Policy Work

I worked in policy research for federal health and education programs in Washington, D.C. prior to graduate school. I contributed to large-scale, mixed-methods evaluations for programs including a community-based adolescent drug use prevention grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a randomized control trial evaluating a math education teacher development program, and an evaluation of the Obama-era Social Innovation Fund Initiative. In these research projects, I led site-visits, conducted interviews and focus groups, analyzed qualitative and quantitative data, and wrote publications and reports. My work also involved providing direct technical assistance to community organizations to improve local capacity for data collection and using research/data. 

My experience in the policy and evaluation space informed my research interest in the intersections of inequality and social policy, and drove me to pursue my Ph.D. in sociology. I am committed to public sociology and community-engaged research with the goal of using my research to inform policies on mitigating inequality.

Policy Publications

Xiaodong, Z., Griffith, J., Sun, J., Malakoff, L., Pershing, J., Marsland, W., Peters, K., & Field, Elly. (2017). Strengthening Organizational Capacity and Practice for High-performing Nonprofit Organizations: Evidence from the National Assessment of the Social Innovation Fund – A Public-Private Partnership. Public Administration Quarterly, Fall 2017, 424-461.

Xiaodong, Z., Griffith, J., Sun, J., Malakoff, L., Pershing, J., Marsland, W., Peters, K., & Field, Elly. (2015). The SIF’s Impact on Strengthening Organizational Capacity. ICF and Corporation for National Community Service: Washington, DC.

ICF International. (2015). Drug-Free Communities Support Program: 2014 National Evaluation Report. Authors: Fairfax, VA. 

ICF International. (2014). Drug-Free Communities Support Program: 2013 National Evaluation Report. Authors: Fairfax, VA.