report on the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration, a federal initiative to help states reduce their reliance on institutional care for people needing long-term care and expand options for elderly people and individuals with disabilities to receive care in the community. During 2010, MFP increased the number of Medicaid beneficiaries transitioned by more than 50 percent over the previous year and expanded into 13 additional states. By the end of 2010, nearly 12,000 beneficiaries transitioned to community living through MFP programs, and participants generally fared well in the community and improved their quality of life.

WWC Quick Review: Kindergarten PAVEd for Success

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:53:43 GMT

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recently released a Quick Review on Kindergarten PAVEd for Success, a vocabulary program for kindergartners. The study found that kindergarten students in schools using the program as a supplement to regular literacy instruction performed better on expressive vocabulary than students in control schools. The research described in this report meets WWC evidence standards.

Long-Term Care Utilization and Expenditures Among American Indian/Alaska Native Medicaid Recipients

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:55:04 GMT

This report uses Medicaid Analytic eXtract data to provide basic information about American Indian and Alaska Native Medicaid enrollees and their use of Medicaid-financed long-term care services. The data suggest that American Indian/Alaska Native Medicaid recipients use long-term care services at a slightly lower rate than the general Medicaid population, and home and community-based services account for a greater percentage of their long-term care expenditures, compared to other Medicaid recipients.

State Options for Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health Care

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:22:17 GMT

This brief, prepared by Mathematica and the Center for Health Care Strategies for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Integrated Care Resource Center, explores promising state options for integrating physical and behavioral health services for high-need, high-cost Medicaid populations within a variety of care management delivery systems. It includes examples of current state programs and critical considerations for implementation.

Webinar on Early Childhood Care Quality Measures and Toolkit

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:07:42 GMT

As states move ahead in enhancing systems of care for young children, assessing and improving the quality of early care and education programs at all levels are becoming increasingly important. Mathematica's Center for Improving Research Evidence (CIRE) recently presented a webinar on quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs). The webinar provided the federal and state context for QRIS data needs and highlighted a new resource—the Quality Rating and Improvement System Evaluation Toolkit developed by Mathematica and Child Trends staff.

Gold Presents at Webinar on CMS Innovation Center

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:23:05 GMT

Senior fellow Marsha Gold presented at a webinar, cosponsored by The Commonwealth Fund and AcademyHealth, that looked at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation's priorities, explored how it can best conduct rigorous, rapid-cycle evaluation, and examined the role of health care providers in identifying and rolling out innovations.

WWC Reports on Adolescent Literacy and Special Needs

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:12:07 GMT

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) released two new reports in literacy and in special needs. These reports focus on student team reading and writing programs for improving adolescent literacy and The Incredible Years™, a program designed for children with challenging behaviors.

Supporting Family Caregivers Through Title III of the OAA

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:20:26 GMT

This brief, the fifth in a series that presents findings from the Administration on Aging's National Survey of Older Americans Act (OAA) Program Participants, focuses on the National Family Caregiver Support Program. Authorized under OAA Title III in 2000, the program provides caregivers with information or help so they can connect with services and resources; training, education, counseling, and support groups; respite care; and supplemental goods and services.

Rethinking the Mental Health Treatment Skills of Primary Care Staff: A Framework for Training and Research

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:21:23 GMT

Health care reform may provide opportunities to enhance the mental health treatment capacity of primary care, but capitalizing on these opportunities might require bolstering the clinical skills of the primary care team. This article in Administration and Policy in Mental Health proposes a set of core mental health treatment and communication skills for primary care receptionists, medical assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians (subscription required).

New Research on Improving Patient-Centered Medical Home Evidence and Evaluations

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:05:23 GMT

Mathematica's health experts recently authored a decision-maker brief and white paper for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that suggest how to improve the quality of current patient-centered medical home evidence and evaluations.

Measuring Quality and Using It to Improve Practice and Policy in Early Childhood Development

Communications — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:18:15 GMT

This article in the Bernard van Leer Foundation's international journal, Early Childhood Matters, proposes a framework for conceptualizing and measuring the quality of early childhood programs in global contexts and makes recommendations for how policymakers, practitioners, and researchers can work together to improve quality. This article is a précis of a Society for Research in Child Development social policy report and issue brief on these topics.

Correlates of Unintended Birth Among Low-Income Hispanic Immigrants at High Risk for Depression

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:37:23 GMT

This article in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health examines the sociodemographic, including immigration-related, correlates of unintended birth among Hispanic immigrants. The study found that, similar to nationally representative findings, unintended birth was more common among younger women, single women and women not cohabiting with their partners, and women with more children. Additionally, women who had immigrated to the U.S. less than one year ago had almost a four times greater risk of a mistimed birth compared to women who had immigrated one to four years ago.

How Common Is 'Parking' Among Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries? Evidence from the 1999 Change in the Earnings Level of Substantial Gainful Activity

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:31:20 GMT

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries intentionally restrain, or "park," their earnings at a level below substantial gainful activity to retain cash benefits. But there is limited empirical evidence documenting such behavior. This article in Social Security Bulletin looks at the impact of the 1999 change in the substantial gainful activity earnings level on two cohorts of SSDI beneficiaries—one affected by the change and one not. The results show that, in a typical month from 2002 through 2006, between 0.2 and 0.4 percent of all SSDI beneficiaries were parked below the substantial gainful activity level in a typical month.

The Effectiveness of Mandatory-Random Student Drug Testing: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:35:33 GMT

This article in the Journal of Adolescent Health presents findings from the largest experimental evaluation to date of school-based mandatory-random student drug testing (MRSDT) and its effectiveness in reducing substance use among high school students. The study found that students who were subject to MRSDT reported less substance use in the past 30 days than comparable students in schools without MRSDT.

Unintended Pregnancy and Perinatal Depression Trajectories in Low-Income, High-Risk Hispanic Immigrants

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:36:31 GMT

This article in Prevention Science identifies depressive symptom trajectories and heterogeneity in these trajectories during pregnancy and through the first year postpartum, and examines the association between unintended pregnancy and depressive symptoms among low-income Hispanic immigrants. Three distinct trajectory patterns of depressive symptoms were identified: high during pregnancy, but low postpartum; borderline during pregnancy, with a postpartum increase; and low throughout pregnancy and postpartum. Unintended pregnancy was associated with a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of postpartum depressive symptoms.

Provider Experiences Under the Revised Ticket to Work Regulations

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:19:48 GMT

As part of Mathematica's seven-year evaluation of the Ticket to Work program, this report looks at the experiences of employment service providers after the Social Security Administration (SSA) revised regulations to address challenges in the original program. The report found that the SSA successfully educated providers about the revised regulations and instituted related supports. The revised regulations modestly expanded the number of providers and participating providers are more active in the program than they were under the original regulations.

Evaluation of the Recent Experience of the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program: Beneficiaries Served, Services Provided, and Program Costs

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:22:22 GMT

The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program aims to inform beneficiaries with disabilities about work incentive programs, help them increase employment, and reduce their dependence on benefits. This report presents findings on the activities of the 103 organizations receiving Social Security Administration grants under the program from April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2011, including beneficiaries served, their characteristics, services and supports provided, and program costs and outputs.

Employment-Related Outcomes of a Recent Cohort of Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program Enrollees

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:26:23 GMT

This report presents findings of an analysis of beneficiaries who first enrolled in the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program between October 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010. WIPA aims to inform beneficiaries with disabilities about work incentive programs, help them increase employment, and reduce their dependence on benefits. The program is serving a select group of beneficiaries who are actively working, seeking employment, using the Social Security Administration work incentive provisions, and leaving the disability rolls at relatively high rates. Program services might be positively affecting some of these employment outcomes.

Mathematica Is on the Move

Communications — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:29:43 GMT

On November 28, 2011, Mathematica's Washington, DC, office will relocate to the NoMa neighborhood about three miles northeast of our current location. Our new home, which is easily accessible by public transportation, provides the space we need for our growing staff to better meet the needs of our clients. Our new address is Mathematica Policy Research, 1100 First Street, NE, 12th floor, Washington, DC 20002-4221.

Colman Wins APPAM Award for Research

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:11:56 GMT

Researcher Silvie Colman received the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management's 2011 Raymond Vernon Memorial Prize for the best research article published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, "Regulating Abortion: Impact on Patients and Providers in Texas," co-authored with Ted Joyce. The award was presented at this year's fall conference.

What Works Clearinghouse Adds Special Needs Area

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:13:30 GMT

The WWC recently added a new focus to its special needs area, Children Classified as Having an Emotional Disturbance, which reviews research on programs designed to meet the academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs of K–12 students classified as being at risk for or having an emotional disturbance.

What Works Clearinghouse: Report on Coping Power

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:15:05 GMT

This report looks at the research on Coping Power, a program that involves group sessions for children and parents. Children receive lessons in goal setting, problem solving, anger management, and peer relationships. The program was found to have positive effects on external behavior and potentially positive effects on social outcomes for children classified with an emotional disturbance.

What Works Clearinghouse: Report on Check & Connect

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:16:42 GMT

This report examines the research on Check & Connect, a program that aims to promote students' engagement with school and learning by monitoring students' levels of engagement, such as attendance, grades, and suspensions, and providing intervention when problems are identified. No studies of Check & Connect meet WWC evidence standards. Additional research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this intervention.

Public Health Costs of Excessive Alcohol Drinking

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:17:58 GMT

Excessive alcohol drinking is the third leading cause of death in the United States, leading to 79,000 premature deaths annually. It is also the cause of increased disease and injury. Although the public health impacts of binge drinking are known, its economic cost has not been assessed for the United States since 1998. Using data from 2006, a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by Mathematica assessed costs for health care, productivity losses, and other effects, including property damage, from excessive drinking. On a per-capita basis, the economic impact of excessive alcohol consumption is approximately $746 per person, mostly attributable to binge drinking.

What Determines Progress in State MFP Transition Programs?

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:19:21 GMT

This report, the eighth in Mathematica's Money Follows the Person series, identifies key factors that have contributed to and hindered state efforts to transition Medicaid enrollees to community living and rebalance their long-term care systems. Three crucial program elements are (1) effective transition coordinators, (2) ability to cover one-time moving expenses, and (3) extra support from transition coordinators or extra home and community-based services beyond what regular Medicaid programs typically cover. The report cites lack of affordable, accessible housing as the single greatest barrier to transitions. The report also identifies strategies states use to transition and maintain participants successfully in the community.

Evaluation of the Rwanda Threshold Program: Baseline Report

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:20:40 GMT

This report presents preliminary findings from an evaluation funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the Rwanda Threshold Program, which aims to promote political rights, civil liberties, and political accountability through several initiatives, including strengthening police accountability, media, and civic participation. The report found that a minority of Rwandans are aware of an MCC-funded effort to encourage citizen comments on the Rwanda National Police. Baseline findings suggest that before the threshold program, most citizens listened to radio and believed its news coverage to be accurate; findings also suggest that measures of citizen satisfaction and engagement with local government are mixed.

Workload and the Nurse Faculty Shortage: Implications for Policy and Research

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:21:36 GMT

Findings in this Nursing Outlook article indicate that little is known about the extent to which the workload of nursing faculty has contributed to the current nurse faculty shortage. The authors suggest that conducting an in-depth comparative analysis of the workload of nursing faculty and faculty from other academic disciplines would provide a more comprehensive picture. A better understanding of the workload and its influence on the nurse faculty shortage will facilitate prioritization of strategies to address the national shortage. If long-term solutions to the shortage are not identified, an inadequate nursing workforce will continue to contribute to the uncertainty of the U.S. health care system.

Association Health Plans and Community-Rated Small Group Health Insurance in Washington State

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:22:37 GMT

In Washington State, association health plans operate under different regulations from the traditional insurance market, allowing carriers to separate and select risk. To help assess the relationship between these plans and the community-rated small-group market, this report offers an analysis of information on enrollment trends, premiums, and medical costs provided by carriers to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner supplemented with additional carrier and association information reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Massachusetts Health Care Cost Trends: Price Variation in Health Care Services

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:23:28 GMT

This report examines prices that private health plans paid for high-volume inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, and physician and other professional services, finding significant price variation for every service. For selected inpatient services with quality measures available, the research team found no variation in hospital quality corresponding to differences in price. Medicaid rates were consistently lower than the prices private payers paid for both inpatient services and physician and professional services. Private payer prices generally were higher than Medicare rates and did not correlate with Medicare's cost-based prices. The report also estimates the potential impacts of alternative models to reduce or eliminate the current level of price variation.

Wittenburg Testifies at House Ways and Means Hearing

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:24:27 GMT

Drawing on findings from Mathematica's evaluation of the Youth Transition Demonstration, senior researcher David Wittenburg recently testified at a hearing for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means, Human Resources Subcommittee, to present policy options for children receiving disability benefits and the challenges they face when entering the adult workforce.

The Incidental Economist interviews Marsha Gold on dual eligibles

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:26:09 GMT

Incidental Economist blog interview with Marsha Gold, senior fellow and an expert on Medicare, Medicaid and the care of dual eligibles.

National CMO Study Finds Varying Practices and Impacts

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:07:27 GMT

A new longitudinal national study of the practices and effectiveness of charter-school management organizations (CMOs) reveals a wide range of organizational models and educational strategies, with achievement effects that are more often positive than negative but vary substantially among CMOs. The study identifies key CMO practices that correlate with positive effects and raises important questions for future research. The study finds that high-performing CMOs tend to emphasize school-wide behavior policies and intensive teacher coaching. Read the TIME magazine article.

Dynamics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation in the Mid-2000s

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:41:54 GMT

This report investigates SNAP caseload dynamics from 2004 to 2006. It describes individuals' patterns of participation and explores reasons for entering and leaving SNAP, how long participants receive SNAP benefits, and whether they return to the program after exiting. It also examines whether participation patterns in the mid-2000s differed from those of earlier periods. Summary.

Determinants of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Entry and Exit in the Mid-2000s

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:45:27 GMT

This study looks at the factors associated with SNAP entry and exit from 2004 to 2006 by examining individual and family demographic and economic characteristics, as well as state economic measures and SNAP policies. Summary.

Wittenburg Testifies Before House Ways and Means Subcommittee

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:06:48 GMT

Hargreaves Recognized by AEA

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:10:57 GMT

Margaret Hargreaves, senior researcher, will be honored with the 2011 Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award at this year's annual meeting of the American Evaluation Association in Anaheim, California. The award recognizes contributions to the field.

The Youth Transition Demonstration: Interim Findings and Lessons for Program Implementation

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:22:22 GMT

This issue brief presents findings from a random assignment evaluation of the Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration, which is analyzing the implementation of six demonstration projects and their impacts on helping youth with disabilities find jobs and reduce their dependency on federal disability benefits. One of the initial three projects achieved statistically significant impacts on the proportion of youth employed during the year following random assignment. However, demonstration refinements based on the implementation experiences of the early projects may result in stronger interventions among the final three projects and, thus, in stronger results

Evaluation of Tanzania Energy Sector Project: Updated Design Report

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:24:21 GMT

This report describes Mathematica's evaluation design for the Millennium Challenge Corporation's energy sector project to improve living standards and reduce poverty in Tanzania by investing in and improving energy-related infrastructure.

Building Infrastructure to Support Home Visiting to Prevent Child Maltreatment: Two-Year Findings from the Cross-Site Evaluation of the Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting Initiative

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:23:24 GMT

This report describes planning and early implementation of home visiting programs in 15 states. The programs and report were funded by the Children's Bureau at the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The report describes the grantees, the home visiting program models they selected, and their progress and challenges. It should be of special interest to states and home visiting providers participating in the new Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting grant programs authorized by the Affordable Care Act and now being implemented in states.

Tanzania Energy Sector Impact Evaluation: Findings from the Zanzibar Baseline Study

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:25:09 GMT

This report describes the data, design, and methodology for an impact evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Zanzibar Cable Activity, which involves laying a new submarine cable to provide a more reliable source of electricity to Unguja Island to increase economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve the standard of living. The study found that an unreliable electricity supply increases hotel costs and decreases revenues.

Electricity in Zanzibar's Unguja Island: Initial Evaluation Findings

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:25:57 GMT

This issue brief presents baseline findings from the impact evaluation and the case study before the installation of a new electricity cable connecting Unguja Island in Zanzibar to the electricity grid of mainland Tanzania. Information for the baseline analysis comes from electricity data provided by the Millennium Challenge Account-Tanzania and the Zanzibar Electricity Company. The case study is based on a survey of 30 hotels. A follow-up analysis will take place in 2013.

Chartbook: Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Use and Reimbursement in 2007

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:38:43 GMT

This chartbook, prepared for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, presents highlights and key comparisons from the state-by-state and national tables in the statistical compendium on Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and reimbursement in 2007.

Effective Case Management: Key Elements and Practices from the Field

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:39:31 GMT

This issue brief provides examples of key elements and practices for effective case management in the workforce system. It provides examples of state and local tools, processes, and policies designed to create or improve case management, and includes an annotated list of additional resources.

Integrating Intake Among Workforce Programs: Key Strategies

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:40:34 GMT

This issue brief provides examples of key strategies for creating a common intake process for customers throughout the workforce system. It provides examples of state and local tools, processes, and policies designed to create or improve integrated intake, and includes an annotated list of additional resources.

WWC Launches New User-Friendly Site

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:09:40 GMT

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) redesigned its website making the site more informative, navigable, and user friendly. Publications are categorized in 15 topic areas, such as literacy, math, and student behavior. Users can access all of the publications and resources related to a topic area, including intervention reports, practice guides, and quick reviews. The site features a new search tool to assess how studies reviewed measure up to WWC standards, enabling users to quickly identify the most rigorous research in education. The "Find What Works" tool retrieves bottom-line findings on education effectiveness from intervention reports.

Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2010

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:04:57 GMT

This report describes the characteristics of SNAP households and participants nationwide in FY 2010. It also presents an overview of SNAP eligibility requirements and benefit levels. Nearly half of all participants (47 percent) were children and another 8 percent were age 60 or older. Summary.

Federal Support For Working-Age People With Disabilities: We Can Do Better

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:13:04 GMT

Senior fellow David Stapleton blogs in Health Affairs on support for working-age people with disabilities.

