Led by Mathematica and Dr. Ronald Day, the evaluation integrates two complementary components that will generate evidence for FC2A partners and the field: 

• Developmental evaluation, which supports continuous improvement through iterative learning cycles, stakeholder engagement, and participatory sensemaking. This component is designed to inform ongoing technical assistance and help states adapt strategies in real time.  

• Ecosystem change evaluation, which examines how systems alignment, policy and practice change, data integration, and cross-sector collaboration evolve within and across states. This component tracks structural, relational, and transformational changes and identifies patterns, enabling conditions, and barriers to sustained progress.  

The evaluation is conducted in close partnership with JFF, Coleridge, participating states, and Ascendium. It incorporates perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders, including individuals with lived experience of incarceration, state leadership across criminal justice, postsecondary and workforce agencies, and community partners and service providers. A central feature of the evaluation is its emphasis on elevating lived experience to inform both learning and decision-making. 

Findings and products from the evaluation will be shared with policymakers, practitioners, funders, and other stakeholders to inform future systems change efforts and expand equitable employment pathways for those with incarceration histories. By documenting how states pursue and sustain ecosystem-level change, the evaluation aims to elevate effective strategies for advancing the economic mobility of people with histories of incarceration.