Mississippi Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program (MIBEST) provided training with team teaching and support services that were designed to prepare students for high-demand occupations, enabling them to earn a high school credential while working toward certificates, degrees, and gainful employment. The team teaching approach means that participants concurrently receive both basic education and technical instruction and are not required to first have a high school credential. Support services include one-on-one college and career navigation; work readiness training; job search and placement supports; and assistance with food, child care, and transportation needs.
Eligible students were at least 17 years old, Mississippi residents, and either did not have a high school diploma or equivalent or had this credential but low academic skill levels. The study was conducted at community colleges statewide in Mississippi, with 15 colleges participating in the intervention.
The comparison group was students who did not receive MIBEST and were matched on test scores, demographics, and timing of postsecondary enrollment.
MIBEST was initially funded in 2015, with a second phase of the program funded in 2019. Data collection and analysis spanned January 2016 to December 2019, with impact analyses based on administrative data.
MIBEST provided training with team teaching and support services that were designed to prepare students for high-demand occupations, enabling them to earn a high school credential while working toward certificates, degrees, and gainful employment.. Services for participants included:
- Integrated career pathways. MIBEST provided concurrent instruction in both contextualized basic skills and technical instruction using a team teaching approach.
- Support services. Academic, financial, and personal support services were provided, including food, child care, and transportation assistance.
In addition, participating colleges were required to implement several components, including:
- Staffing. Colleges were required to have a MIBEST project coordinator and a full-time MIBEST navigator.
- Policies. Must allow students without a high school credential to have concurrent enrollment in both adult education and college courses and integrate programs in at least two high-demand occupations. Must implement acceleration strategies, such or online/hybrid learning or credit for prior learning.
- Supports. Must provide proactive advising, support services, and work-based learning opportunities.
- Services. Must using team teaching for at least 25 percent of MIBEST instructional time. Must include a minimum of 20 hours of work-readiness or life-skills training.
The study did not discuss any tools to measure fidelity to the intervention model.
The W. K. Kellogg Foundation (Kellogg Foundation) funded the first phase of MIBEST in 2016. In 2019, the second phase of MIBEST was funded through a mixture of Kellogg Foundation funding at three colleges and a mix of local, state, and federal funds at other colleges.
The Mississippi Community College Board led the MIBEST initiative, which was implemented at 15 community colleges statewide in Mississippi. The study took place statewide in Mississippi with MIBEST students at the participating colleges matched with adult education students in administrative data statewide.
MIBEST was led by the Mississippi Community College Board and was implemented in partnership with 15 community colleges in the state at the time of the study.
No partners were indicated for delivering MIBEST.
MIBEST was a voluntary program that served individuals age 17 and older without a high school credential with low incomes and other nontraditional students. In addition to age requirements, eligible students had to be Mississippi residents and either not have a high school diploma or equivalent or have this credential but low academic skill levels. Participants were predominantly either White (50 percent) or Black (42 percent) and 2 percent were Latinx. More than half (54 percent) were female, and the average age at enrollment was 26 years. Average quarterly earnings at enrollment were $1,296.
Information about the service intensity of MIBEST was not available.
Each community college offering MIBEST had to provide a project director and a full-time MIBEST navigator.