About Us

About Us

PolicyForResults.org is dedicated to helping policymakers make sound decisions that contribute to better outcomes and opportunities for all children and families.

Stringent criteria were used to select the indicators and recommended strategies on this website. For example, the indicators are limited to those for which 50-state data are available and those that research or practice indicates can be improved. All indicators and  strategies were chosen in consultation with issue experts and based on specific research regarding their effectiveness. Levels of evidence were identified and used to guide the selection of strategies and recommendations.

 

Website phases. PolicyforResults.org will be launched in phases  with content added over time. Phase 1 focused on four key issues related to child and family well-being: Strategies for Tight Budget Times; Creating Economic Opportunity for Families and Reducing Poverty; Improving Grade Level Reading, Exits from Foster Care; and Reducing Juvenile Detention. Other policy areas and issues will be added to include Births to Teens; Youth in Transition; Reentry of Formerly Incarcerated People, with emphasis on Employment Strategies; High School Retention; Low Birth Weight Babies; Child Abuse and Neglect; Homeownership; and Adolescent Substance Abuse. These topics were selected through research with our target audience and input from experts. We welcome suggestions for future issues to include as the site is developed. Email us

About The Center for the Study of Social Policy   

This is a project of The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), a nonprofit, nonpartisan, research and technical assistance organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to promote public policies and practices that improve the lives of children by strengthening their families, their communities and the public systems intended to serve them. Founded in the late 1970s, CSSP has a strong record of assisting state, local and federal leaders interested in improving opportunities and outcomes for children. Our policy initiatives are informed by data, research and CSSP’s extensive on-the-ground work with communities and states.

The CSSP team with primary responsibility for the development of this website includes Frank Farrow, Director of the Center, former Director of Social Services in the Maryland Department of Human Resources and former chair of The International Initiative for Children, Youth, and Families; Arlene F. Lee, Senior Associate, and former Executive Director of the Maryland Governor's Office for Children; Noel Bravo, Senior Associate, and former senior policy and fiscal advisor to Mayor Anthony Williams in Washington D.C., and  Susan Robison, a consultant to state legislators nationwide.

 

Th e content of the website is the sole responsibility of CSSP and does not necessarily reflect the views of the many organizations and researchers that partnered on this project. For more information on CSSP, please visit our website at www.cssp.org .      

Our Partners   

This website has been developed with the support and assistance of many partners:

Research and Policy Organizations:

• Georgetown University, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform and Center for Research on Adolescence, Women and the Law , research centers dedicated to juvenile justice issues.
• Center for Law and Social Policy , a national nonprofit that works to improve the lives of low-income people.
• Sage Policy Group Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm specializing in economic, fiscal and legislative analysis, program evaluation, and organizational and strategic development.
• Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute ,  provides independent, nonpartisan research and analysis of state budget and tax policy priorities.
• ChildFocus , brings together people, programs and policy to improve the lives of children and families .
• HMS Policy Research.
• Child and Family Policy Center to better link research and policy on issues vital to children and families and to advocate for evidenced-based strategies to improve child outcomes.
• Rhode Island KidsCount to improve the health, safety, education, economic security and development of Rhode Island's children.

Individual researchers:

• Susan Hibbard
• Con Hogan
• Kristie Kauerz
• Anna Lovejoy 
• Susan Motika
• Ami Nagle
• Emil Parker

Acknowledgements

• Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Former Governor of Maryland
• Mark Friedman, Fiscal Policy Studies Institute
• Janice Gruendel , Connecticut Governor's Senior Policy Advisor, Children & Youth
• Rhonda Lauer, Foundations, Inc.
• Staff of the National Conference of State Legislatures: Mary Fairchild, Lee Posey, Sheri Steisel, Jack Tweedie 
• David Nee, Executive Director, Graustein Memorial Fund
• The Honorable Steve Rauschenberger, Former Illinois State Senator, Former President of the National Conference of State Legislators
• Lisbeth Schorr
• Mark Testa, Children and Family Research Center
• Marla Oros
• The Honorable Diana Urban, Connecticut State Representative
• Carl Valentine, F.C. Valentine and Associates
• The Honorable Leticia Van De Putte, Texas State Senator, Former Chair of the National Conference of State Legislators

Funders 

 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation  fosters public policies, human- service reforms and community support that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families.

 

Website design and development by Free Range Studios and Velir .