Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Roundtable: Presenting Research Findings for Decision-Makers: Lessons from Four Systematic Reviews

(Tools of Analysis: Methods, Data, Informatics and Research Design)

Evidence-based policy requires that policy decision-makers have ready access to findings from relevant high-quality research. Policy makers are increasingly looking to systematic reviews to provide an objective and comprehensive assessment of the research findings on a particular topic. In this roundtable, speakers representing four different systematic reviews will discuss how their reviews present research findings for their particular decision-making audience, and the lessons their experiences offer on how to present research findings to support evidence-based decision-making.

Jon Baron, an expert in evidence-based policy, will moderate. As President of the former Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, Mr. Baron worked with policymakers in both Congress and the Executive Branch to implement evidence-based reforms. He continues this work with the Arnold Foundation.

Neil Seftor, Director of Mathematica Policy Research’s work on the Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), will speak about recent innovative efforts to develop an enhanced database of reviewed studies, to release in September. These enhancements allow education decision-makers to search for research conducted in environments similar to their own schools or districts to understand which interventions would most likely meet their needs. Dr. Seftor will illustrate how the changes support more informed decision-making. He will also share some new and forthcoming products and describe how feedback from decision-makers informed the database enhancements.

Lauren Supplee, a division director at the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation at the Administration for Children and Families, oversees the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE) review, which assesses the evidence of effectiveness for home visiting program models. In addition to a study search tool, the HomVEE website shares program model reports, outcome domain reports, and implementation profiles. Dr. Supplee will explain the type of research findings featured in each product and how that contributes to evidence-based decision-making. She will also discuss how the results of this systematic review have informed ACF priorities and investments in home visitation.

Emily Sama-Miller is a former deputy director of Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research (CLEAR), a project for the Department of Labor. CLEAR’s mission is to make research on labor topics more accessible to a range of audiences, including policymakers. The CLEAR website displays research information in several formats: a database of reviewed studies, article highlights, profiles of research of specific interest to practitioners, and topical syntheses. Ms. Sama-Miller will describe the features and purpose of each format and discuss the decisions that each supports. She will also describe how descriptive information contributes to the use of evidence in policy decisions.

Samantha Harvell directs the What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse (WWRC), a one-stop shop for research on the effectiveness of a wide variety of reentry programs and practices. The WWRC was developed for the National Reentry Resource Center by The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the Urban Institute, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. The WWRC organizes research by topic and provides a snapshot of findings by topic as well as more detailed information on each program, including recommendations for practice.