The National Poverty Fellows in residence at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in Washington, D.C., will be assigned to the Division of Economic Independence, one of OPRE’s four divisions.
OPRE conducts rigorous research and evaluation projects related to ACF programs and the populations they serve. These include evaluations of existing programs, evaluations of innovative approaches to helping children and families with low incomes, research syntheses, and descriptive and exploratory studies. OPRE also supports ACF programs in the responsible management and use of data; coordinates performance management activities for ACF; and communicates information about our research and evaluation activities and findings to a diverse range of audiences.
OPRE Division of Economic Independence
OPRE’s Division of Economic Independence (DEI) has primary responsibility for welfare and family self-sufficiency research. DEI’s portfolio is designed to expand knowledge about how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other human services programs can best support the self-sufficiency and economic well-being of children and families with low incomes. Research, evaluation, and other activities within this portfolio cover the following topics:
- TANF policy, funding, and administration;
- Capacity building within human services programs;
- Strategies for advancing positive participant outcomes, with a focus on human capital development; employment attainment and retention; social services delivery systems; and social context and environment; and
- Knowledge building and communication.
DEI works primarily with ACF’s Office of Family Assistance (OFA), which administers federal grant programs that foster family economic security and stability, including the TANF program. This close collaboration with OFA ensures that DEI’s research and evaluation projects are relevant to the interests and needs of OFA and provide human services agencies and related practitioners across the country with information to strengthen their programs and serve their clients more effectively.
DEI’s work is guided by the Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency Learning Agenda (WFSSLA). Jointly developed by DEI and OFA, the WFSSLA synthesizes current and recent past learning and identifies knowledge gaps to inform the development and execution of DEI’s and OFA’s welfare and family self-sufficiency portfolios in a manner that enables more effective, efficient, and collaborative work that will advance DEI’s and OFA’s missions and support broader ACF goals.
Examples of current DEI projects include:
- experimental impact and implementation evaluations of post-secondary career pathways programs; coaching approaches for TANF recipients and other adults with low incomes; and innovative employment strategies for individuals facing complex barriers to employment (such as physical and mental health conditions, substance-use disorders, or justice involvement);
- a systematic review of the evidence on interventions designed to help job seekers with low incomes succeed in the labor market;
- technical assistance to support state and local TANF agencies in conducting analyses of administrative data with a focus on examining equity within the TANF program to improve program administration and outcomes for families;
- an exploratory study to gather information from American Indian and Alaska Native communities to inform future directions for Tribal TANF research and data-related technical assistance;
- tests of the application of behavioral science to human services programs including TANF, child welfare, and Head Start programs; and
- consultations to advance the application of innovative research and evaluation methods including participatory methods and contextual analysis.
DEI also works closely with other OPRE research divisions and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation to collaborate on research on programs delivering two-generation services to support child development and family economic security, questions surrounding populations re-entering the community after incarceration, and child support systems and policies.
For more information on DEI’s welfare and family self-sufficiency research portfolio and current projects, see the division’s most recent annual report and the Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency Learning Agenda.
The Role of Fellows in OPRE
Fellows in residence in OPRE’s Division of Economic Independence will participate in a variety of research, program evaluation, technical assistance, and knowledge building and communication activities. Fellows will be expected to:
- Support Federal staff overseeing research and evaluation contracts and grants related to ACF programs and the populations they serve. This may include but is not limited to assisting Federal staff in preparing research and evaluation project specifications; providing technical direction to ongoing projects on the conduct of research and evaluation activities; reviewing design and analysis plans, data collection instruments, and related materials; and critiquing reports of findings, special topics papers, and other products.
- Assist Federal staff in planning research-related expert engagements, conferences (such as the Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency), or other knowledge building activities (such as seminars and meetings on innovative methodology in social science research).
- Provide technical assistance to ACF program office partners on topics or activities related to research and evaluation such as identifying key research questions to address programmatic priorities through reviews of the current academic and applied literature, providing input on study designs and methodologies, or interpreting research findings.
- Assist Federal staff with the formulation of recommendations to Agency officials about future directions for social science research, evaluation, and data activities.
- Participate with Federal staff in working groups and other engagements with internal and external partners to facilitate the dissemination of research and evaluation findings to a range of audiences.
- Propose topics for individual inquiry related to OPRE or broader ACF priorities and the Fellow’s research interests and develop materials (e.g., internal memos, briefing documents, presentations) to share the associated findings.