MDRC

New from the Innovations in Education Podcast with David Adams, CEO of The Urban Assembly!

MDRC's Rebecca Unterman and Urban Assembly's David Adams discuss the results of MDRC's long-term evaluation of NYC's small high schools and what lessons the reforms offer for other educators.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0amPdHRJ0ldD7Pp1qpLNaf?si=AQt1qc4nSLevV8Ut3TrkDw

The Power of Small Schools with Dr. Rebecca Unterman Innovations in Education with David Adams · Episode

Earlier this month, MDRC's Kelsey Schaberg testified before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee about internship, career readiness, and work experience programs:

"In summary, pairing postsecondary education programs with quality, structured, well-supported work experience and career coaching programs can help enhance the employability outcomes of students. It is also crucial to not just implement these strategies but also monitor and evaluate their outcomes to ensure they are really helping promote students’ success and employment."

Testimony on Internship, Career Readiness, and Work Experience Programs | MDRC In March 2026, Kelsey Schaberg testified about internship, career readiness, and work experience programs before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee.

This report describes the effects of using multiple measures, such as cumulative high school grade point averages, high school course-taking patterns, and standardized test scores, to assess students’ college readiness. Researchers studied the implementation of such measures at several community colleges in Texas. The findings suggest that multiple measures assessments can be used successfully in the state of Texas.

With the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Arnold Ventures

Placement Matters | MDRC This report studies the effects of using multiple measures, such as cumulative high school grade point averages, high school course-taking patterns, and standardized test scores, to assess students’ college readi­ness. Researchers studied the implementation of such measures at several community c...

Last Tuesday, MDRC's Kelsey Schaberg testified before the Committee on Higher Education and Employment Advancement of the Connecticut General Assembly about what research says about career readiness and work experience programs. Thanks to State Representative Gregory Haddad for the invitation!

You can watch Kelsey's testimony here (starting at 53:45): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sza3JS_8Xnk

What happens when teachers and children help design early learning digital products — and states listen?

Yesterday at SXSW EDU, MDRC's Mervett Hefyan (left) was joined by Lydia Carlis of Acelero Learning, Karen Lien of Promise Venture Studio, and Schuyler Fox of FableVision to present "Tiny Tech, Big Impact: Rethinking Innovation in Early Childhood Classrooms."

This interactive panel shared how co-designing with children, families, and teachers is reshaping digital tools. The presenters offered lessons from real classrooms, explored the future of public-private innovation, and explained how community voice can drive big systems change.

Assessment data can be a powerful tool for identifying learning gaps, informing instruction, and strengthening parent-educator collaboration. However, traditional approaches to collecting and analyzing these data detract from their potential benefits.

The Measures for Early Success Initiative, led by MDRC, is focused on developing new early learning assessments that deliver timely, easy-to-understand, and relevant insights for both educators and families. In the initiative, interdisciplinary project teams are partnering directly with community members and caregivers to design these new assessments.

Drawing on insights gathered through this process, this brief highlights three features of assessment tools that can help maximize their value for educators and families.

Turning Assessment Data into Action | MDRC The Measures for Early Success Initiative is focused on developing new early learning assessments that deliver timely, easy-to-understand, and relevant insights to educators and families. This brief highlights data reporting strategies that promote efficient and effective use of data in responding t...

This new brief summarizes intermediate findings from a long-term, follow-up study of INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament, a two-year, social-emotional learning program deliv­ered in kindergarten and first grade in 11 schools from 2008 through 2012.

Using administrative records, researchers tracked 1,329 students from the original INSIGHTS study through eighth grade and examined impacts on academic achievement, school engagement (attendance), grade retention (the prac­tice of having a student repeat a grade), and special education placement nine years after random assignment.

Do Early Social-Emotional Learning Programs Have Lasting Effects Through Middle School? | MDRC Research shows that social-emotional learning (SEL) programs can improve students’ academic performance and behavior over the short term but the longer-term effects of these interventions are unclear. This brief reports the findings from a nine-year follow-up study of an SEL program delivered to k...

"[San Jose Unified School District] needs to conduct a systematic review of research on school characteristics that impact students’ achievement, well-being, mental health and safety. This synthesis could be used to build a framework that identifies characteristics most likely to lead to improved student outcomes.

"For instance, a quick review of research on school size calls into question the district’s preference to consolidate campuses and substantially increase the size of its elementary schools. Researchers have found that smaller elementary school class sizes and overall school sizes were positively correlated with student learning in literacy and mathematics and teachers’ belief in their ability to influence students’ learning outcomes. In a longitudinal study of high schools, researchers at MDRC observed that students enrolled in small schools in New York City experienced higher rates of postsecondary enrollment and degree attainment…."

via Erin Higgins in the San José Spotlight

Higgins: San Jose students deserve evidence-based decisions - San José Spotlight San Jose Unified School District’s "Schools of Tomorrow" initiative proposes closing up to nine elementary schools that act as community hubs for generations of San Jose residents. It is framed as a process to create ideal schools to develop “the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow,” b...

Drawing on 50 years of on-the-ground experience and a deep understanding of what works, MDRC helps organizations build new evidence, use existing evidence, and harness data to advance their goals.

Check out our new Evidence to Practice page to learn more about the technical assistance services we offer to state and local agencies, educational institutions, nonprofits and intermediaries, and funders.

Technical Assistance at MDRC | MDRC Drawing on 50 years of on-the-ground experience and a deep understanding of what works, we help organizations build new evidence, use existing evidence, and harness data to advance their goals.

How can workforce providers build more responsive support systems that help program participants persist and succeed?

This case study from MDRC examines how JVS improved program completion by rethinking coaching and participant support. Using data and participant feedback, JVS redesigned how staff engage with learners — which resulted in stronger relationships and improved outcomes.

Click the link to read more. (Link in comments.)