Stephanie Lee, Steve Aos, Elizabeth Drake, Annie Pennucci, Marna Miller, Laurie Anderson - April 2012

The 2009 Washington Legislature directed the Institute to “calculate the return on investment to taxpayers from evidence-based prevention and intervention programs and policies.” The Legislature instructed the Institute to produce “a comprehensive list of programs and policies that improve . . . outcomes for children and adults in Washington and result in more cost-efficient use of public resources.” This report summarizes our findings as of April 2012. Readers can download the technical appendix for details about our methods.

Julie Lockhart, Marguerite Hutton - August 1995

This paper analyzes and evaluates the use of environmental tax policy across the country in two categories: recycling and water quality. The intention is to provide background information on environmental tax programs that can be used as a guide for the design and implementation of environmental tax programs in Washington State. With information from programs in other states, legislators and agencies can learn from both the positive and negative elements of programs tested elsewhere.

Sharon Silas, Roxanne Lieb - May 1997

The Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Program is administered through the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development. The program administers a grant using federal and state funds for community-based youth violence prevention and intervention projects across Washington State. For the fiscal years 1994-1996, 2.05 million dollars were spent on these projects; 31 percent was funded by the state and the remainder by the federal government. This report summarizes evaluation results for projects funded from 1994 through 1996.

Robert Barnoski - March 1999

The 1997 Washington State Legislature provided intensive parole funding for up to 25 percent of the highest-risk youth placed in the custody of the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA). The legislation directed that intensive parole be implemented by January 1, 1999, and include: 1) a case management system, 2) transition services (multi-agency), and 3) plans for information management and program evaluation. The JRA contracted with the Institute to evaluate the implementation of intensive parole, determine whether the program reduces recidivism, and analyze its costs and benefits to Washington State taxpayers.

Roxanne Lieb, Matt Lemon, John Bauer, Annie Pennucci - July 2013

The 2011 Washington State Legislature passed two laws concerning innovative schools. The first recognized public schools that are “bold, creative, and innovative.” A second law sought to expand the number of innovative schools by allowing flexibility in state statutes and rules. At present, there are 34 designated schools and innovation “zones.”

For this study, we statistically analyzed school performance; conducted systematic literature reviews; and visited most designated schools. We learned that the designated innovative schools are extremely varied in their missions, student populations, strategies, and outcomes.

Stephanie Lee, Steve Aos, Marna Miller - May 2008

The 2007 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study evidence-based, cost-effective programs and policies to reduce the likelihood of children entering and remaining in the child welfare system, including both prevention and intervention programs.
The “bottom line” goal of the study is to provide the legislature with reliable estimates of the costs and benefits of prevention and intervention programs that are designed to reduce involvement in the child welfare system.

Mason Burley, Steve Lerch, Jim Mayfield - December 1999

To examine the impact of WorkFirst activities and services on employment and welfare outcomes, it is necessary to understand the characteristics and patterns of client participation in the program over time. While in WorkFirst, clients may participate in a variety of activities and receive numerous services. This paper describes general WorkFirst program elements, illustrates the complex links between program elements using a client activity flow chart, and then summarizes general trends in client activity during the implementation phase of WorkFirst (August 1997 through December 1998).

Mason Burley - December 2016

The 2014 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to complete a comprehensive assessment of the utilization and capacity needs of public crisis mental health services and conduct a longitudinal study of outcomes and public costs for adults receiving crisis response services. This report also summarizes capacity and utilization information for crisis mental health centers and inpatient psychiatric treatment facilities in Washington.

A preliminary report was published in January 2015.

John Bauer - January 2013

The 2012 Legislature directed the Institute to assess the costs and benefits of implementing the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Bright Futures Guidelines for well-child visits and developmental screening in medical assistance programs. Currently, federal regulations require non-grandfathered private health plans to comply with Bright Futures, but state Medicaid programs can choose whether to implement the guidelines or not.

We analyzed Washington Medicaid eligibility, claims and encounter data to assess the likely cost of providing additional well-child visits and developmental screening. We reviewed the literature to examine potential effects on health and other outcomes. We elicited advice from clinical experts and reviewed coverage in other state Medicaid programs and private health insurers.

The Center for Evidence-based Policy (CEbP) at the Oregon Health & Sciences University assisted the Institute by searching for studies that examined (a) the effects of additional well-child visits and developmental screening on outcomes for children and (b) the effectiveness of speech and language interventions. Links to the CEbP reports are provided.

Revised on 1/28/2013 to modify the discussion of developmental screens on p. 17.

Marna Miller, Rebecca Goodvin, Joshua Grice, Chasya Hoagland, Eva Westley - September 2016

The 2013 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to create, in consultation with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), University of Washington Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI), University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI), and the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT), an inventory of evidence-based, research-based, and promising practices.

The initial inventory of interventions and policies in adult mental health and chemical dependency services was published in May 2014. To view the May 2014 results, click here. An update to this inventory was published in January 2015.

While we were not directed by the legislature to update this inventory, a WSIPP Board-approved contract with the Division of Behavioral Health and Rehabilitation at the Department of Social and Health Services enabled WSIPP to review fourteen additional programs and update previously reviewed programs.