Quinn Moore
Principal Researcher
View Bio PageHelping agencies move more people into stable jobs that stick
Agencies leading Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other employment programs face a complex challenge: improving outcomes for families facing significant barriers while adapting to shifting economic and policy landscapes.
Because stable employment drives long-term family well-being, success requires more than simply tracking job placements. Agencies need practical ways to strengthen service delivery, test improvements in real time, and use data to decide what to scale, refine, or discontinue.
Mathematica partners with state, local, tribal, and federal agencies at every level to achieve these important goals. Our expertise and evidence help ensure that investments in employment deliver meaningful, lasting results.
How agencies can connect people to good jobs they can keep
The challenge is not only helping people get a job. It is helping them stay employed while navigating the barriers that affect job stability. Effective approaches must work in real-world conditions—for participants and the staff who support them. Mathematica helps agencies turn those lessons into action.
Improve service delivery
Agencies are strengthening service quality by reducing administrative burden, improving staff support, and giving frontline teams tools they can use every day. These changes help staff focus on what moves people toward stable employment.
Approaches agencies are using include:
- Streamlined intake assessments and applications to reduce delays and paperwork
- Evidence-informed coaching and case management models that reflect the realities of work
- Training and practical tools that help employment coaches tailor services to participants' goals
Our work in action
- Strengthening Human Services to Improve Public Well-Being in Colorado
- Employment Coaching Programs Short-Term Impacts Briefs
- Business Process Management: How Human Services Programs Can Make Time for What Really Matters
- Strengthening TANF Engagement Through Early Childhood Development Science—How Small, Practical Tips and Tools Can Support Parents During a Pivotal Stage of Child Development
- Project IMPROVE: Putting Paper to Work in Philadelphia—TANF
- Hiring and Supporting Peer Support Staff: Strategies from Three NextGen Employment Programs
- Hiring and Retaining a Talent Pool to Run Human Services Programs: Lessons from the NextGen Project
Learn in real time
Agencies often need to improve programs while they are operating, not years later. Mathematica helps agencies make changes as they go, learning from experience by testing, refining, and strengthening supports for continued employment.
Approaches agencies are using include:
- Piloting and rapid-cycle testing of program changes
- Hands-on implementation and change-management support to help staff test and adapt new approaches
- Learning communities and technical assistance to support shared learning across programs and systems
Build evidence on what works
Leaders need clear, credible evidence to meet requirements and make confident decisions about what to scale. Mathematica helps agencies design and study programs to understand what works, for whom, and under what conditions, building the evidence base so leaders can make informed decisions and scale effective approaches with confidence.
Approaches agencies are using include:
- Designing and conducting large-scale studies and program evaluations
- Research and learning efforts that inform federal and state decisions
- Helping agencies use and combine available data to demonstrate program outcomes
- Identifying and collecting supplementary data needed to inform agencies’ decision making
Selected examples:
- The Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project Story
- Supporting Partnerships to Advance Research and Knowledge
- Supporting Pilot Program Outcomes, Research, and Technical Assistance in TANF
- Overview of the Family Self-Sufficiency Demonstration Development Grant Recipients
- Can a Participant-Centered Approach to Setting and Pursuing Goals Help Adults with Low Incomes Become Economically Stable?
Understand how people move across systems
Workforce outcomes are shaped by multiple, connected systems, not just employment and training programs. Leaders need evidence-driven insights into how these pathways interact and where to intervene to improve employment, stability, and long-term outcomes.
Approaches agencies are using include:
- Cross-sector data analysis to understand how people move through workforce, education, and human services systems
- Early-warning indicators and decision-support tools to identify risks to employment and stability
- Clear performance measures, data dashboards, and cost analyses to guide investment and oversight decisions
Selected examples:
