In April, MDRC President Gordon Berlin was interviewed by Denver
Frederick, host of the “Business
of Giving” radio show in New York City, about the role of
rigorous research evidence in informing how government and
philanthropy invest in education and social programs. The podcast
was also
featured on the Chronicle of Philanthropy website.
Berlin describes MDRC’s experience evaluating existing programs
and developing demonstrations of new interventions. He highlights a
number of current projects, including the Paycheck Plus
demonstration of an enhanced Earned Income Tax Credit for single
adults, the evaluation of the City University of New York’s
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs and a replication effort at
three Ohio community colleges, our ongoing evaluation of small
public high schools in New York City, the Jobs-Plus employment
program in public housing, and the Family Rewards test of
conditional cash transfers.
Berlin also discusses what Frederick terms “the quiet
revolution” of increased federal investment in evidence-building
under both the Bush and Obama administrations, how new technologies
can help make research more effective and efficient, and how
behavioral “nudge” interventions can improve social and education
programs.