What Works Lab
The Progressive Policy Institute’s What Works Lab (WWL) is actively gathering evidence-based data on the effectiveness of programs that create and implement multiple education and training career pathways to jobs and opportunities for students and workers. This research knowledge and best practices are being shared with policymakers, practitioners, employers, and other stakeholders, both online and in various venues, to foster continuous learning and enhance the effectiveness of career pathways programs.
Collaborating with other PPI initiatives, including the New Skills for a New Economy Project, the Reinventing America’s School Project, and the American Identity Project, the WWL curates a collection of products, including research studies, case studies, white papers, podcasts, webinars, and policy briefs.
The Four Levels of What Works
The WWL utilizes the four levels of evidence for “what works” that are used by multiple federal agencies and other research groups as criteria for guiding what is included in its curated collection. The U.S. Department of Education summarizes these four levels in non-regulatory guidance, updated and published in 2023. The evidence categories for this four-tiered framework include strong evidence, moderate evidence, promising evidence, and demonstrate a rationale.