Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment

High School Dropouts

MDRC designs and evaluates projects that serve young people who have dropped out of high school (or are at risk of dropping out) and that seek to connect them with educational and work opportunities.

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Building on the GED

Bridge-to-college programs aim to help people complete high school and enroll in postsecondary education. This evaluation of one such program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, WI finds that it helped more students earn their GEDs and enroll in college courses.

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Voices from the Field

Community college career and technical education (CTE) can fill shortages in the labor market while providing a pathway to economic mobility. But can it do so equitably? In 2019, MDRC’s Center for Effective CTE conducted a scan of notable programs across the country to find out more.

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Key Documents

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Serving Out-of-School Youth Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (2014)

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) emphasizes targeting out-of-school youth with training and services that are employer driven and linked to labor market demand. Drawing upon available research and on-the-ground experience, this paper summarizes existing knowledge that can guide implementation of key WIOA provisions for serving out-of-school youth.

Boosting the Life Chances of Young Men of Color

Evidence from Promising Programs

A review of high-quality studies, this paper highlights interventions — in education, employment and training, and second-chance programs — that have demonstrated positive results for young men of color. It comes as policymakers and philanthropies focus new attention on investing more to build opportunities for these young men.

What Works for Disconnected Young People

A Scan of the Evidence

Disconnected young people are the focus of several recent national initiatives to improve their life prospects. Drawing on interviews and available research, this MDRC Working Paper scans the current state of policy and evidence regarding what works in helping young people reconnect to work or school.

MDRC Center for Effective Career and Technical Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary High School Dropouts Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs	The Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy Pilot Evaluation Focus Area: Youth Employment Student Services Job Retention and Advancement High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Low-Income Populations 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 Low-Income Populations Intervention: GED Completion, Job Training, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs Locations: Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York
STRIVE Future Leaders Implementation Study Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice High School Dropouts 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 High School Dropouts 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 High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, GED Completion Locations: Wisconsin
Project Rise Focus Area: High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Intervention: Career & Technical Education, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Missouri, New Jersey, New York	YouthBuild Evaluation Focus Area: High School Dropouts 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 High School Dropouts 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 High School Dropouts Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Low-Income Populations 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	Youth Villages Transitional Living Program Evaluation Focus Area: High School Dropouts Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Intervention: Case Management Locations: Tennessee

GED 21st Century Learning Pathways Pilots Focus Area: Instruction and Curricula High School Dropouts 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 High School Dropouts Reentry Population: Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, Classroom Services, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Locations: New York	Evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program Focus Area: High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, GED Completion Locations: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin
LaGuardia's GED Bridge to Health and Business Program Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, GED Completion Locations: New York	Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program Focus Area: High School High School Dropouts 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: High School Dropouts 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 High School Dropouts 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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High School Dropouts

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