This MDRC set of videos identifies how implementation research is used to evaluate and improve program performance in real time, rather than identifying findings at the conclusion of a long-term longitudinal study. Profiles of three programs that have used implementation research are featured in the videos and include Communities in Schools, Detroit Promise Path, and Madison Strategies.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) will host a webinar on July 11, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss best practices of using labor market information (LMI) data in creating Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plans. Speakers include LMI Directors from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan and representatives from the U.S. Department of Education and DOLETA.

This Vera Institute of Justice report is an evaluation of the Institute’s five-year demonstration project that reviewed postsecondary education programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons. This project supported colleges and state corrections agencies in Michigan, New Jersey, and North Carolina in offering programs in prison and designing reentry programs for further education. The report illustrates the project design and its implementation, while including findings from interviews with program partners and former students.

This Upjohn Institute issue brief notes strategies to ensure SNAP benefit retention. Data from seven states showed that almost half of SNAP participants exit from assistance within one year, and one half of these exiters remain eligible but are dropped from caseloads since they fail to meet administrative filing requirements. The issue brief illustrates how many states, including Michigan, have tried to reduce administrative burdens by allowing participants to track and manage their benefits online.

Piloted in Michigan and expanded to other communities nationally, Double Up Food Bucks is an innovative program for reducing food insecurity and has generated benefits for families relying on SNAP, farmers, and the communities in which they live. The program doubles the value of SNAP benefits spent on locally grown fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets and grocery stores; this enables families to purchase healthy produce in greater quantities and at the same time supports local farmers.

This working paper from the Upjohn Institute identifies how over half of registering households in multiple states leave SNAP within one year of entry, rather than complete administrative requirements to receive benefits. The paper’s author studied Michigan and combined administrative SNAP and Unemployment Insurance records; findings are relevant for case managers in states other than Michigan.