Experts to Present at APPAM and AEA Conferences

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:14:42 GMT

Mathematica's experts will present at the annual meeting of the American Evaluation Association on social network analysis, systematic reviews in education, research standards setting, evidence-based systems, replication of innovative program models, and other topics. At the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management fall research conference, staff will present on using value-added models to measure worker output in complex settings, individual training and personal reemployment accounts for the unemployed, and research methods and standards, as well as a range of health research including Medicare payment reform, the effects of health information technology on care quality and costs, and the health of immigrants' children. Researchers will also discuss policy and program options for working-age youth and adults with disabilities.

The Workforce Investment Act: Implementation Experiences and Evaluation Findings

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:18:50 GMT

This book examines WIA's objectives and evidence on program performance and impacts. Three chapters by Mathematica's labor experts provide an overview of a decade of research on WIA implementation, impacts, and related programs; examine challenges and complexities of measuring employment training program performance; and discuss lessons learned from more than 30 years of studying employment programs in the United States and employment program evaluation recommendations to the European Union.

Comprehensive Care Coordination for Chronically Ill Adults

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:20:39 GMT

This book contains two chapters by Mathematica staff. The first synthesizes evidence on successful care coordination interventions that reduce hospital use and costs for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic illnesses and contrasts their features with those of unsuccessful interventions. The second examines the 15 programs participating in the Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration to identify differences across programs in how key intervention features such as assessment, care planning, monitoring, and patient education are implemented, and how these differences relate to program effectiveness.

New Research from Child Care Quality Rating System Assessment

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:32:47 GMT

New research on state or local child care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs) includes a QRIS evaluation toolkit, an exploratory analysis of quality standards for three QRIS programs, a more in-depth study of how quality is conceptualized and measured, and a look at how programs may integrate with other early childhood care and education programs in two states.

The Influence of Changes in Dental Care Coverage on Dental Care Utilization Among Retirees and Near-Retirees in the United States, 2004-2006

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:48:26 GMT

This article in the American Journal of Public Health examines transitions in dental care insurance coverage and utilization between 2004 and 2006 among older adults in the United States. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, it found that Americans age 51 years and older who lost coverage during the time period were more likely to stop using dental care, while those who gained coverage were more likely to start using dental care, compared with individuals who lacked coverage in both years.

Trends in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates: Fiscal Year 2002 to Fiscal Year 2009

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:03:53 GMT

This report presents findings showing that, from FY 2008 to FY 2009, the number of SNAP participants increased by 18 percent and the number of eligible individuals increased by 15 percent. The large increase in the number of participants was likely attributable to the deterioration of the economy, expansions in SNAP eligibility, and continued outreach efforts. Summary.

Health Information Technology in the Workplace: Findings from a 2010 National Survey of Registered Nurses

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:46:00 GMT

This article in the Journal of Nursing Administration examines registered nurses' experiences with health information technology and reports that their perceptions of its effect on quality of care and daily work were positive.

CSDP Forum: Speaking for Themselves: Including People with Disabilities in Survey Research

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:07:50 GMT

Still time to register for October 27 Center for Studying Disability Policy forum on including people with disabilities in survey research.

Watch CIRE Webinar on GPRA Modernization and Performance Management

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:10:38 GMT

Watch the recent forum from the Center for Improving Research Evidence on Government Performance and Results Modernization Act and performance measurement.

Web-Based Screeners and Applications: Potential Tools for Improving Benefit Access and Program Efficiency

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:46:44 GMT

This issue brief draws on findings from eight case studies of web‐based benefit access tools and provides a framework for thinking about their design and operation in order to improve efficiencies and increase benefit access.

WWC Quick Review: Indiana Charter School Performance

Communications — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:43:24 GMT

A new Quick Review from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) examines "Charter School Performance in Indiana," a study examining the effect of charter school attendance on annual student achievement growth in math and reading. The study meets WWC evidence standards with reservations.

Consumer and Provider Perspectives on Shared Decision Making: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:33:34 GMT

This brief reports on findings from a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on consumer and provider perspectives on shared decision making, the process by which consumers join providers in the clinical decision-making process. The use of comparative effectiveness research rests on greater engagement in shared decision making by providers and consumers.

Prescription Drug Use and Cost Among Medicaid Beneficiaries with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:32:38 GMT

This issue brief highlights a number of prescription drug issues that remain important for states after the shift of prescription drug coverage for Medicaid-Medicare dual eligibles to Medicare in 2006, including the use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing facilities and other settings. It focuses on Medicaid-only beneficiaries younger than 65 with disabilities and chronic illnesses, who now account for more than 60 percent of total Medicaid prescription drug spending and whose care is increasingly being provided through managed care organizations.

Child Care in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities for Women: Findings from the 2008 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:31:53 GMT

This article in the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research examines the availability of child care in outpatient substance abuse treatment facilities and whether certain facility characteristics were associated with child care availability. Using data from the 2008 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, 6.5 percent of outpatient substance abuse treatment facilities that served women provided child care. Child care was more common among facilities located in metropolitan areas, operated by nonprofit or government agencies, and those that received public funding or provided free or ancillary support services.

Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs and Drug Utilization Patterns of Postmenopausal Medicare Beneficiaries with Osteoporosis

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:34:27 GMT

This article in the American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy found that medication discontinuation and out-of-pocket costs among beneficiaries with osteoporosis were highest for those enrolled in Medicare Part D plans with a coverage gap.

Reducing Hospital Readmissions in New York State: A Simulation Analysis of Alternative Payment Incentives

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:35:07 GMT

This report estimates the effects of reimbursement strategies and provider-level interventions to reduce hospital readmissions. Several quality-improvement interventions have proved effective in reducing readmission rates, but relatively few hospitals have adopted these programs, in large part due to lack of financial incentives. The report examines whether new pay-for-performance and episode-based payment approaches provide incentives for these programs. The report also explores an alternative direct payment model that could be more effective than current strategies.

Judith Wooldridge Retires After More than 40 Years

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:28:22 GMT

Judith Wooldridge, senior vice president and director of strategy and development, retired on September 30, after more than 40 years with Mathematica. During her long career, Wooldridge published in many peer-reviewed journals, briefed Congress, made countless presentations to both public and private agencies, and served several terms on the company's board of directors.

Register for CSDP Forum on Including People with Disabilities in Survey Research

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:04:30 GMT

“Nothing about us without us” has become a mantra of the disability community. Although researchers have encountered barriers to including people with disabilities in survey research, involvement in the research process is vital. On Thursday, October 27, the Center for Studying Disability Policy will host a forum that presents an overview of the issues and challenges researchers face in surveying individuals with disabilities. The forum will focus on successful methods to interview and include them in survey research, as well as implications for future research and program participation, by highlighting two recent examples—the Youth Transition Demonstration and the National Beneficiary Survey—both funded by the Social Security Administration.

CHCE Webinar on Shared Decision Making

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:08:03 GMT

Watch the webinar of this recent forum by the Center on Health Care Effectiveness that discusses what shared decision making is, what consumers and providers think about the process, and potential policy levers to promote it.

Peikes Speaks at AHRQ Mental Health Town Hall

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:14:52 GMT

Senior researcher Deborah Peikes spoke recently at the AHRQ Annual Conference Mental Health Town Hall Event. The event featured a series of three open-ended discussions on the topics of clinical and community questions, research, and policy and financing.

Wittenburg Discusses SSDI at Disability Forum

Commumications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:18:04 GMT

Senior researcher David Wittenburg presented findings on Social Security Disability Insurance at an American Enterprise Institute event on "work first" approaches to disability policy.

New Medicaid MAX Policy Briefs

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:21:50 GMT

A new series highlights the essential role Medicaid Analytic Extract (MAX) data can play in analyzing the Medicaid program. MAX is a set of annual, person-level data files on Medicaid eligibility, service utilization, and payments that is derived from state reporting of Medicaid eligibility and claims data into the Medicaid Statistical Information System. Three recent briefs use MAX data to address pressing policy issues for Medicaid beneficiaries, including measuring and improving long-term care, implementing the Affordable Care Act and understanding its impact on enrollment needs and costs for new enrollees, and using recent Medicaid enrollment patterns to help improve health care access for children.

Disability Data in National Surveys

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:29:46 GMT

The federal government collects extensive disability survey and administrative data used by federal and state agencies for a variety of purposes. This report presents the findings from a review of the disability-related information and other key features of 40 existing national surveys sponsored by the federal government.

Resources for Measuring Services and Outcomes in Head Start Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers

Communications — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:30:36 GMT

As part of the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation-funded Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey project, Mathematica updated a 2003 report containing resources to help Head Start programs for infants and toddlers develop a performance measurement plan and carry out data collection to support continuous program improvement. The report discusses the importance and development of a comprehensive plan and presents profiles of potentially useful instruments. This version updates 16 of the original profiles with new information about norms and test characteristics and adds 13 new profiles of more widely used measures.

Disability News Alerts Available

Communications — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:27:19 GMT

Follow breaking disability news every week on the Center for Studying Disability Policy website. You can sign up through Mathematica's RSS disability feed to be notified as soon as alerts are posted.

Esther Duflo Receives 2011 Kershaw Award

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:48:25 GMT

President Paul Decker will present Esther Duflo, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with the 2011 David N. Kershaw Award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management at its fall conference in Washington, DC. The award recognizes individuals under the age of 40 who have made distinguished contributions to the field of public policy analysis and is named in honor of Mathematica's first president who died of cancer in 1979 at the age of 37.

Evaluation of Healthy San Francisco

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:04:01 GMT

This report summarizes a comprehensive evaluation of Healthy San Francisco, a program for uninsured adults ages 18 to 64. The evaluation found that program participants regularly receive outpatient care at their medical homes, including recommended preventive services; are using fewer emergency department services; and appreciate improved access to primary care and less uncertainty in meeting their health care needs. In general, providers also expressed satisfaction with the program and intended to continue participating. Executive Summary.

Special Needs Plans: Availability and Enrollment

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:08:08 GMT

This data spotlight examines availability and enrollment trends for Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans, which provide a managed care option for beneficiaries with significant or relatively specialized care needs. These plans account for a small share of Medicare enrollment today, but are viewed by some as a way to address coordination of care and costs issues for dual eligible beneficiaries enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.

Impact Evaluation of Niger's IMAGINE Program

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:08:55 GMT

This report documents the main findings from the impact evaluation of the IMAGINE Program, which was designed to improve educational outcomes of girls in Niger. Overall, IMAGINE had a 4.3 percentage point positive impact on primary school enrollment, no impact on attendance, and no impact on math and French test scores. The program impacts were generally larger for girls than for boys. For girls, the program had an 8 percentage point positive impact on enrollment and a 5.4 percentage point impact on attendance. The program had no impact on girls' math scores, though it may have had a slight positive impact on girls' French test scores. No significant impacts were detected for boys' enrollment, attendance, or test scores. Finally, impacts were larger for younger children (ages 7-10), than for those between the ages of 10 and 12.

Do Typical RCTs of Education Interventions Have Sufficient Statistical Power for Linking Impacts on Teacher Practice and Student Achievement Outcomes?

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:58:59 GMT

For randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of education interventions, estimates of associations between student and mediating teacher practice outcomes can help examine the extent to which the data support the study's conceptual model. They can also identify mediators most associated with student learning. This article, in the Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, develops statistical power formulas for such exploratory analyses under clustered school-based RCTs using ordinary least squares and instrumental variable estimators and uses the formulas to conduct a simulated power analysis.

Health Affairs Features Consumer Voices for Coverage Evaluation

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:44:47 GMT

Mathematica evaluated Consumer Voices for Coverage, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, to support coalitions of consumer advocacy organizations in 12 states. The evaluation used social network analysis, scales created to measure capacity, and other methods to assess the program's effects over a three-year period. An article in this month's GrantWatch section of Health Affairs features the evaluation.

Livermore Presents at Health Affairs Briefing

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:22:13 GMT

Senior researcher Gina Livermore presents findings on government expenditures for working-age people with disabilities at Health Affairs briefing, "The New Urgency To Lower Costs."

Register for CIRE Research Forum on Performance Measurement

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:27:19 GMT

The Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act (GPRAMA) heightened the importance of performance measurement and the need for high-quality performance information. Mathematica's Center for Improving Research Evidence will host a forum to discuss the context in which GPRAMA evolved, the challenges faced by federal agencies, and a framework for achieving timely, high-quality, and comparable performance data. The forum will be held on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 from 12:00 to1:30 p.m. at Mathematica's Washington, DC office.

Perez-Johnson Discusses Employment Accounts on NPR

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:38:17 GMT

Senior researcher Irma Perez-Johnson discusses personal reemployment accounts on NPR's Here & Now program.

Disability Brief Named Kaiser Health Policy Pick

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:40:59 GMT

Mathematica's issue brief on government expenditures for working-age people with disabilities was named a Kaiser September Health Policy Pick.

Medicare Advantage Enrollment Market Update

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:05:26 GMT

This data spotlight examines enrollment trends in Medicare Advantage plans in 2011 and finds that enrollment continued to rise and enrollees are paying lower premiums, on average, than they did in 2010. Preferred Provider Organizations gained more enrollees than any other plan type, while enrollment in private fee-for-service plans continued to decline.

Rich to Speak at National Comparative Effectiveness Summit

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:32:42 GMT

Eugene Rich, senior fellow and director of Mathematica's Center on Health Care Effectiveness, will speak at The National Comparative Effectiveness Summit to be held October 12 through 14 in Washington, D.C.

Firm Perspectives on the Medicare Advantage Market

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:06:44 GMT

Based on interviews with senior executives at 14 large firms, this issue brief finds that insurers anticipate continuing to offer Medicare Advantage plans in 2012, in part because of a Medicare demonstration project that awards bonus payments to plans based on their quality standards.

Register for September Center on Health Care Effectiveness Forum

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:33:29 GMT

Mathematica's Center on Health Care Effectiveness is hosting a forum on Wednesday, September 21, to discuss what shared decision making is, what consumers and providers think about it, and potential policy levers to promote it.

Social Security Bulletin: Special Issue on Employment for People with Disabilities

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:47:40 GMT

A special issue of the Social Security Bulletin features research by a number of staff associated with Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy on the employment and work-related activities of individuals receiving benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs. It also looks at factors that hinder efforts to work at levels that lead to exit from the disability rolls.

Synthesis of Research and Resources to Support At-Risk Youth

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:49:30 GMT

This report for the Youth Demonstration Development Project highlights what is known broadly about the needs, circumstances, and outcomes for at-risk youth; theoretical perspectives and intervention approaches to serve them, including risk/resilience and capital development frameworks; and the Administration for Children and Families' programs that serve at-risk youth. The report also discusses implications of the research for the development of a conceptual framework for serving at-risk youth.

Child Health and Neighborhood Conditions: Results from a Randomized Housing Voucher Experiment

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:50:35 GMT

Using data from the Moving to Opportunity randomized housing voucher experiment, this article in the Journal of Human Resources estimates the direct effects of housing and neighborhood quality on child health. Five years after random assignment, housing mobility has little impact on overall health status, asthma, injuries, and body mass index. The few observed effects imply that being offered a voucher through the program might worsen some aspects of child health, despite significant improvements in housing quality, nutrition and exercise, and neighborhood safety.

Healthy San Francisco: Changes in Access to and Utilization of Health Care Services

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:51:45 GMT

Using a variety of data sources, this paper examines health care utilization patterns of Healthy San Francisco enrollees. The findings suggest that the program, designed to increase uninsured people's access to health care, is increasing access to primary care for participating adults, improving self-reported health status, and altering care-seeking behavior.

A First Look at How MFP Participants Fare After Returning to the Community

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:52:58 GMT

This report examines characteristics and outcomes for Money Follows the Person (MFP) participants in 25 states who returned to the community before March 2010. The report's findings indicate that reinstitutionalizations were most likely to occur in the first few months after transition, and that participants were more likely to remain in the community but tended to be younger than beneficiaries who transitioned prior to MFP.

Mathematica CEO Briefs Whitehouse Council

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:37:19 GMT

Mathematica president and CEO Paul Decker recently briefed the Council of Economic Advisers on workforce strategies.

Livermore Presents at Health Affairs Briefing on Confronting Costs

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:43:11 GMT

Senior researcher Gina Livermore presented at a Health Affairs briefing on September 8 in Washington, DC, to mark the release of the September issue, Confronting Costs. Her remarks focused on federal and state expenditures for working-age people with disabilities and policy implications.

Gold discusses Medicare Advantage on C-SPAN

Communications — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:39:52 GMT

Marsha Gold, senior fellow, talked about Medicare Advantage, privately run Medicare insurance plans, on C-SPAN's Washington Journal on September 8. The interview was one of a five-part series on Medicare.

September Center on Health Care Effectiveness Forum

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:26:22 GMT

Save the date: September 21 for a Center on Health Care Effectiveness forum, "Can Shared Decision Making Improve Health Care Delivery and Control Costs?"

Recording Available on Managing Costs and Improving Care for Chronically Ill

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:28:31 GMT

New recording: Senior fellow Randall Brown presents at briefing on managing costs and improving care for chronically ill.

Promise of Population Health Management Programs

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:31:39 GMT

Population health management programs—programs targeted to a defined population that use a variety of individual, organizational, and societal interventions to improve health outcomes—are increasingly being looked on by large employers as a promising practice for improving health and outcomes and "bending" the health care cost curve. Given the national focus on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services' administrator Donald Berwick's "triple aim" of improving population health and care as well as reducing per capita health care costs, a new issue brief looks at the state of population health management programs, highlights related evidence, examines desirable features, and explores their potential.

DesRoches Wins ABIM Foundation Prize

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:32:30 GMT

Senior survey researcher Catherine DesRoches's 2010 Journal of the American Medical Association article, "Physicians' Perceptions, Preparedness for Reporting, and Experiences Related to Impaired and Incompetent Colleagues," was named best article by the ABIM Foundation in the professionalism in practice category. A committee of physicians and patients reviewed more than 100 articles and judged them based on clarity, thoroughness, methodology, and contributions to the field and society.

Multiple Chronic Conditions Among OAA Title III Program Participants

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:39:40 GMT

This brief, the fourth in a series that presents findings from the Administration on Aging's National Survey of Older Americans Act Program Participants, explores the prevalence of and challenges associated with multiple chronic conditions among program participants.

