Steal These Ideas

The Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation is known for the high quality of its research work, particularly its evaluations of federal and publicly funded workforce, education, and other programs. But while it turns out excellent research, it’s typically much more hesitant to make unsolicited policy recommendations or attempt to influence federal or state policies. That’s why a series of “Policy and Research Recommendations” briefs that MDRC published late last year, to provide guidance to the new administration and Congress, deserve particular attention from the policy community. The briefs address a broad range of topics within the areas of education, youth development, and workforce policy, but three are of particular relevance to early education:

• Strengthening Low-Income Families: A Research Agenda for Parenting, Relationship, and Fatherhood Programs
• A Necessary Precondition to Improving Preschool Education: Addressing Young Children’s Social and Emotional Development
• Improving the Reading First Program and Related Professional Development Efforts for Teachers

The first two focus primarily on why research shows these areas are important and type of research Congress and the new administration should fund to improve our understanding of what works, and thus the policies we fund, in the respective areas they address. The third, however, offers specific policy recommendations for the Reading First program:

Even if these PD efforts have not produced overall impacts on student reading achievement, they have been able to improve teacher knowledge and instruction. Federal support through Reading First and in special PD initiatives has demonstrated that it is possible to fairly quickly change teacher instruction and teacher knowledge, suggesting that further efforts to improve PD could be worthwhile. However, improving student achievement may require a longer timeframe or other changes. Exploratory analyses suggest that focusing on multi-year PD programs and strategies that target needier schools may show promise. Continue to experiment with innovative ways to deliver PD and related support in large school districts. For example, recent findings illustrate the need for new ways to deliver teacher coaching that will increase its power to improve instruction.

All three are worth checking out, as is a fourth policy brief on How Best to Determine Whether Social and Educational Programs Work-Or Don’t Work.