OPRE Innovative Methods Meetings
-
RAPID LEARNING: METHODS FOR TESTING AND EVALUATING CHANGE IN SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS
Our 2018 meeting focused on data-driven approaches to examine program implementation, impact, and improvement efforts faster – even in real-time – to provide feedback and input for program modification.
-
BAYESIAN METHODS FOR SOCIAL POLICY RESEARCH AND EVALUATION
Our 2017 meeting focused on common assumptions around traditional frequentist statistical approaches and introduced Bayesian methods as an alternative for social science research and evaluation.
-
Building Strong Evidence in Challenging Contexts: Alternatives to Traditional Randomized Controlled Trials
Our 2016 meeting focused on understanding the kinds of research questions that can be addressed using alternatives to traditional RCTs, and the special considerations and tradeoffs involved in using alternative designs and analyses.
-
The Promises and Challenges of Administrative Data in Social Policy Research
Our 2015 meeting focused on challenges and solutions to accessing and using administrative data, and innovative examples of using administrative data to answer policy-relevant questions.
-
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) periodically organizes meetings to convene scientists and research experts to advance critical topics in social science research methodology. The meetings provide an opportunity to discuss how innovative methodologies can be applied to policy-relevant questions and help to ensure that government-supported research represents the most scientifically rigorous approaches available.