New Comparative Effectiveness Research Projects

Cpmmunications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:43:29 GMT

Policymakers continue to explore the best ways to develop comparative effectiveness research and integrate it into clinical practice. Strategies include delivery system reforms, provider incentives to reward evidence-based practice, and engaging patients in the development and use of comparative effectiveness research. A new Center on Health Care Effectiveness web page highlights more than 40 Mathematica projects related to comparative effectiveness research.

Using Lotteries to Evaluate Schools of Choice: Evidence from a National Study of Charter Schools

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:38:14 GMT

This article in the Economics of Education Review draws on data and experiences observing and analyzing school lotteries from the National Evaluation of Charter School Impacts to describe challenges associated with lottery-based research. It presents evidence on the prevalence of oversubscribed charter middle schools and compares their features to charter schools that are not oversubscribed. It also describes the lotteries charter schools conduct and procedures for admitting students from waiting lists, as well as lessons for researchers for using lotteries to estimate impacts of schools on student outcomes.

Estimation and Identification of the Complier Average Causal Effect Parameter in Education RCTs

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:39:02 GMT

In randomized control trials (RCTs) in the education field, the complier average causal effect (CACE) parameter is often of policy interest, because it pertains to intervention effects for students who receive a meaningful dose of treatment services. This article in the Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics uses a causal inference and instrumental variables framework to examine the identification and estimation of the CACE parameter for two-level clustered RCTs. The authors use data from 10 large-scale RCTs to compare significance findings for the CACE estimator based on correct variance formulas with those based on commonly used formulas that ignore certain sources of error. These formulas lead to very similar significance findings.

Laws Requiring Parental Involvement to Obtain Abortion and Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Minors

Communications — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:41:31 GMT

A report and associated issue brief evaluate whether policies requiring parental involvement in minors' decision to obtain an abortion can alter their sexual behavior and help reduce the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teens. Using data from the STI surveillance system of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia, the findings offer little evidence of a link between parental involvement laws and teen STI rates.

Harrington to Direct Ann Arbor Office

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:06:10 GMT

Mary Harrington has been named director of health research and head of Mathematica's Ann Arbor office. She will direct programming and oversee staff conducting research on public health, children's health and health insurance, and safety net delivery systems.

Cody Named Vice President

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:07:27 GMT

Mathematica has named Scott Cody vice president, director of human services. In this position, he will be responsible for directing all staff and programming activities in support of human services in Mathematica's Cambridge office. A national expert in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), he has been at the forefront of Mathematica's work on the modernization of social services.

Forum Highlights Care for People with Disabilities

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:08:32 GMT

New publications and a recent forum from Mathematica's Center on Health Care Effectiveness (CHCE) discuss study designs and outcome measures that can be used to address different comparative effectiveness research questions on providing care for people with disabilities. These resources speak to both the challenges and promise of using comparative effectiveness research to address the spectrum of issues surrounding care for these individuals.

Gold Speaks at Briefing on Innovation Center

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:09:50 GMT

New recording is now available of senior fellow Marsha Gold at a briefing on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).

New Quick Review, Intervention Reports from What Works Clearinghouse

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:54:12 GMT

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) released a quick review and several intervention reports. The quick review examined a study on the Retrieval Practice Studying Technique and found it met WWC research standards. For the intervention reports, no studies of Great Books in the review met WWC evidence standards. In addition, the University of Chicago Mathematics Project has potentially positive effects for high schoolers, while no studies of

Identifying, Monitoring, and Assessing Promising Innovations: Using Evaluation to Support Rapid-Cycle Change

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:03:52 GMT

This issue brief examines the mission of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, as well as challenges in balancing relevance and rigor to learn how to improve payment and delivery.

Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment (DMIE): Final Report

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:49:35 GMT

This is the third and final report on the national Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment (DMIE) evaluation. Authorized under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, the program awards funds to states to develop, implement, and evaluate early interventions for workers with potentially disabling health conditions. The evaluation examined impacts on three key outcomes: health and functional status, employment outcomes, and reliance on federal disability benefits. Overall, early interventions such as the DMIE could have positive impacts, although the extent of effects varied across states.

Matching Study Designs to Research Questions in Disability-Related Comparative Effectiveness Research

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:59:37 GMT

This research brief offers strategies and guidance to help decision makers assess which study designs are likely to provide the required level of evidence of comparative effectiveness to answer disability-relevant health care questions.

Comparative Effectiveness of Care Coordination for Adults with Disabilities

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:02:40 GMT

This research brief presents a framework for describing the range of personal characteristics, services, outcomes, and financing issues to consider in evaluating care coordination for adults with disabilities. It also identifies key care coordination dimensions that policymakers and researchers can use in developing and researching care coordination. Findings from a systematic review of the recent care coordination literature are presented, along with a summary of information needed, and implications for future research.

Fostering Health Information Technology in Small Physician Practices: Lessons from Independent Practice Associations

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:05:06 GMT

This study found that independent practice associations—networks of small medical practices—can offer a useful model for helping small physician practices overcome barriers to health information technology adoption and use.

Choosing Wisely: Selecting Outcomes for Comparative Effectiveness Research on Services for Adults with Disabilities

Communications — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:58:38 GMT

This issue brief lays out criteria to help researchers select and report on the outcomes that matter most to adults with disabilities and to the providers and others responsible for their care.

Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Highlights of the Fifth Ticket to Work Evaluation Report

Communications — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:54:27 GMT

This summary presents the key findings from a collection of nine studies conducted in 2009–2010 that focused on the employment efforts of working-age Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries and the Social Security Administration work incentives and supports.

Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Longitudinal Statistics for New Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries

Communcations — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:57:12 GMT

This paper presents the findings from a longitudinal examination regarding the extent to which new Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries return to work and use disability insurance work incentives, based on Social Security Administration data.

Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Longitudinal Experiences of an Early Cohort of Ticket to Work Participants

Communications — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:56:25 GMT

This report presents findings of an analysis of the longitudinal experiences of a group of Ticket to Work participants who enrolled in the program during the first 18 months of its implementation.

Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Time that Beneficiaries Spend Off the Rolls Due to Work and the Payments Generated for Employment Networks

Communications — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:57:54 GMT

This report examines the extent to which Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries forgo benefits due to work (that is, were in non-payment status following suspense or termination because of earnings) from 2002 to 2006. The findings represent beneficiary experiences before the 2008 changes in the Ticket to Work regulations.

Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach (BPAO) Service User Characteristics and Use of Work Incentives

Communications — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:55:38 GMT

This report presents findings of an analysis of beneficiaries who used benefits planning, assistance, and outreach services from 2001 to 2005.

Learning As We Go: A First Snapshot of Early Head Start Programs, Staff, Families, and Children

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:17:08 GMT

The Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, or Baby FACES, is a longitudinal descriptive study of Early Head Start that captures family-and child-level information in addition to program-level characteristics. This first report defines Head Start features and characteristics, program services and delivery, characteristics of Early Head Start families, characteristics of special populations and subgroups, and the psychometric properties of the survey measures. Volume II: Technical Appendices.

Managing the Care of Dual Eligible Beneficiaries: A Review of Selected State Programs and Special Needs Plans

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:24:53 GMT

To improve beneficiary care and reduce unnecessary expenditures, a number of states have developed programs and initiatives aimed at improving the coordination and management of care for dual eligibles—beneficiaries enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare for their health care services. This report, prepared for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), reviews the experiences in nine states to determine the lessons that can be learned from those experiences.

Effective Evaluation of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems for Early Care and Education and School-Age Care

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:45:59 GMT

This brief presents basic evaluation concepts for child care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs), useful tools for determining the appropriate design and timing of an evaluation, and evaluation references and resources for those who wish to learn more.

The Patient-Centered Medical Home: Strategies to Put Patients at the Center of Primary Care

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:52:58 GMT

This brief offers strategies for decision makers for the patient-centered medical home to respond to and reflect the goals, preferences, and needs of patients and their families. Patients' involvement in the medical home should take place on three levels: (1) engagement in their own care, (2) quality improvement in the primary care practice, and (3) development and implementation of policy and research.

Electronic Health Records Demonstration Evaluation: Implementation Report 2010

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:51:09 GMT

The Electronic Health Record Demonstration, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is designed to evaluate whether financial incentives can increase the adoption and use of electronic health records (EHRs) by primary care physician practices. This first evaluation report provides a baseline picture of demonstration practices and their EHR use and care-management activities. This descriptive information identifies emerging trends and can be compared with data gathered toward the end of the demonstration.

Early Childhood Development Programs In Global Contexts: Improving Quality

Communcations — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:13:59 GMT

With one quarter of the world's children at risk, ensuring quality of early childhood development programs (ECD) on a global scale is more crucial than ever. A report and corresponding issue brief shed light on the importance of equity in both access and quality in these ECD programs. Based on the latest research, the authors conceptualize quality across settings and systems and identify implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on how they can work together to measure, improve, and sustain quality.

Catalog of Research: Programs for Low-Income Fathers

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:20:21 GMT

This review provides summaries of impact, implementation, and descriptive studies that have examined responsible fatherhood and related family strengthening programs that target and serve low-income fathers.

Coordinating Care in the Medical Neighborhood: Critical Components and Available Mechanisms

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:53:47 GMT

This white paper examines key components in the medical neighborhood and how the patient-centered medical home is situated within it. It also addresses barriers to a well-functioning neighborhood, the tools available to achieving one, and the strengths and weaknesses of each tool.

Trajectories of the Home Learning Environment Across the First 5 Years: Associations with Children's Vocabulary and Literacy Skills at Prekindergarten

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:46:50 GMT

This article examined home learning environments in a sample of 1,852 low-income families and their children at ages 1, 2, 3, and 5 years. The study found enriched learning experiences as early as 15 months are important to children's vocabulary growth and provides a foundation for children's later school success.

Strategies to Ensure HITECH Supports the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Communications — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:52:07 GMT

To help transform primary care delivery and support the patient-centered medical home, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act supports adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records. This brief offers policy options that could ensure health technology efforts are implemented in a way that help transform primary care.

An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Anti-Poverty Programs in the United States

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:33:09 GMT

This paper assesses the effectiveness of means-tested and social insurance programs in the United States. The U.S. benefit system has a major impact on poverty rates, reducing the percentage of the poor in 2004 from 29 to 13.5 percent. The system reduces poverty the most for persons with disabilities and the elderly and least for several groups among the nonelderly and nondisabled. While there are significant behavioral side effects of many programs, their aggregate impact is very small and does not affect the magnitude of the aggregate poverty impact of the system.

Recording and Issue Brief Available from Forum on Federal Disability Spending

Comunications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:57:03 GMT

In this Center for Studying Disability Policy webinar, speakers discuss new findings on working-age people with disabilities, the federal and federal-state programs that support them, and the growth in support for those who leave the workforce because of a disability.

Money Follows the Person: Change in Participant Experience During the First Year of Community Living

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:27:28 GMT

This report presents the quality-of-life experiences of 803 MFP participants who transitioned to community living between January 2008 and December 2009 and responded to grantees’ administration of pre-transition and one-year post-transition surveys. The authors examine how reported quality of life changed after participants transitioned to community living.

The Accelerated Benefits Demonstration and Evaluation Project: Impacts on Health and Employment at Twelve Months, Volumes 1 & 2

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:28:37 GMT

This final report of the Accelerated Benefits (AB) Demonstration found that participants made extensive use of program services, AB health care benefits increased health care use and reduced reported unmet medical needs, and AB Plus services encouraged people to look for work but did not increase employment levels in the first year.
"Volume 2: Appendixes"

Design of Value-Added Models for IMPACT and TEAM in DC Public Schools, 2010-2011 School Year

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:32:22 GMT

This report presents the value-added models used to measure school and teacher effectiveness in the District of Columbia Public Schools in the 2010–2011 school year.

The SSDI Trust Fund: New Solutions to an Old Problem

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:30:28 GMT

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)—the main federal program providing cash assistance to workers with disabilities—is facing a major fiscal crisis. This brief discusses an approach to a long-term solution using a work support policy that could reduce entry into the program and improve the economic outlook for workers with disabilities.

Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs and Drug Utilization Patterns of Postmenopausal Medicare Beneficiaries with Osteoporosis

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:46:28 GMT

Using 2007 pharmacy claims for postmenopausal Medicare beneficiaries with osteoporosis, this study found medication discontinuation and out-of-pocket drug costs were highest for those enrolled in Medicare Part D plans with a coverage gap.

The Implications of Comparative Effectiveness Research for Academic Medicine

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:34:16 GMT

This article examines the central role academic medicine can play in the growth of comparative effectiveness research, the implications of this research for comprehensive health care reform, and opportunities to use evidence-based medicine to address high costs and suboptimal outcomes in the U.S. health care system.

Chaplin to Participate in June 28 Event on Making Teacher Incentives Work

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:18:52 GMT

Senior researcher Duncan Chaplin will speak at an American Enterprise Institute event on the impact of teacher incentive programs.

Measuring School and Teacher Value Added for IMPACT and TEAM in DC Public Schools

Communications — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:31:18 GMT

This report describes the design of a value-added model to measure school and teacher performance in the District of Columbia Public Schools. It presents the main features of the method in nontechnical terms, data used, and technical details of the statistical methods.

Register for July 7 CHCE Forum on Effective Health Care Services for Adults with Disabilities

Communications — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:39:11 GMT

Please join us for a forum hosted by the Center on Health Care Effectiveness to identify effective health care services for adults with disabilities on Thursday, July 7, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at Mathematica’s office at 600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 550, Washington, D.C.

Still Time to Register for June 8 Forum on Federal Disability Spending

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:43:34 GMT

The Center for Studying Disability Policy's Forum Number 15, "Federal Spending for People with Disabilities: Continuing Society's Commitment While Reducing the Deficit," will be held, Wednesday, June 8, 2011 12:00-1:30 p.m in Mathematica's Washington, D.C. office.

New Guide for States Launching ARRA-Funded Educational Initiatives

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:46:55 GMT

A new guide offers information and strategies to help states evaluate the success of education reform efforts they are conducting under funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Schroeder Named to Mathematica Board

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:53:28 GMT

Mathematica is pleased to announce the election of Steven A. Schroeder, M.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Schroeder is distinguished professor of Health and Health Care in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as the director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center.

Patterns of Interstate Migration in the United States from the Survey of Income and Program Participation

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:57:55 GMT

This paper describes the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) as a data source for migration studies. SIPP provides information on income, employment outcomes, and participation in government programs. The paper illustrates differences in the propensity for interstate migration among different demographic groups from 1996 to 2008 and analyzes the relationship between migration choices and life-changing events. Findings suggest future research should consider the migration choices of individuals near retirement age.

Examining a New Model for Prisoner Re-Entry Services: The Evaluation of Beneficiary Choice

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:58:48 GMT

This report describes the Employment and Training Administration’s Beneficiary Choice model, which offers ex-offenders a choice of community-based programs to help them reintegrate into their communities. The report discusses participants’ ability to find employment and remain free of crime in the year after release. It also analyzes program costs and looks at how performance-based contracting affected implementation.

Developing Initiatives for Home-Based Child Care: Current Research and Future Directions

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:54:57 GMT

This article summarizes key findings on the prevalence and quality of home-based child care—a significant share of child care in the United States, especially for infants and toddlers. It describes caregiver characteristics and quality initiatives and makes recommendations for future directions including a critical need for more systematic efforts to develop and test quality initiatives.

Patient-Centered Medical Home

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:55:52 GMT

This overview of the patient-centered medical home offers a timeline of the concept, problems it addresses, key features as described in the joint principles, and the patient-centered medical home’s position in a larger, integrated delivery system.

Treatment and Outcomes for Congestive Heart Failure by Race/Ethnicity in TRICARE

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:56:28 GMT

This study examines racial/ethnic disparities in the treatment and outcomes of care for TRICARE beneficiaries with congestive heart failure. Although there are some racial and ethnic disparities in receiving pharmacological therapy among beneficiaries, these differences do not translate into disparities in the likelihood of a potentially avoidable hospitalization.

Individual Health Coverage

Communications — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:57:16 GMT

This book chapter gives an overview of the current state of individual health coverage in the United States and summarizes changes that will take effect with implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

National Survey of U.S. Health Professionals' Smoking Prevalence, Cessation Practices, and Beliefs

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:05:31 GMT

This study looked at self-reported smoking status, smoking cessation practices, and beliefs for 2,804 subjects from seven health professional groups: primary care physicians, emergency medicine physicians, psychiatrists, registered nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, and pharmacists.

The Performance of U.S. Hospitals as Reflected in Risk-Standardized 30-Day Mortality and Readmission Rates for Medicare Beneficiaries with Pneumonia

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:06:23 GMT

Using hospital and outpatient Medicare claims between 2006 and 2009, this cross-sectional study describes patterns of hospital and regional performance in the outcomes of elderly patients with pneumonia, a leading cause of hospitalization and death in this population. Risk-standardized 30-day mortality and readmission rates for patients with pneumonia vary substantially across hospitals and regions and may present opportunities for quality improvement.

Passing Muster: Evaluating Teacher Evaluation Systems

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:07:09 GMT

This report addresses the comparison of teacher evaluation systems and proposes ways to achieve a uniform standard for dispensing funds to districts to recognize exceptional teachers without imposing a uniform evaluation system on those districts. The report provides practical procedures to determine reliable local teacher evaluation systems. It also demonstrates how the reliability of the evaluation system determines the proportion of teachers who can be identified as exceptional.

Health Experts to Present at AcademyHealth Meeting in June

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:53:22 GMT

Mathematicsa's health experts to present at AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, June 11-14 in Seattle, Washington.

Weiner Named 2011 Roper Fellow

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:57:44 GMT

Survey specialist Rebecca Weiner received the 2011 American Association for Public Opinion Research Burns "Bud" Roper Fellow Award.

New Feature on Disability Website Highlights Latest News and Research

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:03:28 GMT

New feature on disability website features a weekly summary of selected disability news and findings from around the world.

Family Support Experts to Present at June ACF/OPRE Welfare Research Conference

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:55:12 GMT

Mathematica's family support experts to present at ACF/OPRE Welfare Research & Evaluation Conference, June 1-3 in Washington, D.C.

