Chattanooga is among the first eight cities selected for a nationwide initiative to improve government performance and transparency through civic data. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities is providing support and training for midsize cities. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s foundation is spending $42 million over three years to connect cities with experts in data […]
Chattanooga data efforts get boost from Bloomberg Read More »
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago is launching Voices of Youth Count, a multi-year original research and policy effort designed to understand how many unaccompanied runaway youth and young people experiencing homelessness there are in the United States. The effort also aims to create a clear and full picture of what it means to
Chapin Hall launches ‘Voices of Youth Count’ Read More »
The Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence (CIDI) in New York City’s Office of the Mayor, an AISP Network member, released a new report on NYC’s young adult population who interact with both the foster care system and the justice system. The current study aims to replicate the study conducted by Culhane et al. (2011)
Amy Finkelstein, an MIT economist, explains why randomized trials can improve medical care. “About 80 percent of studies of U.S. medical interventions use randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard of laboratory research. But only about 18 percent of studies of U.S. health care delivery use RCTs. That can and should change, suggests Amy Finkelstein,
3 Questions: Amy Finkelstein on testing health care systems Read More »
For close to a decade, a group of Camden health-care providers has used a database of information culled from the city’s three hospitals to evaluate medical costs, identify hot spots in neighborhoods, and develop outreach programs. Soon, the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers will also be able to look at data from the criminal justice
Camden, NJ Project Seeks Better Health and Safety Through Data-Sharing Read More »
WASHINGTON – In a ground-breaking cross-agency collaboration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) produced the first-ever dataset of HUD-assisted households that includes Medicare and Medicaid claims data. Despite the potential usefulness of combining administrative data across agencies, such projects are rare and
HUD and HHS Test Match Data to Benefit HUD-Assisted Households Read More »
The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) published an article that emphasized integrated data systems (IDS) as a worthwhile tool that can be used to better rate public schools. NYC schools are often labeled as successes or failures. Research indicates this rating is inadequate because academic performances are compared only to other schools with similar demographics.
IDS Has Potential to Improve Public School Rating System Read More »
Paul Decker’s presidential address focused on the importance of using evidence in policy making and public management. In it he emphasized three main points: (1) during these tough economic times, the use of research and evidence are becoming more and more valued; (2) government must embrace the use of data to inform policy and practice;
Paul Decker, APPAM President, on the Importance of Using Evidence in Policy Making Read More »
Behavioral Health Needs and School Success is a collaborative report released by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Research and Data Analysis Division (RDA). This study explores the complicated relationships between behavioral health, risk factors related to social and health service needs, and high school outcomes for 28,922 DSHS
IDS Emphasizes Pattern Difficulties of Youth with Behavioral Health Needs Read More »
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) with participation from the Research and Data Analysis Division (RDA) has released a report titled Impact of Homelessness on Youth Recently Released from Juvenile Rehabilitation Facilities. The population for this report consists of 962 youth offenders released from a JR institution in 2010 and 2011.
Youth Released from Juvenile Rehabilitation Institutes Suffer from Homelessness Read More »
A new study, Foster Youth Transitions, released by the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC), in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Social Science Research (CSSR), with funding from the Stuart Foundation, examines the educational outcomes of foster youth in comparison to peers from similar disadvantaged backgrounds. Foster youth often experience instability and
Breakthrough Study Finds Foster Youth Face Significant Academic Hurdles Read More »
In 1999, Allegheny County became the first county in Pennsylvania to implement Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), an intervention designed to improve safety and permanency for maltreated children. FGDM involves bringing a family’s natural support system to the table with the formal child welfare system when making critical decisions, including placement decisions. In 2011, with
This report examines how recent policy changes have impacted caseload trends and measures of well-being among individuals enrolled in the Medical Care Services (MCS) program who were eligible for the Disability Lifeline (DL) program in October 2011, prior to its elimination. We compare the experiences of a cohort of individuals enrolled in MCS/DL in October
This study examined the unique and combined associations of homelessness and school mobility with educational well-being indicators, as well as the mediating effect of absenteeism, for an entire cohort of third-grade students in Philadelphia. Using integrated archival administrative data from the public school district and the municipal Office of Supportive Housing, multilevel linear models were
Jon Baron argues the Importance of Applying Evidence to Social Programs In a New York Times Economix article Jon Baron, President of the Coaliation for Evidence-Based Policy, argues that in order for social programs and policies to work better, the focus needs to shift to “scientific evidence of ‘what works.’” He notes that fields such as medicine
NY Times: Applying Evidence to Social Programs Read More »