Programs and Policies to Assist High School Dropouts in the Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

Dan Bloom of MDRC examines policies and programs designed to help high school dropouts improve their educational attainment and labor market outcomes. So called "second-chance" programs, he says, have long provided some combination of education, training, employment, counseling, and social services. But the research record on their effectiveness is fairly thin, he says, and the results are mixed. Bloom describes eleven employment- or education-focused programs serving high school dropouts that have been rigorously evaluated over the past thirty years. Some relied heavily on paid work experience, while others focused more on job training or education. Some programs, especially those that offered paid work opportunities, generated significant increases in employment or earnings in the short term, but none of the studies that followed participants for more than a couple of years found lasting improvements in economic outcomes. Nevertheless, the findings provide an important foundation on which to build. Because of the high individual and social costs of ignoring high school dropouts, the argument for investing more public funds in services, systems, and research for these young people is strong. The paucity of conclusive evidence, however, makes it hard to know how to direct resources and magnifies the importance of ensuring that all new initiatives provide for rigorous evaluation of their impacts. Bloom concludes with recommendations for policy and research aimed at building on current efforts to expand and improve effective programs for dropouts while simultaneously developing and testing new approaches that might be more effective and strengthening local systems to support vulnerable young people. He stresses the importance of identifying and disseminating strategies to engage young people who are more seriously disconnected and unlikely to join programs. A recurring theme is that providing young people with opportunities for paid work may be useful both as an engagement tool and as a strategy for improving long-term labor market outcomes.

Youth Initiated Mentoring: Investigating a New Approach to Working with Vulnerable Adolescents

“…The NGYCP Model NGYCP is a comprehensive program serving youth ages 16-18 years old who have dropped out of high school. It was created in response to relatively disappointing results from a number of programs serving youth who dropped out of school (Bloom 2010). NGYCP consists of a 5-month intensive residential program (frequently on a military base) and a year-long Post-Residential Phase during which participants are supported by a mentor of their choosing.…”

“…Due to the significant individual and societal costs associated with dropping out of school, a range of ''second chance programs,'' have been developed. Such programs have struggled, however, to produce sustained improvements in youth outcomes that endure after programming has ended (Bloom 2010). Retention of outcomes is especially challenging for residential programs, since participants often have difficulty maintaining positive changes once they reenter their communities (Barker 1988).…”

Connecting high school dropouts to employment and education: an impact study of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

“…Indeed, a review of training programs operated under the Job Training Partnership Act in the 1980s found that these second chance programs produced few (and sometimes even negative) impacts on earnings (Bloom 2010;Orr et al 1997). For example, JOBSTART, New Chance, and Job Corps have all struggled to produce sustained improvements in employment or earnings, although they have shown success in increasing GEDs and vocational certificates (Cave et al 1993;Quint et al 1997;Schochet et al 2003Schochet et al , 2006.…”

“…Although some programs may have been insufficiently intensive, or were evaluated prematurely, researchers and other experts on youth programming have suggested that many of the prior programs erred by not utilizing a positive youth development (PYD) model (Bloom 2010). While other programs might focus on "fixing" a young person's problems, the hallmark of the PYD approach is a view of youth as positive resources to be developed (Roth and Brooks-Gunn 2003;Larson 2000;Lerner 2005).…”

“…The programs themselves vary widely in terms of the specific populations they target (such as youth with disabilities or those involved in the justice system), the scale (such as large federally funded national programs vs. smaller communitygrown models), the residential or non-residential setting, and the particular emphasis or combination of services offered. In recent years, there has also been an education shift in focus from GED obtainment as a goal towards high school diploma-granting opportunities and post-secondary education trajectories (Bloom, 2010). Ultimately, the goal is to help these youth successfully transition to adulthood with improved skills and/or credential and become productive, contributing members of society.…”