Taking Evidence to Practice: A Conversation About MDRC’s New Technical Assistance Initiative with John Martinez
Release Date: 06/11/2025
Supporting the Workforce Development Ecosystem in Memphis
Evidence First
In Memphis, one in three people live near or below the poverty line. Memphis Works for Everyone (), a partnership between MDRC and , seeks to strengthen pathways to living-wage jobs for Memphis workers. MemWorks is using research and data to determine what local programs, policies, and interventions will help more workers improve their economic mobility. In this episode, speaks with , president and CEO of Slingshot Memphis, to discuss this partnership and what they’re learning.
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The Year in Review: Revisiting Episodes of Evidence First from 2025
Evidence First
In this year-in-review episode, Leigh Parise revisits conversations from 2025 about the power of evidence and collaboration to drive change: how data can inform decisions, how partnerships can break down barriers, and how innovative strategies can open doors for learners and workers alike.
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Partnering with College Systems to Support Students
Evidence First
Graduation rates at community colleges have remained low, especially for students with low incomes. One effort to help students graduate and succeed in the workforce is MDRC’s (SUCCESS), a comprehensive student support program supported by 15 years of MDRC’s postsecondary research. Through its , MDRC is partnering with states and districts to expand the SUCCESS program to new locations and campuses. In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with Jonathan Lowe, program director of Coaching for Success at Dallas College, and , a research associate at MDRC, about...
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Improving Outcomes for Transfer Students
Evidence First
Transferring credits from a community college to a four-year institution remains a crucial strategy to boosting bachelor’s degree attainment and improving outcomes for graduates. But transfer students often face significant challenges to having their credits accepted and, more importantly, applied to degree requirements at four-year institutions. Faculty members in teaching, research, and administrative positions play a pivotal role in decisions about whether and how credits transfer. Yet little is known about how they approach these decisions or what factors influence their judgment. MDRC...
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Can Data Literacy Set Up Eighth-Graders for Success?
Evidence First
In a competitive labor market, students graduating from high school need skills that can translate into meaningful careers. PREP KC is a leading K-12 education intermediary in the Kansas City region, bringing educators and industry professionals together to give students real-world learning opportunities and prepare them for in-demand careers. Responding to increasing demand for data literacy across all industries, PREP-KC launched its Data in Action course in 2023 to give eighth-grade students early exposure to data analytics. It aims to prepare students for high-demand careers and...
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The Long-Term Benefits of Focusing on Children's Early Math Skills
Evidence First
Children's early math skills are a strong predictor of later outcomes, like high school and college graduation rates, underscoring the long-term benefits of focusing on early math education. States across the country have increasingly focused on early literacy, enacting laws that require screening for reading difficulties, and aligning classroom instruction with the science of reading. This momentum is now expanding to math education, although more gradually. In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with Shira Mattera, a senior research associate at MDRC, who is leading...
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Taking Evidence to Practice: A Conversation About MDRC’s New Technical Assistance Initiative with John Martinez
Evidence First
Since MDRC’s founding more than 50 years ago, evidence-building and data-driven technical assistance (TA) have been a crucial part of its work. MDRC is now a comprehensive and innovative approach to TA, to ensure that effective service strategies reach more people and improve lives. MDRC’s approach to technical assistance leverages the organization’s years of on-the-ground experience to help nonprofits and government agencies build new evidence, use existing evidence, and harness data to advance their goals. The approach centers on technical assistance informed by data and evidence,...
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Building Evidence on Promising Sector Programs
Evidence First
Sectoral training programs have emerged as a promising driver of economic mobility for people with low incomes. These programs prepare people for quality jobs in specific industries where there's strong employer demand and an opportunity for career advancement. Studies find that sectoral programs can meaningfully improve participants' earnings, yet not all programs have the support they need to apply the best research evidence to improve their services. In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with three guests: , Deputy Director of Learning and Impact at , a collaborator and funder...
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How to Improve College Completion Rates for Underserved Students: A Conversation with Emily Dow and Elena Serna-Wallender
Evidence First
Postsecondary education is a crucial factor in achieving economic mobility. However, graduation rates at community colleges remain low, particularly for students from low-income families. One effort to help students graduate and succeed in the workforce is MDRC’s Scaling Up College Completion Efforts for Student Success (SUCCESS), a comprehensive student support program supported by 15 years of MDRC’s postsecondary research. Through its Expanding SUCCESS Initiative, MDRC is partnering with states and districts to scale the SUCCESS program to new locations and...
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Economic Mobility Through Remote Sector Training: A Conversation with Edith Yang
Evidence First
Sector-based training programs prepare people for jobs in specific industries where there is strong local demand and an opportunity for career advancement. Several models for technology jobs have been found to be effective in improving long-term earnings for workers with low incomes. But for many people, the programs are too expensive and too far from home. With support from the $100-million Google Career Certificates Fund, Social Finance is leading an initiative that will allow training providers to better support 20,000 learners in getting industry-recognized certificates that can...
info_outlineSince MDRC’s founding more than 50 years ago, evidence-building and data-driven technical assistance (TA) have been a crucial part of its work. MDRC is now launching a comprehensive and innovative approach to TA, to ensure that effective service strategies reach more people and improve lives.
MDRC’s approach to technical assistance leverages the organization’s years of on-the-ground experience to help nonprofits and government agencies build new evidence, use existing evidence, and harness data to advance their goals. The approach centers on technical assistance informed by data and evidence, underscored by empathy, curiosity, humility, and respect for the views of participants and program staff.
In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with John Martinez, MDRC’s first Vice President for Evidence to Practice. The two dive into the history of technical assistance at MDRC (fun fact: MDRC’s TA predates its randomized controlled trials!) and then explore the new Evidence to Practice initiative and what sets MDRC’s TA apart.