Research projects

Youth Policy Lab is conducting a three-year national study of the impacts of school cellphone policies on academic outcomes and student wellbeing. This initiative was launched at a pivotal moment as districts are rapidly implementing cellphone restrictions. One component of this project involves partnering with Yondr, a company that makes cellphone-blocking pouches for schools, to understand how these pouches affect academic achievement, school engagement, behavioral incidents, chronic absenteeism, and socio-emotional measures.A second component involves partnering with Monitoring the Future (...

Youth Policy Lab has partnered with colleagues at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention to examine the impact of school cellphone policies in Michigan. This study aims to identify variability in district cellphone policies; understand the barriers to and facilitators of implementation; and estimate their impact on indicators of community violence, including fights in school, school discipline, and police incidents; as well as a range of mental health, wellbeing, and academic outcomes. While school cellphone restrictions may improve y...

The Livingston Educational Service Agency (LESA) has partnered with Youth Policy Lab to better understand the college and career opportunities available to students in the county’s school districts and charter schools.  Through an analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, YPL is looking at various programs, including Career and Technical Education (CTE), Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment (DE), and Early Middle College (EMC).  The research team’s work also includes collecting insights from school staff and administrators about the main challenges to expanding access and partici...

High-quality early learning programs boost children’s kindergarten readiness and effects can last into adulthood. However, defining and measuring quality is difficult and expensive. Classroom video observations are a classic method used by education researchers to understand how the instructional environment relates to student learning. Although videos provide rich context on what occurs in the classroom, they require a significant amount of human labor and time to accurately code, which can lead to delays in acquiring information. Moreover, early education researchers have found that construc...

YPL is evaluating two interventions targeted at improving chronic absenteeism in National Heritage Academies charter schools. The first intervention involves sending text messages to parents, emphasizing the importance of attendance and providing parents with up-to-date information on their child's past attendance. There are 92 NHA schools participating in the messaging intervention nationwide. The second intervention involves school staff providing individualized case management support to a family to alleviate barriers that prevent children from attending school regularly. There are 11 NHA s...

Youth Policy Lab has been engaged by TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students), an evidence-based, school-delivered student health and wellness program, to explore and evaluate variation in implementation of its Tier 1 (Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum) and Tier 2 (Early Intervention) programming across participating schools in Michigan. Insights from this analysis will be used to inform and improve program delivery. YPL will utilize survey, administrative, and publicly available data to explore variation in implementation outcomes in Michigan schools,...

Many Detroit-area students encounter significant barriers to completing a college degree, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and unexpected financial emergencies. In response, the Detroit Regional Chamber launched the Detroit Area Talent Fund (DATF) in 2023 to provide just-in-time emergency grants to students navigating time-sensitive financial challenges. The Youth Policy Lab is partnering with the Partnership for Education Equity and Research (Detroit PEER) at Wayne State University and Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the University of Michigan to assess the implementation an...

The Youth Policy Lab has partnered with Detroit Future City (DFC) to conduct a research study examining Detroit’s career-connected K-12 education landscape and its alignment with current and future workforce needs. YPL is helping to shape the overall approach and direction of the study and leading the quantitative data analysis. This includes assessing the alignment between Career and Technical Education (CTE) availability and enrollment in Detroit and the current and future labor market demands in Southeast Michigan. DFC is holding several focus groups with K-12 education, business, and nonpr...

When early high-quality math instruction is aligned across grades, it can have a positive effect on children’s math skills, attitudes toward math, and working memory. However, evidence-based pre-K learning trajectories and instructional practices are not typically integrated into the curriculum for the early elementary grades. This lack of integration can have negative results: Children may encounter the same content more than once from pre-K to kindergarten through third grade. Conversely, the math instruction they receive may not cover the areas or progression of learning that research says ...

Children can face lifelong impacts from their interactions with the criminal justice system. Unlike adults, the State of Michigan has no agency responsible for representation of juvenile defendants, nor standards for indigent youth defense. Currently, whether or not youth receive representation at their first court appearance varies by county. YPL is partnering with the Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC) at the University of Michigan Law School to evaluate their CAFA pilot intervention in select Michigan counties. Through this pilot, juvenile defendants facing felony charges are offered representat...

