This report documents the impacts six years after random assignment for Washington State’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. Part of the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) project, I-BEST’s goal is to increase low-skilled adults’ access to and completion of college-level occupational training in a range of in-demand occupational areas. The program’s signature feature is a team-teaching approach where students receive instruction from two instructors in the same course: one provides job training and the other teaches basic skills in reading, math, or English. The I-BEST programs in this evaluation also included dedicated student advisors and “fill-the-gap” financial assistance.
This report finds that after six years I-BEST:
- Had no impact on receipt of credentials requiring a year or more of college study, the confirmatory outcome in the education domain.
- Had no detectable impact on average quarterly earnings in follow-up quarters 23 and 24, the confirmatory outcome in the employment domain.
- Had no detectable impacts on several measures of positive employment and career progress (secondary outcomes), including currently employed in a job that was full-time or offered health insurance or other benefits. I-BEST did increase the likelihood of working in an occupation related to training.
- Had no detectable impact on measures of financial wellbeing.
The report discusses the implications of these results. PACE receives funding from the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Postsecondary Preparation and Completion in North America
Fewer Boston high school graduates are enrolling in college, while completion rates stagnate
A college degree can lead to greater economic mobility and improved job market prospects. However, after a 2008 report found that only 35 percent of Boston Public Schools (BPS) graduates who entered college had completed postsecondary education within seven years, a coalition including the Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, and BPS launched a college completion initiative called Success Boston. A core component of Success Boston is transition coaching to support students in their first two years of college. Success Boston Coaching (SBC) matches recent BPS graduates with a coach, who meets with them regularly during their first two years of college and supports them as they navigate academic, financial, and social barriers in college. SBC primarily serves students from groups traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, including members of racial/ethnic minority groups and students from backgrounds of economic disadvantage.Abt was hired to study the effects of SBC. Looking across five BPS graduating classes, we found that students who received SBC were 18 percent more likely to graduate in four years, and 12 percent more likely to graduate in five years, than their non-coached peers. In an article on our study findings and the challenges students face, The Boston Globe spoke to one of the study authors, Abt’s Kelly Lack. In addition to summarizing the report’s findings, Kelly noted that the city’s goal of a 70-percent completion rate is “a good motivation to help us think about what we can continue to do to help support students throughout their college careers.”
High School Counseling and College Financial Aid
This report from Abt and Anlar finds correlations between meeting with a high school counselor, FAFSA completion, and receipt of need-based grants for college.
How Do the Impacts of Healthcare Training Vary with Credential Length? Evidence from the Health Profession Opportunity Grants Program
Our analysis of HPOG subgroups defined by program experiences found weak evidence that long-term credentials led to meaningfully larger earnings impacts.
Impacts of 10 PACE and HPOG 1.0 Occupational Training Programs
Only 1 of 10 programs evaluated—9 in the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education project plus the HPOG 1.0 Program--increased earnings after six years.