Mathematica | Publications and News

Sustaining Coalitions

Fri, 15 May 2026 18:05:14 Z

This toolkit is designed to walk leaders in community-based organizations through the Learn, Innovate, Improve process to innovate and manage program change. An appendix shares a case study of how a community-based organizations used the toolkit to test a financial management intervention.

Strategic Planning for Coalitions

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:53:28 Z

This resource supports community coalitions with strategic planning. It offers guidance on developing a shared vision, mission, goals, and objectives, and it provides an action-planning template to help coalitions translate goals and objectives into concrete and measurable steps.

Fostering Results-Oriented Coalitions

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:40:21 Z

This resource helps community coalitions use a tool called the Learning to Action Log to (1) determine whether their activities are helping them meet their goals and (2) identify opportunities to improve.

The Role of Coalitions in Community Health Assessment and Improvement Planning

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:27:43 Z

This resource helps community coalitions engage in community health assessments and community health improvement plans, tools used to identify local health priorities and guide investments.

Spotlight: Reimagining Funding for Healthy Eating and Active Living in Los Angeles County

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:00:07 Z

This resource describes how Nutrition Access LA, a cross-sector coalition, secured new funding that helped sustain critical food access and nutrition programs for high-need and justice-impacted communities throughout Los Angeles County.

Using predictive modeling to strengthen child welfare systems

Fri, 15 May 2026 15:30:54 Z

Predictive modeling with advanced machine learning can help child welfare agencies support their practice and case management. Mathematica partners with child welfare jurisdictions to move from use case selection to model development, implementation, and measurable improvement.

Establishing Healthcare Partnerships

Thu, 14 May 2026 21:24:40 Z

This resource helps coalitions build partnerships with healthcare organizations to support healthy eating and active living initiatives.

Evaluating Coalition Work

Thu, 14 May 2026 20:01:09 Z

This resource helps community coalitions evaluate their work. It describes developing a theory of change, generating questions aligned with the theory of change, and determining what information to collect to answer those questions.

Engaging Local Policymakers

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:08:15 Z

This resource summarizes tips that healthy eating and active living coalitions can use to engage local policymakers for support.

Spotlight: Using Data to Support Healthy Eating and Active Living Coalition in California's Central Coast

Thu, 14 May 2026 15:52:32 Z

This resource describes how the Nutrition and Fitness Collaborative of the Central Coast, a coalition led by the Monterey County Health Department that promotes healthy eating and active living, collects and uses data to sustain support and funding.

Measuring the Economic Returns to Postsecondary Education at Scale

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:54:00 Z

This study examines the long-term economic returns of postsecondary education in Texas, finding that most students earn positive financial gains over time, with outcomes varying by degree type, institution, and field of study.

Building a Business Case

Wed, 13 May 2026 21:42:43 Z

This resource helps community coalitions develop a business case to demonstrate the financial benefits of funding or partnering with them.

Braiding and Blending Funding

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:53:58 Z

This resource explores the concepts of braiding and blending funding and describes how healthy eating and active living coalitions can incorporate these methods into their funding strategies to support long-term sustainability and coordination across initiatives.

Spotlight: Sustaining ParkRx Santa Cruz County Through Funding and Leadership Transitions

Tue, 12 May 2026 19:51:49 Z

This brief describes how Park Rx, a program in Santa Cruz County that helps connect people with nature and outdoor activities, was able to keep operating after funding cuts. It explains how the program found new sources of support and changed leadership to continue serving the community.

Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) Initiative

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 Z

This study examined how core features of the Gates Foundations’ Networked School Improvement initiative were related to impacts on students.

Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF): Do Economic Returns Change Over Time?

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:48:57 Z

This research brief presents findings from a benefit-cost analysis to determine whether a pioneering early childhood educator compensation initiative in Washington, DC, continued to generate positive economic returns in its third year, after transitioning to a new payment model.

Jobs in the Balance: The Three-Year Labor Market Impacts of Washington, DC’s Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (PEF)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:31:13 Z

This working paper evaluates the three-year labor market impacts of Washington, DC’s pioneering initiative to address pay disparities between child care and early childhood education educators and public school teachers.

The Impact of Registered and Unregistered Apprenticeship

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 Z

This report estimates the impact of participating in apprenticeship programs on ninth quarter post-enrollment employment and earnings using a quasi-experimental design that compares outcomes to two comparison groups: community college students and Wagner-Peyser employment services participants.

