Education and Early Childhood Research
For fifteen years I’ve worked to help improve systems for children, focusing on rigorous methodology and evidence-based approaches to effecting change. BRC’s clients have included the U.S. Office of Child Care, the states of Colorado, New York, and Florida, and numerous other governmental, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations. Our areas of expertise include:
- Early childhood finance and cost-effectiveness
- Research design for educational and social interventions, including experimental and quasi-experimental methods
- Pay-for-Success technical support for education interventions
- Policy evaluation
- Systems evaluation and change analysis
- Large-scale data analyses of student outcomes and reform techniques
- Teacher salary and school finance analyses
Project Examples
Bearing the Cost of Early Care and Education in Colorado: An Economic Analysis
BRC partnered with the Butler Institute at the University of Denver to understand Colorado’s early childhood workforce, including its current scope and the costs and obstacles to expanding it to meet future needs. The project was led by Dr. Meg Franko, Executive...
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Colorado Preschool Development Grant Cost Evaluation and Needs Assessment
Colorado’s Preschool Development Grant (PDG) provides $33.5 million to support Colorado’s vision that all children are ready for school when entering kindergarten. Colorado Shines Brighter, the state’s PDG B-5 initiative, works to maximize the number of high-quality early care and education options available to families, especially families identified as vulnerable and underserved such as those living in rural areas, families of infants and toddlers, and families of children with special needs.
Strengthening Colorado’s Early Childhood Workforce
BRC is partnering with the Butler Institute at the University of Denver to better understand the economic contribution of the child care sector, and to determine sustainable strategies for building a highly qualified workforce.
Presentation at the Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors Conference
Each year, the Annual Conference of the Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors hosts one of the nation’s most dynamic conversations about the feasibility, research, and policy implications of Pay for Success programs. The conference is organized by the Institute for Child Success, Ready Nation, and Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah, with whom I partner as a Senior Research Fellow.
Presentation on Pay For Success at Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference
Last week I had the opportunity to present on the opportunities and challenges presented by Pay For Success programs in early childhood. Two early childhood PFS are already in progress in the U.S. – in Chicago and Utah — and another has just been launched in South Carolina.
Two Definitions of Child Care Quality
As I think about the conversations I heard about early childhood in the past year, I find people are usually speaking the same language. At conferences, in journals, and in legislative chambers, those of us who live within the early childhood realm generally agree...
Andrew Brodsky Partnering With Policy Innovation Lab On Pay For Success TA
I’m excited to be working with the Policy Innovation Lab at the University of Utah’s Sorensen Global Impact Investing Center to help develop Pay For Success programs across the Western U.S. The PIL works across sectors to develop innovative, data-driven...
The Five Warning Signs Of EAU (Evaluation As Usual)
Is your organization suffering from Evaluation As Usual (EAU)? Symptoms of EAU include overly enthusiastic language about successes, wish-washy discussion of potentially negative results, and a general lack of objective and critical data analysis and discussion....
EC State Advisory Councils Final Report Highlights Colorado and New York Cost-Effectiveness Models
The final report from the Early Childhood State Advisory Councils, released in May, documents the $92 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to 45 states to help build higher-quality early childhood systems. The funding touched the lives...
Cool New Cost Effectiveness Tool From Center For Cost-Benefit Studies
Apart from the words “free ice cream”, there’s nothing more exciting in my mailbox than an e-mail that says “new web-based cost-effectiveness tool.” Given the approximately 550$ billion we spend on K-12 education alone in this country, understanding the impact of...
What Programs Are Appropriate For Pay For Success?
In April I had the opportunity to participate in a panel on Pay For Success (PFS) programs at the annual Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors Conference in San Diego. Jointly sponsored by the Institute for Child Success and ReadyNation, the conference...