Register Now for June 8 Forum on Federal Spending for Disability Programs

Communications — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:49:47 GMT

Mathematica Methods Experts to Present at Annual Survey Conference

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:58:19 GMT

Mathematica survey and methods experts are presenting at the 66th annual American Assocation for Public Opinion Research conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Interim Report on the City University of New York's Project

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:24:10 GMT

This report presents first-year evaluation findings for the City University of New York project, which served youth ages 14 through 19 in Bronx County from August 2006 to May 2010. The program was well implemented and had statistically significant impacts on several important outcomes, including service use and paid employment.

The Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Interim Report on Colorado Youth WINS

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:25:11 GMT

This report presents first-year evaluation findings for the Colorado Youth WINS (Work Incentive Network of Supports) project, which served youth in four counties from August 2006 to December 2009. Using process analysis, the report found Youth WINS, as implemented, deviated from the program model in ways that may have reduced its potential to achieve certain critical objectives. However, Youth WINS participants were more likely to have used services to promote employment than the control group.

What Works Clearinghouse: New Website Search Feature

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:26:00 GMT

A new What Works Clearinghouse website search feature, Find What Works, helps educators locate effective interventions.

Funding Special Education by Capitation: Evidence from State Finance Reforms

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:27:02 GMT

This study examined responses to state capitation policies for special education finance between 1991 to 1992 and 2003 to 2004. Capitation refers to distributing funds based on the entire student enrollment. Disability rates tended to fall following capitation reforms, primarily in more subjectively diagnosed categories and more quickly in less severe categories. Capitation was also associated with a rising share of local funding.

Czajka Featured in Webinar on Medicaid Eligibility Challenges Under Health Reform

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:07:45 GMT

Senior fellow John Czajka is featured in a webinar on Medicaid eligibility challenges under health reform.

Devaney to Speak on Oklahoma’s Building Strong Families Project

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:19:01 GMT

Senior vice president Barbara Devaney will speak on Oklahoma’s Building Strong Families Project at the Oklahoma Practice and Policy Lecture Series.

Quality of Early Childhood Development Programs in Global Contexts: Rationale for Investment, Conceptual Framework and Implications for Equity

Communications — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:22:36 GMT

Early childhood development programs—which often involve the health, education, child welfare, and other sectors—are of great interest to policymakers, service providers, and families around the globe. This paper proposes that equity in access and quality are critical to effect sustainable and meaningful change in these programs in developing countries. The paper conceptualizes quality across settings and systems and identifies implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on how they can work together to measure, improve, and sustain quality.

Bending the Employment, Income, and Cost Curves for People with Disabilities

Communications — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:28:38 GMT

This issue brief proposes a two-pronged approach for increasing the employment rate for people with disabilities, reducing their reliance on federal support, and increasing their household incomes, while preserving benefits for those who are unable to work. This approach includes introducing an experience-rating system for the disability portion of the payroll tax and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers in all low-income households, funded by higher taxes on high-income households.

Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study 2008 Findings

Comunications — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:32:28 GMT

Senior fellow Ronette Briefel presented 2008 findings on infant and toddler nutrition at Experimental Biology 2011 conference.

Glazerman Participates in Brookings Event

Communications — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:38:51 GMT

On April 26, senior fellow Steve Glazerman will participate in a Brookings event on teacher evaluation systems.

What Works Clearinghouse (WWC): Two New Quick Reviews

Communications — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:26:26 GMT

The first review examines an evaluation of teacher pay for performance. The research described in the report does not meet WWC evidence standards. The second quick review looks at a Mathematica elementary math curricula study. The WWC found this study meets WWC evidence standards. For more information about quick reviews and to see other reports click here.

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Quality Measurement in Early Childhood Settings

Communications — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:29:44 GMT

Mathematica authors contributed to two chapters in a new book: "Measuring the Quality of Early Childhood Math and Science Curricula and Teaching," and "Family-Sensitive Caregiving: A Key Component of Quality in Early Care and Education Arrangements."

Promising Therapies, Prohibitive Costs: A Qualitative Assessment of the Effects of the Medicare Part D Doughnut Hole on Access to Costly Cancer Medications

Communications — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:31:38 GMT

This article highlights financial barriers associated with the Medicare Part D doughnut hole gap and their effect on beneficiaries’ access to oral anticancer targeted therapies. In semistructured telephone discussions with oncology social workers and nurse practitioners, beneficiaries reported that high costs pose considerable financial barriers. Some cease therapy when they reach the doughnut hole, but others get assistance from copayment foundations or manufacturers’ patient assistance programs. Higher-income beneficiaries may draw on savings or incur debt. Furthermore, recently passed health care reform legislation may not fully address these barriers.

Selection, Attrition, and Replacement in KIPP Middle Schools: Working Paper Presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association

Communications — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:23:47 GMT

Using longitudinal, student-level data, this American Educational Research Association conference paper examines the entry and exit of students in KIPP middle schools, comparing KIPP’s rates of attrition and replacement with rates in nearby district-run schools.

Evaluation of the International Organization for Migration and Its Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:21:38 GMT

This report presents findings of an evaluation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its efforts to combat human trafficking. It documents and assesses how projects funded by the Norwegian government and implemented in partnership with IOM have sought to counter human trafficking between 2000 and 2010, documents key findings related to these efforts, and provides recommendations. IOM’s major strengths include network-building and victim support, but it faces challenges when ensuring human rights protections and understanding program outcomes.

Aftershocks of Chile's Earthquake for an Ongoing, Large-Scale Experimental Evaluation

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:22:20 GMT

Un Buen Comienzo, an ongoing early childhood program in Chile, was directly affected by the 2010 earthquake in that country. This article discusses the factors the team considered for deciding whether to put on hold or continue implementation and data collection for this experimental study.

Sponsor Prominence and Response Patterns to an Online Survey

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:23:08 GMT

This research note examines the effects of sponsor prominence on response patterns, namely the response rate and break-off rate, on University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, staff, and students asked to participate in a survey on campus transportation issues by either the campus transportation department or campus survey center. Sponsor-prominence did not have a significant effect on response rate, but it did have an effect on the break-off rate.

Do Low-Income Students Have Equal Access to the Highest-Performing Teachers?

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:18:28 GMT

Most research on equal educational opportunity has focused on inputs like teacher experience and degrees. This brief estimated teachers’ value added (contribution to student achievement growth) and measured access to highest-performing teachers in high- and low-poverty schools. Across 10 selected districts in seven states students in the highest-poverty schools had unequal access, on average, to the district’s highest-performing middle school teachers. The pattern for elementary school was less clear. The degree of equal access varied by district. Technical Appendix.

Physical Activity in U.S. Adults: Compliance with the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:19:25 GMT

This study assesses self-reported and objectively measured physical activity among U.S. adults according to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2005–2006 found that fewer than 10 percent of U.S. adults met the guidelines. However, physical activity estimates vary substantially depending on how they are reported and measured.

Could There Be a Role for Home Telemedicine in the U.S. Medicare Program?

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:20:11 GMT

This book chapter looks at the CMS-funded Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine demonstration. The chapter summarizes participants’ use of the technology, intervention effects on intermediate clinical outcomes, intervention effects on Medicare services’ use and cost, and demonstration costs during the two phases. It also discusses policy implications of the findings in the context of health reform, particularly the potential role of home telemedicine in Medicare.

Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs): Frequently Asked Questions

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:20:56 GMT

These FAQs offer information on 2010 Quality and Resource Use Reports, Phase II of the Physician Feedback Program established under Medicare and expanded by the Affordable Care Act. The program solicits feedback on both quality and resource use information from select Medicare medical professionals and group practices.

Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS) Public Report

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:40:23 GMT

The Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey elicits information from a sample of hospitals, physicians, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, clinical laboratories, and other providers and suppliers. Medicare contractors perform a variety of services for providers including claims processing, provider inquiries, enrollment, education, appeals, audits, and medical review.

Development of the Medicaid Analytic Extract Enrollee Master (MAXEM) File, 2005 and 2006

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:43:19 GMT

This report describes the design and development of the first MAX Enrollee Master file for 2005 and 2006. This file gives researchers a more effective means of linking Medicaid records over time and across states.

Chartbook: Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Use and Reimbursement in 2006

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:44:05 GMT

This chartbook presents highlights and key comparisons from the state-by-state Statistical Compendium on Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and reimbursement in 2006, which is available on the CMS website. The 2006 data show the initial impact on Medicaid of the movement of prescription drug coverage for dual eligibles from Medicaid to Medicare in 2006.

Glazerman Elected to AEFP Board

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:45:10 GMT

Senior fellow Steve Glazerman was recently elected to the board of the Association for Education Finance and Policy.

Education Experts to Present at AERA Meeting

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:47:35 GMT

Mathematica's education experts will present at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting April 8-12, 2011.

Expanding Access to Medicaid Data for Research: Feasibility of a MAX Sample

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:41:59 GMT

This report examined the feasibility of creating a Medicaid sample based on annual MAX files—a “Mini-MAX”—to make it easier for users to design and conduct MAX studies and make MAX data accessible to a broader community of Medicaid researchers, policymakers, program administrators, and advocacy groups—including those without mainframe access or who are otherwise unable to process MAX files because of their size or complexity. A Mini-MAX sample that allows users to address many common research questions with sufficient precision is possible; however, it should be accompanied by user-friendly documentation about the complexities of the Medicaid program, MAX data, and the Mini-MAX sample.

Development of the Medicaid Analytic Extract Provider Characteristics (MAXPC) File. Final Implementation Report, 2006

Communications — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:42:43 GMT

This report details the criteria and process behind the design and implementation of the Medicaid Analytic eXtract Provider Characteristics file, a uniform provider file for each Medicaid provider in MAX.

Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness Review: Executive Summary

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:48:06 GMT

This executive summary provides an overview of the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness review process, a summary of the review results, and a link to more detailed information. Overall, the review identified impact studies with high or moderate ratings for seven home visiting models: Early Head Start—Home Visiting, Family Check-Up, Healthy Families America, Healthy Steps, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, Nurse Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers.

Assessing the Evidence of Effectiveness of Home Visiting Program Models Implemented in Tribal Communities

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:49:03 GMT

This report describes the review process and findings for a systematic review of home visiting program models implemented in tribal communities or evaluated with American Indian and Alaska Native families and children. The review assessed evidence of effectiveness for culturally relevant models implemented in tribal communities.

WWC Quick Review: Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Final Report.

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:50:05 GMT

What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) quick reviews give timely guidance about whether education research in the news meets WWC standards. Read the latest quick review and see how the WWC rated the Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Final Report. The Opportunity Scholarship Program offers vouchers to students to attend private schools. This evaluation examined whether winning a lottery for the program improved low-income students’ reading and math achievement and their probability of graduating from high school.

Teacher and Principal Value-Added: Research Findings and Implementation Practices

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:51:27 GMT

This report summarizes research findings and implementation practices for teacher and principal value-added models (VAM) as a first step in the Team Pennsylvania Foundation’s pilot project to inform the development of a full, statewide model evaluation system. The report selected 21 empirical studies that describe key issues and findings in the literature and examined varying degrees of value-added implementation in seven school districts or states. It presents information aimed at VAM development: typical data elements, important modeling considerations, features specific to teachers or principals, and broad implementation features.

Successful Strategies for Educating Hard-to-Reach Populations: Lessons Learned from Massachusetts' Train-the-Trainer Project Using the Helping You Take Care of Yourself Curriculum

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:22:01 GMT

This article found that implementing a “train-the-trainer” approach allowed community-based organizations to expand their reach in conducting a standardized health education curriculum on breast, cervical, and cardiovascular health educating more than 2,000 hard-to-reach women. The strategies employed can be applied to other health education programs.

Participating in Healthy San Francisco: Trends in Enrollment and Retention

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:22:39 GMT

This report examines enrollment and retention in Healthy San Francisco, a health care access program for uninsured adults in the city and county of San Francisco. The program has successfully enrolled a significant portion of uninsured working-age San Franciscans, especially those in the lowest income groups. Few participants leave before their 12-month renewal, and about half renew enrollment at that point. Retention rates varied by demographic and utilization characteristics. Findings from focus groups and survey data suggest individuals may not enroll or renew because they (1) acquire private or public insurance coverage, (2) move out of the city, (3) are concerned about participation fees, and (4) prefer benefits or providers not currently offered.

Benefit Redemption Patterns in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:23:31 GMT

In response to the economic downturn and increasing food prices, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) raised the maximum Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit by 13.6 percent, effective April 2009. This study identifies how spending patterns, such as the rate at which households spend their benefit, changed following the benefit increase and analyzes how spending patterns differed across household characteristics, time, and states. In comparing the pre-ARRA to post-ARRA period in 2009, households made an additional 1.6 transactions per month (increasing from 8.5 to 10.1) and spent slightly less, on average, on each transaction (decreasing from $30 to $29). Summary.

Empirical Bayes Shrinkage Estimates of State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2006-2008 for All Eligible People and the Working Poor

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:24:26 GMT

This report estimates states’ need for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and the program’s effectiveness from 2006 to 2008. The estimated numbers of people eligible for SNAP measure the need for the program. The estimated SNAP participation rates measure, state by state, the program’s performance in reaching its target population. In addition, the report derived estimates of participation rates for the working poor.

Registration Open for CSDP Forum on Accelerated Benefits Demonstration

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:50:59 GMT

The Center for Studying Disability Policy will hold a forum on "The Accelerated Benefits Demonstration and Evaluation Project: Impacts on Health and Employment at 12 Months," on Thursday, April 21, from 12:00-1:30 p.m (EDT) at Mathematica's Washington, D.C. office.

April CHCE Forum on Care Coordination for People with Disabilities

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:54:27 GMT

The Center on Health Care Effectiveness will hold a forum, "Evaluating the Comparative Effectiveness of Care Coordination for Disabled Populations," on Tuesday, April 5, from 12:00-1:30 p.m. (EDT) in Mathematica's Washington, D.C. office.

Early Head Start Children in Grade 5: Long-Term Followup of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project Study Sample

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:46:32 GMT

This report estimates Early Head Start impacts on children and families when children were in fifth grade. It includes additional nonexperimental analyses to inform program practice and guide future research. Impacts on the full sample of children and families in the grade 5 followup suggest that for the overall sample, Early Head Start did not continue to have the broad pattern of impacts for child and family outcomes seen at earlier ages; however, there were interesting patterns of impacts for some subgroups.

Mathematica Researchers to Present at AERA Annual Meeting

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:42:34 GMT

Mathematica's education experts will present at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting April 8-12, 2011.

Mathematica’s Early Childhood Staff to Present at SRCD

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:02:44 GMT

Mathematica's early childhood experts to present at the Society for Research in Child Development's biennial meeting in Montreal, Canada.

Chollet on Marketplace on Maine’s Health Care Reform Exemption

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:08:41 GMT

Senior fellow Deborah Chollet interviewed on Marketplace on Maine’s health care reform exemption.

Gold's Blog in Health Affairs Reviews Medicare Advantage Plans

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:04:46 GMT

Senior fellow Marsha Gold's blog in Health Affairs reviews Medicare Advantage plans.

The Effects of Charter High Schools on Educational Attainment

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:10:47 GMT

This article analyzes the relationship between charter high school attendance and educational attainment in Florida and Chicago. Students who attended a charter middle school and went on to attend a charter high school were 7 to 15 percentage points more likely to earn a standard diploma than students who transitioned to a traditional public high school and 8 to 10 percentage points more likely to attend college.

The Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Interim Report on Transition WORKS

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:11:27 GMT

The Social Security Administration is funding a random assignment evaluation of six demonstration projects to improve employment and other outcomes for youth ages 14 to 25 who are either receiving disability benefits or are at high risk of receiving them in the future. This report reviews the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) projects, located in Buffalo, New York, including findings from a process analysis on implementation, as well as an analysis of one-year impacts on youth’s use of services, employment and earnings, income and benefits, educational attainment, and attitudes and expectations.

Quality Dosage, Thresholds, and Features in Early Childhood Settings: A Review of the Literature

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:12:15 GMT

This literature review is one of multiple components to the Child Care and Early Education Quality Features, Thresholds and Dosage and Child Outcomes (Q-DOT) project. This project, which is examining evidence and providing new data on the relationship between the quality of early care settings and children’s outcomes, is looking at whether thresholds of quality, levels of dosage, and quality features are associated more strongly with children’s positive outcomes. Literature Review Tables.

Mortality Risk and Human Capital Investment: The Impact of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:13:44 GMT

Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys for 15 sub-Saharan African countries, this article estimates the relationship between regional HIV prevalence and the change in individual human capital investment over time. Areas with higher levels of HIV experienced relatively larger declines in schooling.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Medicaid, 2003: Charts and State Tables

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:14:40 GMT

This chartbook for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides comprehensive information on Medicaid beneficiaries who use mental health and substance abuse services and places the findings in a broad policy context.

Prenatal Case Management of Pregnant Women: What Is the Evidence for Its Contribution to a Reduction of Disparities in Perinatal Outcomes?

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:15:18 GMT

This chapter reviews studies of prenatal case management for vulnerable populations and assesses whether it improves birth outcomes and reduces racial and ethnic disparities in these outcomes.

A Review of Prenatal Home-Visiting Effectiveness for Improving Birth Outcomes

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:15:57 GMT

This article reviewed 28 quantitative studies comparing outcomes for women who did and did not receive prenatal home visiting. More evidence suggests that prenatal home visiting may improve the use of prenatal care, whereas less evidence exists that it improves neonatal birth weight or gestational age.

The Impacts of Philadelphia's Accelerated Schools on Academic Progress and Graduation

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:09:57 GMT

This report evaluates the impacts of Philadelphia’s accelerated schools—alternative high schools serving students at high risk of dropping out—on enrollees’ graduation rates and on rates of credit accumulation for recent enrollees.

Estimating the Return to College Selectivity Over the Career Using Administrative Earning Data

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:22:08 GMT

This paper uses administrative earnings data to the effect of attending a highly selective college on future earnings. It extends the work of a previous paper—that examined the 1995 earnings of a cohort of students who entered college in 1976. Using earnings data from a longer time horizon (from 1983 through 2007) as well as data for a more recent cohort of students who entered college in 1989, the researchers found that estimates of the return to college selectivity fell substantially, often to near zero. However, for black, Hispanic, and students from less-educated families (in terms of their parents’ education), the estimates of the return to college selectivity remained large.

