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The brief documents the federal context—in particular within the U.S. Department of Labor—in which evidence-building activities for the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program were developed. It also describes the evaluation technical assistance (EvalTA) provided to states from 2018 to 2023 that supported states in planning and implementing evaluations of their RESEA programs. The brief provides overall lessons on developing federal evidence-building initiatives and providing evaluation technical assistance to support states in carrying out evaluations to contribute to the evidence base.

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Key Takeaways

• The RESEA legislation included several provisions that laid the groundwork for evidence use and evidence building to play a central role in the program. A unique and important aspect of RESEA is that rigorous evaluation was explicitly recognized as a core element of the program as part of the authorizing 2018 amendment to the Social Security Act. Moreover, program funding is tied to the use of well-conducted, credible impact studies that inform the design of states’ RESEA programs.
• DOL has experience, capacity, and an infrastructure that it was able to draw from and build upon to support RESEA evaluations and evidence building. DOL has a strong evidence-building culture and has since 2010 been undertaking activities—such as having evaluation officers, developing learning agendas, and establishing an evaluation policy—now required of most federal agencies by the Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Additionally, DOL has a clearinghouse that conducts evidence reviews and assigns causal evidence ratings in the way required by the new law.
• Federal-level leadership and cross-agency coordination, across the program and evaluation offices in providing evaluation technical assistance, was considered critical to the progress made by states in developing and launching evaluations to build evidence. The Chief Evaluation Office and the Employment and Training Administration’s Offices of Unemployment Insurance and Policy Development and Research collaborated closely to support states in meeting requirements of the law, including beginning new evaluation efforts.
• It was important for the evaluation technical assistance (EvalTA) to adapt and respond to evolving state needs in evaluation planning and implementation as these shifted over time. The three primary EvalTA-focused areas include (1) helping states to understand the evaluation-related RESEA legislation; (2) supporting states in planning and conducting high-quality evaluations; and (3) assisting states in using evaluations, such as for program improvement. All are important, but the emphasis on each has changed over time as states progressed with their evaluations.
• The broad range of EvalTA activities—including both generalized and customized support—helped make evaluation accessible to all states. It also ensured that a subset of states ready for it could receive more-intensive assistance to implement high-quality, rigorous impact evaluations, so they could make contributions to the evidence base relatively quickly.
• Engaging states early on—and often—by soliciting feedback about their preferred modes of delivery, cadence, and topics was an important element of the EvalTA. DOL’s experience implementing RESEA and its evidence-building requirements indicates the importance of developing a wide continuum of EvalTA materials and remaining responsive to states’ needs as they change over time and as staff advance in their ability and capacity to plan, implement, and conduct evaluations.
• In addition to state RESEA leaders and program staff, a key audience for the EvalTA is the array of independent evaluators actively working on state RESEA evaluations. These third-party evaluators—among them state evaluation offices, university research centers and faculty, and research and evaluation firms—play an important role in producing the evidence needed on the RESEA program.

Citation

Copson, E., Irwin, M., Martinson, K., Engle, H., Wheat, V., Epstein, Z., Cuellar, M. (2023). Abt Associates. Evidence Building at the U.S. Department of Labor: Lessons From Delivering Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Evaluation Technical Assistance. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.