Jeffrey Roth, PhD

My research interests and objectives are to link events in the perinatal period (including mother’s pregnancy history and infant’s delivery diagnoses) with subsequent educational performance.

The research methods utilized by our unit include multivariable analysis of medical and socio-demographic effects on school achievement, with early intervention program participation (e.g., WIC, Head Start, Part C) serving as covariates. We performed analyses of very large adminstrative data sets resulting from the merger of computerized, de-identified records drawn from Florida Vital Statistics, Healthy Start Prenatal and Postnatal Risk Screening, and the Department of Education’s Data Warehouse.

Another area of my research involves evaluating the effectiveness of preschool early intervention programs. In Florida, these programs represent an annual investment of a quarter billion dollars and the state legislature is keenly interested in identifying which programs produce beneficial long-term results. We received funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S Department of Education, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  to answer the following important questions: 1) How do different groups of children (cross-classified by social and biological risk) perform on standardized achievement tests, after controlling for initial medical conditions?; 2) What school policies and practices enhance or dilute the cognitive and social skills acquired through participation in prekindergarten school readiness programs?

Our unit was also contracted by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to analyze the impact of Medicaid participation (SOBRA and non-SOBRA, payer type, and provider type) on pregnancy and birth outcomes (morbidity and mortality). Our Center conducted annual independent evaluations of Florida’s Medicaid Family Planning Waiver program, focusing on birth averted and cost savings. Our unit specialized in linking cross-sector datasets to estimate the program’s long-term cost effectiveness.