New Publications Offer Data-Driven Insights into Behavioral Health Policies

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:53:05 GMT

Mathematica’s cadre of mental health and substance abuse researchers recently published a series of journal articles and produced a seminal chartbook for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offering insights and information about current trends in Medicaid-funded behavioral health services.

The Evaluation of the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:54:37 GMT

This introduction presents early findings from the evaluation of the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment (DMIE), which used random assignment to test whether a program of enhanced health and employment supports for working adults with potentially disabling conditions can reduce the likelihood of applying for federal disability benefits and improve employment retention.

Impact of Early Intervention Programs for Working Adults with Potentially Disabling Conditions: Evidence from the National DMIE Evaluation

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:56:07 GMT

This article examines results from a study using random assignment and data from Social Security Administration files and state-based surveys to assess whether the DMIE, as implemented in these states, had a significant impact on the number of applications submitted for federal disability benefit programs and changed participants’ employment outcomes. Among other findings, the study showed that the early intervention programs were effective in reducing applications to federal disability programs 12 months after enrollment in the two states (Minnesota and Texas) with the largest number of participants.

A Second Year in Head Start: Characteristics and Outcomes of Children Who Entered the Program at Age Three

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:57:50 GMT

This brief and accompanying data tables profile the second year in the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2006 for 3-year-old Head Start children and families who were newly enrolled in fall 2006 and are still attending in spring 2008. These children begin their program experience scoring below norms across developmental areas. By the end of their second year, however, they score at or above norms in their literacy development, including letter-word knowledge and early writing. "Data Tables for FACES 2006: A Second Year in Head Start Report."

Head Start Children Go to Kindergarten

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:59:52 GMT

This report and accompanying data tables describe the group of children who first entered Head Start in fall 2006 either as a 3- or 4- year old, completed one or two years in the program, and attended kindergarten the year after completing Head Start. Head Start children make progress in important school readiness skills over the course of their time in Head Start and in the kindergarten year, and this progress is positively related to material and social resources in the home, the quality of their Head Start classroom, and several measures of peer abilities, among other factors. "Data Tables for FACES 2006: Head Start Children Go to Kindergarten Report."

Supporting Home Visitors in Evidence-Based Programs: Experience of EBHV Grantees

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:01:16 GMT

This brief, the fourth in the series Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting to Prevent Child Maltreatment, summarizes lessons about supervising and supporting home visitors in evidence-based home visiting programs. Topics include steps to cultivate organizational support for evidence-based home visiting programs, methods to address internal staff concerns about these programs, benefits of evidence-based models’ approaches to home visitor supervision, and the need to provide home visitors with resources and knowledge through community partnerships.

Replicating Evidence-Based Home Visiting Models: A Framework for Assessing Fidelity

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:02:46 GMT

This brief, the third in the series Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting to Prevent Child Maltreatment, presents a system to monitor fidelity in evidence-based infant and early childhood home visiting programs. Topics addressed include defining fidelity and its impact on program outcomes; assessing fidelity during initial and ongoing program implementation; and selecting program level, provider level, service delivery, and participant level indicators to obtain a comprehensive view of fidelity.

Register Now for CHCE Forum April 5

Communications — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:48:16 GMT

"Evaluating the Comparative Effectiveness of Care Coordination for Disabled Populations" will be held on Tuesday, April 5, 12:00-1:30 p.m. (EDT) at Mathematica's Washington, D.C. office.

Still Time to Register for March 3 Disability Forum

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:29:12 GMT

Forum Number 13: SSA’s Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Delivering Employment-Focused Services and Waivers to Youth with Disabilities will be held Thursday, March 3, 2011 from 12:00-1:30 p.m in Mathematica's Washington, DC office. Register to attend via webinar.

Hoke Named Vice President

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:38:17 GMT

Mathematica recently announced the appointment of Ed Hoke, a resident of Washington, D.C., as vice president. In this position, he will be responsible for directing all systems and programming activities in support of human services and health research at Mathematica.

A Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Report: The Status of the Medicaid Infrastructure Grants Program as of 12/31/09

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:41:34 GMT

This final report describes the key activities and program outputs of Medicaid Infrastructure Grants made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to states with the goal of improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities. One of the most visible activities has been the development of state Medicaid Buy-In programs, under which workers with significant disabilities can “buy in” to Medicaid coverage when their earnings would otherwise make them ineligible. In 2009, there were over 150,000 persons with disabilities enrolled in these programs nationwide, which now operate in 37 states with a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant. This report updates trends in the enrollment, employment, and earnings of participants.

A Look at Healthy San Francisco’s Medical Home Model

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:39:53 GMT

A new summary brief and report examine the role of the primary care medical home in Healthy San Francisco, a health care access program for uninsured adults in the city and county of San Francisco. The program’s medical home requirement—and its associated referral system—appear to have conferred several benefits to San Francisco’s safety-net delivery system, including strengthening ties between the uninsured people and their particular medical home, and allowing providers to focus on the health of a panel of patients. However, participants and providers also reported some concerns with the program, indicating areas for improvement in the future.

New from What Works Clearinghouse: High School Saxon Math

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:43:13 GMT

A new report from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews the effects of Saxon Math on high school students. Saxon Math is a textbook series covering grades K-12 based on incremental development and continual review of mathematical concepts to give students time to learn and practice concepts throughout the year. The program is built on the premise that students learn best when instruction is incremental and explicit, previously learned concepts are continually reviewed, and assessment is frequent and cumulative. The WWC found Saxon Math to have no discernible effects on math achievement for high school students.

Planning a WIC Research Agenda

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:45:07 GMT

This report summarizes workshop presentations and discussions by the Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board Committee, reviewing research on the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages, the third-largest food assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Chollet to Participate in March 8 NASI Webinar on Designing a Health Insurance Exchange

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:32:24 GMT

Senior fellow Deborah Chollet recently co-chaired a panel assembled by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) of health policy, economic and legal experts who developed a toolkit to assist states with the design of a health insurance exchange.

Staff to Present at Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness Conference

Communications — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:35:24 GMT

Mathematica's education experts to present at Washington, D.C. conference.

Enabling a Survey of Primary Care to Measure the Health Care Experiences of Adults with Disabilities

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:21:58 GMT

Using consumer focus groups, a technical expert panel, and careful development and testing, this study successfully enabled and administered an existing survey on primary care to assess the health care experiences reported by adults with disabilities.

Recommendations for States on Designing Health Insurance Exchanges

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:13:29 GMT

Senior fellow Deborah Chollet served as co-chair on an expert panel to design a legislative toolkit, released by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), that will assist states with the design of health insurance Exchanges.

Mathematica Evaluating State and Federal Efforts to Modernize Social Services

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:16:35 GMT

Mathematica is using its signature nonpartisan data collection and analysis to assess how well new initiatives to modernize and streamline services are serving the growing number of Americans seeking nutrition, health care, and employment assistance through the social safety net.

Money Follows the Person Demonstration: Overview of State Grantee Progress, January-June 2010

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:20:45 GMT

This report summarizes the progress of the demonstration in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Enrollment grew steadily during this period. Since the program began, more than 8,500 people who lived in institutions for six months or more have been helped to return to homes or community-based residences.

Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program: A Profile of Participants

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:19:52 GMT

This report profiles participants who transitioned from institutions to qualified home or community-based residences from the start of the program through June 2010.

BOND Final Design Report

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:21:35 GMT

BOND will test innovations to address the financial disincentives and other obstacles to increasing incomes and reducing dependence on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The design to be tested replaces the SSDI "cash cliff," under which beneficiaries eventually lose all of their benefits if they earn over a minimal amount, with a "benefit ramp," a $1 reduction in benefits for each $2 earned above that minimal amount. The demonstration will also test the provision of more intensive counseling than offered under current law.

Charter School Authorizers and Student Achievement

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:22:28 GMT

This paper examines the charter school authorizing process using student-level data from Ohio, a state with a range of public and private authorizers. The study found charters authorized by nonprofits are less effective in promoting student achievement than other charter schools (though there are likely to be more differences among individual authorizers than across authorizer types).

Lessons from the Field: Making Accountable Care Organizations Real

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:23:20 GMT

This study examined providers' efforts to improve care delivery, similar to those likely to be encouraged under ACOs. Common challenges for affiliated health care organizations’ efforts to improve care are establishing a business case for change and implementing changes with minimal disruption to patients and productivity.

Effects of a Discharge Planning Program on Medicaid Coverage of State Prisoners with Serious Mental Illness

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:24:06 GMT

This study assessed the effectiveness of a discharge planning program implemented in three Oklahoma state prisons to assist inmates with serious mental illness to enroll in Medicaid on the day of release or soon thereafter. The program had significant positive effects. On the day of release, 25 percent of inmates who received program services were enrolled in Medicaid, compared with 8 percent of inmates at the same facilities in the two years before the new program was implemented and 3 percent for inmates in comparison facilities. The effect was even greater three months after release.

Publishing Nutrition Research: A Review of Multivariate Techniques Part 1

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:24:45 GMT

This article is the seventh in a series reviewing the importance of research design, analyses, and epidemiology in the conduct, interpretation, and publication of nutrition research. This review introduces the more commonly used multivariate techniques including linear and logistic regression (simple and multiple) and survival analyses (Kaplan Meier plots and Cox regression).

Reaching Those in Need: State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2008

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:17:41 GMT

Read about SNAP participation rates in all 50 states for all eligible people and for the working poor in fiscal year 2008. These estimates can be used to assess recent program performance and focus efforts to improve performance. Read the release.

Evaluation of Medicare Part D Late Enrollment Penalty Demonstration for Low-Income Subsidy Applicants and Residents Affected by Hurricane Katrina

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:18:27 GMT

This report presents findings from the Medicare Part D late enrollment penalty demonstration, which encouraged enrollment in Part D among low-income beneficiaries by eliminating the penalty for certain Medicare beneficiaries in the low-income subsidy program and those living in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The demonstration benefitted a small but significant number of low-income Medicare Part D beneficiaries who might not have joined the program if they had been required to pay a late fee. The increased federal costs of prescription drugs among beneficiaries induced to enroll because of the demonstration waiver were offset by a reduction in medical services among the elderly.

Exploratory Study of Decision-Making in Low-Income Couples

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:19:40 GMT

A new report and issue brief focus on the role of partners and spouses in the decision-making processes of social service clients. Using survey data, direct observation of couple interactions, and physiological measurement, findings suggest that the decisions of individuals receivin

Register for March Forum on Transition to Work for Youth with Disabilities

Communications — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:54:42 GMT

The Center for Studying Disability Policy at Mathematica Policy Research will hold a forum on Thursday, March 3, 2011, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at Mathematica’s office at 600 Maryland Ave., S.W., Suite 550, Washington, D.C.

Mathematica’s DC Office Moving to NoMa

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:35:24 GMT

Mathematica recently signed a 15-year lease for 125,429 square feet at 1100 First Street, NE in the NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood near Union Station in Washington, D.C. Mathematica was represented by Woodmark Commercial Services in the lease for the Tishman-Speyer owned building. In November 2011, Mathematica’s Washington, D.C., office, along with its research affiliate the Center for Studying Health System Change, will relocate to this new Class A building, joining a growing number of private and federal organizations that call this vibrant neighborhood home. Mathematica will be vacating 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, where it has been for almost 30 years.

The Roles of Patient-Centered Medical Homes and Accountable Care Organizations in Coordinating Patient Care

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:36:58 GMT

This brief describes the importance of different care coordination activities in improving patient outcomes. It also explores ways that the patient-centered medical home and accountable care organizations can coordinate care.

Healthy Indiana Plan: Lessons for Health Reform

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:38:01 GMT

This issue brief describes the Healthy Indiana Plan, an affordable health care coverage expansion for low-income, working-age adults. It compares the program to similar efforts in other states and assesses early experiences with enrollment and cost-sharing.

Mental Disorders Among Non-Elderly Nursing Home Residents

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:38:46 GMT

Despite federal nursing home policies designed to prevent inappropriate institutionalization, many Medicaid beneficiaries under age 65 with serious mental illness may be inappropriately admitted to nursing facilities. A combination of the Medicaid policy requiring coverage for nursing home care and a lack of appropriate community-based care options may be the cause.

An Evaluation of Financial Incentive Policies for Organ Donations in the United States

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:39:29 GMT

This paper examines the association between financial incentives and organ donations. Although the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 prohibits financial compensation for organs for transplant, the paper focuses on the impact of laws that influence the relative cost of deceased and live organ donations on the supply of organs for transplant. No evidence was found to support that these laws affect organ donations.

Baseline Report on the Tertiary Canal Survey

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:40:23 GMT

This report presents baseline data from the tertiary canal survey, which provides an understanding of the current irrigation and agricultural situation in rural Armenia, as well as context for the impact evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s infrastructure improvement project in that country.

CHCE Issue Brief Named Kaiser Health Policy Pick

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:41:02 GMT

An issue brief from the Center on Health Care Effectiveness on implementing comparative effectiveness research at the point of care was named a Kaiser Health Policy pick.

Applications Now Being Accepted for U.S. DOL 2011 Scholars Program

Communications — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:48:38 GMT

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Mathematica announces a competition to fund one or two highly qualified researchers to carry out research projects that are relevant to DOL’s policymaking. Proposed projects should contribute to the department’s mission of fostering, promoting, and developing the well-being of wage earners, retirees, and job seekers.

Effects of Traditional Swaddling on Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Communications — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:52:29 GMT

This article presents findings from a randomized controlled trial of 1,279 healthy newborns in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on the effects of swaddling—the tight, prolonged binding of infants—on development. The study found prolonged swaddling in the first year of life did not significantly impact children's early mental or psychomotor development.

Teacher Career Paths, Teacher Quality, and Persistence in the Classroom: Are Public Schools Keeping Their Best?

Communications — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:57:22 GMT

This paper examines the mobility of early-career teachers of varying quality—measured using value-added methods—and focuses on the variation in these effects across the effectiveness distribution. On average, more effective teachers remain in the profession and stay in their initial schools. But there appears to be heterogeneity in mobility behavior across the performance distribution and evidence that student demographics and achievement levels affect teacher mobility.

Initial Implementation of a Couples-Focused Employment Program

Communications — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:58:26 GMT

This study evaluates the initial implementation of the Couples Employment (CE) project in Baltimore, Maryland, a voluntary intervention to simultaneously address employment, financial literacy, and relationship issues, to capitalize on the ways that success in each might affect the other. Initial experiences highlighted the importance of defining a program model integrating family stability and economic success; identifying a strong program director; achieving an appropriate staff mix; and maintaining a focus on couples.

Mathematica Launches Major International Studies

Communications — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:47:08 GMT

In projects spanning Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, Mathematica's international experts work in some of the world's most difficult field conditions to conduct rigorous impact assessments and produce reliable information on the effectiveness of programs designed to address these challenges. Recognizing the rich scope and high quality of its work, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) recently awarded Mathematica key projects to assess international development initiatives in Moldova, Rwanda, Asia, and the Middle East.

Recording from Home-Visiting Webinar Now Available

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:36:43 GMT

This webinar coincides with the release of a new brief on the fidelity monitoring system Mathematica and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago developed for the cross-site evaluation of the Evidence-Based Home Visiting initiative.

Food Consumption Patterns of Young Preschoolers: Are They Starting Off On the Right Path?

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:26:10 GMT

Using data from the FITS 2008 study, this article describes the dietary habits of 2- and 3-year-olds. Almost three-quarters of children consumed fruit, and about 70 percent ate vegetables at least once in a day. However, french fries and other fried potatoes were the most commonly eaten vegetable, and about 85 percent consumed some type of sweetened beverage, dessert, sweet, or salty snack in a day.

Nutrient Intakes of US Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers Meet or Exceed Dietary Reference Intakes

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:27:18 GMT

Using data from the FITS 2008 study, this article notes that nutrient intakes are adequate for the majority of U.S. infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, except for a small but important proportion of infants at risk for inadequate iron and zinc intakes.

Food Consumption Patterns of Infants and Toddlers: Where Are We Now?

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:28:24 GMT

Compared to the 2002 FITS study, FITS 2008 shows a higher percentage of infants are being breastfed, and fewer infants are consuming infant cereal. The percentage of infants and toddlers consuming desserts or candy, sweetened beverages, and salty snacks was significantly lower in 2008; however, fruit and vegetable consumption also remains lower than desired.

New Brief and Forum on Using Comparative Effectiveness Research: Information Alone Won’t Lead to Successful Health Care Reform

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:30:07 GMT

To provide better value and improve patient care in the U.S. health care system, comparative effectiveness research (CER) needs to be disseminated, implemented, and interpreted. This brief, the second from Mathematica’s Center on Health Care Effectiveness, examines how to put CER into use at the point of care, focusing on knowledge translation, provider incentive reform, delivery system transformation, and consumer engagement. Listen to the forum.

Value for the Money Spent? Exploring the Relationship Between Medicaid Costs and Quality

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:35:31 GMT

This study examines the value of state Medicaid program spending by exploring the relationship between both sides of the efficiency coin—costs and outcomes. The authors create measures that relate spending per beneficiary to quality indicators, compare states’ performance, and build a foundation for a more comprehensive assessment of Medicaid efficiency when more data become available.

The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study 2008: Study Design and Methods

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:24:39 GMT

This article describes the FITS 2008 study design, data collection methods, 24-hour dietary recall protocol, and sample characteristics.

New Findings from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study: Data to Inform Action

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:22:09 GMT

This guest editorial by senior fellow Ronette R. Briefel, describes findings from FITS 2008, places the results in the context of other large-scale nutrition studies for infants and toddlers, and examines the potential impact on policymakers’ efforts to address childhood obesity.

Mathematica Launches Three Major Studies of Teacher Effectiveness

Communications — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:44:54 GMT

Mathematica's cadre of education experts, including 22 with expertise in value-added methods, are working on a portfolio of new projects focused on teacher effectiveness for the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. The projects focus on alternative teacher training, teacher performance pay, and teacher quality.

Register for December 15 Webinar on Assessing Home Visiting Program Fidelity

Communications — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:29:54 GMT

Join us for a webinar that coincides with the release of a new brief on the fidelity monitoring system Mathematica Policy Research and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago developed for the cross-site evaluation of the EBHV initiative.

