Graduation rates🎓 remain low at many community colleges in the US. Researchers evaluated a case management program and found that students who received case both management + emergency financial assistance were significantly more likely to graduate. www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/i...

How can researchers & governments build strong research partnerships that last? A post on the J-PAL blog post shares key insights on this question from a discussion at our Evidence Matters webinar, co-hosted by LEO and Carrie Cihak. Read the blog: www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/4-24-26...

🚨HIRING🚨 J-PAL North America is #hiring an Operations Associate based in Cambridge, MA! This position will support our Executive Director in: ✔️Developing our strategy & policies ✔️Communicating our mission & impact ✔️Coordinating complex projects Apply by 7/8! www.povertyactionlab.org/careers/oper...

You’ve received a grant award—now what? For advice on managing grants for PIs and research staff, including guidance on multiple grants, review these #ResearchResources. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/grant-and-budget-management

J-PAL North America offers several newsletters—our monthly newsletter featuring new research, upcoming events, and the latest from our blog, along with topic-specific newsletters on climate, homelessness, state & local innovation, and more. 📬Subscribe today: https://j-p.al/NA_News

Learn more about the work supported by our US Health Care Delivery Initiative in this publication, featuring insights on cost-effective ways of reducing overprescribing and the impact of hotspotting on healthcare utilization. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/publication/hcdi-evidence-wrap

Examining program cost-effectiveness can help illustrate which programs are likely to offer the greatest value for 💲 to address a given challenge. Explore cost-effectiveness analysis in these #ResearchResources. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/conducting-cost-effectiveness-analysis-cea

Are you planning to conduct a remote survey? These #ResearchResources discuss project planning for phone-based surveys ☎️ and shares related J-PAL resources. 🔗 https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/resources-conducting-remote-surveys

User-written programs and code can identify whether key aspects of a randomized evaluation are running as planned. ⌨️ Our #ResearchResources outline helpful user-written commands for randomized evaluations. 💻 https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/coding-resources-randomized-evaluations

ICYMI on the J-PAL blog: Big Word Club founder Shane DeRolf on how a randomized evaluation gave his company actionable knowledge on their program's impact and the confidence to market Big Word Club to a broader network of parents, educators and schools: http://bit.ly/2GdzTmO

Results of an #RCT on a nurse home visiting program suggests that the program did not improve birth outcomes among low-income mothers in South Carolina. The findings underscore the urgent need to better understand how to address inequities in birth outcomes : https://j-p.al/208c3

💻 Visit our website to find >300 pages of practical guidance based on our experience conducting #RCTs, including: 1️⃣ templates 2️⃣ checklists 3️⃣ concrete advice & more! #ResearchResources https://j-p.al/research-resources

📣We are excited to announce our new Medicaid Learning Lab, a peer-learning experience designed to help #Medicaid agencies test, learn, & improve health care delivery. 🔎Learn about the program: www.povertyactionlab.org/page/j-pal-n... 📬Join our mailing list: www.povertyactionlab.org/subscribe-j-...

Managing a survey is an enormous undertaking! To get started, review these #ResearchResources on setting up processes in advance to reduce the likelihood of problems in the field—for both in-person data collection and other survey mediums. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/survey-logistics

🎉 Five organizations completed #AprendeLab with J-PAL North America this week, building the evaluation skills needed to advance/leverage data and evaluation in social programs in Puerto Rico. Congrats to all participants! 🔗 Learn more: www.povertyactionlab.org/page/puerto-...

Our work on homelessness seeks to expand the evidence base on strategies to reduce & prevent homelessness and promote housing stability. Current projects focus on emergency financial assistance, permanent supportive housing, eviction diversion, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUexVPW6S9U

#ICYMI: On the JPAL blog, JPAL affiliated researchers discuss the results from their randomized evaluation on the effects of anticipating social safety benefits losses on family choices: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/10-20-23/how-anticipating-benefit-loss-shapes-family-choices

🚨Final call! We've extended the application deadline for Research Staff Training. 📅Apply by June 19 📍Beverly, MA | Aug. 4–6, 2026 📊Build skills in power calculations, data quality, & more 🤝Connect with research staff from around the world Apply now: 🔗 www.povertyactionlab.org/event/j-pal-...

Surveys 📄 are a powerful tool in research, but how can they be best designed? These #ResearchResources outline survey development, formatting suggestions, and guides to translation and quality control. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/survey-design

📣 Can summer jobs for youth reduce crime? Listen to J-PAL affiliated researcher @sassermodestino.bsky.social’s interview with Cincinnati Public Radio on her research evaluating #SYEPs in Boston: www.wvxu.org/show/cincinn...

Our crime policy work aims to identify and promote evidence-based strategies to advance fairness within the institutions and laws that make up the criminal legal system. Learn more: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/initiative/crime-violence-prevention

1/4 Each year, millions lose access to #Medicaid due to admin burdens. Learn more about research conducted by J-PAL affiliated professors Rebecca Myerson & Laura Dague, & Allison Espeseth from Covering Wisconsin on the impact of different outreach methods on Medicaid renewal rates 👇🧵

For #NationalHigherEducationDay, check out research from #RCTs on the programs most effective at helping students persist in school and graduate 🎓 https://www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-insight/reducing-community-college-dropout-through-comprehensive-supports-0

Our Social Policy Research Initiative supports randomized evaluations of innovative social programs and policies to provide insights 🔍 on which policies work best and why. Learn about our current projects: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/initiative-projects/15

The second brief in our series of resources on evidence in housing and homelessness is live! 🛎️This brief summarizes the evidence on emergency financial assistance, also referred to as emergency rental assistance. Learn about the evidence: www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-brief...

