Youth Policy Lab 2024-2025 Annual Report

Evaluation of SafeCare

Now in its third year, YPL continued its evaluation of SafeCare, an in-home, parental education program of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to reduce child maltreatment recidivism and foster care placement. Since 2022, SafeCare has been implemented in 22 counties across Michigan, teaching caregivers how to interact in a positive manner with their children, how to create a safe home environment, and how to recognize and respond to symptoms of illness and injury. Working with partners at the University of Michigan, Georgia State University, as well as MDHHS and service providers, YPL uses a quasi-experimental design to examine SafeCare's impact on reducing child maltreatment, preventing removal from the home, and improving family functioning and child wellbeing. This study is intended to build a larger evidence base around this programming that will allow MDHHS and other states to gain additional funding.

Early On® eFax

YPL recently concluded an evaluation of a pilot project featuring a technology and information intervention among several pediatric clinics in Michigan. A collaboration between the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and YPL, this project aimed to streamline the physician referral process and improve access to Early On Michigan, a statewide early intervention program. From January 2023 to June 2025, nine participating clinics, randomized into two cohorts through a phased-in approach, received training about Early On and successfully integrated a new eFax template into their electronic medical system that auto populated essential health information for families for the Early On intake and evaluation process. Analyzing physician survey responses and administrative records from clinics, we found the intervention had an overall positive effect on physician referrals for families with children experiencing development delays and increased physician understanding of the program. Given these evaluation findings, we recommend providing technical and financial support to facilitate broader eFax implementation across more pediatric clinics, especially among small practices. Additionally, concerted efforts are needed to strengthen mutual understanding and communication between Early On and the medical community.

Accelerate Small Group Tutoring

While there is a large research base supporting the efficacy of 1-1 in-person tutoring, there is less evidence on the effectiveness of tutoring that occurs in groups and/or virtually. In response, YPL began a new partnership with Accelerate in summer 2024 to evaluate small-group tutoring for elementary school students. Using randomized controlled trials (RCTs), YPL engaged in one study focused on in-person literacy tutoring provided by NC Education Corps and another examining virtual math tutoring provided by Cignition. Schools' resources are limited and these studies can help them understand how to effectively use tutoring to support the most students. We anticipate sharing the evaluation results with our partners in fall 2025.

High 5s

YPL concluded a two and a half year project with the New York City Public Schools Next Generation Community Schools (NGCS) pilot in June 2025. In partnership with Bank Street College of Education, YPL supported the implementation of High 5s, a game-based, supplemental, small-group, kindergarten math enrichment program, in 20 NYC community schools. High 5s provided extended learning opportunities to students as one pillar of the NGCS program. Bank Street coaches reported that facilitators implemented the program with fidelity and student engagement was high. One school leader reported, "And what we are noticing now with those kids that had High 5s math, they are now our first graders, they are really understanding and doing much better. And we are just very happy. Because we know that math is one of the things they feel comfortable…doing. They're seeing their success [and] it's going to propel them…to come to school, to do their work. They're doing well in math, and the next thing they're doing [well in] reading, and all the other activities."

Hear more about the impact of High 5s program in this video.

Reading Partners Literacy Tutoring

YPL is beginning its third year of partnering with MDRC to evaluate the Reading Partners literacy tutoring program. We are building on our previous evaluation of the Reading Partners traditional tutoring model to evaluate the effectiveness of both the traditional and the virtual Reading Partners Connects models with funding from an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the US Department of Education. We are also conducting a cost study to evaluate the cost-benefit of the Reading Partners program models.

MIHP age expansion

With support from UnitedHealthcare, YPL has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Maternal and Infant Health Program (MIHP) to conduct a landscape analysis to assess the need for extending MIHP home visiting services to families with children between 18 and 36 months. To learn more about how these agencies have served this age group and to identify any additional resources and support needed, we developed and administered a survey to MIHP agencies. We are currently analyzing survey data and will share our findings by the end of 2025.

TRAILS

TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) is a nonprofit organization that works with thousands of schools nationwide, offering training and resources to provide evidence-based mental health services. TRAILS engaged YPL to conduct independent evaluations of their programming, including their mental health focused social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, training and coaching for school mental health professionals, and crisis intervention. One study was designed to assess the effectiveness of TRAILS Tier 1 SEL programming on students' behavioral and academic outcomes in two intermediate school districts in Michigan. In another study, YPL assessed the impact of TRAILS-EI (Early Intervention) implementation on student behavioral and academic outcomes in the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD). Additionally, YPL served as a key collaborator in study planning, data collection, and as a liaison to participating schools. We hope our work will inform district and statewide policy and guide future implementation of school-based mental health programming.

Project AWARE

Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) is a federal program designed to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services. YPL's evaluation of Project AWARE in three Michigan rural sites began in 2020 and is expected to conclude this fall. Multiple partners contributed to this project, including the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), as well as intermediate school districts and community mental health agencies in each community. This implementation evaluation aims to measure the community sites' progress toward three goals: (1) improve coordination between AWARE partners; (2) provide mental health support training to youth-facing adults in their communities; and (3) increase youth access to mental health services.

Evaluation of Counsel at First Appearance (CAFA)

YPL has partnered with the Juvenile Justice Clinic (JJC) at the University of Michigan Law School to evaluate their Counsel at First Appearance (CAFA) pilot intervention in select Michigan counties. Through this pilot, juvenile defendants facing felony charges are offered representation at their first time in court, an intervention that has been shown to provide stronger protection of rights, strengthen the fairness of the court process, improve release decisions and court efficiency, and reduce costs. Unlike adults, the State of Michigan currently has no agency responsible for representation of juvenile defendants, nor standards for indigent youth defense. Findings from the evaluation would help support efforts to scale CAFA statewide. This partnership represents a new area of justice-involved work for YPL.

Career-Connected K-12 Education and Workforce Preparation in Detroit

This year, YPL partnered with Detroit Future City (DFC) to explore the career-connected K-12 education landscape in Detroit. YPL is helping to shape the overall approach and direction of the study and leading the quantitative data analysis, including assessing the alignment between CTE availability and enrollment in Detroit and the demands of the current and future labor market in Southeast Michigan. DFC is holding several focus groups with K-12 education, business, and nonprofit leaders and recent high school graduates to identify barriers and opportunities for preparing today's students for long-term career success. This project aims to strengthen the K12-to-career ecosystem, using community and youth input and data analysis to identify opportunities for improvement and actionable recommendations to strengthen career connected learning.