Urban Institute

About: Urban Institute is a nonprofit organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Medicaid & Population. The organization has 927 authors who have published 2330 publications receiving 86426 citations.

Sex Effects on Evaluation

Abstract: Prejudicial evaluation is often cited as an explanation for the apparent failure of competent women to achieve as much success as men have. In this paper we review research on the evaluation of the qualifications and performance of men and women, and research on attributions about the causes of performance. Although most of the studies reviewed show pro-male evaluation bias, contradictory evidence has also been found. Three factors affecting these research findings are discussed: (1) the level of inference required in the evaluation situation, (2) the effects of sex-rote incongruence, and (3) the effect of level of qualifications and performance involved.

Left Out: Immigrants’ Access To Health Care And Insurance

Abstract: Recent policy changes have limited immigrants’ access to insurance and to health care. Fewer noncitizen immigrants and their children (even U.S.-born) have Medicaid or job-based insurance, and many more are uninsured than is the case with native citizens or children of citizens. Noncitizens and their children also have worse access to both regular ambulatory and emergency care, even when insured. Immigration status is an important component of racial and ethnic disparities in insurance coverage and access to care.

Can Teacher Quality Be Effectively Assessed? National Board Certification as a Signal of Effective Teaching

Abstract: In this paper, we describe the results of a study assessing the relationship between the certification of teachers by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and elementary-level student achievement. We examine whether NBPTS assesses the most effective applicants, whether certification by NBPTS serves as a signal of teacher quality, and whether completing the NBPTS assessment process serves as a catalyst for increasing teacher effectiveness. We find consistent evidence that NBPTS is identifying the more effective teacher applicants and that National Board Certified Teachers are generally more effective than teachers who never applied to the program. The statistical significance and magnitude of the “NBPTS effect,” however, differs significantly by grade level and student type. We do not find evidence that the NBPTS certification process itself does anything to increase teacher effectiveness.

The Effect of Longevity on Spending for Acute and Long Term Care

Abstract: This study explores the implications of the aging of the Baby Boom generation and increased longevity after age 65 for Medicare and long term care costs. Estimates show that Medicare spending increases at a decreasing rate with age, while long term care costs rise at an increasing rate. End of life Medicare costs actually decline with age, while nursing home costs rise sharply. Projections suggest that the impact of the increased longevity after age 65 of current and future elderly on Medicare spending will be small, and, although the impact of longevity on long term care spending will be larger, the dominant factor increasing future spending for both types of care will be the sheer number of persons turning age 65. (The New England Journal of Medicine 2000 May; 342(19); 1409-1415).