Learn, Innovate, Improve

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:54:00 Z

Toolkit to help Agape leadership pursue innovation

Environmental Scan of Pathways to Economic Self-Sufficiency for People with Disabilities

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:37:00 Z

This report briefly describes the landscape of policies and programs supporting progress toward economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.

Trusting your LLM

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 Z

This position paper introduces a secure, cloud-based framework to test how accurately and transparently large language models perform real-world statistical analyses on complex survey data. Using validated ACS microdata tasks, it compares reasoning-only and code-execution workflows, highlighting strengths, limitations, and design requirements for trustworthy AI-driven analytics.

The Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) Demonstration: Evaluation Findings One Year After Enrollment

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 16:40:00 Z

This report presents findings from participation, impact, and benefit-cost analyses for each of the five RETAIN programs. Each RETAIN program used a random assignment study design, such that some enrollees were in a treatment group that could use RETAIN services and the others were in a control group that could use limited or no services besides those typically available in the community. The report findings cover a one-year follow-up period and are based on Mathematica’s analysis of programs’ enrollment and service use data, state unemployment insurance wage records, SSA program data, a follow-up survey of RETAIN enrollees that Mathematica conducted about 12 months after enrollment, and program cost data.

Parent Experiences in the Regional Partnership Grants Program: Findings from an Exploratory Study

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 16:31:00 Z

This brief summarizes findings from an exploratory study with parents enrolled in services provided by two Regional Partnership Grants (RPG) projects. The study examines the factors that led to parents’ substance use issues and child welfare involvement and their experiences with RPG services.

Regional Partnership Grants Cross-Site Evaluation Annual Report October 2024-September 2025

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:27:00 Z

The annual report describes the major activities and accomplishments from October 2024 through September 2025 for Mathematica’s contract to conduct the cross-site evaluation and provide technical assistance (TA) for the seventh cohort of the Regional Partnership Grants (RPG).

How to keep competition alive in Medicaid managed care markets

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 23:50:00 Z

Medicaid managed care markets have been consolidating, which can increase costs, limit coverage options, and decrease access to specialized plans. This article in Health Affairs explores strategies states can use to strengthen competition among managed care plans.

Analysis of the Colorado Option, pursuant to § 10-16-1310, C.R.S

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Z

Mathematica’s evaluation of the Colorado Option shows growing enrollment, lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and simpler plan choices in the individual and small-group insurance markets.

Latest Medicaid and CHIP Scorecard Strengthens Data-Driven Oversight and Transparency

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Z

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services just released the 2025 Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Scorecard to strengthen oversight of these two programs and increase transparency about their administration and health outcomes across federal and state partners.

Strategies to Improve Apprenticeship Completion: Insights from Programs and Apprentices

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 19:53:00 Z

This brief highlights interviews with apprenticeship program administrators and shares how programs and employers can improve apprenticeship completion rates.

The rise of Medicare Advantage payviders

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:18:07 Z

This brief combines information from published literature with diverse public data sources to describe trends in Medicare Advantage (MA) payviders—financial integration between MA plans and provider organizations. We describe patterns in health system ownership of MA plans and MA plan affiliation with primary care providers. We also use analyses from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and others to show how growing MA payvider control of primary care settings might reflect organizational strategies to use payvider arrangements to maximize MA payments.

Evaluation of GiveDirectly’s Cash-only and Cash-plus Programs in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement: Baseline Report

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:05:00 Z

Baseline findings of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of GiveDirectly’s cash transfer program in the Nakivale refugee settlement in Uganda. We assess equivalency between the cash-only group, cash-plus group (receiving a cash transfer and business support services), and control group.

Working with Medicare - State Contracting with D-SNPs, Part 2: Contracting Strategies and Considerations for States

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 19:41:00 Z

This webinar explains contracting strategies for states developing integrated care models for dually eligible individuals; Medicaid regulations states should keep in mind when leveraging D-SNPs to cover Medicaid benefits; and procurement and timeline considerations.

Community Health Worker Apprenticeships

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 19:11:00 Z

This brief describes registered apprenticeship programs for community health workers, including program structure and funding, national trends, benefits for employers and communities, implementation challenges, sustainability strategies, examples, and the growth of apprenticeships from 2015 to 2025.

Emerging Occupations in Registered Apprenticeship

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:20:00 Z

This fact sheet highlights five fast growing occupations with rising numbers of registered apprentices. States, intermediaries, and employers can use these examples to show how expanding apprenticeships strengthens talent pipelines in newer fields.