With initial funding from UnitedHealthcare, YPL has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) to conduct a landscape analysis to explore the statewide need for expanding home visiting services to infants and toddlers beyond 18 months. It will also identify what additional services, resources, and tools would be required to support such an expansion.

The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning (Accelerate) funded intensive small-group tutoring at several K-12 schools during the 2024-25 academic year as part of its Call to Effective Action. This work is continuing in 2025-2026 through the Evidence for Impact program.  YPL has been serving as an evaluation partner to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of two tutoring models: virtual math tutoring for students in grades 3-6, and in-person literacy tutoring for students in grades K-3. We have used assessment data to help tutoring providers, schools, and policy-m...

The Michigan Department of Education selected the Youth Policy Lab to conduct a study of Michigan’s current system of education governance and provide recommendations about ways to improve educational outcomes for Michigan’s students, in line with the state’s strategic goals. The study used a variety of data sources and analytical methods to review key features of education governance in Michigan, including potential school district consolidation, the allocation of authority across different levels of government, school choice, and the state’s school finance system. 

With funding from the US Department of Education and Arnold Ventures, the Youth Policy Lab is partnering with MDRC to conduct an evaluation of the Reading Partners program. The three-arm randomized control trial will compare both the Reading Partners traditional in-person tutoring program and their online tutoring program called Reading Partners Connects to a business-as-usual control group. The evaluation will look at both the immediate (one-year) and longer-term (two-to-three year) impacts of Reading Partners tutoring on student reading skills.

The Youth Policy Lab launched a three-year evaluation during the 2022-23 school year in a large urban school district, focusing on the implementation and effectiveness of the TRAILS Early Intervention program (TRAILS-EI). This Tier 2 school-based program is designed to enhance social and behavioral outcomes in students affected by mental health concerns by increasing the delivery of evidence-based practices, ultimately aiming to improve academic performance. TRAILS-EI seeks to raise awareness and understanding of mental health, improve the accurate and timely identification of students with me...

Many states (including Michigan) have instituted laws requiring support or retention for students who do not meet grade-level expectations in reading at the end of third grade. The Youth Policy Lab received funding from the American Education Research Association to look at the effects of North Carolina’s Read to Achieve law, which has been in place for the last decade. The analysis will look at medium term academic outcomes, and will focus on effects for English Language Learners, a growing population in North Carolina and elsewhere in the U.S.

Funded by Michigan Health Endowment Fund and in collaboration with Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, YPL worked with medical institutions throughout Michigan to help pediatric physicians refer patients more seamlessly to Early On, an early intervention program in Michigan for families with young children at risk of development delays. YPL evaluated the impact of an eFax referral template, integrated into electronic medical record systems, We measured the effects of eFax referrals on family access to Early On and on physicians’ knowledge and sentiments regarding the Early ...

This project examined the characteristic of participants of Michigan Reconnect, a scholarship program that provides adults age 25 and older with tuition-free in-district community college and that is overseen by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's (MDLEO) Office of Sixty by 30. This work is part of our long partnership with MDLEO and builds upon our previous projects to study Futures for Frontliners, a similar program that provided tuition support to those in essential jobs early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research on Reconnect compared applicants to the broader pool...

During the 2022-23 school year,  Youth Policy Lab partnered with TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) to evaluate the implementation and impact of its Tier 1 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum as part of a statewide expansion in two intermediate school districts in Michigan. To assess the program's effects on student outcomes related to social-emotional well-being and mental health, a one-year, school-level randomized control trial was conducted. Students and staff from approximately 40 schools gave feedback through surveys at the beginning an...

In an effort to reduce child maltreatment recidivism and foster care placement, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is piloting an in-home, parental education program called SafeCare. SafeCare teaches caregivers skills about how to interact in a positive manner with their children; to create a safe home environment; and to recognize and respond to symptoms of illness and injury. To evaluate the program and build an evidence base that will allow MDHHS to draw on federal funding, the Youth Policy Lab has received a grant from Arnold Ventures to conduct a randomized contr...

