Overview

Research lies at the heart of every P/PV project. From supporting the early stages of program start-up to testing promising models and helping mature programs grow, P/PV works closely with programs to ensure that:

• Research is of the highest quality;
• Evaluation methods minimize disruptions to day-to-day programming, and;
• Evaluations produce information that is of direct value to program staff, as well as funders, policymakers and the field at large.

P/PV specializes in integrating qualitative and quantitative methods to illuminate not just whether programs work but also how they work. We then share the findings broadly to promote effective practices across a variety of program settings and to advance sound, evidence-based public policy. P/PV's researchers bring doctoral-level expertise in the fields of child and youth development, education, criminology, economics and sociology.

To view the "Research" clip from P/PV's 30th anniversary video, click here.

Supporting Program Start-Up
Putting new programs in place is challenging work. By combining an analysis of participant data with findings from in-depth interviews (with staff, participants and other key stakeholders), P/PV researchers help new programs start out strong, gauge early outcomes and hone their models.

P/PV has conducted numerous formative evaluations, including those of the San Francisco and Philadelphia Beacons, two citywide after-school initiatives. We've established data monitoring systems for multi-partner initiatives like Philadelphia's Youth Violence Reduction Partnership. We also conduct in-depth interview studies that are designed to tell deeper stories about the reasons that participants become involved in new programs and the roles program services play in their daily lives. P/PV interview studies include those of Experience Corps, a program that engages older adults as tutors and mentors in urban public schools, and Fathers at Work, a national initiative designed to help young, noncustodial fathers increase their earnings and employment, become more involved in their children's lives and increase child support payment.

Improving Implementation and Preparing for Rigorous Evaluation
As programs grow, they increasingly seek to strengthen operations and produce credible evidence of their worth for funders. P/PV's researchers are experts in developing systems to document participation and early outcomes data. Strong tracking systems can be self-sustaining and inform program decisions, motivate performance and promote accountability. When this information is combined with interviews, focus groups and observations of program activities, P/PV's researchers gain an objective perspective on day-to-day programming that allows us to share practical feedback with program managers who are striving to meet long-term goals.

P/PV often conducts implementation evaluations to help programs ensure that they are strong and well prepared for more rigorous impact studies. P/PV's implementation evaluation of the James Irvine Foundation's CORAL initiative was instrumental in helping this $58 million, after-school initiative make mid-course corrections that gradually boosted student achievement. In addition, we have produced implementation studies for the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, the Alternative Staffing Demonstration, and the AfterZones After-School Initiative.

Testing Program Effectiveness
P/PV designs and conducts rigorous research to measure and understand the impacts of diverse social programs and policies. P/PV is currently conducting a host of rigorous random-assignment experiments that produce highly defensible results. Yet we also recognize that this type of study is not always desirable or feasible. Comparison group designs, interrupted time-series analysis, and pre- and post-survey outcomes studies can offer alternative evaluation strategies. For programs with established evidence of effectiveness, we also document program designs and practices and create program manuals and guides that encourage consistent performance across multiple sites.

P/PV's current impact studies include evaluations of the Higher Achievement Program, an intensive academic enrichment program for middle-school-aged youth in Washington, DC, and Mentoring At-Risk Youth, which supports youth development and academic success through mentoring. P/PV's rigorous evaluations of the Big Brothers Big Sisters community- and school-based mentoring programs have been critical to the growth of the mentoring field. And P/PV's impact study of several leading sectoral employment programs has provided valuable evidence of the effectiveness of this approach to workforce development.

Related Publications

AfterZones: Creating a Citywide System to Support and Sustain High-Quality After-School Programs This report presents our analysis of the implementation of the AfterZone initiative—a citywide system-building effort in Providence, RI, that aims to provide high-quality, accessible out-of-school-time services to middle school youth. read more >>

AfterZones: Creating a Citywide System to Support and Sustain High-Quality After-School Programs Executive Summary This executive summary draws from our analysis of the implementation of the AfterZone initiative—a citywide out-of-school-time system-building effort in Providence, RI. read more >>

Engaging Older Youth: Program and City-Level Strategies to Support Sustained Participation in Out-of-School Time This report details the findings from a joint P/PV-Harvard Family Research Project study that examined the practices and structural features of almost 200 out-of-school-time programs to identify the characteristics most successful in retaining older youth—as well as the strategies cities are using to support participation. read more >>

Early Outcomes for Programs and Families in Children's Futures Children's Futures is a multiyear community-change initiative designed to improve the well-being of children in Trenton, NJ. This report examines programmatic achievements and outcomes for the city's families at the end of the initiative's first five years and addresses issues related to cost, partnership development and future sustainability. read more >>

Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative presents findings from P/PV's evaluation of Fathers at Work, a national demonstration funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, designed to help low-income noncustodial fathers increase their employment and earnings, become more involved in their children's lives, and provide them with more consistent financial support. read more >>

Evaluating Mentoring Programs This methodological brief is designed to provide both program operators and researchers with practical advice about how to assess a program's implementation and impact. read more >>

Job Training That Works: Findings from the Sectoral Employment Impact Study This issue of P/PV In Brief presents the results of a two-year study conducted by P/PV with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The random assignment evaluation found that high-quality sector-focused job training programs produced significant impacts for participants, including increases in earnings and employment. read more >>

More Related Publications >> View all P/PV Publications >>