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The intervention group for this study includes English-speaking people with postsecondary and unemployment insurance data who enrolled in an AO initiative program. To be eligible to participate in AO, people had to score at the 6th- to 12th-grade level on a math, reading, or writing test. Participants were recruited from those in adult, developmental, and career and technical education (CTE) education programs in the colleges where AO initiative programs were offered. The authors used propensity score analysis to select a comparison group from among people enrolled in other adult education, developmental education, and CTE courses at the colleges offering services to the intervention group. The propensity score was estimated based on the local area unemployment rate, semester of enrollment, educational background, age, gender, race and ethnicity, family structure, occupational area of study, test scores before entry, employment history, earnings history, and the predicted probability of college enrollment (for adult education students only). Because people had follow-up data for different time horizons, a separate propensity score matching procedure was performed for each follow-up point.
People enrolled in the program from 2012 to 2014 and were followed until early 2016.
Jobs for the Future implemented the AO initiative with the National Council for Workforce Education, the National College Transition Network, and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges in Washington State. Educational services were provided at local colleges. Nine of the 13 community and technical colleges in Louisiana participated in the AO initiative.
People in the intervention group received services through the AO initiative. The AO initiative targeted people with low skills and low income who were enrolled in adult education. AO emphasized a career pathways approach to CTE, providing sequenced courses in high-demand fields. AO pathways included about 12 academic credits, led to one or more credentials, and were delivered using team teaching of basic skills and CTE and contextualized instruction. Career pathways were developed in partnership with local workforce agencies and employers to ensure their applicability. The program also provided academic and social supports to students, such as tutoring or transportation assistance.
The comparison group included adult education, developmental education, and CTE students. All were enrolled in a for-credit course at a college with an AO initiative program but were not enrolled in the program itself during the study period.
None.
Community and technical colleges in Louisiana.