With support from the National Science Foundation, the Youth Policy Lab is partnering with colleagues at the University of Connecticut and Michigan State University to conduct a meta-analysis of Early Science Interventions over the past twenty years. This research will provide information about the features of science interventions that are most effective at improving teacher and student learning for young students.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, YPL partnered with TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) to examine their Tier 1 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program in three rural Colorado school districts. Staff provided overall positive survey feedback, reporting that preparation and delivery times were reasonable, students were engaged, and the materials were suitable for their age group. Students in grades 6-12 were also surveyed to assess various Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) coping skills. Althoug...

Once seen as an alternative to college, modern Career and Technical Education (CTE) is designed to be a pathway into postsecondary education and prosperous careers for all students. However, there is a lack of rigorous empirical research on the efficacy of high school CTE for preparing students for postsecondary education and the workforce.  Moreover, we do not know what factors may mediate these outcomes or whether CTE may benefit some students more than others. Through this project, the research team analyzed Michigan data to examine (a) the characteristics of CTE participants and completers...

After the publication of YPL’s statewide analyses of racial and socioeconomic inequities in access to Career and Technical Education (CTE), Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) partnered with YPL to better understand CTE access in Washtenaw County. The research revealed that stark differences in CTE availability across districts led to many Washtenaw students having limited access to CTE, with especially unequal access to programs aligned with high-wage, high-demand occupations. Low-income, Black, and Hispanic students in Washtenaw County are less likely to attend schools that offer o...

With funding provided through Governor Whitmer’s Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative, YPL evaluated the effectiveness of a pilot program to allow MIHP provider agencies to bill for additional services and care coordination for families with high levels of need for basic services. Providers received reimbursement for an additional home visit, longer home visits, care coordination services, and a discharge assessment. Key outcomes included social determinants of health, such as food security, financial stability, education, employment, treatment for mental health symptoms, treatment for subs...

As evaluation partners for Project AWARE—a Michigan Department of Education-Michigan Department of Health and Human Services initiative on youth mental health—YPL examined a variety of efforts by state and local agency partners to better support students’ healthy development.  Youth Policy Lab worked with the Project AWARE team to design and implement a multifaceted assessment of the five-year initiative’s success in increasing mental health awareness, strengthening interagency collaboration, and streamlining service coordination in three participating communities across the state.

Kalamazoo County passed a Career and Technical Education (CTE) millage in 2019 and wanted to use this new source of funding to restructure CTE delivery within the Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency (KRESA).   In addition to expanding career awareness and exploration opportunities among younger students, millage revenues were designated to build a new countywide technical center. KRESA approached YPL to ask for assistance identifying CTE programs the center should offer.  This project sought to answer the following research questions: Which occupations are projected to exhibit the grea...

With support from a grant awarded by Arnold Ventures, YPL has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to conduct an impact evaluation of MIHP. Using a randomized encouragement design, outreach specialist will provide enhanced recruitment to a subset of individuals who are eligible for MIHP, with a goal of increasing participation in the program. YPL will leverage that increase in participation to evaluate the program’s impact on key maternal and infant health outcomes.

In an effort to ensure all Michigan high school students are on paths to economic success, the Lab partnered with Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education and the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity to conduct research on the experiences and outcomes of young people that pursue career-focused educational pathways relative to peers who pursue other educational pathways. The team sought to understand the following questions: Who enrolls in secondary and post-secondary career pathway programs in Michigan?  What populations are not currently being...

As a part of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s economic development strategy, several programs are focused on improving post-secondary degree and credential attainment. These programs include: Detroit Drives Degrees, the Detroit Promise, and the Detroit College Access Network. The Youth Policy Lab serves as the strategic data partner to the Chamber, analyzing data for their State of Education and Talent annual report and supporting their vision of improving the talent pipeline in southeast Michigan region by increasing postsecondary access and success.