Capabilities

Since our inception in 2004, PRG has become a leader in low-cost rigorous efficacy research. PRG helps clients determine the causal effects of innovations, programs, and policies at the local, state, and national level. Our impact evaluations also examine a wide array of topic areas. PRG staff have conducted randomized control trials and monitored random assignment in complex delivery environments such as workforce boards, K-12 schools, healthcare clinics, and juvenile justice systems. Our staff have also designed and executed quasi-experimental designs in a variety of study areas, including public health, workforce and income, and education.  

PRG is bringing theory to the forefront of intervention development to build the innovation capacity of program developers and to support the testing and refinement of innovative interventions. Through our Theory and Innovation Support Hub (TISH), we’re building the innovation capacity of intervention developers by increasing their ability to gather and use information to better understand and optimize their programs.

PRG has extensive experience conducting implementation (process) and outcome evaluations that help our partners understand and improve their practices, policies, or programs and better serve their clients. PRG works collaboratively with partners to understand their practices, services, and clients, to establish shared understandings of important concepts and indicators of success, and to develop an evaluation plan that measures progress towards their goals and objectives. PRG helps partners identify and understand the data they already gather, and as needed develops new instruments, measures, and procedures to gather data for the evaluation. These data are often the basis of formative feedback that allows partners to track and monitor progress toward their goals, and they can be used to summarize our partners work and progress at the close of a project.

Formative feedback involves ongoing or periodic feedback that helps our partners improve implementation, outcomes, and their understanding of their clients’ needs and barriers to participation. PRG delivers this feedback through tools like data dashboards, graphics-based reports, or short formative products, intended for program development or incubation. A key feature of our formative feedback approach is the timely, regular discussion and interpretation of findings with clients. These discussions ensure that the feedback is clear, actionable, and integrated into the program’s ongoing development and continuous quality improvement. 

We use qualitative research methods to better understand the needs and perspectives of constituencies, to explore the experiences of individuals and groups receiving services from our partners, and to investigate contextual questions that may arise from our quantitative inquiries. PRG has expertise in conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups with a variety of populations.

PRG has expertise in survey development and administration for randomized controlled trials, needs assessments, and implementation and outcome evaluations. We understand that high quality and trustworthy data are the foundation for producing excellent research. PRG staff ensure that data collection and processing procedures are implemented with the highest levels of precision. Our analysts have years of experience implementing evidence-based strategies to successfully maintain contact with and collect data from hard-to-reach populations. For research projects that demand rigorous follow-up, PRG regularly achieves response rates higher than 85%. PRG offers instrument development and design, protocol development, quantitative and qualitative survey pre-testing, as well as paper-, online-, or telephone-based survey administration. PRG can translate instruments into non-English languages and integrate Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) survey software into instruments as needed.

PRG conducts systematic assessments to identify needs and service gaps of specific populations. Through needs assessments, PRG provides clients with data and analyses that can improve access and linkage to care and service quality, as well as inform policy, resource allocation, and operational decisions.

Meta-analysis is a systematic review that applies statistical procedures to combine data from multiple studies that address the same research question. Using primary or secondary data sources, PRG can conduct meta-analyses to synthesize evidence in in order to better understand the efficacy of an intervention or policy.

PRG has extensive qualitative and quantitative data collection experience, including establishing data sharing agreements, making data requests, and conducting needs assessments, surveys, focus groups, and interviews. We excel at maintaining high participant response rates. Project-specific data collection protocols are created for each phase of data collection. We also maintain a master data collection protocol, which provides PRG staff with detailed instructions on commonly used data collection methods and practices; standardizes our data collection, administration, and preparation practices; and ultimately minimizes errors and facilitates the collection of high-quality and trustworthy data. 

PRG Insight is a data management and visualization system developed to help organizations be more effective by better understanding their program from the data they are already collecting. Built specifically for grant-based providers and recipients, PRG Insight reduces the burden of data collection and handling and then structures those data to provide deeper understanding about program participants, processes, and outcomes. Dashboards provide real-time descriptions of client characteristics, participation, and targeted behavior change as well as program-specific administrative tracking information.