Research

For fifteen years, I’ve been leading research projects to evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of public programs for children. I am Principal and Founder of Brodsky Research and Consulting (BRC), which helps organizations understand the impact of their investments in improving children’s lives and contributing to society.

For more information about consulting, please visit BRC’s website or fill out this contact form.

BRC’s work centers on the following areas. Please click any heading to learn more.

Education and Early Childhood Research

For fifteen years I’ve worked to help improve systems for children, focusing on rigorous methodology and evidence-based approaches to effecting change. BRC’s clients have included the U.S. Office of Child Care, the states of Colorado, New York, and Florida, and numerous other governmental, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations. Our areas of expertise include:

  • Early childhood finance and cost-effectiveness
  • Research design for educational and social interventions, including experimental and quasi-experimental methods
  • Pay-for-Success technical support for education interventions
  • Policy evaluation
  • Systems evaluation and change analysis
  • Large-scale data analyses of student outcomes and reform techniques
  • Teacher salary and school finance analyses

Cost-Benefit and SROI Analysis

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) are powerful tools that help maximize the impact of public investments. CEA determines the costs necessary to achieve specific outcomes, while CBA compares programmatic costs with their financial benefits. Social return on investment (SROI) analysis is a form of CBA which focuses on social benefits, such as improved health, environmental, or educational outcomes. CBA is a powerful tool to that allows funders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to make the most efficient use of limited resources to make ositive change.

Our work in cost-benefit and SROI analysis includes:

  • Estimating unit costs to provide services, including variable costs for different types of participants or different program models
  • Evaluating program effects for participants compared to non-participants
  • Determining cost-effectiveness metrics based on inputs and measurable outcomes
  • Applying standardized outcome measures such as DALYs and QALYs to compare diverse programs
  • Quantifying benefits, including direct program savings and benefits to society
  • Determining social return on investment (SROI) and cost-benefit ratios to compare investment options

Decision Models and Dashboards

Interactive data models allow you to make informed decisions by organizing complex data and providing accessible interfaces to model the effects of different scenarios. Whether it’s designing or revising complex Excel spreadsheets or designing custom automated dashboards, I can create dynamic, easy-to-use models that enable you to understand your data at a deeper level.

We are experts in data modeling tasks including:

  • Dashboards and automated macros powered by Visual Basic (VBA)
  • Advanced data analysis and statistical techniques
  • Error-checking and formula validation
  • Managing and merging datasets
  • Formatting and restructuring confusing or poorly organized spreadsheets

Program Evaluation

Evaluation is an essential component in driving evidence-based program improvements and in allowing funders and stakeholders to understand the true impact of investments. My evaluation approach takes advantage of both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide objective, actionable knowledge about program successes and challenges. Our approach to evaluation design and implementation is highly collaborative, ensuring that methods and results reflect program goals and are useful in informing program improvement.

Our program evaluation methodology services include:

  • Identification of key program goals and evaluation plan development in cooperation with the client.
  • Formative evaluation design to help inform program improvement
  • Summative evaluation approaches to objectively measure program outcomes and communicate results to external stakeholders
  • Qualitative evaluation techniques, including interviews and qualitative coding and analysis
  • Survey design, administration, data collection, and analysis
  • Quantitative data analysis, including descriptive statistics, inferential statistical techniques, and regression analyses