Recording Available from December Disability Forum

Communications — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:31:34 GMT

Live recording of the Center for Studying Disability Policy's 12th forum: Social Security Reform: The Consequences of Shrinking the Safety Net for Older Workers with Disabilities.

Webcast of Fragile Families Event Presentation Available

Communications — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:40:19 GMT

A webcast of senior fellow Rob Wood's presentation at the Brookings Institution's Fragile Families Event is now available.

Recruiting and Training Home Visitors for Evidence-Based Home Visiting (EBHV): Experience of EBHV Grantees

Communications — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:47:10 GMT

This brief summarizes lessons about recruiting and training home visitors for evidence-based programs from grantees participating in the Children’s Bureau’s Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting to Prevent Child Maltreatment grantee cluster. Key challenges include locating candidates that understand the demands and responsibilities of home visitation, hiring home visitors that can serve families that are culturally and linguistically diverse, and understanding that training about the community and target population complements training provided by the evidence-based model.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Caseload Trends and Changes in Measures of Unemployment, Labor Underutilization, and Program Policy from 2000 to 2008

Communications — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:39:55 GMT

This study examines factors associated with the dramatic 63 percent increase in SNAP participants from 2000 to 2008—from 17 million to 28 million in an average month in each fiscal year respectively. Increases in the unemployment rate are associated with higher SNAP caseloads, as well as alternative labor underutilization measures, such as measures that account for discouraged and underemployed workers, and selected policy changes, such as states offering broad-based categorical eligibility and decreasing the frequency of recertification periods.

Mathematica Receives Outstanding Contractor Award

Communications — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:40:59 GMT

Mathematica received the 2010 Outstanding Contractor Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF recognized Mathematica for systematic reviews of the research evidence on two projects: home visiting programs to improve parenting skills and help alleviate child abuse and neglect, and teen pregnancy prevention programs.

Jang Appointed Director of Statistics

Communications — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:43:18 GMT

Mathematica has appointed Donsig Jang director of its statistics department, where he will lead the company's work in applying sophisticated statistical methods to meet the research objectives of clients, partners, and policymakers worldwide.

December 2 Webinar on Systematic Review of Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Communications — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:44:56 GMT

Join us for a webinar on the systematic evidence review being conducted by Mathematica under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to identify programs effective at reducing teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and associated sexual risk behaviors.

Relationship Skills Education and Child Support: Evidence from a Program Partnership in Texas

Communications — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:36:17 GMT

This report evaluates the impact of a partnership between the relationship education program Building Strong Families, and the Child Support Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, on child support orders, child support payments, and father involvement.

Evaluating Teachers: The Important Role of Value Added

Communications — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:39:09 GMT

This paper clarifies four areas of confusion about value-added methodology and its role in teacher evaluation: (1) use of value-added information; (2) consequences for teachers versus those for students of classifying and misclassifying teachers as effective or ineffective; (3) reliability of value-added measures of teacher performance and standards for evaluations in other fields; and (4) reliability of teacher evaluation systems that include value-added versus those that do not.

Evaluation Exemplar: The Critical Importance of Stakeholder Relations in a National, Experimental Abstinence Education Evaluation

Communications — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:37:10 GMT

This piece describes Mathematica’s abstinence education evaluation, provides interviews with the evaluation’s two lead authors, Christopher Trenholm and Barbara Devaney, and offers reflections on the study.

Register for December 9 Center on Health Care Effectiveness Forum: Putting Evidence into Action

Communications — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:13:01 GMT

Please join us for the second forum hosted by Mathematica's Center on Health Care Effectiveness. Speakers will address what needs to be learned to get comparative effectiveness research into use at the point of care, focusing on (1) knowledge translation, (2) provider incentive reform, (3) delivery system transformation, and (4) consumer engagement.

Register for December 9 Center on Health Care Effectiveness Forum: Putting Evidence into Action

Communications — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:13:01 GMT

Recording Available from October Disability Forum

Communications — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:12:21 GMT

Live recording of audio/slide presentations now available for October Center for Studying Disability Policy forum on "New Approaches to Ensuring Access to Benefits for Disenfranchised Populations."

New Considerations for Survey Researchers When Planning and Conducting RDD Telephone Surveys in the U.S. with Respondents Reached Via Cell Phone Numbers

Communications — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:34:50 GMT

This report, prepared by the American Association for Public Opinion Research Cell Phone Task Force, provides information for planning and implementing telephone surveys with respondents reached via cell phone in the United States. It addresses issues related to random digit dial (RDD) surveys that sample cell phone numbers, either as stand-alone cell phone surveys or as part of dual frame cell phone and landline RDD surveys. It also briefly addresses issues for studies that use address-based sampling.

Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2009

Communications — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:55:28 GMT

This report provides information on the demographic and economic characteristics of SNAP households in fiscal year 2009. The average monthly number of participants reached a record high of 32.9 million. Nearly half of recipients were children, another 8 percent were over age 60, about 40 percent lived in households with earnings, the majority of households did not receive cash welfare benefits, and the average monthly benefit was $272. Executive Summary.

Early Childhood Experts to Discuss Seeds to Success Findings at December Webinar

Communications — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:56:29 GMT

This webinar will present findings from Seeds to Success Modified Field Test (Seeds), a project to assess the effectiveness of a child care quality rating and improvement system in Washington State.

Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula

Communications — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:36:39 GMT

This report, the second from a large-scale study for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences of four early math programs, shows that the curriculum used by the study schools mattered. The study examined (1) Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (Investigations), (2) Math Expressions, (3) Saxon Math (Saxon), and (4) Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics (SFAW). Read the release.

A Year in Head Start: Children, Families and Programs

Communications — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:37:39 GMT

Using data from FACES 2006, this report profiles the 3- and 4-year-old Head Start children and families newly enrolled in fall 2006 and still attending in spring 2007. Although they enter Head Start below national norms on most measures of language, literacy, and math skills, these children make significant progress toward norms during the year in the areas of receptive vocabulary in English, letter-word knowledge, and early math. By spring, they score at national norms in letter-word knowledge. Data tables.

Streamlining California Public Services and Health Enrollment

Communications — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:40:19 GMT

This report, which examines social service enrollment reforms in FL, PA, TX, and WA, informs the state of California and stakeholders as they consider changes in the enrollment process for public health and social services programs. Read the release.

Methods Update: School Proficiency Measures or Test Scores?

Communications — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:41:25 GMT

This paper compares the precision gains from adjusting impact estimates for student-level pretest scores (which can be costly to collect) with the gains associated with using publically available school-level proficiency data (available at low cost), using data from five large-scale randomized control trials conducted for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. On average, adjusting for school-level proficiency does not increase statistical precision as well as student-level baseline test scores. The number of schools included in studies would have to nearly double to compensate for the loss in precision of using school-level instead of student-level data.

New CHCE Projects to Examine What Works, What Doesn't in Health Care

Communications — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:34:50 GMT

New projects to focus on evaluating comparative effectiveness evidence and enhancing data infrastructure.

Register Now for December Center for Studying Disability Forum

Communications — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:29:00 GMT

Forum focuses on "Social Security Reform: The Consequences of Shrinking the Safety Net for Older Workers with Disabilities."

Evaluation of the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program: Beneficiaries Served, Services Provided, and Program Costs

Communications — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:44:09 GMT

This report presents findings on the activities of the 103 organizations receiving Social Security Administration grants under the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program, established in 2006 to disseminate information on work incentives and support beneficiaries in their efforts to return to work. This report focuses on short- and intermediate-term outcomes for beneficiaries receiving services as well as program variations in outputs and costs.

Use of One-Stops by Social Security Disability Beneficiaries in Four States Implementing Disability Program Navigator Initiatives

Communications — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:45:14 GMT

With federal funding, states have worked to make One-Stop services more accessible to people with disabilities through the Disability Program Navigator (DPN) initiative. This report assesses the extent to which working age recipients of Social Security disability benefits used these services and looks at employment outcomes and differences in utilization and outcomes over time as the initiative matured in the four states studied.

WIC Turns 35: Program Effectiveness and Future Directions

Communications — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:45:55 GMT

The author of this essay in the monograph, Childhood Programs and Practices in the First Decade of Life, reviews the history of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), describes WIC eligibility and benefits, presents findings from major WIC evaluations, and offers thoughts on the future WIC research agenda.

Aspects of Mental Health Communication Skills Training that Predict Parent and Child Outcomes in Pediatric Primary Care

Communications — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:19:52 GMT

This study evaluated the outcome of mental health communication training for pediatric primary care providers. Those who used more agenda setting, time, and anger management skills increased “patient centeredness” toward parents, resulting in improvements in child mental health outcomes.

The 2009 Morris Hansen Lecture: The Care, Feeding, and Training of Survey Statisticians

Communications — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:20:52 GMT

This discussion provides insight on how to maintain a healthy pipeline of survey statisticians.

Staff to Present at Annual Meeting of the American Evaluation Association

Communications — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:05:24 GMT

"Evaluation Quality," the Annual Meeting of the American Evaluation Association, will be held in San Antonio, Texas from November 10 through 13, 2010.

State Trends in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Eligibility and Participation Among Elderly Individuals

Communications — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:17:59 GMT

This report provides state information on the characteristics of elderly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants and eligibles, as well as participation rates for this group, to help assess efforts to increase their SNAP participation.

Medicare Advantage 2011 Data Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums

Communications — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:18:55 GMT

This new data spotlight reviews changes to Medicare Advantage plans and examines trends in plan participation, premiums, and certain benefits. Overall, enrollees can expect modest changes in 2011. On average, beneficiaries will be able to choose from among 24 plans.

Money Follows the Person 2009 Annual Evaluation Report

Communications — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:17:35 GMT

The Money Follows the Person program is based on the premise that many Medicaid beneficiaries in institutions would rather live in the community and could do so with adequate support, which would cost less than the institutional care they receive. This report describes the program’s status through December 2009, including how states are progressing toward their goals, and provides baseline information for analyses of impacts and outcomes. States have faced considerable challenges but by the end of 2009, programs had helped approximately 5,600 people transition to community living.

Comparative Effectiveness Research and Innovation: Policy Options to Foster Medical Advances

Communications — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:18:38 GMT

This new policy analysis examines how determining what treatments work best for which patients in real-world settings—known as comparative effectiveness research—can help foster beneficial medical innovation.

Racial Variation in Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Communications — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:19:29 GMT

This study tested a new conceptual model for the relationship between race, personal history characteristics, and quality of employment outcomes for white, black, and Hispanic participants to examine an old question: Are there still racial disparities in vocational rehabilitation employment outcomes?

Developing and Evaluating Methods for Using American Community Survey Data to Support the School Meals Program: Interim Report

Communications — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:20:29 GMT

This monograph describes the planned work of a National Research Council expert panel, chaired by Allen Schirm, to study technical and operational issues in using data from the American Community Survey—the continuous survey that has replaced the decennial census long-form survey—to obtain estimates of students eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. These estimates could be used to determine federal reimbursements to districts for schools that eliminate program applications and provide free meals to all students.

Strategies for Engaging and Retaining Latinos in HIV Care

Communications — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:13:26 GMT

This issue brief describes strategies that health care providers funded by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program use to improve Latinos’ access to and use of HIV medical and supportive services.

Mathematica Staff to Present at APPAM Fall Conference

Communications — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:33:55 GMT

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management conference, "Making Fair and Effective Policy in Difficult Times," to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, November 4 through 6.

National Patterns of Risk-Standardized Mortality and Readmission for Acute Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure

Communications — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:01:56 GMT

This journal article provides a national perspective on hospital performance for 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates and risk-standardized readmission rates for patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure.

Evaluation of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Program

Communications — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:02:48 GMT

Although there has been great progress in the number of infants screened for permanent hearing loss at birth, there has also been concern about loss to followup among families whose infants screen positive. This article presents findings from a survey of 55 state and territorial universal newborn hearing screening and intervention programs and 8 site visits to evaluate progress in reaching program goals and identify barriers to successful followup.

Employer Resource Networks: Uniting Businesses and Public Partners to Improve Job Retention and Advancement for Low-Wage Workers

Communications — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:03:25 GMT

This issue brief describes the Employer Resource Network (ERN), an innovative, employer-based model that pulls together a consortium of small- to mid-size businesses to provide job retention services, work supports, and training opportunities for entry-level employees, many of whom are receiving public assistance. ERNs include strong partnerships with other service delivery systems and organizations, such as social service agencies, workforce development agencies, chambers of commerce, and community and technical colleges.

The Late Pretest Problem in Randomized Control Trials of Education Interventions

Communcations — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:04:24 GMT

To improve precision of estimated treatment effects, education randomized control trials (RCTs) often use pretest–post-test experimental designs. For logistical reasons, however, pretest data often are collected after random assignment, so including them in the analysis could bias post-test impact estimates. Whether to collect and use late pretest data in RCTs involves a variance-bias trade-off. This article addresses this issue both theoretically and empirically for several commonly used impact estimators, using a loss function approach grounded in the causal inference literature.

Webcast of Health Affairs Briefing on Where Americans Get Acute Care

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:49:32 GMT

Watch a webcast of Gene Rich, director of the Center on Health Care Effectiveness, at a Health Affairs Issue Briefing on Medical Liability and Emergency Care.

The Seeds to Success Modified Field Test: Impact Evaluation Findings

Communications — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:58:53 GMT

This brief highlights key findings from the Seeds to Success Modified Field Test, a voluntary child care quality rating and improvement system to improve the quality of child care in Washington State. It presents findings on whether the coaching model and financial incentives implemented affect quality of services provided by participating child care businesses.

The Seeds to Success Modified Field Test: Implementation Lessons

Communications — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:55:06 GMT

This brief highlights key findings from the Seeds to Success Modified Field Test, a voluntary child care quality rating and improvement system to improve the quality of child care in Washington. The brief presents findings on whether the coaching model and financial incentives implemented affect quality of services participating child care businesses provide.

New Practice Guides and Intervention Reports from What Works Clearinghouse

Communcations — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:00:37 GMT

Two new practice guides are now available at whatworks.ed.gov. The first provides strategies for building strong reading comprehension skills in young readers. The second focuses on teaching the complex fundamentals of fractions to students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Both guides include recommendations, summaries of supporting research, implementation strategies, and potential roadblocks and solutions. New intervention reports in English language learning and dropout prevention are also online, as well as three new quick reviews.

National Doctoral Program Rankings Released; Based on Mathematica Survey

Communications — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:53:18 GMT

The National Research Council released its assessment of U.S. doctoral programs, which includes data on over 5,000 programs in 62 fields at 212 universities nationwide.

Changes in Capacity Among Local Coordinated Community Response Coalitions (CCRs) Supported by the DELTA Program

Communications — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:22:05 GMT

Using survey data collected from coordinated community responses (CCRs), which are community coalitions funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) Program, this article reports on improvements in internal capacity and external supports that affect ability to prevent intimate partner violence.

Linking Induction to Student Achievement

Communications — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:41:31 GMT

The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial, which showed that during the first year of a teacher’s career, students of teachers in comprehensive induction programs scored no better on achievement tests than students of teachers in their school’s usual induction support. A nonexperimental analysis suggested that content-oriented induction may help raise student achievement, while data gathered from focus groups offered insight on how teachers felt induction support affected their performance.

New from What Works Clearinghouse

Communications — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:20:01 GMT

Two new research reviews look at Sound Partners, a beginning reading program, and Core-Plus Mathematics, a high school math intervention. Sound Partners had positive effects for alphabetics, fluency, and comprehension and no discernible effects for general reading achievement for beginning readers. Core-Plus Mathematics had potentially positive effects on math achievement for high school students. Two new quick reviews rate the research designs for studies of KIPP middle schools and charter schools.

Coyne Named Vice President, Director of Public Affairs

Communications — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:15:22 GMT

Mathematica Policy Research recently announced the appointment of Adam Coyne as vice president and director of public affairs. He will focus on strategic communications to enhance the visibility of the organization and its staff and broaden the dissemination of the objective policy research and analysis it produces. Coyne is based in Mathematica’s Princeton, N.J., office.

Where Americans Get Acute Care: Increasingly, It's Not at Their Doctor's Office

Communications — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:16:26 GMT

This article examines the changing nature of first-contact care in the United States and its shift from primary care practitioners to emergency physicians, specialists, and outpatient departments. This pattern is far different from urgent access to primary care in other industrialized countries. Health reforms that advance patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations need to address this serious problem of acute care access.

New Study Evaluates State Efforts to Improve Quality of Children’s Care

Communications — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:12:49 GMT

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, awarded a five-year contract of more than $8.25 million to Mathematica Policy Research and its research partners, the Urban Institute and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Child Policy Research Center, to assess the implementation and outcomes of grants to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

CHCE Forum Recording Released

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:23:18 GMT

"Politics and Policy of Comparative Effectiveness: Looking Back, Looking Ahead," a forum held by the Center on Health Care Effectiveness on September 9, 2010 is now available as a PowerPoint presentation (PDF) and webinar recording.

15-Month Impacts of Oklahoma's Family Expectations Program

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:29:47 GMT

This report presents findings from an analysis of the implementation of Family Expectations, one of the programs examined in our Building Strong Families study, and a rigorous evaluation of program impacts on couple and family outcomes after enrollment for 15 months.

What Predicts Sex Partners' Age Differences Among African American Youth? A Longitudinal Study from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:31:53 GMT

Using growth curve modeling, this study describes the shape of the age difference between participants and their sex partners across adolescence and young adulthood in a sample of African American youth, by evaluating the co-occurrence of other risk behaviors.

Connecting Education Research to Practitioners and Practitioners to Education Research

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:32:47 GMT

This article examines how educators can more effectively engage with researchers to advance practice, using the What Works Clearinghouse and other sources of research findings as a base.

New from What Works Clearinghouse

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:33:53 GMT

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released new intervention reports that review the research on education programs, curriculums, and strategies. Read the latest releases in adolescent literacy, early childhood education, and elementary math, as well as several new quick reviews that provide timely guidance about whether education research in the news meets WWC evidence standards.

Detroit: Motor City to Medical Mecca?

