The Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) is holding its Annual Fall Research Conference, “Advancing Policy Research with Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives,” in Washington, DC, on November 17-19, 2022.

A number of MDRC experts are presenting papers and participating in panels and roundtables. In addition, MDRC Vice President John Martinez is the current President of APPAM and will be delivering an address, “The Power of Inclusion in Public Policy Analysis and Management: Reflections on Why it Matters and Potential Solutions,” on Thursday evening.

Please visit our exhibit booth (#211) to learn about our latest work and current career opportunities at MDRC.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Panel: Reducing Racial Disparities in Maternal Health and Family Wellbeing: Lessons from Non-Traditional Modes of Delivery and Under-Examined Community Perspectives

• Organizer: Jane Leer (Duke University)
• Panel Chair: Florencia Lopez Boo (Inter-American Development Bank)
• Discussants: Meghan McCormick (MDRC), Teresa Eckrich Sommer (Northwestern University)

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM

Panel: Stabilizing and Supporting the Early Care and Education Workforce: Cross-Sector Perspectives

• Organizer: Laura Bellows (University of Virginia)
• Panel Chair: JoAnn Hsueh (MDRC)
• Discussants: Sara Mead (Bellwether Education Partners), Erica Harbatkin (Florida State University)

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Panel: Reconnecting Youth to Education and Employment: Incorporating Multiple Disciplines and Methods to Synthesize the Research and Enhance Innovation

• Organizer: Jan DeCoursey (Child Trends)
• Panel Chair: Jan DeCoursey (Child Trends)
• Discussants: Erika Van Buren (First Place for Youth), Dan Bloom (MDRC)
• Reconnecting Young People to School and Work: A Map of Evidence and Opportunities, Louisa Treskon (MDRC), Vanessa Sacks (Child Trends), Jan DeCoursey (Child Trends)

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Panel: Exploring the How, When, Whether, and Why Early Care and Education Programs Promote Children’s Development

• Organizer: Anamarie Whitaker (University of Delaware)
• Panel Chair: Tyler Watts (Columbia University)
• Discussants: Meghan McCormick (MDRC), Michael Little (North Carolina State University)
• New Evidence from a Multi-Arm Randomized Trial in Head Start and Child Care Settings, Michelle Maier (MDRC), JoAnn Hsueh (MDRC), Amy Taub (MDRC), Marie-Andree Somers (MDRC), Margaret Burchinal (University of Virginia)

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Presidential Address: The Power of Inclusion in Public Policy Analysis and Management: Reflections on Why it Matters and Potential Solutions

• Speaker: John Martinez (MDRC)

Friday, November 18, 2022

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Super Session: Navigating Minefields in Building Transformative Affordable Housing: Lessons from the Field for Policy and Practice

• Organizer and Moderator: James Riccio (MDRC)
• Speakers: Jacqueline Alexander (The Community Builders, Washington/Baltimore), Juan Powell (The Community Builders, Virginia), Bart Mitchell (The Community Builders, National), Shanda Brown (The Community Builders)

10:15 AM – 11:45 AM

Panel: From Safety Net to Socioeconomic Mobility: How Social Welfare Programs Disrupt Intergenerational Poverty

• Organizer: Edith Kealey (NYC Department of Social Services)
• Panel Chair: Theresa Anderson (Urban Institute)
• Discussants: Richard Hendra (MDRC), Lauren Hall (University of Maryland)

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM

Panel: Supporting Successful Workforce Development for Low-Income Individuals: Factors Related to Short- and Long-Term Impacts of Sector-Focused Programs

• Implementation and Early Impacts from the TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative, Betsy Tessler (MDRC), Kelsey Schaberg (MDRC), Joseph Gasper (Westat)
• Employment and Earnings Effects of the WorkAdvance Demonstration after Seven Years, Henry Kanengiser (MDRC), Kelsey Schaberg (MDRC)

1:45 PM – 3:15 PM

Panel Paper: Enrollment in Pre-K and Children’s Social-Emotional and Executive Functioning Skills: To What Extent Are Associations Sustained across Time? Meghan McCormick (MDRC)

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Panel Paper: Examining Sustained Benefits of PreK on Academic, Social-Emotional, and Executive Functioning Skills in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Meghan McCormick (MDRC) Christina Weiland (University of Michigan), Catherine Snow (Harvard University), Mirjana Pralica (MDRC), JoAnn Hsueh (MDRC), Jason Sachs (Boston Public Schools)

Saturday, November 19, 2022

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Panel: Ethics Training and Practices in Data Science and STEM: Overview, Outlook, and Policy Implications

• Organizer: Torbet McNeil (University of Arizona)
• Panel Chair: Luísa Nazareno (Georgia State University)
• Discussant: Edith Yang (MDRC)
• Frameworks and Practices for Identifying and Mitigating Ethical Issues in Data Science Field Projects, Richard Hendra, Alissa Stover, Camille Preel-Dumas, Brit Henderson (MDRC)

10:15 AM – 11:45 AM

Panel: Employment and Substance Use: Policy and Program Interventions

• Organizer: Hannah Betesh (Abt Associates, Inc.)
• Panel Chair: Megan Millenky (MDRC)
• Discussant: Clare DiSalvo (Administration for Children and Families)

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Panel: The TANF Data Collaborative: An Innovative Approach to Increasing Data Analytics Capacity

• Organizer: Melissa Wavelet (MDRC)
• Panel Chair: Brit Henderson (MDRC)
• Discussant: Nicole Deterding (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
• The TANF Data Collaborative Pilot, Melissa Wavelet (MDRC)
• Enhancing TANF Program Insights: A Toolkit for Linking TANF and UI Wage Records for Analysis, Edith Yang (MDRC)
• Understanding Data Use and Capacity in State TANF Agencies, Robert Goerge, Leah Gjertson, Emily Wiegand (Chapin Hall)
• AISP Equity Tool, Della Jenkins (University of Pennsylvania)