In order to evaluate the effect of a program, researchers need to make sure it is implemented as designed. Implementation monitoring can involve administrative data, site visits, or focus group discussions. 💬 Learn more in these #ResearchResources. www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/imp...

There is debate over the best way to identify effective teachers. 👩‍🏫👨‍🏫 Teachers who pass certification tests are often more effective, but not every teacher applies for certification. Therefore, other measures may be more accurate: www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/c...

There’s much excitement around the potential for #edtech 💻 to transform learning 📚. Our Education Technology Evidence Review highlights key policy lessons from 126 rigorous studies 📊 of tech-based education interventions. www.povertyactionlab.org/publication/...

⏰ Last chance! Applications for J-PAL North America’s Research Staff Training close June 12. 📍Beverly, MA | Aug 4-6, 2026 💡Build skills in experimental design, ethics, & data analysis 🤝Join a global network of research staff Spots are limited—apply now: 🔗 www.povertyactionlab.org/event/j-pal-...

In 2016, South Carolina provided a pathway for pregnant #Medicaid recipients to receive Nurse-Family Partnership services. A J-PAL North America funded study evaluated the impact of the program on parent, child, and family outcomes. Learn about the results: www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/r...

📣On 6/2, join the Evidence Matters community for a deep dive into the practical "how-to" of institutionalizing evidence-informed spending w/ Carrie Cihak, LEO, Results for America, The Lab @ DC, San Diego County, & the Tobin Center at Yale Register today: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Summer youth employment programs (SYEP) may offer more than just a paycheck 💵 Evidence suggests #SYEP can have positive impacts on school attendance, job aspirations, and criminal legal system involvement. Curious about the details? Watch the video: https://youtu.be/_D6J9IOE6Vk

How can schools develop & keep high-quality teachers? 👩‍🏫 The first step is to identify effective teachers with easily implemented and evidence-based measures like classroom observations and student surveys: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/identifying-effective-teachers-united-states

Let’s talk emergency financial assistance 🏠 Our J-PAL brief reviews evidence on emergency rental/financial assistance, a key eviction prevention strategy that became especially widespread during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more: www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-brief...

Are you planning a randomized evaluation in health care delivery🏥? Our #ResearchResource highlights the unique challenges to designing a well-powered, feasible study in health care contexts and shares how previous studies overcame these barriers: https://j-p.al/f9a

Publishing in a medical journal allows non-medical researchers to expand the reach of their study. This #ResearchResource covers medical journal guidelines and requirements ✅ that may be unfamiliar to those who usually publish in the social sciences: https://j-p.al/zft

A randomized evaluation in King County, WA found that transit subsidies 🚌 alone did not reduce rates of failure to appear in court. Read more: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/can-transportation-subsidies-reduce-failures-appear-criminal-court

We were thrilled to attend the 2026 National Adaptation Forum last week! Thanks to our friends at EcoAdapt for hosting such a visionary and worthwhile event. #NAF2026 🌎

Looking for practical guidance on planning an #RCT? Check out these #ResearchResources on Project Planning for advice on ethics and #IRB approval, power calculations, grant management, & more! https://povertyactionlab.org/research-resources

How did evidence from an #RCT in the US prompt legislative and administrative changes to expand #housingchoice for low-income families? Read our Evidence to Policy story to learn more about how rigorous research led to meaningful housing policy reform 🏠: https://j-p.al/ov1

How can researchers and governments build strong #research partnerships that last? A🆕post on the J-PAL blog post shares key insights on this question from a discussion at our Evidence Matters webinar, co-hosted by LEO and Carrie Cihak. Read the blog: www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/4-24-26...

A randomized evaluation found that providing letters of recommendation📨 to young people after a summer job led to improved outcomes in employment and earnings 📈 over four years. Read more: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/letters-recommendation-youth-employment-united-states

❓Did you know that J-PAL affiliated researchers have conducted > 1,100 RCTs in 90+ countries? Our introductory resource highlights examples of this work and provides a non-technical intro to running an #RCT. #EconTwitter https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/introduction-randomized-evaluations

🚨NEW J-PAL publication! This policy brief reviews the evidence on emergency financial assistance, also referred to as emergency rental assistance—a key strategy to keep people housed and prevent evictions. Read the takeaways from the evidence: www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-brief...

When exploring the possibility of a randomized evaluation with an implementing partner, early power calculations can help determine feasibility. 💡 Check out our #ResearchResources for a quick refresher. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/quick-guide-power-calculations

👂 Thinking about applying to our Research Staff Training, taking place in Beverly MA from August 4-6? Hear directly from past participants on how RST helped them build skills, confidence, and community. 📖 Read their experiences and apply by June 12: www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/11-14-2...

🗣️ Let’s talk randomization! Check out these #ResearchResources to review the framework for randomization, understand different randomization methods, or see code samples.👩‍💻 https://www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/randomization

Don’t miss the next Evidence Matters webinar happening on Monday, 6/2 at 3pm ET! The session will provide a deep dive into the practical “how-to” of incorporating evidence into local budgeting. 🔗Register today! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Researchers provided borrowers in the US w/ info about the costs of payday loans. Better informed individuals ⬇️ their demand significantly, suggesting that getting consumers to think broadly about the decision may reduce the amount of payday borrowing. https://j-p.al/pyd

How can schools limit the amount of plagiarism among students? A randomized evaluation found that an online anti-plagiarism tutorial reduced incidents of plagiarism by roughly two-thirds. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/student-plagiarism-and-rational-ignorance-united-states