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:34:29 GMT

This issue brief summarizes findings from a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC), on behalf of the National Institute for Health Care Reform, to evaluate how health care is organized, financed, and delivered in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Using Medical Records to Supplement a Claims-Based Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Antidepressants

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:36:41 GMT

This article presents findings from a study to determine if medical information in patient charts could offer clinical details that would help interpret a claims-based comparative effectiveness study of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Medicaid Beneficiaries Using Mental Health or Substance Abuse Services in Fee-for-Service Plans in 13 States, 2003

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:37:20 GMT

This study examined Medicaid beneficiaries using mental health or substance abuse services in fee-for-service plans in 13 states in 2003, concluding that they entered general hospitals and visited emergency rooms far more frequently than other beneficiaries.

Register for Center for Studying Disability Policy Forum

Communications — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:42:07 GMT

The Center for Studying Disability Policy at Mathematica Policy Research announces the eleventh forum in a bimonthly lunchtime seminar series aimed at providing policymakers and others with an opportunity to hear about the latest disability policy research findings. “New Approaches to Ensuring Access for Disenfranchised Populations,” is scheduled for Thursday, October 21, 2010 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at Mathematica’s office at 600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 550, Washington, D.C.

A Review of the Literature on Home-Based Child Care: Implications for Future Directions

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:59:32 GMT

This comprehensive literature review examines quality in home-based child care settings.

Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care: A Compendium of 23 Initiatives

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:00:35 GMT

This compendium of initiatives provides comprehensive, up-to-date information about home-based child care and initiative designs to support quality in these settings.

A Compilation of Initiatives to Support Home-Based Child Care

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:01:17 GMT

This compilation profiles a wide range of initiatives, either currently under way or recently implemented, to support quality in home-based child care.

Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care: Initiative Design and Evaluation Options

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:01:50 GMT

This report describes strategies for supporting quality in home-based child care settings as well as considerations for decision-making and ongoing evaluation.

Health Care When Workers Need It Most: Before and After Entry into the Social Security Disability Insurance Program

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:18:04 GMT

This study analyzed survey data on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries during the six-year window surrounding SSDI entitlement to illustrate changes in characteristics, insurance status, and health care access.

How Are the Experiences of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness Different from Those of Other Medicaid Buy-In Participants?

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:19:31 GMT

This issue brief profiles Medicaid Buy-In participants with severe mental illness and compares their characteristics, employment experiences, and medical expenditures with those of other program participants. These individuals have better employment outcomes than participants with other disabling conditions, at least in the short to medium term.

Covering Low-Income Childless Adults in Medicaid: Experiences from Selected States

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:33:10 GMT

This Center for Health Care Strategies policy brief draws insights from 10 states with programs for low-income childless adults to shed light on the likely care needs and costs of the 16 to 20 million new Medicaid beneficiaries who will be brought into the program in 2014. A significant subset of the expansion population will have a complex range of health needs, including high rates of mental illness and substance abuse, and higher average costs than parents currently enrolled in Medicaid.

Putting Evidence to Work: An Expanded Research Agenda for Academic Medicine in the Era of Health Care Reform

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:33:50 GMT

This commentary calls for an updated research agenda building on traditional basic science and clinical investigation to emphasize patient- and population-outcome-oriented science. The authors argue this expanded research portfolio will be important to transforming our inefficient and expensive health care system into a more evidence-based system of effective, coordinated, safe, and patient-centered care.

Family-Driven Youth-Guided Practices in Residential Treatment: Findings from a National Survey of Residential Treatment Facilities

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:42:04 GMT

This study reports findings from a national survey of residential treatment providers that examined adoption of family-driven, youth-guided practices. Providers reported several practices consistent with family-driven, youth-guided care, such as strength-based individualized treatment planning, but fewer include youth or family members in facility governance activities.

Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care

Communications — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:51:29 GMT

This brief presents an overview of key project findings, including a summary, characteristics of caregivers, quality initiatives, and evidence of effectiveness.

New WWC Topic Area Evaluates Research on Curricula and Interventions for High School Math

Communications — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:40:00 GMT

The WWC publishes intervention reports that evaluate research on mathematics interventions for high school students in grades 9 through 12. These curricula and strategies are intended to increase skills in pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, and calculus.

Examining Effectiveness of Medical Interpreters in Emergency Departments for Spanish-Speaking Patients with Limited English Proficiency: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Communications — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:41:49 GMT

This article examines whether availability of in-person professional interpreter services during emergency department visits affects satisfaction of limited English proficient patients and their health providers, using a randomized controlled trial.

Differences in Prevalence, Treatment, and Outcomes of Asthma Among a Diverse Population of Children with Equal Access to Care

Communications — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:42:53 GMT

This article assesses racial and ethnic differences in asthma prevalence, treatment patterns, and outcomes for children enrolled in the Department of Defense’s health insurance program, TRICARE.

Enrolling the Eligible: Lessons for Funders

Communications — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:43:32 GMT

This article describes lessons from Covering Kids & Families^® (CKF) and covers topics such as how outreach, simplification, and coordination increase enrollment of low-income children and their families in Medicaid and SCHIP. The authors suggest that funders should consider the program’s life cycle—start-up, maturity, or perpetuation/death—both for what is funded and how it is evaluated.

Efforts to Meet Children's Physical Activity and Nutritional Needs: Findings from the I Am Moving, I Am Learning Implementation Evaluation

Communications — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:44:41 GMT

This report presents findings from the two-year implementation evaluation of the "I am Moving, I am Learning (IM/IL)" enhancements in Head Start Region III to address childhood obesity.

Assessing the Need for Evidence-Based Home Visiting (EBHV): Experience of EBHV Grantees

Communications — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:45:23 GMT

This issue brief provides information about how grantees participating in the Children’s Bureau’s Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting (EBHV) to Prevent Child Maltreatment grantee cluster prepared and planned needs assessments and collected data. It also describes facilitators and barriers to carrying out the assessments and provides lessons learned by grantees. This information may be useful to states as they plan needs assessments required by the new Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program.

Eugene Rich to Speak at Health Affairs Forum

Communications — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:46:00 GMT

Eugene Rich, senior fellow and director of the Center on Health Care Effectiveness, will speak at a Health Affairs forum to be held on Tuesday, September 7 at the National Press Club on medical liability and emergency care.

Four Appointed Senior Fellows

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:04:21 GMT

Mathematica Policy Research recently appointed Mary Kay Fox, Brian Gill, Steven Glazerman, and Christopher Trenholm as senior fellows. Fox and Gill are in the firm’s Cambridge, Mass. ofice, Glazerman is located in the firm's Washington, D.C. office, and Trenholm is based in Mathematica's Princeton, N.J. office.

A Continuing Program for Increasing Insurance Coverage Among Low-Income Families

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:52:17 GMT

This evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Covering Kids & Families^® (CKF) program examined ways to improve the program and assess CKF’s effects on policy and procedures, as well as the effects of policy and procedures on coverage.

Projected Health Care Spending in Minnesota

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:54:09 GMT

This report projects health care spending in Minnesota from 2008 to 2018, updating Mathematica’s earlier projections completed in 2009. Changes to the input data are documented, as are changes to the methodology to account for the recession’s spending impacts and health care reform.

What Works Clearinghouse: Adolescent Literary Programs

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:55:07 GMT

Programs designed to improve adolescent literacy are the focus of three new What Works Clearinghouse reports. The reports review the research on Reading Mastery, Accelerated Reader™, and Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction.

Food Expenditures and Diet Quality Among Low-Income Households and Individuals

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:56:21 GMT

This report studies the relationship between food expenditures and dietary outcomes for SNAP participants and other low-income individuals and households.

Trends in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates: 2001 to 2008

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:57:10 GMT

This report presents and discusses trends in SNAP eligibility and participation from 2001 to 2008.

Empirical Bayes Shrinkage Estimates of State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2005-2007 for All Eligible People and the Working Poor

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:58:02 GMT

This report presents participation rate estimates that measure the effectiveness of SNAP from 2005 to 2007 and estimates participation rates for the “working poor”—those eligible for SNAP who live in households in which someone earned income from a job. It also provides details about the methods used.

Registration Open for Center on Health Care Effectiveness Forum on September 9

Coummunications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:01:27 GMT

Register Now for September 9 Forum/Webinar: "Politics and Policy of Comparative Effectiveness: Looking Back, Looking Ahead."

Ponza Named Associate Director of Human Services Research

Communications — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:03:30 GMT

Mathematica Policy Research recently announced the appointment of Michael Ponza as associate director of Human Services Research. Ponza is based in Mathematica’s Oakland, Calif., office.

Aging in Place: Do Older Americans Act Title III Services Reach Those Most Likely to Enter Nursing Homes?

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:02:51 GMT

This issue brief, the first in a series, presents findings from the Administration on Aging’s National Survey of Older Americans Act Program Participants and assesses whether Title III services are reaching adults at higher risk of nursing home entry.

Integrating Mental Health Treatment Into the Patient Centered Medical Home

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:08:51 GMT

This paper, one of three recent white papers for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on the patient centered medical home (PCMH), identifies the conceptual similarities in and differences between the PCMH and current strategies used to deliver mental health treatment in primary care. The paper finds that even though adoption of the PCMH has the potential to enhance delivery of mental health treatment in primary care, several programmatic and policy actions are needed to facilitate integration of high quality mental health treatment within a PCMH.

Necessary But Not Sufficient: The HITECH Act and Health Information Technology’s Potential to Build Medical Homes

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:10:06 GMT

This paper, one of three recent white papers for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on the patient centered medical home (PCMH), examines how the HITECH Act could be harnessed to help practices implement technology and support key principles of the PCMH

Therapeutic Alliance in Pediatric Primary Care: Preliminary Evidence for a Relationship with Physician Communication

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:12:16 GMT

This article found it is possible to use a variation of the Vanderbilt Therapeutic Alliance Scale (VTAS) to rate parent-provider interactions in pediatric primary care. Measuring therapeutic alliance may be a useful tool in evaluating interventions to improve the delivery of mental health services in primary care because of its potential specificity as a marker of mental health-related outcomes.

Establishing and Maintaining Medicaid Eligibility Upon Release from Public Institutions

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:13:06 GMT

This report describes an evaluation of Oklahoma’s efforts to develop and implement a model program to ensure that eligible individuals with mental illness were enrolled in Medicaid at discharge from state prisons and institutions for mental diseases.

Student Achievement in New York City Middle Schools Affiliated with Achievement First and Uncommon Schools

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:13:47 GMT

This report presents findings from a nonexperimental analysis estimating the effect on student achievement of a small number of New York City charter middle schools affiliated with two charter management organizations, Achievement First and Uncommon. After three years, impacts are statistically significant and substantively meaningful, translating to an estimated additional 0.9 years of growth in math and 0.7 years in reading.

New Reports from What Works Clearinghouse

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:14:52 GMT

New reports from the What Works Clearinghouse examine the research on the following: Read Naturally is designed to improve reading fluency using a combination of books, audiotapes, and computer software. The WWC review determined that Read Naturally has potentially positive effects on the writing skills of students with learning disabilities, but no discernible effects on reading fluency for these same students. Literacy Express, a preschool literacy curriculum designed for three- to five-year-old children, has positive effects on oral language, print knowledge, and phonological processing, and no discernible effects on cognition and math. Scott Foresman–Addison Wesley Elementary Mathematics, a core curriculum for students at all ability levels in pre-kindergarten through grade 6, has mixed effects on mathematics achievement for elementary school students.

Center on Health Care Effectiveness Forum September 9

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:04:36 GMT

Interest in comparative effectiveness research (evaluating which health care interventions work best under what circumstances) has surged in recent years. In an era of rising health care spending, policymakers seek tools to moderate the cost of public entitlement programs and to facilitate affordable coverage expansions. Health care reform included a major new initiative on comparative effectiveness research, but a number of important questions were deferred to another time. This forum, to be held in Mathematica's Washington D.C. office, will discuss four ongoing policy challenges relevant to the successful implementation of comparative effectiveness research: funding, appropriate use, direction of the enterprise, and proper scope. Attend in person or via webinar.

Engaging Patients and Families in the Medical Home

Communications — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:06:35 GMT

This paper, one of three recent white papers for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on the patient centered medical home (PCMH), offers policymakers and researchers insights into opportunities to engage patients and families in the medical home. It presents a framework for conceptualizing opportunities for engagement, reviews the evidence base for these activities, describes examples of existing efforts, suggests key lessons for future efforts, and discusses implications for policy and research.

State-Based Advocacy as a Tool for Expanding Children’s Coverage: Lessons from Site Visits to Six IAC Grantee States

Communications — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:30:26 GMT

This brief summarizes key findings gleaned from site visits to states where the David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s Insuring America’s Children: States Leading the Way (IAC) program has made multiyear "Finish Line" grants. These findings describe the importance of persistence, flexibility, creativity, and commitment to conducting effective states-based advocacy as well as building strong, broad-based coalitions including grassroots and state-level stakeholders. While acknowledging that much work remains, the brief cites important gains in children’s coverage since the IAC efforts began, despite the economic downturn.

Strategic Engagement of Policymakers Is Key to Advancing a Children’s Health Care Coverage Policy Agenda

Communications — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:39:30 GMT

This brief examines how policymakers’ positive engagement can benefit children’s health care coverage advocates, as well as the strategies for making this engagement happen. Key strategies include understanding states’ unique political environments; identifying, nurturing, and supporting political champions; creating strategic links between grassroots organizations and policy advocacy groups; creating effective, appealing messages for policymakers; establishing advocacy groups as the “go-to” resource for reliable data and information; and sharing ownership of agendas and successes with champions and key policymakers.

Care Coordination and Disease Management

Communications — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:28:47 GMT

This report reviews evidence and opportunities for governors to control health care costs and improve outcomes through quality initiatives, coordinated care, primary care and prevention, and payment reforms.

Charter School Effectiveness Webinar Recording Now Available

Communications — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:43:10 GMT

Charter School Effectiveness: Putting It in Perspective, a webinar from the Center for Improving Research Evidence is now available.

Mathematica Experts Present at Joint Statistical Meetings

Communications — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:17:38 GMT

Mathematica’s statistics experts will present at the 2010 Joint Statistical Meetings, the largest gathering of statisticians held in North America, July 31 to August 5 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The Effectiveness of Mandatory-Random Student Drug Testing

Communications — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:41:05 GMT

This report presents findings from an evaluation of the mandatory-random student drug testing (MRSDT) programs in 36 high schools from seven districts that received grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools in 2006. Executive Summary.

What Works Clearinghouse: New Intervention Reports and Quick Reviews

Communications — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:07:13 GMT

Programs designed to improve reading comprehension and fluency are the focus of two new intervention reports. The first looks at the research on Reading Apprenticeship^®, an instructional approach targeted to middle school, high school, and community college students. The second reviews the research on READ 180^®, a reading program designed for students in grades 3–12 whose reading achievement is below the proficient level.

New quick reviews rate a Head Start impact study and look at an evaluation of abstinence-only education programs.

What Works Clearinghouse: Read Naturally® Intervention Report and Two Quick Reviews

Communications — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:37:22 GMT

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released a new intervention report examining the research on Read Naturally^® for English language learners. Read Naturally^® is a supplemental reading program designed to improve reading fluency. Based on a review of the available research, the WWC found the program to have no discernible effects on reading achievement and English language development for elementary school English language learners.

Two new WWC quick reviews are available. The first examines a study on the aftereffects of closing public schools in Chicago, and the second looks at an evaluation of charter school performance in New York City.

Student Characteristics and Outcomes in Alternative and Neighborhood High Schools in Philadelphia

Communications — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:34:18 GMT

This report presents descriptive analyses of the enrollment patterns, background characteristics, test scores, and graduation rates of students enrolled in three types of public high schools in Philadelphia: alternative disciplinary schools; alternative accelerated schools for students who struggled academically in regular public high schools; and regular, neighborhood-zoned high schools.

Selecting Policy Indicators and Developing Simulation Models for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs

Communications — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:39:20 GMT

This report describes exploratory work to develop a simulation model to predict the potential effects of changes in policies and practices related to school meals and school food environments. Executive Summary.

An Experimental Evaluation of Four Elementary School Math Curricula

Communications — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:35:45 GMT

This article examines the effectiveness of four distinct elementary school math curricula: Investigations in Number, Data, and Space^®; Math Expressions; Saxon Math^™; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics (SFAW). An average-performing first-grader's percentile rank in math would be 9 to 12 points higher if the school used Math Expressions or Saxon^™, instead of Investigations^® or SFAW (subscription required).

Low Skilled Immigration and Work-Fertility Tradeoffs Among High Skilled US Natives

Communications — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:42:30 GMT

This article examines the impact of low skilled immigration on the childbearing and labor supply decisions of high-education female natives of the United States. The authors find that an influx of low skilled immigrants to a city attenuates the negative relationship between female labor force participation (LFP) and fertility, leading to an increase in the proportion of women that both work and have a young child in the home. The authors argue that the smaller LFP-fertility tradeoff attributable to immigrant workers arises due to reductions in cost of childrearing. Whereas most immigration research focuses on the reduced employment prospects of natives, this paper considers the potential benefits of immigration to high skilled native women.

The Seeds to Success Modified Field Test: Findings from the Impact and Implementation Studies

Communications — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:43:52 GMT

This report presents findings from an impact evaluation and implementation study of the Seeds to Success Modified Field Test, a child care quality rating and improvement system in Washington State.

What Works Clearinghouse: Reports on Programs for Students with Learning Disabilities

Communications — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:46:03 GMT

Eight new reports review the research on these Orton-Gillingham–based programs for students with learning disabilities: Orton-Gillingham–based Strategies, Alphabetic Phonics, Barton Reading & Spelling System^®, Fundations^®, Dyslexia Training Program, Herman Method™, Wilson Reading System^®, and Project Read^® Phonology. Orton-Gillingham teaching sessions are action-oriented with auditory, visual, and kinesthetic elements reinforcing one another.

Politics and Policy of Comparative Effectiveness: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Communications — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:50:52 GMT

Interest in evaluating which health care interventions work best under what circumstances has surged in recent years as health care spending has risen. This brief, the first from Mathematica’s Center on Health Care Effectiveness, looks at the new comparative effectiveness research (CER) initiative passed as part of health care reform. The authors discuss the status of four ongoing policy challenges relevant to the successful implementation of CER: funding mechanism, how the research gets used, how the CER enterprise is directed, and perhaps most fundamentally, the proper scope of CER. They note important questions remain whose resolution may prove critical to the future role of this research in U.S. health care.

