The Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) is holding its Annual Fall Research Conference in Austin, Texas. Entitled “The Power of Inclusion: Incorporating Diverse Voices in Public Policy Analysis and Management,” it will be held March 27-29, 2022. A number of MDRC experts are presenting papers and participating in panels and roundtables.

Please visit our exhibit booth (#207) to learn about our latest work and current career opportunities at MDRC.

Sunday, March 27, 2022

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Panel: Mixed Methods for Incorporating Diverse Voices in Research

• Chair: Luke Miratrix (Harvard University)
• Discussants: Brit Henderson (MDRC) and Rebecca Myerson (University of Wisconsin, Madison)

10:15 AM - 11:45 PM

Roundtable: Sectoral Training Programs: Assessing the Emerging Evidence

• Mark Elliott (Mobility), Richard Hendra (MDRC), and Irma Perez-Johnson (American Institutes for Research)

10:15 AM - 11:45 PM

Super Session: The Power of Organizations like APPAM to Advance Equity and Inclusion in Our Field: A Conversation with Three Leaders

• Susan Gooden (Virginia Commonwealth University, John Martinez (MDRC), and Lashawn Richburg-Hayes (Insight Policy Research)

1:45 PM - 3:15 PM

Panel: Revisiting Poverty and Income Inequality: A Cross-National Perspective

• Chair: Ofronama Biu (The New School)
• Discussant: Richard Hendra (MDRC)

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Panel: Early Education and Care Workforce Well-Being: An Essential Component of Program Quality

• Chair: Ivelisse Martinez-Beck (U.S. Department of Health and Human Service)
• Discussant: JoAnn Hsueh (MDRC)

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Paper: Parent Response to a Multi-Part Digital Intervention to Promote On-Time School Application,

Barbara Condliffe, Margaret Hennessy, Rekha Balu, Jed Teres, and Ellie Warner-Rousseau (MDRC)

Monday, March 28, 2022

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Panel: Aligning Program Design with Father Needs

• Organizer: Michelle Manno (MDRC)
• Panel Chair: Matthew Stagner (Mathematica)
• Discussant: David Pate (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
• Building Bridges and Bonds (B3): Lessons Learned from Testing Community-Based Approaches within Fatherhood Programs, Michelle Manno (MDRC) and Kristen Harknett (University of California, San Francisco)
• Understanding the Participant Experience: Uncovering Challenges Fathers Face and How an Iterative Approach Can Help Address Them, Emily Brennan, Emily Marano, Donna Wharton-Fields, and Rebecca Behrmann (MDRC)

10:15 AM - 11:45 PM

Super Session: Advancing Equity Through Government Research-Practice Partnerships

• Moderator: John Martinez (MDRC)

• Speakers: Jason Coupet (Georgia State University), Cynthia Osborne (Vanderbilt University), Jenni Owen (North Carolina Office of Strategic Partnerships), and Sasha Rasco (Texas Department of Family and Protective Services)

10:15 AM - 11:45 PM

Panel: From Work Supports to Work Requirements for Public Housing Residents: Strategies to Improve Economic Mobility

• Chair: Nandita Verma (MDRC)
• Discussants: James A. Riccio (MDRC) and Jeffrey Lubell (Abt Associates, Inc.)
• The Long-Term Effects of the Original Jobs-Plus Demonstration: Impacts on Employment and Earnings Two Decades Later, Nina Castells and Cynthia Miller (MDRC)

10:15 AM - 11:45 PM

Panel: Nuancing the Conversation: Exploring When Machine Learning Is Helpful for Predicting Policy-Relevant Populations in Education

• Chair: Kristin Porter (MDRC)

• Discussant: Susan Dynarski (University of Michigan)
• What Can Machine Learning Offer When Predicting Special Education and Chronic Absenteeism for Early Elementary Students?, Amanda Weissman  (University of Michigan), Meghan McCormick (MDRC), JoAnn Hsueh (MDRC), Catherine E. Snow (Harvard University, Christina Weiland (University of Michigan), and Jason Sachs (Boston Public Schools)

1:45 PM - 3:15 PM

Paper: Hearing from Participants: A Discussion with Three Former Employment Program Participants, Gloriela Iguina-Colón (MDRC)

1:45 PM - 3:15 PM

Panel: College Considerations: Majors and Transfer

• Organizer: Rekha Balu (MDRC)
• Chair: Daniel Knox (State University of New York)
• Discussants: Carolynn Lee (Ascendium Education Group) and Virginia Fraire (University of Texas)
• Barriers to Student Success and Opportunities for Improvement in the College Transfer Process, Sophia Sutcliffe and Barbara Condliffe

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Panel: Employment Interventions for Workers with Low and Moderate Incomes: Overall Patterns and a Spotlight on Two Approaches

• Organizer: Lily Freedman (MDRC)
• Panel Chair: Amsie Hect (ACF)
• Discussant: Megan Reid (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
• Two-Year Impact Findings from the Evaluation of Breaking Barriers, an Individual Placement and Support Program, Lily Freedman (MDRC)

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Roundtable: Teaching Program Evaluation Methods: Challenges and Opportunities

• Moderator: Carolyn Hill (MDRC)
• Speakers: Scott Allard (University of Washington), Jaina Matuszeski (Harvard University), Ashlyn Aiko Nelson (Indiana University), and Adam Thomas (Georgetown University)

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Roundtable: Advancing Methodological Innovation for Pro-Equity Causal Impact

• Moderator: Carrie Cihak (King County Metro)
• Speakers: Jake Bowers (University of Illinois), Veronica Terriquez (University of California, Santa Cruz), Hanh Cao Yu (The California Endowment), and Rekha Balu (MDRC)

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Panel: The Utility of Predictive Analytics for Human Services: Evidence from Home Visiting, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and Career Pathways Programs

• Organizer: Meghan McCormick (MDRC)
• Panel Chair: Meghan McCormick (MDRC)
• Discussant: Emily Putnam-Hornstein (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
• Leveraging Predictive Analytics to Improve the Delivery of Home Visiting Services: Evidence from the Child First Program Implemented in Three States, Samantha Xia, Zarni Htet, and Kristin Porter (MDRC)
• Predicting Success at Career Pathways Programs: Is the Complexity Worth It?, Richard Hendra, Dakota Dennison, Camille Preel-Dumas, and Mark van Dok (MDRC)

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Paper: The Newly Virtual Workplace: Employers and Trainers Adapt, Hannah Dalporto (MDRC)

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

10:15 AM - 11:45 PM

Panel: Child Support, Procedural Justice, and the Courts

• Organizer: Melanie A. Skemer (MDRC)
• Chair: Lindsey Bullinger (Georgia Institute of Technology)
• Discussant: Noelita Lugo (Public Knowledge)
• In Their Words: Parent Perspectives on Their Interactions with the Child Support Program from the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration, Louisa Treskon (MDRC)

10:15 AM - 11:45 PM

Paper: Who, What, Where, When? Factors Driving Equitable Access to High-Quality Prekindergarten, Mirjana Pralica (MDRC), Meghan McCormick (MDRC), JoAnn Hsueh (MDRC), Christina Weiland (University of Michigan), Amanda Weissman (University of Michigan), Anna Shapiro (University of Michigan), and Jason Sachs (Boston Public Schools)