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Project Description

This project is a random assignment evaluation studying the effectiveness of a special college program for welfare recipients. The evaluation, which also includes a study of program implementation, will answer several questions: 1) whether offering intensive supports encourages single parents on TANF to return to school after they have gone to work; 2) whether making work a condition of education and training increases motivation to lean and enhances short-run job retention and advancement opportunities; and 3) whether providing remedial education and support services helps participants to succeed in regular college programs, thereby increasing their access to higher-paying jobs over the long run.

Set on a community college campus, New Visions provides a 24-week program of academic instruction and support services, followed by up to five months of credit-bearing course work in an occupational mini-program. In order to be eligible, clients must have a high school diploma or GED and be working at least 20 hours a week.

Project duration: Aug 1999 - Aug 2004

Sites studied include Riverside County, California

Sample Characteristics and Sites Studied

Random assignment of 1,100 New Visions volunteers to treatment and control groups over a two-year period. Those in the treatment group are enrolled in the program, whereas those in the control group are allowed to receive only services otherwise available.

Recent Findings in Brief

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