Introduction
The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse is dedicated to gathering information from research and making research evidence more useful to decision makers. As part of these efforts, Pathways to Work identifies programs that aim to directly or indirectly improve employment outcomes and systematically evaluates and summarizes the evidence of programs’ effectiveness. This guide is for researchers conducting rigorous evaluations of programs that aim to improve employment outcomes, reduce employment challenges, and support self-sufficiency for people with low incomes. It introduces Pathways to Work and the standards and procedures it uses for screening and reviewing studies and rating the quality of research studies and the evidence of program effectiveness.
Purpose
Researchers and research funders can use this high-level overview to better understand Pathways to Work and its processes for selecting studies for review, assigning study quality ratings, and assessing the evidence of effectiveness for a program. In particular, researchers can use this guide to understand:
- How to conduct studies that may be eligible to receive the highest possible quality ratings from Pathways to Work.
- Why their study was or was not included in Pathways to Work, why their study received its study quality rating, and how their study was grouped with other studies to assess program effectiveness.
- Common pitfalls for study authors to avoid to ensure their research achieves a high quality rating and therefore reaches the broadest possible audience through Pathways to Work dissemination efforts.
Citation
Shiferaw, Leah, Diana McCallum, and Dana Rotz. (2022). Pathways to Work Guide for Researchers. OPRE Brief # 2022-08, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
