2024 - 2029
Project Overview
The Family Self-Sufficiency Learning, Engagement, and Research Knowledge Sharing Support (LEARN) contract supports OPRE’s Division of Economic Independence to plan, communicate, and facilitate use of research evidence sponsored by the Division.
Specifically, the contract supports the Division of Economic Independence by:
- Supporting the ongoing development and refinement of the Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency Learning Agenda;
- Building an evidence-informed plan to facilitate use of research evidence sponsored by the Division;
- Producing the Division's annual Portfolio of Research in Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency; and
- Coordinating expert convenings and other engagements to advance the Division’s evidence-building activities.
Together, these efforts intend to make the Division’s research more relevant and transparent, in accordance with the ACF Evaluation Policy.
The LEARN contract was awarded to Mathematica and its partner MEF Associates.
Major Activities
Within OPRE, the Division of Economic Independence has primary responsibility for welfare and family self-sufficiency research and evaluation. As such, the Division closely coordinates with the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), which administers federal grant programs that foster family economic security and stability, including the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The Division and OFA partner to carry out research, evaluation, technical assistance, and related learning activities in order to produce and apply knowledge about how TANF and other human services programs can best support the self-sufficiency and economic well-being of children and families with low incomes.
Ongoing Refinement of the Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency Learning Agenda
The Division and OFA jointly developed the Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency Learning Agenda to guide the development and execution of their constellation of learning activities pertaining to welfare and family self-sufficiency. This learning agenda is intended to be a living document, and LEARN will support the ongoing development and refinement of the learning agenda by facilitating active engagement with interested parties and incorporating new knowledge.
Building an Evidence-Informed Plan to Facilitate the Use of Research Evidence
Complementary to the Division of Economic Independence’s commitment to strategic research planning, represented in part by the learning agenda, is its interest in maximizing use of its research to inform relevant policy and practice. Understanding potential research users’ contexts more deeply—and then investigating when, why, and how they might use research evidence in the course of their work—can help the Division better tailor its work to intended users’ information needs. Additionally, investigating when, why, and how members of these groups have already used Division-sponsored research can help the Division recognize and do more of what is working well. LEARN will develop a plan to facilitate use of research evidence sponsored by the Division that is grounded in previous research on evidence use, a theory of change, and insights drawn from focus groups and other engagements with intended research users.
Producing the Annual Portfolio of Research in Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency and Coordinating Expert Convenings
In support of intentional research planning and use across the Division of Economic Independence’s research portfolio, LEARN will summarize ongoing research projects sponsored by the Division in annual Portfolios of Research in Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency and coordinate expert convenings and other engagements. Engagements will focus on issues of interest that allow for interaction between experts in different fields as well as ACF staff, cutting across disciplines and specialties to inform building and sharing evidence related to the Division’s research portfolio.
Points of Contact: Amelia Popham, Liza Rodler, Marie Lawrence