Meeting the Moment: Using Data to Drive Medicaid Community Engagement Implementation

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:34:48 Z

This white paper explores how states can use data to help them implement Medicaid’s community engagement requirements. By designing solutions with compliance reporting and monitoring in mind, states can anticipate future needs and set themselves up for success.

Modernizing IES to Improve Education Outcomes Nationwide

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 Z

As the Institute of Education Sciences reexamines how best to generate and apply evidence that improves education outcomes nationwide, Mathematica shared recommendations to help the agency strengthen the relevance, timeliness, and impact of its research, evaluation, and dissemination efforts.

Working with Medicare - State Contracting with D-SNPs: Introduction to D-SNPs and D-SNP Contracting Basics

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 19:41:00 Z

This webinar provides an introduction to D-SNP contracting for state Medicaid agencies, including (1) a description of D-SNPs and the ways D-SNPs differ from other Medicare Advantage plans; (2) a summary of new federal rules for D-SNPs that take effect in 2027 and 2030.

Independent Evaluation of the Kosovo Threshold Program’s Transparent and Accountable Governance Project

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 18:51:00 Z

Summary for publication Independent Evaluation of the Kosovo Threshold Programs Transparent Accountable Governance

Zachary Parolin Wins the 25th David Kershaw Award and Prize

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:16:00 Z

Zachary Parolin of Oxford University has received the David N. Kershaw Award for his research on poverty and opportunity and will deliver the Kershaw Lecture at APPAM’s 2025 Fall Conference.

A Head-to-Head Comparison of Alternative Voting Rules

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 Z

This slide deck presents results from Mathematica’s agent-based simulation model, grounded in real-world voter data, to compare ranked-choice voting rules on their ability to elect moderate candidates who represent the electorate and their robustness to voter polarization and spoiler candidates.

Family Engagement Toolkit

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:24:20 Z

A set of resources to help home visiting programs reach more communities by strengthening their outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts.

Medical Loss Ratio Plan-to-State Reporting Template

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:00:00 Z

This reporting template supports states in improving the MLR data collection and validation processes from managed care plans.

Reaching and Engaging Families with Adversities in Head Start: A Conceptual Framework to Support Practices

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 18:24:32 Z

This report describes the practices Head Start programs use and the challenges they face in recruiting, selecting, and enrolling families facing adversities.

Using AI to Eliminate Information Silos and Accelerate Government Efficiency

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 Z

Federal agencies face a significant challenge in overcoming information silos, which can hinder their efficiency, accountability, and effective use of taxpayer dollars. Mathematica proposes using advanced data linkage and AI-driven analysis to break these silos, improve coordination, and strengthen service delivery.

Denise Hoffman Testifies at House Ways and Means Hearing on Barriers to Work for People with Disabilities

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 18:16:48 Z

Mathematica Principal Researcher and disability policy expert Denise Hoffman testified at a joint House Ways and Means Social Security and Work and Welfare Subcommittee hearing on removing barriers to work and supporting opportunity for people with disabilities.

Developing Inclusive Agricultural Markets in Odisha India

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 21:19:00 Z

Summary for publication Developing Inclusive Agricultural Markets in Odisha India

Recruiting and Engaging Adults with Justice Involvement in Employment Programs: Insights from the NextGen Project

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 18:27:00 Z

This brief provides strategies that human services programs can use to recruit adults with justice involvement. While it is focused on employment programs, these findings could apply to other human services programs working with this population.

Hiring and Supporting Peer Support Staff: Strategies from Three NextGen Employment Programs

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:51:00 Z

This brief describes strategies for hiring and supporting peer support staff. Leaders of human services programs may find it helpful to draw on this information as they are considering hiring peer support staff.

Employer Engagement and Job Development: Lessons from Three Employment Programs Serving People Facing Complex Challenges

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:45:00 Z

This brief provides practical examples and lessons learned about strategies for engaging employers in job development. It is written for leaders and staff of employment programs that work with people who face complex challenges to employment.

Hiring and Retaining a Talent Pool to Run Human Services Programs: Lessons from the NextGen Project

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:01:00 Z

This brief describes approaches to overcoming challenges with hiring and retaining staff for human services programs. Leaders of these programs may find it helpful for strengthening their talent pool.

Evaluation of the Refugee Livelihoods Development Impact Bond in Jordan

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 Z

Findings from Mathematica’s mixed-methods evaluation informed payments to investors and generated broader learning about the program, which provided training and grants to Syrian refugees and Jordanians to invest in small businesses.