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.

Annie Pennucci, Matt Lemon - September 2014

Washington State provides funding to school districts to help underachieving students through the Learning Assistance Program (LAP). The 2013 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to prepare an inventory of evidence-based and research-based effective practices, activities, and programs for use by school districts in LAP and to update the inventory each two years thereafter.

This report describes the updated inventory of evidence-based and research-based practices for use in LAP.

Megan Morris, Annie Pennucci, Steve Aos, Elizabeth Drake, Danielle Fumia, Marna Miller, Catherine Nicolai, John Bauer - December 2014

The 2014 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to identify programs and policies that can decrease tobacco and e-cigarette use and yield the greatest return on investment. WSIPP employed its standard approach to reviewing research evidence and conducting benefit-cost analysis.

We identified 40 topics with research of sufficient rigor to allow us to draw conclusions about effectiveness. Of the 40, we found that 33 produce, on average, reductions in tobacco use. We identified a few programs that have undesirable effects on outcomes.

Our findings apply to tobacco prevention and cessation strategies. For e-cigarettes, unfortunately, we were unable to locate any rigorous evaluations that measure the impact of prevention strategies. In this report we summarize state regulations as of October 2014 related to e-cigarettes.

Matt Lemon, Annie Pennucci, Megan Morris, Catherine Nicolai - July 2015

Washington State provides funding to school districts to help underachieving students through the Learning Assistance Program (LAP). The 2013 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to prepare an inventory of evidence-based and research-based effective practices, activities, and programs for use by school districts in LAP and to update the inventory each two years thereafter.

This report describes the second update to the inventory of evidence-based and research-based practices for use in LAP.

Paige Wanner - February 2018

The 2013 Washington State Legislature passed a bill to facilitate the use of evidence-based programs in adult corrections. The legislature directed WSIPP to define the terms “evidence-based” and “research-based” and create an inventory of adult corrections programs classified as evidence-based or research-based.

WSIPP produced the first inventory of evidence-based and research-based programs for adult corrections in 2013. This is an update to the original inventory, classifying an additional 30 programs, for a total of 57 programs.

Paige Wanner, Eva Westley, Lauren Knoth-Peterson, Elizabeth Drake - January 2020

In 2019, WSIPP updated the full portfolio of juvenile justice meta-analyses, benefit-cost analyses, and the resulting evidence classifications. This work aligned with WSIPP’s ninth update of the Children’s Services Inventory (“the inventory”), published in December 2019. The inventory describes the research evidence and benefit-cost findings for a variety of programs in the areas of juvenile justice, child welfare, and children’s mental health, and classifies each program according to its level of evidence and benefit-cost findings.

WSIPP’s update to the inventory led to changes in the evidence classification for several juvenile justice programs operating in Washington State. Four programs previously classified as either evidence-based or research-based are now promising or null. This resource guide serves as a companion document to the inventory and as a resource for Washington State policymakers and practitioners to understand how changes in the meta-analyses and benefit-cost analyses of juvenile justice programs resulted in changes to evidence classifications.

In the guide, WSIPP explains the specific changes made to all meta-analyses and benefit-cost analyses of juvenile justice programs in 2019. Then, the guide provides details for several programs eligible for Washington State funding for youth involved in the juvenile courts or committed to a Juvenile Rehabilitation facility. For each eligible program, the guide reviews relevant changes to the content in the specific meta-analysis, changes to the calculations of meta-analytic results, changes made to the costs of the program, and changes made to WSIPP’s standard benefit-cost model. While WSIPP classifies a broad array of programs, and these evidence classifications are subject to change over time, this guide focuses specifically on changes to classifications for juvenile justice programs eligible for state dollars.

EBPI & WSIPP - September 2020

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 (EBPI) 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 tenth 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 in the current iteration of the inventory. Programs that are new to the inventory or re-reviewed with current evidence are identified in the report.

Find previous versions of the Children's inventory with the following links: ninth update, eighth update, seventh update, sixth update, fifth update, fourth update, third update, second update, first update,and initial inventory.

...teen marijuana check-up (tmcu) is a brief, school-based intervention for youth meeting diagnostic criteria for cannabis use disorder. youth are introduced to the program via classroom presentations, and those who report an interest in the program and are concerned with reducing cannabis use are screened for eligibility. participants receive two 45- to 60-minute motivational enhancement therapy (met) interviews one and two weeks after a youth is accepted to participate. these interviews are provided by counselors trained in the “no pressure to change” philosophy of the tmcu program. the intervention is provided during the school day without parental involvement. four optional sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy are offered to both tmcu participants and participants in the comparison group for those interested in the cessation of their cannabis use....