At-Risk Young People

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.

Issue Focus Area

Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth Employment

Highlights

Report

Evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe/Job ChalleNGe Program

Participants in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program are more likely to obtain a GED or high school diploma, earn college credits, and be employed. This study evaluates an expansion called Job ChalleNGe, which includes more court-involved youth and includes an add-on residential training program.

Overview »

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Issue Focus

Does Technology-Based Advising Promote Equity in Career and Technical Education?

Many schools are using technology-based tools to generate career recommendations and supplement the capabilities of their guidance departments. MDRC has partnered with two technology companies to test whether their career-advising software programs are viable tools for equitably supporting students as they identify and pursue future careers.

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Full

Report

Engaging Young Men Involved in Chicago’s Justice System

A Feasibility Study of the Bridges to Pathways Program

In a program to reduce criminal justice involvement, participants received mentoring, case management, subsidized internships, and the opportunity to earn a high school credential. The program reduced the arrest rate for felonies and violent crimes but did not affect overall rates of arrest or incarceration, educational or training certification, or employment.

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Evaluation of JPMorgan Chase’s Summer Youth Employment Program Focus Area: Youth Employment Population: Young Adults	Covenant House Youth Transitions to the Labor Market Focus Area: Youth Employment Population: Young Adults	From Theory to Practice (T2P) Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes
Pay for Success Clean Energy Training Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Youth Employment Population: Populations with Low Incomes Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York	CTE Advise: Advising Tools in Secondary Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs	Reconnecting Youth Population: Young Adults
MDRC Center for Effective Career and Technical Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs	MDRC Center for Data Insights: Improving Programs and Systems with Actionable Data Science Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Young Adults Families	The Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy Pilot Evaluation Focus Area: Youth Employment Student Services Job Retention and Advancement Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Sectoral Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Washington
Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth Employment Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: GED Completion, Job Training, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs Locations: Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York	P-TECH 9-14 Evaluation Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Instruction and Curricula Institutional Reform Youth Employment Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Career & Technical Education, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs, Accelerated Programs Locations: New York	STRIVE Future Leaders Implementation Study Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Mentoring, Case Management, Career & Technical Education, Behavioral Interventions, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Focus Area: Youth Employment After-School/Out-of-School Time Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York	GED Bridge: Strengthening the Link into College and Careers Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, GED Completion Locations: Wisconsin	Strengthening Nonprofit Financial Management Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Illinois
PACE Center for Girls Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Elementary and Middle School High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Classroom Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: Florida	Project Rise Focus Area: Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Intervention: Career & Technical Education, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Missouri, New Jersey, New York	YouthBuild Evaluation Focus Area: Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Population: Young Adults Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services
Social Innovation Fund Project with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation Focus Area: High School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, Reading Instruction, Student Services, Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Classroom Services, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms	Mayor’s Fund & Center for Economic Opportunity Social Innovation Fund Project Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Asset Building, Financial Incentives, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas

Process and Impact Evaluation of New York City’s Pretrial Supervised Release Program Focus Area: Pretrial Justice Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Locations: New York	Youth-Led Tech Focus Area: After-School/Out-of-School Time Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Sectoral Training, Mentoring, Career & Technical Education, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Illinois	GED 21st Century Learning Pathways Pilots Focus Area: Instruction and Curricula Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, GED Completion Locations: New York
Social Impact Bond Project at Rikers Island Focus Area: Youth and Juvenile Justice Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Corrections and Reentry Population: Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, Classroom Services, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Locations: New York	LaGuardia's GED Bridge to Health and Business Program Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, GED Completion Locations: New York	Youth Transition Demonstration Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth Employment Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Intervention: Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Case Management, Benefits Planning, Employment Services Locations: California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, West Virginia
Evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program Focus Area: Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, GED Completion Locations: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin	Youth Villages Transitional Living Program Evaluation Focus Area: Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Intervention: Case Management Locations: Tennessee	Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program Focus Area: High School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Intervention: Case Management, Financial Incentives, GED Completion Locations: Ohio
Center for Employment Training Replication Focus Area: Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina	JOBSTART Focus Area: Youth Employment Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas

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At-Risk Young People

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