Children’s Food Security and Intakes from School Meals

Communications — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:55:08 GMT

Using 2005 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment survey, this study examines the contribution of school meals to the food and nutrient intake of children in food-secure, marginally secure, and food-insecure households. The study finds that children from food-insecure and marginally secure households receive a larger proportion of their food and nutrient intakes at school than do children from highly secure households.

Implementing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Puerto Rico: A Feasibility Study

Communications — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:55:53 GMT

This study assesses the potential impact of establishing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Puerto Rico, including the administrative burden and costs to both the U.S. government and the government of Puerto Rico. Executive Summary.

Medicare Advantage 2010 Data Spotlight: Plan Enrollment Patterns and Trends

Communications — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:03:28 GMT

This spotlight examines enrollment trends in Medicare Advantage plans, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans. Despite the availability of many private Medicare Advantage plans, enrollment is highly concentrated among a small number of firms.

The Evaluation of Charter School Impacts

Communications — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:57:05 GMT

This report provides findings from the largest charter school study of its kind to date to use an experimental design. On average, charter middle schools that hold lotteries are neither more nor less successful than traditional public schools in improving student achievement, behavior, and school progress; however, impacts varied widely across schools. Charter school impacts were most positive among schools in large urban areas and among those serving the most disadvantaged students.

Early Learning Initiative

Communications — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:01:12 GMT

In 2006, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Early Learning Initiative to improve the school readiness of Washington State’s children. Two communities, East Yakima and White Center, have implemented strategies to meet the initiative’s goals. Mathematica conducted a formative evaluation of one component of the initiative, home-based early learning services, to learn how home-visiting programs have been implemented within the two communities as well as the quality and content of the home visits. A new series of briefs describe the study’s findings and provide recommendations for developing and evaluating home-visiting programs.

"Better Beginnings: Developing Home-Based Early Learning Systems in East Yakima and White Center." Kristin Hallgren, Diane Paulsell, and Patricia Del Grosso, May 2010. This brief summarizes the experiences of two communities in developing home-based early learning services.

"Better Beginnings: Partnering with Families for Early Learning Home Visit Observations." Kristin Hallgren, Kimberly Boller, and Diane Paulsell, May 2010. This brief provides an overview of the observation instruments and describes the content and quality of the observed home visits.

How Temporary Insurance for High-Risk Individuals May Play Out Under Health Reform

Communications — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:05:41 GMT

This article from Health Affairs identifies continuing issues and barriers for many consumers seeking health coverage in high-risk insurance pools under the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The article notes how the new federal program is intended to serve only the currently uninsured—leaving in place until 2014 the states’ existing high-risk pools for many denied private coverage.

New Center Focuses on Health Care Effectiveness

Communications — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:40:55 GMT

Mathematica has launched the Center on Health Care Effectiveness, a resource for policymakers, the public, and other stakeholders, offering broad-based expertise to provide objective evidence to inform today’s difficult health care decisions.

Staff to Present at Annual AcademyHealth Conference

Cheryl Pedersen — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 07:49:33 GMT

Mathematica’s health experts, including many affiliated with our new Center on Health Care Effectiveness, will be presenting nearly three dozen papers and posters at AcademyHealth’s 26th annual research meeting in Boston from June 26 to 29. Topics include health care reform, Medicare cost performance, racial and ethnic disparities in health care, insurance coverage expansion, Medicaid spending efficiency, care coordination, health information technology, mental health, and more. Read more.

Watch Health Affairs Briefing on Health Reform

Communications — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:53:29 GMT

Senior fellow Deborah Chollet spoke about high-risk insurance pools at Moving Forward on Health Reform, a Health Affairs briefing on June 8. She joined a distinguished panel of policy experts who presented on insurance regulations, market reform, and Medicaid expansion.

The Starting Point: The Balance of State Long-Term Care Systems Before the Implementation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration

Communications — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:47:20 GMT

The fourth report of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration provides an early assessment of the balance of home and community-based care services (HCBS) and institutional long-term care systems in states before MFP was implemented. By looking at the status of these long-term systems state-by-state, the assessment helps to develop a baseline to measure the program’s impacts on long-term care systems.

Student Characteristics and Achievement in 22 KIPP Middle Schools

Communications — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:48:19 GMT

This report presents the first findings from a multi-year evaluation of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), a network of charter schools for disadvantaged students. Using a matched comparison group design, results show that for the vast majority of KIPP schools in the evaluation, impacts on students’ state assessment scores in math and reading are positive, statistically significant, and educationally substantial.

What Works Clearinghouse: New Report and Quick Review

Communications — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:50:39 GMT

A new report reviews the research on Project CRISS^® (Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies), a professional development program for teachers that aims to improve reading, writing, and learning for third- through twelfth-grade students. Project CRISS^® had potentially positive effects on comprehension for adolescent learners.

A new quick review looks at an evaluation of the Ready to Learn Initiative. The study examined the effects of using media-rich literacy and science curriculums to improve the literacy of preschoolers. The study design is consistent with WWC evidence standards.

New What Works Clearinghouse Report on Read Well®

Communications — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:35:31 GMT

A new report looks at the effectiveness of Read Well^® in improving English language literacy. A reading curriculum for kindergarten and first-grade students, Read Well^® provides instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Based on a review of the research, the WWC found Read Well^® to have no discernible effects on reading achievement and potentially positive effects on English language development.

Evidence Scan of Work Experience Programs

Communications — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:32:42 GMT

This report presents evidence on the effectiveness of interventions that include work experience as a strategy to improve employment outcomes for people with barriers to employment. The report reviews 26 years of rigorous research gathering information from 27 evaluations. The author distinguishes between interventions targeting adults versus youth, paid versus unpaid work, and length of work opportunity.

College Experiences Survey: Methodological Summary

Communications — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:33:47 GMT

This report summarizes the College Experiences Survey data collection procedures and results. The survey was part of the College Student Attrition Project conducted by the Survey Research Center at Princeton University, an evaluation to better understand the factors associated with college persistence and attrition.

Institute of Education Sciences Research Conference

Communications — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:31:15 GMT

Mathematica's education researchers will present at the annual Institute of Education Sciences Research Conference, Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice, in National Harbor, MD, from June 28 to 30.

Center for Improving Research Evidence Launches Website

Communications — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:27:24 GMT

For policymakers, philanthropies, practitioners, and others concerned with evidence-based decision making, Mathematica’s Center for Improving Research Evidence (CIRE) provides training and assistance in designing, conducting, assessing, and using a range of scientific policy research and evaluations in worldwide settings.

An Evaluation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) in Chicago: Year Two Impact Report

Communications — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:44:42 GMT

This report details second-year results from Mathematica’s study on Chicago Public Schools’ Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), a Teacher Incentive Fund grantee. The TAP model offers teachers performance pay, professional development, and advancement opportunities based in part on their students’ achievement growth.

Medical Homes: Will They Improve Primary Care?

Communications — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:47:03 GMT

The sixth brief in a new series on reforming health care looks at federal and state efforts to establish medical homes and notes considerations for policymakers seeking to improve access to services and the quality of care. Access all the briefs.

Tenth Annual Head Start National Research Conference

Communications — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:42:04 GMT

Mathematica’s early childhood experts will present at the Administration for Children and Families Tenth Annual Head Start National Research Conference, June 21 through 23, in Washington, D.C.

Compendium of Student, Teacher, and Classroom Measures Used in NCEE Evaluations of Educational Interventions, Volumes I and II

Communications — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:48:37 GMT

Two new reports contain resources to help researchers and policymakers review measures used in the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) evaluations of educational interventions for preschool through grade 12. They discuss criteria and their importance in selecting measures for assessing intervention impacts on student, teacher, and classroom outcomes, and present profiles or table summaries about these measures.

Holcomb Joins DC Staff

Communications — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:00:21 GMT

Pamela Holcomb joined Mathematica’s Washington, DC, office as a senior researcher in family support and labor/workforce development.

National Symposium on the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Communications — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:01:04 GMT

A national symposium on the patient-centered medical home brought together experts in primary care, health services and implementation research, health systems and insurance, as well as policymakers to develop a research agenda. The commissioned papers, reflecting discussions at the conference, are in the June issue (subscription required) of the Journal of General Internal Medicine:

"Using Evidence to Inform Policy: Developing a Policy-Relevant Research Agenda for the Patient-Centered Medical Home." This paper summarizes the symposium.

"U.S. Approaches to Physician Payment: The Deconstruction of Primary Care." This paper addresses why the three dominant alternatives to compensating physicians (fee-for-service, capitation, and salary) fall short of what is needed to support enhanced primary care in the patient-centered medical home and the relevance of payment reforms, such as pay-for-performance and episodes/bundling.

New Webinar from the Department of Education and Mathematica

Communications — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:04:43 GMT

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) will award Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grants in 2010. TIF supports projects that develop and implement performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals, and potentially other personnel, to increase educator effectiveness and student achievement in high-need schools. The Notice of Final Priorities includes two competitions for grants to be awarded in 2010: the main TIF competition, and the TIF evaluation competition. Awards under the evaluation competition will include $1 million, and up to $2 million, in additional funds.

Mathematica will be conducting the national impact evaluation of TIF and will be providing in-depth technical assistance to help evaluation grantees implement the performance-based compensation systems they propose.

Questions about how to apply for TIF grants under the evaluation competition? Learn more about the benefits of the evaluation competition, how to apply, and submit your questions. For applicant information, such as Federal Register Notices, timelines, and frequently asked questions, click here.

Join us for this webinar that will provide details about the evaluation competition and a question and answer session.
Date: Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Time: 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. EDT
How to Register: www.mathematica-mpr.com/education/tifgrantee.asp

Low-Income Household Spending Patterns and Measures of Poverty

Communications — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:57:58 GMT

This report looks at spending patterns for food, housing, health care, and other categories of low-income households in 2005. It compares allocations of consumption across spending categories for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households, eligible nonparticipating households, and ineligible low income households. It also analyzes how SNAP eligibility might change under an expenditure-based poverty threshold and explores savings and credit for these three groups.

New Quick Review from What Works Clearinghouse

Communications — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:59:34 GMT

The latest What Works Clearinghouse quick review looks at the H&R Block Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) experiment. This study examined whether assistance in filling out the FAFSA increases college enrollment and financial aid receipt.

Successfully Implementing SOAR: Lessons Learned from Six States

Communications — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:06:58 GMT

This brief details factors that help states and communities successfully implement the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) initiative, a program to improve access to disability benefits for people who are homeless.

Mathematica TANF Experts Present at ACF Conference

Communications — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:45:49 GMT

Mathematica’s experts in TANF policy, building strong families, at-risk youth and the workforce, employment strategies for the hard-to-serve, and the food assistance safety net are presenting at the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Policy Research and Evaluation Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference in Washington, DC, June 2 to 4. View presenters and topics.

Toward Closing the Evaluation Gap: Lessons Learned from Three Recent Impact Evaluations of Social Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean

Communications — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:12:45 GMT

This journal article identifies how impact evaluations are encouraged and resisted in Latin America and the Caribbean. Drawing on case studies from work in El Salvador, Jamaica, and Mexico, the authors outline best practices for successfully designing and implementing a high quality impact evaluation.

Meaning in the Method: Pretesting Methods for a Diverse Population

Communications — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:13:40 GMT

This issue brief presents findings from the Universal Preschool Child Outcomes Study, which examined a diverse group of Los Angeles preschoolers. The study integrated three strategies—card sorts, focus groups, and cognitive interviewing—to measure how parents rate their children’s social-emotional behavior. The brief examines the implications of using these measures, which were developed by and for clinicians, with diverse populations.

Building Strong Families Project Short Term Impact Reports

Communications — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:34:30 GMT

These reports for the Building Strong Families (BSF) project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, provide short-term impact results and review the study design and implementation.

"Strengthening Unmarried Parents’ Relationships: The Early Impacts of Building Strong Families.” This report provides impacts on couples about 15 months after they applied for the program. Executive Summary.

"Implementation of Eight Programs to Strengthen Unmarried Parent Families." This report documents the design and implementation of the eight BSF programs, reports on program services, analyzes characteristics of couples and programs, and describes experiences of couples in the program.

"Strengthening Unmarried Parents’ Relationships: The Early Impacts of Building Strong Families: Technical Supplement." This technical supplement provides add

Phone or Face-to-Face? Comparing Data from Surveys of People with Disabilities

Communications — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:14:38 GMT

This issue brief compares the quality of data collected for the National Beneficiary Survey (NBS), a survey of people with mental and physical impairments, via computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) and computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI).

An Experimental Assessment of the Effects of Reading Software Products on Reading Test Scores

Communications — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:33:19 GMT

This study evaluated the effectiveness of nine reading instructional software applications—five for first graders and four for fourth graders. Using standardized tests, classroom observation, and other school records data, findings indicated the software altered instructional activities but did not significantly impact test scores. An additional year of followup yielded mixed results, with measured effects being lower in the first grade and higher in the fourth grade.

Relationship Education for Unmarried Couples with Children: Parental Responses to the Building Strong Families Project

Communications — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:35:07 GMT

An implementation study of the Building Strong Families (BSF) programs indicates that many unmarried couples are interested in services to strengthen their relationships around the time of their child’s birth. More than 5,000 couples volunteered for the BSF study across eight states. Although couples report learning from and valuing the program, they also have many life challenges, and practitioners must be proactive in supporting ongoing participation.

Prospects for Rebuilding Primary Care Using the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Communications — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:36:08 GMT

This article analyzes potential barriers in the U.S. to the patient-centered medical home model, which is considered policy shorthand for the reinvention of primary care. Barriers include developing new payment models, personnel and infrastructure funding, and methods to facilitate transforming existing practices to functioning medical homes.

Racial Disparities in Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care—Sensitive Conditions

Communications — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:43:30 GMT

This study identified differences in hospitalization rates for elderly African Americans and whites in Maryland for eight ambulatory care-sensitive conditions and estimated excess costs associated with these disparities. The study found that African Americans had significantly higher hospitalization rates for five of eight conditions, indicating that race may be a key predictor of preventable hospitalizations. Improving care for minorities may reduce differences in care and lower hospital costs.

An Approach for Addressing the Multiple Testing Problem in Social Policy Impact Evaluations

Communications — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:52:59 GMT

In social policy evaluations, the multiple testing problem occurs due to the many hypothesis tests typically conducted across multiple outcomes and subgroups, which can lead to spurious impact findings. This article discusses a framework that balances Types I and II errors for addressing this problem.

Does Prefilling Questions in a Longitudinal Survey Encourage Participation?

Communications — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:53:53 GMT

This article discusses an experiment embedded in the 2008 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services that tested whether prefilling some fields in the annual questionnaire would encourage continued facility participation. The option, offered to facilities that completed a web questionnaire, resulted in a statistically significant increase in the number of web completes in the treatment group, suggesting that the option affected survey mode choice, which also minimized paper questionnaire editing and data processing costs.

What Works Clearinghouse: New Topic Area on Disabilities, New Math Report

Communications — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:46:49 GMT

A new topic area from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews the research on improving learning for children with disabilities. This area will identify what interventions help prepare these children for kindergarten and elementary school. The first report looks at the research on dialogic reading, an interactive reading practice designed to enhance language and literacy skills.

A new math report summarizes research on Saxon Math, a textbook series covering mathematical concepts for grades K–12.

Reaching Staff, Parents, and Community Partners to Prevent Childhood Obesity in Head Start, 2008

Communications — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:49:37 GMT

This report details how Head Start—the largest federally funded early childhood education program in the U.S. that reaches one million children—uses a multilevel approach to prevent childhood obesity that involves staff, parents, and community partners.

First 5 Contra Costa Report on Parent Involvement

Communications — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:44:59 GMT

This report provides insight into parent opinions of and involvement with child care programs participating in Preschool Makes a Difference. It also offers First 5 Contra Costa new accounts of how programs support the diverse needs of Contra Costa parents.

Providing Health Benefits and Work-Related Services to Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries: Six-Month Results from the Accelerated Benefits Demonstration

Communications — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:20:56 GMT

This brief, the second in a series, evaluates the impacts of the Accelerated Benefits Demonstration, which provides earlier access to health coverage and related services to uninsured beneficiaries. Early findings indicate that the demonstration increased the use of health care services and reduced reported unmet health care needs for these individuals during the first six months following random assignment.

Roads to Success: Estimated Impacts of an Education and Career Planning Program During Middle School

Communications — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:23:22 GMT

This report assesses the impact of two years of exposure to the school and career planning program, Roads to Success, on eighth graders from high-poverty rural schools. The main findings are that the program had no measurable effect on desire to learn job skills or study/learning habits. However, exploratory analyses suggest positive impacts on talking to school staff about career/school plans and on gaining confidence in two areas: choosing careers and understanding what is required for career success. Estimated impacts on student behaviors were mixed.

Pre-Design Study for the Evaluation of Recovery Act Green Jobs, Health Care, and Other High Growth Competitive Grants

Communications — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:25:01 GMT

This white paper provides guidance to the U.S. Department of Labor on different methodologies for evaluating grant programs established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grants provide funding for workers to be trained for jobs in health care, green technology, and other high-growth employment sectors.

Promising Antipoverty Strategies for Families

Communications — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:29:11 GMT

This paper reviews family structure, its relationship to employment, and the recession’s impact on poor families. To reduce poverty, the report proposes policies that help parents balance work and caretaking, and support their children.

Mathematica Experts to Present at 65th Annual AAPOR Conference

Communications — Wed, 05 May 2010 08:34:31 GMT

Mathematica’s survey experts will be well represented at the 65th American Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference, Opportunity through Diversity, in May. The conference brings together the country’s leading survey research scientists to discuss and analyze the latest findings on public opinion and survey methodology, theory, and results. If you're attending the conference, please stop by our booth #103 in the exhibit hall to pick up new issue briefs on survey topics.

System of Care Approaches in Residential Treatment Facilities Serving Children with Serious Behavioral Health Needs

Communications — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:22:31 GMT

This issue brief describes findings from a national survey of residential treatment facilities (RTFs) serving children and adolescents with serious behavioral health challenges. The survey explored how system of care principles are reflected in RTFs’ policies and practices as well as how RTFs are providing home- and community-based services and supports in addition to traditional offerings.