Research projects

The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning (Accelerate) is funding intensive small-group tutoring at several K-12 schools during the 2024-25 academic year as part of its Call To Effective Action. YPL is 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. YPL will use assessment data to help tutoring providers, schools, and policy-makers understand the impact of these tutoring programs on students’...

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, using a variety of data sources and analytical methods, will 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. A final report will be...

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...

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...

Funded by Michigan Health Endowment Fund and in collaboration with Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, YPL is currently working 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 will evaluate the impact of an eFax referral template, integrated into electronic medical record systems, We will measure the effects of eFax referrals on family access to "Early On" and on physicians’ knowledge and...

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...

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...

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...

In 2019, Youth Policy Lab partnered with TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) and the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment.  This initiative was designed to guide future activities and establish a baseline for evaluation by gathering data from 3,500 DPSCD staff, 11,000 students in grades 8-12, 800 family members, as well as DPSCD Police and community mental health agencies.The Youth Policy Lab launched a three-year evaluation during the 2022-23 school year in 84 DPSCD schools, focusing on the...

As evaluation partners for Project AWARE—a Michigan Department of Education-Michigan Department of Health and Human Services initiative on youth mental health—the Lab is examining a variety of efforts by state and local agency partners to better support students’ healthy development. The Lab is currently working 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...

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....

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...

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...

With funding provided through Governor Whitmer’s Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative, YPL will evaluate 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 will receive reimbursement for an additional home visit, longer home visits, care coordination services, and a discharge assessment. Key outcomes include social determinants of health, such as food security, financial stability, education, employment, treatment for mental health symptoms, treatment...

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...

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...

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, supporting its vision of improving the talent pipeline in southeast Michigan region by increasing postsecondary access and...

NAF is an educational non-profit focused on preparing high school students for postsecondary education and/or the workforce through career exploration. It operates industry-themed learning academies within existing high school structures. These academies are comprised of courses with career-focused curricula and associated work-based learning opportunities. The Youth Policy Lab partnered with NAF to analyze the characteristics and outcomes of NAF students in Detroit to understand how students who enroll in NAF compare before, during, and after high school to students who do not...

Detroit Public Schools Community District, the Detroit Mayor’s Office, and the Youth Policy Lab have partnered to evaluate the impact of career technical education (CTE) and other career-focused education programs in Detroit on student outcomes. This evaluation seeks to understand which Detroit students participate in which are making a difference for participants, and how to best support continuous improvement in these...

The Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) coordinates Early Childhood programs from birth to age three within Washtenaw County. These programs include Early On, a program for young children with developmental delays; Early Head Start, a family support program for low-income families with very young children; and Build Up, a program for preschoolers with learning disabilities. The Early Childhood Department is interested in increasing program enrollment for eligible families to ensure that children who could benefit from these programs are served. The Youth Policy Lab is working with...

YPL has partnered with Michigan Medicine (MM) and its MIHP program to evaluate the impact of a modest cash incentive in reducing no-shows among MIHP participants who receive prenatal care at...

The Detroit Promise Path pilot is an add-on to the Detroit Promise scholarship program that is designed to improve student outcomes by incorporating evidence-based support components. The Lab was engaged by MDRC, the primary research organization evaluating this pilot, to provide supplemental, qualitative evaluation of the impact of this...

The Youth Policy Lab partnered with the Mayor’s Office, Connect Detroit, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC), and other key stakeholders to evaluate the impact of the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent summer youth employment program on a variety of academic and non-academic...

AdviseMI is a college advising program aiming to increase the number of high school students who enter and complete post-secondary education. The Lab evaluated the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) AdviseMI program, examined the fidelity to the model, and assessed the impact on the college enrollment rates for high schools where advisors are...

This study seeks to examine the educational and criminal justice trajectories of youth who have been arrested as juveniles or young adults. At the broadest level, the goal is to better understand how interaction with the juvenile (criminal) justice system influences educational outcomes and, conversely, how a young person’s success in the educational domain impacts the likelihood he or she will interact with the juvenile justice...

Winning Futures operates school-based workforce prep mentoring programs in Metro-Detroit high schools and launched a new four-year experiential learning Workforce Prep Model pilot in Fall 2018. The Lab evaluated the program’s impact on a variety of student outcomes such as grades, school attendance, high school graduation, post-secondary enrollment, sense of self efficacy, and goal-setting...

In support of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Lab investigated the academic impacts of school-based health centers across the state using both school and student level data. Our analysis looked at academic markers like attendance and test scores at students with health centers in comparison to those at similar schools nearby. Findings may lead to more investigations around usage patterns or community...

Detroit Public Schools Community District, the Detroit Mayor’s Office, and the Youth Policy Lab have partnered to evaluate the impact of career technical education (CTE) and other career-focused education programs in Detroit on student outcomes. This evaluation seeks to understand which Detroit students participate in which are making a difference for participants, and how to best support continuous improvement in these...

The Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) is Michigan’s largest evidence-based statewide home visiting program for pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries and their infants. Despite evidence suggesting the program provides benefits for both parents and infants who participate, MIHP enrolled fewer than 30% of all pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries in the state. Of those who enroll, only approximately 60% fully participated in the program. The Youth Policy Lab partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to analyze administrative data (vital records, Medicaid claims, and...