We are pleased to announce that Insight Policy Research was acquired by Westat, effective June 15, 2022. Branded as “Westat Insight,” we are currently operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Westat and continue to provide our clients with the best-in-class services they have come to expect. Our combined experience now offers expanded expertise in health, education, and social policy as well as deeper methodological skills in survey research, evaluation, data analytics, and technical assistance. Learn more here.
We are pleased to announce that Insight Policy Research was acquired by Westat, effective June 15, 2022. Branded as “Westat Insight,” we are currently operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Westat and continue to provide our clients with the best-in-class services they have come to expect. Our combined experience now offers expanded expertise in health, education, and social policy as well as deeper methodological skills in survey research, evaluation, data analytics, and technical assistance. Learn more here.
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Practice Areas

Workforce Development

Insight conducts research, evaluation, and technical assistance to help improve effectiveness and support continuous improvement of federal, state, and local workforce development programs, with a goal to assist individuals in attaining work goals and achieving self-sufficiency.

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Featured Projects

  • Employment and Training

    We support the continuous improvement of initiatives that enhance the self-sufficiency of those participating in employment and training programs, particularly those targeting families and adults with low income. This includes the role of job search services and apprenticeships, career-pathway programs, and health workforce training for the hard to employ. Our work helps our clients better understand what programs work, for whom, and why.

    Evaluation of SNAP Employment and Training Pilots

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    Evaluation of SNAP Employment and Training Pilots

    The 2014 Farm Bill authorized grants for up to 10 pilot sites to develop and test innovative employment and training (E&T) strategies that are designed to raise employment, increase earnings, and reduce reliance on public assistance. The purpose of this study is to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the 10 pilot projects.

    National and Tribal Evaluation of the Second Generation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants

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    National and Tribal Evaluation of the Second Generation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants

    The Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program was authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 to provide education and training to recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and other individuals with low incomes. The goal of the program is to train individuals for healthcare occupations that pay well and are in high demand.

    Evaluation of the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program

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    Evaluation of the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program

    The study is to evaluate the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. This program is designed to educate highly qualified science and engineering technicians in strategic advanced technology fields; improve the technical skills and the general science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) preparation of technicians and educators; and increase the capacity of institutions for advanced technician education.

    Career/Technical Education Statistics System: Publications, Education Analysis, and Reporting for Sample Surveys, Assessments, and Administrative Data Collections

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    Career/Technical Education Statistics System: Publications, Education Analysis, and Reporting for Sample Surveys, Assessments, and Administrative Data Collections

    Over the last several decades, career and technical education (CTE) has undergone considerable transformation as a result of advances in technology, fundamental changes in the U.S. economy, and reform and innovation among CTE educators. As industry continues to adopt technologies to improve products and create efficiencies, CTE will play a pivotal role in preparing students for entry-level work and providing ongoing training and development. On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the U.S. Department of Education, Insight is conducting cross-sectional analysis of data on CTE topics across the United States.

    West Virginia Workforce Readiness Alliance

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    West Virginia Workforce Readiness Alliance

    Insight worked closely with members of the West Virginia Department of Education to create an evaluation plan that could use existing data to answer questions about the implementation and outcomes of the Simulated Workplace initiative. We also worked with a group of instructors to support implementation of the Simulated Workplace in their schools.

  • Workforce Shortages and the Pipeline

    Many areas of the U.S. and populations have too few workers for certain high-demand sectors, such as nurses and mental health providers. We support programs that aim to assess, quantify, and fill the demand for these specific types of employment shortages.

    Regional Educational Laboratory—Appalachia: West Virginia’s Workforce Readiness Alliance

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    Regional Educational Laboratory—Appalachia: West Virginia’s Workforce Readiness Alliance

    Insight worked with members of the West Virginia Workforce Readiness Alliance to design a research agenda focused on showing how the College of Technical Assistance and the Simulated Workplace initiative prepare students for the workforce.

    Evaluation of HRSA's Nursing Educational Loan Repayment Program and the Nursing Scholarship Program

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    Evaluation of HRSA's Nursing Educational Loan Repayment Program and the Nursing Scholarship Program

    nsight conducted a 5-year evaluation of 2 Health Resources and Services (HRSA) programs—the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (NELRP) and the Nursing Scholarship Program (NSP)—to assess the impact of these programs on critical shortage facilities and the communities they serve.

    Program Evaluation for the National Science Foundation’s Research on Gender in Science

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    Program Evaluation for the National Science Foundation’s Research on Gender in Science

    For this project, Insight conducted an evaluation of 3 separate grant opportunities administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of the Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) program: research, diffusion, and extension projects.

    An Examination of the Healthcare Workforce Issues in Rural America

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    An Examination of the Healthcare Workforce Issues in Rural America

    Insight worked with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) to develop a Congressional Report on the supply, access, quality of care, and demographic issues that impact the health care delivery system in rural America.

  • Entrepreneurship

    We work in partnership with programs designed to support individuals in cultivating business savvy necessary for economic stability, enhanced opportunity, and employability by providing them with intensive entrepreneurship education and access to capital opportunities. Special population groups that we have worked with include formerly incarcerated individuals, disconnected youth, and military veterans.

    Evaluation of the Aspire Entrepreneurship Initiative

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    Evaluation of the Aspire Entrepreneurship Initiative

    Many formerly incarcerated individuals face barriers when attempting to reenter the workforce. Self-employment training may address these barriers and improve self-sufficiency by helping individuals to develop and launch their own businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) partnered with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and co-sponsor Justine Petersen to pilot the Aspire Entrepreneurship Initiative program in four cities.

  • Workforce Readiness and Employment for People with Disabilities

    We support programs and policies designed to inform and improve the ability of people with disabilities to find and retain employment with the goal of increasing self-sufficiency and workplace success.

    Evaluation of the Promoting Opportunity Demonstration Study

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    Evaluation of the Promoting Opportunity Demonstration Study

    The U.S. Social Security Administration is undertaking the Promoting Opportunity Demonstration (POD) as a field test and evaluation of policy changes to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The initiative seeks to produce strong evidence about the effectiveness of potential solutions to improve the historically low rate of return to work among SSDI beneficiaries.

    Transitioning Disabled and Recovering Service Members to Civilian Life

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    Transitioning Disabled and Recovering Service Members to Civilian Life

    Under this contract, Insight provided research support to the Recovering Warrior Task Force (RWTF), ultimately to prepare its final annual report. Insight assessed the effectiveness of the policies and programs developed and implemented by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and each of the military departments to assist and support the management and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured (WII) members of the Armed Forces.

    Center to Improve Program and Project Performance

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    Center to Improve Program and Project Performance

    Insight supported the Center to Improve Program and Project Performance on behalf of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the U.S. Department of Education in its efforts to provide technical assistance to OSEP program officers and grantees. Technical assistance activities center on evaluation design, grant implementation, and performance measurement with a goal to enhance the performance of programs and projects funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (known as IDEA).