| Principal Investigator: | Ashweeta Patnaik, MPH |
| Sponsor: | Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, University of Notre Dame |
| Project Duration: | April 2018 – December 2020 |
| Description: | The Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame is examining the impact of an innovative comprehensive case management program, the Padua™ Program, created by Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW). The program is designed to permanently lift people out of poverty. It addresses the fact that the disadvantaged face complex, multifaceted, and interrelated challenges by offering a new approach that considers the whole person and his or her environment by providing (a) detailed needs assessment, (b) wrap-around case management, and (c) financial resources. LEO is conducting a study to examine through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluation whether this innovative intervention improves the well-being of low-income individuals.
The Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is supporting LEO in its research by linking data on Padua™ program participants to administrative data on employment, wages, TANF participation, and SNAP participation. RMC will help LEO evaluate the impact of assignment to the Padua™ intervention on TANF and SNAP participation, as well as on employment and earnings. |
| Reports Available: |
Impact Evaluation of SAEP Scholarship
| Principal Investigator: | Greg Cumpton, PhD |
| Sponsor: | San Antonio Education Partnership |
| Project Duration: | February 2018 – December 2018 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center entered into an agreement with the San Antonio Education Partnership to conduct an impact analysis to answer four research questions, a description of the study population, data and methodology used, and a review of the existing research that attempts to answer similar questions about the relationship between grant aid and student outcomes. The four research questions are the following:
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| Reports Available: |
Heath Prince and Ashweeta Patnaik present at annual AEA conference
RMC Director and Research Scientist Heath Prince, along with Social Science Research Associate Ashweeta Patnaik, participated in two panel discussions during the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference Evaluation 2017: From Learning to Action held in Washington, DC, from November 6-11, 2017. The first discussion, held on November 9th, dealt with quasi-experimental approaches, challenges, and lessons learned from impact evaluations of TAACCCT grants. The second discussion, held on November 10th, dealt with using monitoring and evaluation (M&E) data to evaluate the impacts of Nuru International’s integrated and holistic international development model. Several Nuru representatives also participated in that discussion.
Nigeria Evaluation Plan
| Principal Investigator(s): | Heath J. Prince, PhD and Ashweeta Patnaik, MPH (Co-Principal Investigator) |
| Sponsor(s): | Nuru International |
| Project Duration: | September 2017 – December 2017 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center (RMC) has partnered with Nuru International to write a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan for Nuru’s anticipated programming in Nigeria. The plan will include an exhaustive literature review, a review of Nuru’s past approaches to evaluation, a review of poverty measures, a review of Nuru’s Leadership Sustainability Index (LSI), suggested methods, and suggested survey tools. The planning process will include expert consultation, interviews with Nuru staff, document review, literature review, and overall close coordination with personnel on the Nuru International team. |
| Reports Available: |
Ashweeta Patnaik pens blog post about RMC’s evaluation of Nuru International initiative
RMC Social Science Research Associate Ashweeta Patnaik wrote a blog post about lessons learned from RMC’s evaluation of Nuru International‘s integrated and holistic international development model for the American Evaluation Association‘s AEA365 blog. You can view the post here. You can also learn more about RMC’s Multidimensional Poverty Assignment partnership with Nuru here.
Talent Metric Evaluation (Oregon Talent Council)
| Principal Investigator: | Heath J. Prince, PhD |
| Sponsor(s): | TIP Strategies |
| Project Duration: | May 2017 – August 2017 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center (RMC) will partner with TIP Strategies in the creation of an evaluation methodology for the Oregon Talent Council (OTC) that relies on new and innovative ways to measure the impact of talent investment in Oregon, and that can accurately and consistently track outcomes of interest. The project is composed of the following activities, divided into two phases: Phase 1 will develop a metrics methodology for OTC-related investments—how to measure investments in the niches that the Talent Council has identified as gaps. While the methodology will show how OTC metrics applies to an overall talent development framework, it will not develop detailed metrics for education and workforce investments controlled by other state agencies. Phase 2 will seek to develop a methodology for identifying key measures (approximately 5-7) by which aspects or desired outcomes of talent development could be benchmarked against other states. The primary purpose of the methodology for this phase is to establish a baseline to understand Oregon’s relative position in desired talent outcomes and be able to track the relative state’s progress over time. |
| Reports Available: |
Regional Hiring Survey
| Principal Investigator: | Heath J. Prince, PhD |
| Sponsor(s): | Austin Regional Manufacturers Association |
| Project Duration: | April 2017 – December 2017 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center (RMC) will partner with the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association (ARMA) to conduct a survey of manufacturing employers operating within the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area in order to learn more about their workforce needs. RMC will work with ARMA to develop a customized survey that would provide new insights on a range of manufacturing workforce issues, e.g.:
Our aim with this study is to provide ARMA with a clear understanding of the current and emerging skill needs of area manufacturers, as well as a more complete picture of the resources available locally to help manufacturers meet their skill needs. |
| Reports Available: |
TDHCA Resident Survey
| Principal Investigator: | Greg Cumpton, PhD |
| Sponsor(s): | Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs |
| Project Duration: | May 2017 – September 2017 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center has partnered with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) to perform research activities related to TDHCA’s residents. The purpose of this research will be to obtain input from TDHCA residents about aspects of their living situations as they pertain to statewide regulations set forth in the Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) and Uniform Multifamily Rules. Specifically, this research will investigate residents’ opinions about their neighborhoods, development features, and tenant services. Overall, this project will provide a representative portrait of residents’ lived experiences and nuanced opinions about their homes, with the goal of identifying what residents most value in their living situations. The research will be conducted in two phases – a series of four focus groups and one quantitative survey.
Go here to take the TDHCA Resident Survey. |
| Reports Available: |
Strategic Planning for San Antonio Works
| Principal Investigator: | Greg Cumpton, PhD |
| Sponsor(s): | San Antonio Works and San Antonio Economic Development Foundation |
| Project Duration: | November 2016 – August 2017 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center (RMC) along with consulting partner Jobs for the Future (JFF) will work with SA Works to develop an action plan for future work. The primary steps in developing the plan include:
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| Reports Available: |
Multidimensional Poverty Assignment
| Principal Investigator: | Heath J. Prince, PhD |
| Sponsor(s): | Nuru International |
| Project Duration: | September 2016 – September 2017 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center (RMC), with support from Nuru International (NI), will assist NI Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) with the methodology, tools, and data analysis of its integrated programming model in Ethiopia and Kenya. RMC will provide technical guidance on measurement and data collection for the Multidimensional Poverty Index along with quantitative data analysis of NI’s Multidimensional Poverty Survey (MPI). The key questions being asked this first year are:
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| Reports Available: |
