Steve Aos, Polly Phipps, Robert Barnoski, Roxanne Lieb - May 2001

This report describes the Institute's latest analysis of the costs and benefits of crime prevention and intervention programs. It contains a summary of the findings as well as a detailed technical discussion of the model used to estimate costs and benefits.

Robert Barnoski, Wade Cole - February 2007

This report describes how student characteristics are individually associated with performance on the reading, writing, and math assessments of the 10th-grade WASL in spring 2006, and identifies groups of students with the lowest and highest met-standard rates.

Sharon Silas - May 1998

This topic brief discusses the rate of reported child abuse and neglect cases in Washington State between 1991 and 1997.  Information supplied by Washington's Child Protective Services (CPS) shows the rate of referrals and alleged victims of child abuse by various age categories. 

EBPI & WSIPP - December 2019

The 2012 Legislature passed E2SHB 2536 with the intention that “prevention and intervention services delivered to children and juveniles in the areas of mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice be primarily evidence-based and research-based, and it is anticipated that such services will be provided in a manner that is culturally competent.”

The bill directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) and the University of Washington Evidence-Based Practice Institute (UW) to publish descriptive definitions and prepare an inventory of evidence-based, research-based, and promising practices and services, and to periodically update the inventory as more practices are identified. This is the ninth update to the initial inventory published in 2012.

The accompanying report describes our standard process for evaluating and classifying research evidence, the process for adding new programs to the inventory, and the reasons that program classifications may change. Programs that are new to the inventory or have a revised classification based on current evidence are identified in the report.

Julia Cramer, Leah Hardenbergh, Heather Grob - August 2026

In 2025, WSIPP released a report on what Washington schools are doing to address chronic absenteeism. In this report, we examine school-level factors associated with higher absenteeism rates in schools and conduct evidence reviews and benefit-cost analyses to determine which interventions can effectively reduce absenteeism.

We find that schools with a higher proportion of students who are low-income, have a disability, and/or are homeless, and schools with a higher discipline rate tend to have higher chronic absenteeism rates. Increased social media use is associated with higher chronic absenteeism rates in middle and high schools, and increased bullying is associated with higher rates in middle schools.

Research evidence indicates that parent communication strategies, home visits, and early warning systems can increase attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism, on average. Interventions like School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) and school-based mentoring may not impact attendance, but can positively affect test scores and disciplinary actions.

These results can help decision-makers anticipate which risk factors may be associated with chronic absenteeism in schools and implement effective interventions accordingly.

Steve Lerch, Jim Mayfield - February 2001

The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) contracted with the Institute to develop models and procedures to forecast revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. This report describes (1) current impediments to developing detailed revenue forecast models, (2) short-term strategies for forecasting license revenues, and (3) suggestions for improving forecast methodology as more information becomes available.

Kay Knapp - December 2001

The 1999 Legislature directed the Institute for Public Policy to review the procedures established by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to report missing children to the Missing Children Clearinghouse (MCC) and any impediments to effective utilization of those procedures.  This report also describes the operation of the MCC and reviews public education and public awareness regarding missing children. 

Annie Pennucci, Susan Kavanaugh - January 2005

The 2004 Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to review the state Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program (TBIP). The Institute interviewed TBIP staff at the state and school district levels; analyzed student enrollment and assessment data; and reviewed laws, policies, and research on instruction for English language learners (ELL students) in the public K–12 school system.

Robert Barnoski - September 2005

This report describes how sex offenders sentenced to prison, jail/community supervision, and SSOSA differ.

Robert Barnoski - December 2005

This report examines the influence of sex offender registration and community notification statutes on recidivism.