For more than three decades, BPA has been at the forefront of social policy research that informs important public policy issues. We have a long-standing and nationwide reputation for excellence in evaluating programs, analyzing data, identifying successful service strategies, and making practical recommendations for government agencies, community-based organizations, foundations, and private sector business clients. We are committed to conducting research that makes a real difference in people's lives, and have developed special expertise in studying ways of assisting people who encounter obstacles to full participation in our society due to such barriers as a lack of education or job training, a history of poverty or dependence on public assistance, age, disability, health, limited English-language skills, or responsibilities associated with caring for children. Our current research agenda includes particular attention to the following events and issues:

- States are implementing new programs to meet the goals of welfare reform. The passing of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996 and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program it created gave states a great deal of flexibility in how they go about meeting the program's goals of increasing employment, promoting self-sufficiency, and reducing poverty among families. BPA evaluates a number of newly implemented state TANF programs. These evaluations focus on key program components, such as time limits, diversion strategies, and TANF-funded support and child care services.

- A One-Stop service delivery system has been created to address the country's employment and training needs. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) mandated the establishment of an integrated system in which workforce development professionals, employers, and other partners work together to meet both the needs of individuals for high-quality employment and the needs of employers for a high-quality workforce. BPA conducts research on many aspects of the workforce development system, especially the system's ability to be inclusive of people with limited English proficiency, people with disabilities, low-income and underemployed workers, and others who may require additional assistance with meeting their employment goals.

- Child welfare is a growing concern in America. As awareness of domestic violence and child abuse and neglect grows, the systems for protecting children and supporting their families are having a difficult time keeping up. Child welfare caseworkers face growing caseloads, government expenses for foster care increase every year, and appropriate and high-quality foster care placements are scarce. Large numbers of children in foster care age out of the system without adequate support. Evaluation of programs and systems designed to improve this situation has become a major part of BPA's research portfolio.

- The President's New Freedom Initiative is making sweeping changes in opportunities and community access for people with disabilities. Going well beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, this initiative affects almost every service delivery system and arena of public policy, from education, health care, and family services to employment and economic development. BPA's extensive research background in the field of disability, coupled with our understanding of the many policy areas and mainstream social service systems affected, gives us a unique ability to conduct research and evaluate programmatic efforts to implement this initiative.

- Many new and innovative programs build capacity in, and improve access to our educational, child care, and health care systems. Lessons from these programs must be recorded and disseminated. In our policy studies and program evaluations focusing on child care, school-linked programs, and health care programs, BPA has learned of many successful -- and often innovative -- programs, interventions, and policy decisions. BPA is expert at identifying the important lessons from these initiatives and turning them into recommendations for program improvement and program replication.