Research

The impact of Briya’s unique two-generation education program is an ongoing subject of research.

Below is a collection of recent studies exploring our model, key program practices, and student and family outcomes.

Brookings Institution

The Brookings Institution conducted a case study on the unique partnership between Briya and Mary’s Center to provide comprehensive support to DC families through its Social Change Model (SCM) which provides health, education, and social services to families. The authors posit that the SCM is an approach that could successfully improve the status of struggling neighborhoods and warrants longitudinal research to prove so.

Using Schools and Clinics as Hubs to Create Healthy Communities: The Example of Briya/Mary’s Center

National Institutes of Health

Researchers from the National Institutes for Health compared long-term health outcomes of individuals who received health, education, and social services from Briya and Mary’s Center against individuals who only received one component of the organizations’ Social Change Model (SCM). Findings indicate that engagement with the SCM was “protective against the adverse health outcomes of hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol” compared to patients who only sought health care at Mary’s Center.

Report coming soon.

New America

Experts at New America have written extensively about Briya’s model, family engagement, workforce programs, and support for families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prioritizing Family Engagement to Support DLLs

Supporting Caregiver Students: A Two-Generation Model

Centering Equity: Authentic Family Engagement is Bi-Directional: Engaging in Meaningful Family Partnerships

Support for Immigrant Families during School Closure

Distance Learning for Young Children and Their Families

Developing a Bilingual Associate Degree Program for Spanish-Speaking Early Childhood Educators

D.C. Policy Center

These reports detail the results of two surveys conducted in May 2020 and January 2021 with adult learners in DC, including Briya students, to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 on school, work, and home life.

The Impact of COVID-19 on DC’s Adult Learners: Results from a Spring 2020 Survey

DC’s Adult Learners during the pandemic: Result from a Fall 2020 Survey

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Briya is profiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on their Effective Literacy and Numeracy Practices Database. The database features adult education programs from around the globe with the goal of improving literacy policies and practices.

Briya Family Literacy Program

NCFL

NCFL conducted an evaluation of Briya Voices for All, our program to develop parents’ advocacy and leadership skills. Through this optional class, students learn about community organizing, select an issue to work on and take action on that issue. In 2020, students advocated for changing the length of time for re-enrollment in DC’s public health insurance program as well as public support for excluded workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from the evaluation indicated that BVFA supported students’ development of leadership, workforce, and language skills. Additionally, students who participated in BVFA demonstrated higher perceived ability in their leadership skills as well as their preparedness to advocate compared to students who did not participate in the group.

Mi granito de sal: An Evaluation of Briya Voices for All

Become a Briya Research Partner

Briya engages in research that furthers the fields of two-generation and early childhood education, adult learning, family engagement, and community schools. We regularly collaborate with graduate students, researchers, government agencies, and institutes to conduct studies.

If you are interested in conducting research at Briya, please contact us for more information.