The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse is a comprehensive, transparent, and systematic assessment of the effectivness of interventions designed to help low-income job seekers succeed in the labor market.
Emily Sama-Miller
Principal Researcher
Expertise
- Implementation and Process Evaluation
- Administrative Data Analysis
- Qualitative Research
- Two-Generation Programs
Focus Areas
- Early Childhood
- Early Childhood Systems
- Systematic Evidence Reviews
- Family Support
- TANF and Employment Issues
- Nutrition
- Nutrition and Food Assistance Programs
- Human Services
About Emily
Emily Sama-Miller specializes in systematic evidence and literature reviews, implementation and process evaluation, and analysis of administrative data for human services programs.
Sama-Miller has taken a lead role in three comprehensive evidence review projects. She currently directs the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness Review, which identifies evidence-based maternal and infant home visiting programs eligible for federal funding. She also directed a review of the evidence base on employment and training programs and strategies for low-income people, and she served as deputy project director for the Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research, which examines a range of labor-related topics. She also served as a senior reviewer, topic area coordinator, and training assessor on the What Works Clearinghouse.
Sama-Miller’s implementation and process evaluation experience includes planning and designing data collection tools and conceptual frameworks, preparing packages for Office of Management and Budget clearance, training data collectors, collecting data, and analyzing and reporting on qualitative data. Her work in this area has focused on the needs of low-income and vulnerable populations and programs that aim to support them, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Head Start, and two-generation programs that serve parents and children in an integrated fashion. She has worked with states and pilot programs to compile and analyze program outcomes using SNAP and TANF administrative data and locally collected outcomes data. Recently, she directed a project to explore how new modes of outreach might improve access to SNAP for elderly and people with disabilities through matching SNAP and Medicaid administrative files.
Sama-Miller, who joined Mathematica in 2004, holds an M.P.P. in education, social, and family policy from Georgetown University.Key Publications
Latest News
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Reviewing the Research on Employment and Health Among Low-Income Adults and their ChildrenA new report reviews the findings from a voluminous literature to draw conclusions from research about the causal relationship between employment and health. It is part of the Employment Strategies for Low-Income Adults Evidence Review (ESER).
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New Issue Briefs on Home Visiting in Tribal CommunitiesThe HomVEE project recently published new briefs that highlight findings from a research literature review on home visiting models in tribal communities. These briefs summarize key takeaways on developing, adapting, implementing, and evaluating home visiting models delivered in tribal communities.
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Read the Research on Programs that Help Families Achieve Economic Security and Improve Child DevelopmentLow-income families face significant challenges navigating low-wage employment or education and training programs while finding good-quality early care and education.
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Understanding Programs that Help Families Achieve Economic Security and Support Children’s DevelopmentNew Resources Available from the Integrated Approaches to Supporting Child Development and Improving Family Economic Security Project