The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) is a nonpartisan public research group located in Olympia, the hub of Washington State government. WSIPP is a team of multidisciplinary researchers who conduct applied policy research for the state legislature in a creative and collaborative environment.
WSIPP is strongly committed to the core values of nonpartisanship, quality, and impartiality. Created in 1983, WSIPP has become nationally and internationally recognized for the design, depth, and quality of its research reports and benefit-cost analyses.
WSIPP’s mission is to carry out practical, non-partisan research at the direction of the legislature or the Board of Directors. WSIPP works closely with legislators, legislative and state agency staff, and experts in the field to ensure that studies answer relevant policy questions. Fiscal and administrative services for WSIPP are provided by The Evergreen State College.
Current areas of staff expertise include the following: education, criminal justice, welfare, children and adult services, health, and general government.
For a list of current projects, click here.
WSIPP also collaborates with faculty in public and private universities and contracts with other experts to extend our capacity for studies on diverse topics.
The 2021 Legislature passed 2SHB 1044 expanding the types of postsecondary education programs eligible for state funding in the Department of Corrections’ (DOC) incarceration facilities. The bill directs WSIPP to study recidivism, enrollment, and completion rates of incarcerated persons in the postsecondary education system after release from incarceration. The study will use data from DOC, the Washington Student Achievement Council, and the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges. The study must include the following:
The preliminary report can be found here. A final report is due October 1, 2027.
In 2022, the Washington State Legislature passed 2SHB 1818, which expanded the use of rental vouchers for individuals leaving incarceration in state prisons from three to six months. As a part of this bill, the Legislature directed WSIPP to conduct an evaluation and benefit-cost analysis of Washington’s Housing Voucher Program, accounting for the new expansion to six months. The assignment directs WSIPP to consider not only recidivism outcomes, but also impacts on homelessness, use of public services, and other factors WSIPP deems relevant.
A final report is due to the governor and the Legislature by November 1, 2025.The 2023 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to review all assessments and charges imposed on individuals incarcerated in Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities and their family members and the effect of assessments and charges on the financial status of incarcerated individuals.
For more information on the items that must be included in WSIPP’s review, please see the study assignment language in the legislation linked below.
The report is due to the governor and the legislature by June 30, 2025.
The 2023 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to update its adult corrections inventory of evidence-based, research-based, and promising programs, and to expand the inventory to include new programs not included in the last WSIPP inventory. The update must focus on programs for incarcerated individuals in prison facilities, including family and relationships programs, learning and working programs, and therapeutic and support programs. WSIPP was directed to prioritize programs currently offered by the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC).
The preliminary report can be found here. The preliminary report identifies the programs currently offered in DOC prison facilities and lists the new programs to be reviewed for the updated adult corrections inventory.
A final report of the updated adult corrections inventory will also list programs currently offered in DOC prison facilities and will include a determination of each program’s likely effectiveness in reducing recidivism based on WSIPP’s analysis of available evaluation studies. The final report is due by December 31, 2024.
After individuals are transferred out of incarceration to partial confinement or released to the community, case managers refer these individuals to reentry service providers. The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) is conducting an experiment to examine methods to increase access to community providers to reduce the likelihood of recidivism. WSIPP’s Board of Directors approved a contract with DOC for WSIPP to evaluate this experiment.
The preliminary report can be found here. The final report is due December 1, 2025.
The 2022 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to conduct a comprehensive study of the needs of farmworkers in the state to help policymakers determine whether those needs are being met by state-administered programs, policies, and statutes. WSIPP must focus on needs related to health and safety in the workplace, payment of wages, and preventing harassment and discrimination of, and retaliation against, farmworkers for asserting their rights regarding health and safety standards, wage and hour laws, and access to services. The information must be based on surveys or interviews conducted by Latino nonprofit agencies with well-established connections to farmworkers.
WSIPP must also examine how relevant state agencies coordinate with each other and federal agencies in enforcing the laws and policies related to farmworkers and review available data and research on programs intended to provide farmworkers access to services and benefits.
A preliminary report can be found here, and a final report is due to the legislature by June 30, 2025.
The 2023 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to study the potential need for developing specialized long-term services and supports for adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). At a minimum, the study must include the following:
The 2021 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to evaluate the Guided Pathways Model. Guided Pathways is a community and technical college reform that aims to improve student experience and outcomes through changes to academic program structure, advising, instruction, and progress monitoring.
WSIPP’s preliminary report will review the implementation of the Guided Pathways Model in Washington and any available evidence of the effectiveness of the Guided Pathways Model. If possible, this report will also evaluate the effect of the Guided Pathways Model on early student outcomes, including, but not limited to, student retention and persistence, college-level English and math within the first year, graduation and transfer rates. The preliminary report can be found here.
A final report will evaluate the effect of Guided Pathways on longer-term student outcomes including, but not limited to, degree completion, time to degree, transfer to four-year institutions, employment, and earnings, to the extent possible. The final report is due in December 2029.
An initial report was released in July 2014. Updates were published in July 2015, July 2016, June 2018, and July 2020. The inventory will be updated every two years thereafter.
WSIPP was scheduled to update the inventory in 2022. Instead of an update, WSIPP assessed the use of the inventory. In the absence of the regular update, WSIPP published a historical review of the LAP inventory, describing potential changes resulting from 2021 legislation, and offering a discussion of options regarding the future of the inventory. In 2024, WSIPP will be updating some LAP program findings. Those results will be released on the Benefit-Cost section of our website by the end of December 2024.
WSIPP receives funding from the legislature to conduct research on K-12 education topics that are relevant to Washington. Chronic absenteeism, defined as a student missing 10% or more school days in an academic year, has become an increasing concern at the national and state levels. Research indicates that missing school, whether excused or unexcused, is associated with lower academic achievement, negative behavioral outcomes, and an increased risk of dropping out of school. Between 2018 and 2023, a period that corresponds with the COVID-19 pandemic, national chronic absenteeism rates rose from 15% to 26%, while rates in Washington increased from 15% to 30%.
To better understand this topic, WSIPP will study student absenteeism in Washington, including the factors that contribute to it, absenteeism rates over time and by student populations, and the policies and interventions school districts use to reduce absences and engage students.
WSIPP will publish a report to the legislature July 15th, 2025.