June 2025 North America Newsletter
The research team at J-PAL North America supports research projects that aim to gather strong evidence on what policies and programs effectively reduce poverty. We do this through collaborations with researchers who craft creative ways to measure impact, practitioners who design and deliver programs to improve lives and communities, and program participants who share their experiences and contribute to program improvement. One of the most gratifying parts of our job is creating strong connections with partners who share our mission and passion for this work.
J-PAL North America’s history of work in Puerto Rico is a testament to the value of strong partnerships. Over the last eight years, our team has worked with researchers from the Forward Society Lab, the Puerto Rico Department of Education, and the Department of Economic Development and Commerce. Through these partnerships, we have conducted four ongoing program evaluations of a school principals' training program, a computer-assisted learning platform to support math learning, a social-emotional program for teachers and students, and a program to provide personalized support to job seekers. This work has highlighted implementation challenges, the need to support capacity building on the island, and exemplified the importance of adapting research to the local context.
To meet these needs, J-PAL North America recently brought together members of government and third-party organizations in Puerto Rico to deliver training on the design and implementation of impact evaluations. We would not have been able to create these strong connections without the support of our embedded staff, consultants, and valuable site visits to observe the programs in action. We aim to continue cultivating opportunities to strengthen local capacity for program evaluation and partner with agencies that work to improve the livelihood of communities across the island. We encourage you to read more about our work and reach out if you are interested in partnering with us.
Sincerely,
Catherine Darrow and Laura Ruiz-Gaona
Puerto Rico team, J-PAL North America
Fostering a culture of evidence-based policies in Puerto Rico
In a new post on the J-PAL blog, J-PAL North America reflects on the progress made over an eight-year partnership with organizations in Puerto Rico to support and strengthen local capacity to rigorously evaluate social programs. This partnership recently gave way to our first facilitated hands-on training in Puerto Rico on program evaluation at the end of April. We plan to build upon this introductory session with a series of trainings for our partners to continue building a culture of evidence-based policymaking. Learn more about the four impact evaluations underway on the island, how we’ve cultivated these partnerships, and our plans for sustaining this work on our webpage and in our latest blog post.
New research results: The impact of tutor gender match on girls’ STEM interest, engagement, and performance
Despite performing as well as boys in school, girls remain underrepresented in STEM careers, raising questions about the role of early beliefs and representation in shaping students’ academic paths. A new randomized evaluation from J-PAL affiliated researchers Carly Robinson (Brown University) and Susanna Loeb (Stanford), with coauthors Joshua Bleiberg and Evan Bennett, tested whether pairing girls with female math tutors could improve their engagement and performance in STEM. Girls assigned to female tutors reported considerably greater interest in STEM and were more likely to pass their course. Read more about the results »
Symposium: Re-engineering health decision-making environments
This month, J-PAL North America’s Health Care Delivery Initiative (HCDI) participated in Re-Engineering Health Decision-Making Environments, a symposium hosted by the Social Science Research Council. Amy Finkelstein, HCDI Co-Chair and J-PAL North America’s Co-Scientific Director, discussed HCDI’s role in catalyzing new studies in the United States and how the initiative is uniquely positioned to support researchers and implementing partners in learning from new results and funding risky, innovative research. Learn more about this research in HCDI’s Evidence Wrap-Up »
Featured Evaluation Summary
The (null) impact of tax credit information on college enrollment in Texas
Evidence suggests that informational and behavioral “nudges,” which help individuals overcome procrastination or inattention, can affect educational attainment, college enrollment, and student achievement. Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of a large, information-only intervention about tax credits and financial aid for college on college application and enrollment. Information about tax credits did not influence reenrollment, reapplication, or enrollment, even for students who had viewed the informational emails about tax credits for college. Read more »
Featured Research Resource
Pre-analysis plans
Pre-analysis plans can increase the credibility of research findings and address concerns of specification searching by describing the expected analysis strategy before the intervention or data analysis begins. Our J-PAL research resource outlines why and how to write a pre-analysis plan, including an overview of available resources to help you write a strong one. Visit the resource »