Attachment F. First Round of HPOG Grantees Ressearch Portfolio

Attachment F: First Round of HPOG Grantees Research Portfolio

Abt Associates and the Urban Institute, the contractors leading the HPOG Next Design effort, are also conducting several other evaluations on behalf of ACF as part of the research portfolio for the first round of HPOG grantees (those funded in 2010):

1. The Implementation, Systems and Outcome Evaluation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants to Serve TANF Recipients and Other Low-Income Individuals (HPOG ISO) is an effort to design and implement an HPOG grantee and participant tracking and management information system called the Performance Reporting System (PRS) and to develop designs appropriate for evaluating the implementation, systems change and outcomes of the HPOG programs. (The OMB clearance number for the PRS developed under the ISO study is 0970-0394).

2. The HPOG National Implementation Evaluation (HPOG NIE) is the execution of the study devised in the ISO evaluation plan. The NIE includes an in-depth examination of the HPOG grantee program design and implementation, a systems analysis of networks created by HPOG programs (e.g., among grantees, employers, and other partners), and a quantitative descriptive analysis of HPOG program outputs and outcomes. (The OMB clearance number for the surveys developed under NIE is 0970-0394).

3. The HPOG Impact Study (HPOG Impact) is using an experimental design to examine the effect of HPOG on participants’ educational and economic outcomes. This evaluation aims to identify which components of HPOG programs (e.g., types of support services, program structure, and training areas) contribute to participant success. For some grantees, a multi-arm experimental design is being implemented, creating a control group that does not have access to HPOG, an “HPOG services as usual” treatment group, and an “enhanced HPOG” group that receives additional supports and services. The 20 grantees that are not part of another study within OPRE’s portfolio that is collecting individual-level data are included in the HPOG Impact Study. Additionally, the HPOG Impact analysis will include data from the three HPOG grantees being evaluated as part of the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) study (described next). (The OMB clearance number for the supplemental baseline, 15-month participant follow-up, and 36-month follow-up surveys is 0970-0394).

4. The Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE, formerly ISIS) project is an evaluation of nine career pathways programs training low-income individuals for various occupations, including healthcare jobs. Three of the nine programs evaluated in PACE are part of the HPOG Impact evaluation. Some of the data collection activities for both of these projects have already received OMB clearance. (The OMB clearance number for PACE baseline, 15-month follow-up, and 36-month follow-up instruments is 0970-0343.)

Other HPOG-related research and evaluation activities include an evaluation of the Tribal HPOG grants currently being conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago (OMB clearance number 0970-0395).

Attachment F: First Round of HPOG Grantees Research Portfolio ▌pg. 1