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Building a Learning Agenda on Disconnected Youth

Building a Learning Agenda on Disconnected Youth. Engaging Disconnected Youth Sponsored by: Hyams Foundation, ROCA, Teen Futures Boston, MA November 9, 2011. Dan Bloom Director, Health and Barriers to Employment. Outline. Background

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Building a Learning Agenda on Disconnected Youth

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  1. Building a Learning Agenda on Disconnected Youth Engaging Disconnected Youth Sponsored by: Hyams Foundation, ROCA, Teen Futures Boston, MA November 9, 2011 Dan Bloom Director, Health and Barriers to Employment

  2. Outline • Background • Evidence: what we’ve learned from rigorous studies of second chance programs • What next?

  3. BACKGOUND

  4. About MDRC • Nonprofit social policy research org. created in 1974 by Ford Foundation and federal agencies • Known for rigorous evaluations and demonstrations of promising programs for low-income people • Focus on early childhood, K-12, second chance programs for youth, welfare-to-work, community colleges, etc.

  5. Why a high school education matters Unemployment rate in 2008 Median weekly earnings in 2008 Professional degree Master’s degree Bachelor’s degree Associate degree Some college, no degree High school graduate Less than a high school diploma Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

  6. Who drops out? • Disagreement about how to measure dropout rate, but… • At least one in four HS freshman do not graduate in 4 years (NCES) • Dropout rate much higher for low-income, minority students, and in big cities

  7. Diverse reasons for dropping out • Did not find classes interesting (47%) • Failed classes (37%) • Needed to get a job (32%) • Needed to care for family member (22%) • Became a parent (26%) Civic Enterprises survey of 400 HS dropouts, 2005

  8. Diverse pathways • Urban Institute study found: • 60% of youth are consistently connected to school and/or work from 18-24 • 10% consistently disconnected • 30% move between statuses • Overall, more than 60% of dropouts earn a GED or diploma within 8 years…

  9. 100 8th graders in 1988 22 no high school diploma or GED by 2000 16 late high school diploma (3) or GED (13) by 2000 62 earned a high school credential 100 8th graders in 1988 38 dropped out of high school at least once 92 earned a high school credential 1 no high school diploma or GED by 2000 7 late high school diploma (1) or GED (6) by 2000 8 dropped out of high school at least once …But patterns differ by family background Lowest socioeconomic status Highest socioeconomic status Source: Bloom, Dan. 2010. “Programs and Policies to Assist High School Dropouts in the Transition to Adulthood.” The Future of Children: 20, 1: 89-108.

  10. EVIDENCE

  11. “Second chance” programs • ABE/GED programs run by CBOs, libraries, schools, community colleges, etc. • National youth programs (Job Corps, YouthBuild, NG Youth ChalleNGe, Conservation Corps) • Independent community-based programs • Programs embedded in systems (juvenile justice, mental health, foster care) • Line between K-12 and second chance can be blurry

  12. What is a “rigorous” evaluation? • Outcomes and impacts are different • To assess impacts, need a comparison group to determine what would have happened to participants without program • Best way to construct comparison group is through random assignment; otherwise, very hard • But random assignment is not always feasible or appropriate

  13. Rigorous evaluations of second chance programs: mixed results • Several programs substantially increased receipt of GEDs and/or certificates • Several programs increased employment and earnings, at least in short term • A few programs reduced crime • However, rigorous studies that followed youth for more than a couple of years have found few lasting impacts

  14. Reflections on results • What is reasonable to expect? • Vitamin vs. inoculation • Compared to what? • Studies generally tested programs for motivated youth who found other help • How do programs handle the transition? • What about the GED? • GED does not appear to be equivalent to a diploma in the labor market

  15. WHAT’S NEXT?

  16. (Over)simplified typology of dropouts and program types

  17. Possible research topics • Assess effectiveness of models for dropouts who reconnect: • College-focused models for youth with stronger skills • Youth development programs • ABE/GED programs • Models for youth with very low basic skills • Learn more about how to engage youth who are more deeply disconnected

  18. Learning agenda • Major studies of national youth programs are underway or completed; need to act on results • These programs serve only a subset of youth; large-scale demos to fund and evaluate: • Models for youth who reconnect but have very low basic skills; • Enhanced GED models, especially at community colleges; • Outreach/engagement models for youth who are more seriously disconnected

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