MDRC

Don't miss Jared Barnett (Slingshot's CEO) and John Martinez (VP for Evidence to Practice at MDRC) presenting at the National Fund for Workforce Solutions' SHIFT conference later this month! Along with Sarah Lockridge-Steckel of The Collective Blueprint and Amity Ann Schuyler of the Greater Memphis Chamber, Slingshot and MDRC will host a panel that will “SHIFT” the (mis)conception that the needs of marginalized workers and employers are mutually exclusive. View more details about their MemWorks-focused session below:

How has MDRC’s approach to data evolved over 50 years? From the beginning, our use of data to evaluate and improve programs has emphasized hands-on, long-term relationships rather than transactional exchanges. MDRC was a pioneer in the use of administrative data in program evaluation. As one administrator recalled, MDRC was always “a ‘roll-up-your-sleeves’ partner” in that regard—the antithesis of “just give us the data and we’ll come back to you.” Yet MDRC’s approach to data has also evolved with changing needs and technologies — in particular, emerging opportunities for programs to build out their own data analysis capabilities. Over the last decade in particular, MDRC has worked to help programs more effectively store their data and then both capture and apply insights that follow from it. For instance, in 2018, we launched the MDRC Center for Data Insights, which helps government agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofits harness new data science techniques (including AI) to improve programs, systems, and services. In 2020, we launched SPROUT (Social Policy Research and Operations Unified Technology), the world’s first comprehensive cloud platform for social policy research. SPROUT helps researchers, agencies, service providers, and other organizations — whether or not they are MDRC partners — collaborate, share, and analyze data in a secure, privacy-conscious way. And some of our most recent work focuses on building a culture of data engagement within partner organizations — for instance, helping participants in the Strengthening Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs initiative make discussion of data part of their team-building activities. MDRC is also building data partnerships, including the TANF Data Collaborative and the State IMPACT Collaborative, to help build data analytics capabilities throughout our field, a new extension of our evidence-building mission. This work will surely continue to evolve with the times. Yet the through-line — using data to empower programs, not just evaluate them — will continue, whatever the next technological breakthrough brings. #mdrc #mdrc50 #data #AI #teambuilding #technology #operations #continuousimprovement

Thrilled to Start a New Journey at MDRC! MDRC was founded in 1974 on the notion that high-quality research and evidence can play a vital role in reducing poverty and inequity in the United States. We hold true to that vision today. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, MDRC conducts rigorous studies of programs and policies that affect people with low incomes, actively disseminates the lessons to policymakers and practitioners, and works directly with programs and agencies to help improve their effectiveness. NEED TO KNOW 📌 ODI - Project Manager  📌 $85,000 -90,000K 📌Reporting to Director, ODI 📌hybrid, NYC WHAT YOU’LL ACHIEVE ✅Help to create an inclusive & transparent culture to rebuild trust with MDRC staff ✅Manage, delegate, and optimize a recently created DEI operational plan ✅Lead the Gueron Scholars Program ✅Develop the leadership team to implement the strategic plan LEARN MORE ✨Check Out: 2024-12: Program Manager ✨Speak to D. Crystal B. to learn more ✨Share with 3+ people in your network who have operationalize DEI goals Comment with people in your network who should know about the role.

MDRC is pleased to announce that Cynthia Osborne has joined its Board of Directors. Osborne is a professor of early childhood education and policy in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. She is also the founder and executive director of the national Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, an academic research center that translates the science of the developing child into state-level policies with the strongest evidence base of effectiveness. “We are delighted to welcome Cynthia Osborne to the MDRC Board of Directors,” said Bridget Long, MDRC Board Chair. “MDRC will benefit from her multiple areas of expertise, including strengthening early child development and family well-being, conducting research that is both rigorous and actionable, and translating research findings and recommendations into changes in policy and practice.” “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the MDRC Board of Directors,” said Cynthia Osborne. “MDRC has long been a leader in strengthening policies and programs that impact well-being through rigorous research and a deep understanding of those who are implementing and benefiting from the policies. To now be on the Board of this esteemed institution that I have admired for decades—and to be able to work with the other Board members—is extremely rewarding.”

🎉 We're thrilled to be featured by our partner, MDRC, as they mark their 50th anniversary! Together, we’ve been part of groundbreaking work through the MDRC Work Advance study, proving that our training can return up to 8x the investment. Hear from our Chief of Staff, Tamara Johnson, and our alumni to explore more about MDRC’s game-changing sectoral programs in this video. #PSPartner #PartnershipsThatMatter #MDRC50 #PerScholas

We're shining a spotlight on our #2024APPAM sponsor, MDRC. Learn more about their current initiatives and what makes them a great place to work: https://ow.ly/vqty50TeKTa

🎉 We're thrilled to be featured by our partner, MDRC, as they mark their 50th anniversary! Together, we’ve been part of groundbreaking work through the MDRC Work Advance study, proving that our training can return up to 8x the investment. Hear from our Chief of Staff, Tamara Johnson, and our alumni to explore more about MDRC’s game-changing sectoral programs in this video. #PSPartner #PartnershipsThatMatter #MDRC50 #PerScholas

MDRC is pleased to have received a new multiyear grant from Arnold Ventures, building on a decade-long collaboration between the two organizations to promote the use of the best research and evidence to improve policies and programs serving people with low incomes. “Over the past decade, MDRC’s work with Arnold Ventures has built important, actionable evidence in numerous fields,” said MDRC President Virginia Knox. “We are delighted to continue working with the Arnold Ventures team to bring decision-makers in public agencies, education systems, and other critical sectors the capacities and information they need to improve opportunity and economic mobility.” The new grant will support MDRC’s work in four areas: * bringing evidence to policymaking, particularly in states and localities, * promoting evidence to practice through technical assistance to providers, * supporting states and localities in leveraging their own data to improve programs and systems, and * enhancing the field’s use of applied methods to learn what works, for whom, and why. “Arnold Ventures is proud to have worked alongside MDRC over the past decade, raising the bar for rigorous research and evidence-based policymaking,” said Arnold Ventures Executive Vice President of Evidence and Evaluation Justin Milner. “We’re excited to deepen our partnership and further institutionalize a culture of evidence among decision-makers that will increase our collective impact in the years to come.”

Looking forward to moderating this panel tomorrow for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Tune in for an important conversation on how to improve assessments so they better support the unique needs of prek children, educators and families!

Join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation this Wednesday, August 21, for a webinar on how to improve child assessments to better support the needs of pre-K children, educators, and families. You’ll hear from Elizabeth Mokyr Horner at the Gates Foundation, Leah Austin, EdD of the National Black Child Development Institute, MDRC's Emily Hanno, and parents and state leaders. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eHE8JTz5