Evidence First Podcast

To learn more about skills-based hiring in Connecticut and non-degree programs in Virginia, Rachel Rosen talks with Kelli-Marie Vallieres, Connecticut’s Chief Workforce Officer, and Elizabeth Creamer, Vice President of Workforce Development for the Community College Workforce Alliance in Virginia.

In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with Matt Sigelman, President of the Burning Glass Institute, which studies economic and workforce trends. They discuss skills-based hiring, a labor market trend where employers hire with the understanding that degrees are not the only way to acquire competencies.

Join Leigh Parise as she talks with Dean Elson of Reading Partners and Robin Jacob at the University of Michigan. They discuss MDRC’s study of Reading Partners, how to get volunteers to teach reading effectively, and how technology will continue to play a role in tutoring.

Crystine Miller, Director of Student Affairs and Student Engagement in the Montana University System, and Alyssa Ratledge, a Research Associate in Postsecondary Education at MDRC, discuss the evaluation of Montana 10, a wraparound services program for students in the Montana University System.

In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with Christine Brongniart, the University Executive Director of CUNY ASAP, and Colleen Sommo, an MDRC senior research fellow, to learn more about the CUNY ASAP model, its replication across the country, and the latest findings from MDRCs study of the program in Ohio.

Leigh Parise talks with Paul Fain, a veteran higher education journalist, and Betsy Tessler, a senior research journalist at MDRC, about nondegree credentials—their effectiveness, their challenges, and what the future holds for them.

Leigh Parise talks with MDRC President Virginia Knox and Naomi Goldstein, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). They reflect on their experiences in evaluating programs and policies, the growth of the evidence-building movement, and future considerations for the field.

Ahmed Whitt from the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and Alissa Stover, formerly of MDRC, discuss the partnership between CEO and MDRC’s Center for Data Insights and how data science tools can more fully capture participants’ lived experiences.

Leigh Parise talks with Dan Tesfay from the Kauffman Foundation and MDRC’s Osvaldo Avila about the Real World Learning initiative, which aims to ensure Kansas City high school students graduate with at least one “market value asset,” an experience or credential to prepare them for further education and employment.

Leigh Parise talks with Michael Meotti and Isaac Kwakye of the Washington Student Achievement Council and Rick Hendra of the MDRC Center for Data Insights about their research partnership that is developing data-analytics tools to support the use of evidence in policy decisions at the state level.