Program Evaluation
RESEARCH AND EVALUATIONS
This section provides evaluations and research conducted on State TANF-related programs and services.
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Program Evaluations
Evaluation of the Center for Economic Opportunity’s Initiative to Reduce Poverty in New York City, May 2008
This presentation was given by Debra J. Rog, Ph.D at the Eleventh Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. The Center for Economic Opportunity received an evaluability assessment, which measured the extent to which the program is ready for an implementation or outcome evaluation. This presentation outlines common themes that came out of the assessment.
Download PowerPoint [PDF - 410 KB]
Experimental TANF Initiatives in Ohio: A Bottom-Up Approach, May 2008
This presentation was given as part of the Eleventh Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference, which is sponsored through the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. Conducted by the University of Ohio, this research focused on experimental TANF initiatives in Ohio, and presenters discussed the relationship between the University and the State to best serve TANF families.
Download Document [PDF - 88 KB]
Understanding the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina for ACF Service Populations: A Feasibility Assessment of Study Approaches, April 2008
This report is a feasibility assessment, which is an analysis of alternative datasets and analytic approaches that might be used to assess the effects of Hurricane Katrina on populations served by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This report shows the continuing needs and programs needed to serve the population. Additionally, authors identify lessons learned that can help improve service delivery in future disasters.
For more information, please see: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/other_resrch/feasibility_assmt/reports/katrina_final/katrina_final.pdf
Census Bureau Releases Poverty Estimates for States, Counties and School Districts, January 2008
This press release announces the new poverty estimates from the Census Bureau. The Census provides State, county, and school district-level data of median household income and the total number of poor children younger than 18 for the year 2005.
For more information, please see: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/poverty/011195.html
Economic Mobility of Black and White Families, November 2007
The Brookings Institution authored this report on the economic mobility of families based on Census Bureau data. Authors matched family income from the 1960s to the income of their children in the late 1990s to early 2000s. While median family incomes have grown for black and white families, the income gap between black and white families still exists.
For more information, please see: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2007/11_blackwhite_isaacs/11_blackwhite_isaacs.pdf
Results from Two Education and Training Models for Employed Welfare Recipients in Riverside, California, November 2007
This report is from MDRC under contract with the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and assesses implementation and impacts of Riverside’s Work Plus program and Riverside’s Training Focused program designed for employed, single parent welfare participants in Riverside, California. Researchers found that the programs had small impacts on participation in education and training in general compared to the control group, but they were able to boost participation among more disadvantaged groups, including those that did not complete high school. Neither programs boosted earnings or increased employment more than the control group after the two year mark in which the study assessed impacts.
For more information, please see: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/employ_retention/reports/riverside_phase2/rphase2_title.html
Studying the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina for ACF Service Populations: Annotated Bibliography, September 2007
This bibliography was prepared for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of a 12-month assessment that looks at the feasibility of studying the consequences of Hurricane Katrina for the ACF service populations. Authored by the Urban Institute, this piece offers a list of resources that address the human, social, and economic dimensions of the storm.
For more information, please see: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/other_resrch/feasibility_assmt/reports/katrina/katrina_final.pdf
Some Reflections on the Eleventh Anniversary of Welfare Reform, August 2007
This issue focus is from MDRC, and provides information on the eleventh anniversary of the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which marked a turning point in how public assistance was administered. Authors explore lessons learned on the effectiveness of welfare-to-work programs and challenges that remain for TANF families.
For more information, please see: http://www.mdrc.org//area_issue_24.html
Using Outcomes to Assess Teen Substance Abuse Treatment Programs: How Feasible?, August 2007
From the Rand Drug Policy Research Center, this study reviews how outcome data can be used in measuring the performance of substance abuse treatment programs for teenagers. Researchers also identified barriers to performance measurement that raise questions about the practicality of using outcome data to assess substance abuse treatment programs.
For more information, please see: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2007/RAND_RB9269.pdf
Welfare Receipt (AFDC/TANF), April 2007
This resource, from Child Trends, provides data on welfare receipt between AFDC and TANF- post PRWORA. Between 1996 and 2004, the number of children receiving benefits from welfare declined by more than half. In 2004, the percent of children receiving TANF benefits was 5.3% of the total child population in the United States.
For more information, please see: http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/pdf/50_PDF.pdf
Between Welfare Reform and Reauthorization: Income Support Systems in Cuyahoga and Philadelphia 2000 to 2005, March 2007
This report, from MDRC, provides an update on welfare reform in the cities of Cleveland and Philadelphia. This study specifically reviews the policies implemented through 2005, caseload and employment trends through 2003, and neighborhood indicators describing the conditions of low-income communities in 2003.
For more information, please see: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/445/full.pdf
Kids’ Share 2007: How Children Fare in the Federal Budget, March 2007
From the Urban Institute, this report reviews historical and current funding trends of 100 federal programs, including TANF, Supplemental Security Income, Food Stamps, Section 8 Low-Income Housing Assistance and Low Income Home Energy Assistance, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program. Through the data, authors offer insight into how children fare in the Federal Budget for 2007.
For more information, please see: http://urban.org/UploadedPDF/411432_Kids_Share_2007.pdf
Reducing Poverty in Washington, D.C. and Rebuilding the Middle Class from Within, March 2007
This paper from the Brookings Institution gives recommendations for Washington DC to increase the skills, earnings, and employment of at least 10,500 low-income, less-skilled residents over the next seven years. Recommendations include providing work supports and affordable housing opportunities to reinforce a work-focused strategy.
For more information, please see: http://www3.brookings.edu/metro/gwrp/20070326_reducingpoverty.pdf
Indicators of Welfare Dependence: Annual Report to Congress, 2007
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation authored the Annual Report to Congress for 2007 on Indicators of Welfare Dependence. Welfare dependence is defined as the proportion of individuals that receive more than half of their total income in one year from TANF, food stamps and/or SSI. This report provides welfare dependence indicators through 2004 and offers information on the changes in dependence since the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996. In 2004, 3.7 percent of the total population was dependent on assistance from these programs, which is significantly lower than the 5.2 percent rate measured in 1996.
For more information, please see: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/indicators07/index.htm
A Decade of Welfare Reform: Facts and Figures, June 2006
From the Urban Institute, this resource offers an overview of the TANF program over the last ten years and outcomes from PRWORA of 1996. For example, the income among welfare recipients increased between 1997 and 2002. To review the past ten years of welfare reform, the Urban Institute hosted a Roundtable to discuss the past, present, and future of welfare.
To view the Roundtable audio transcripts, please see: http://www.urban.org/Pressroom/events/welfarereform.cfm
To view or download: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/900980_welfarereform.pdf
The Effect of Specific Welfare Policies on Poverty, May 2006
This article, from the Urban Institute, reviews state data to evaluate policy and its effects on children and families. The analysis found that financial incentives can help to decrease "deep poverty" and reviews such issues as welfare time limits as tools to reduce poverty.
To view or download: http://urban.org/UploadedPDF/411334_welfare_policies.pdf