Only 68 of every 100 ninth-graders in public schools will complete high school on time. Among those who do graduate, many leave high school without developing the skills they need to succeed in the workplace or in postsecondary education. Helping these young adults improve their basic literacy and acquire the work and technical skills they need to qualify for higher-quality jobs, which are the ticket to rising wages and career advancement, is emerging as one of the nation’s major challenges in the decades ahead.
MDRC projects test a range of innovative interventions for low-income youth who have dropped out of school, are at risk of dropping out, are teen parents or youth offenders, or are disabled. Some programs focus on improving participants’ marketable job skills or high school completion rates; others use more comprehensive strategies aimed at addressing a broader range of needs.
Current Projects
In past studies conducted by MDRC and Mathematica Policy Research, the Center for Employment Training in San Jose was identified as unusually effective in serving young adults. These findings led the U.S. Department of Labor to support a national replication and evaluation. MDRC and Berkeley Policy Associates are studying the implementation of services in these replication sites and their effects on employment and other key outcomes. In 2005, MDRC kicked off an evaluation of the National Guard ChalleNGe Program, which serves youth ages 16 to 18 who have dropped out of high school and have not yet found a place in the labor market. The program begins with a six-month residential phase that emphasizes completion of a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate and a range of other activities and support services, followed by a one-year postresidential phase in which participants are assigned to a mentor in the community. In addition, the U.S. Social Security Administration has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research and MDRC to develop and evaluate the Youth Transition Demonstration for young people who are either receiving disability benefits or who are likely to need them. By waiving certain federal disability program rules and offering services to disabled youth, this project is expected to encourage young people to work or continue their education.
Completed Projects
Some prior MDRC projects have evaluated programs serving young adults outside the traditional education system. The Literacy in Libraries Across America study identified ways that libraries can strengthen adult literacy programs. In the New Chance demonstration, MDRC developed and studied a program for young mothers to help them complete GEDs, increase their parenting skills, acquire job skills, and become self-sufficient. In Ohio’s Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program evaluation, MDRC studied a state initiative that used a combination of incentives and sanctions to encourage young mothers receiving welfare to attend school and earn a high school diploma or a GED certificate. MDRC organized the JOBSTART demonstration to test a program of education, training, and support services for low-income young adults who lacked a high school diploma or GED. MDRC examined its implementation and its effects on employment, welfare receipt, and other outcomes.
Key Documents on Youth Transitions to Work
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"One Day I Will Make It"
A Study of Adult Student Persistence in Library Literacy Programs
Listed: January 2005
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Working with Disadvantaged Youth
Thirty-Month Findings from the Evaluation of the Center for Employment Training Replication Sites
Listed: June 2003
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New Chance
Final Report on a Comprehensive Program for Young Mothers in Poverty and Their Children
Listed: January 1997
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LEAP
Final Report on Ohio’s Welfare Initiative to Improve School Attendance Among Teenage Parents
Listed: January 1997
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JOBSTART
Final Report on a Program for School Dropouts
Listed: October 1993
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