| Principal Investigator: | Heath J. Prince, PhD |
| Sponsor: | Jobs for the Future, US Department of Labor |
| Project Duration: | September 2012 – October 2016 |
| Description: | Growing Regional Opportunity for the Workforce: Expanding the Border for Lower Skilled Adults (GROW) is a bold and ambitious “Type B” project to transform the workforce development system in a five-WIB region along the Texas-Mexico border. The Border Workforce Alliance (BWA) – a consortium comprised of the Cameron, Lower Rio, Middle Rio, South Texas, and Upper Rio Workforce Investment Boards – are partnering with regional employers, one-stop operators, community colleges, training providers, and community-based organizations, and with national workforce intermediary Jobs for the Future, to align and strengthen workforce system components to accelerate credential attainment and career entry by lower-skilled adults and meet the skilled workforce needs of key industry sector employers. |
| Reports Available: | Growing Regional Opportunity for the Workforce (Project GROW): Final Evaluation Report Authors: Ashweeta Patnaik, Dan O’Shea, and Heath Prince Date: October 2016 Publication Type: Final Evaluation Report, 77pp. Growing Regional Opportunity for the Workforce: Project G.R.O.W. Goes to Seed in the Texas-Mexico Border Areas Growing Regional Opportunity for the Workforce: Project G.R.O.W. Taking Root in the Texas-Mexico Border Areas |
Texas Education Research Center
| Principal Investigators: | Deanna Schexnayder, MBA and Christopher T. King, PhD |
| Sponsors: | Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
| Research Partner: | The University of Texas at Dallas |
| Project Duration: | September 2007 – August 2012 |
| Description: | The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and its partners — including the Ray Marshall Center — have established an Education Research Center (ERC), sponsored by the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which will conduct research for the benefit of education in Texas, as authorized by Section 1.005 of the Texas Education Code. Current approved projects are:
Project 1: College Readiness, Transition, and Performance The Ray Marshall Center will use linked high school and postsecondary education records, in combination with variables developed from the TEA AEIS public database to determine the rates of graduation and college enrollment for seniors in Texas school districts and factors associated with successful transitions to postsecondary education. Statistical models that were developed in a similar project that used different data sources will be run on data obtained from the ERC data warehouse to test the degree to which findings are consistent across the different data sets and available variables used in the two separate projects. Project 2: An Analysis of Early Education Factors Associated with School Success in the Elementary Years Ray Marshall Center researchers will conduct an exploratory analysis of the relationship between participation in pre-kindergarten and success in the early school years. Outcome measures to be used in this phase of the analysis will be either 1st grade passing rates or 3rd grade performance on TAKS tests, depending on the years of TEA data available in the ERC data warehouse at the time that the study is conducted. |
| Reports Available: | Study of Early Education in Texas: The Relationship of Pre-K Attendance to 3rd Grade Test Results Authors: Aletha Huston, Anjali Gupta, and Deanna Schexnayder Date: March 2012 Publication Type: Report, 51 pp. Factors Associated with Education and Work after High School for the Classes of 2008 and 2009 Authors: Greg Cumpton, Deanna Schexnayder, and Christopher T. King; with assistance from Chandler Stolp Date: February 2012 Publication Type: Report, 93pp. |
Austin College Access Network (ACAN)
| Principal Investigators: | Christopher T. King, PhD and Tara Smith, MPA |
| Sponsor: | TG Public Benefit Program |
| Research Partners: | E3 Alliance |
| Project Duration: | October 2011 – August 2012 |
| Description: | In partnership with E3 Alliance, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is participating in the Central Texas College Access and Persistence Program Evaluation. The evaluation seeks to increase regional capacity to provide critical and effective support to traditionally underrepresented college students to help ensure that they enter college and persist in their studies through completion. The project has two primary goals: 1) to increase Austin College Access Network (ACAN) member awareness of the nature and breadth of college access and persistence services offered in Central Texas and identify service gaps; and 2) to increase the capacity of ACAN member organizations for program evaluation and continuous improvement activities.
Under the project, RMC will:
|
| Reports Available: | Central Texas College Access and Persistence Program Evaluation: Outcomes and Impacts Summary Report Authors: Tara Smith and Greg Cumpton Date: January 2013 Publication Type: Report, 72pp.Initial Evaluation Findings: Central Texas College Access and Persistence Programs Authors: Tara Smith and Greg Cumpton Date: May 31, 2012 Publication Type: Report, 47pp. Information Brief: Common Definitions The Ray Marshall Center’s 2010-2011 project with the Austin College Access Network, as well as available reports, are accessible via this link: ACAN – “Staying Powers” Project |
Labor Market Research for the Workforce Potential Project
| Principal Investigators: | Christopher T. King, PhD and Robert W. Glover, PhD |
| Sponsor: | Austin Area Research Organization |
| Project Duration: | January 2012 – June 2012 |
| Description: | The Workforce Potential Project, an initiative of the Social Equity Committee of the Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), aims to better align the local human capital supply and projected industry demand in support of economic growth in Central Texas. WPP targets area residents 25 years and older with some postsecondary achievement to obtain an associate’s degree or certification that will enable them to qualify for high-demand, high-wage jobs offering opportunities for stable employment and career advancement.
AARO engaged the Ray Marshall Center to conduct in-depth labor market research, including identification and analysis of industry sectors and occupations meeting WPP criteria; to prepare of a range of return-on-investment estimates; and to synthesize findings and recommendations for improving and connecting skills, education, and training capacity with projected job opportunities for the target population. The initial report, Workforce Potential Project: Analysis of Labor Market and Provider Capacity, presents the results of this collaborative research effort and provides a basis for advancing WPP toward implementation. |
| Reports Available: | The Workforce Potential Project: Analysis of Area Labor Market and Provider Capacity Authors: Robert W. Glover, Dan O’Shea, Christopher T. King, Laura Stelling, and Richard Fonté Date: September 2012 Publication Type: Report, 60pp. |
Workforce Data Quality Initiative
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD Co-Principal Investigator: Tara Smith, MPA |
| Sponsor: | U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration |
| Research Partners: | Texas Workforce Commission |
| Project Duration: | December 2010 – June 2014 |
| Description: | Texas’ Workforce Data Quality Initiative aims to develop a comprehensive system for analysis of workforce and education participation and outcomes. In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is working to build, test, improve, and expand data linkages across linked individual-level, longitudinal education, and workforce records. Through this project, researchers will be able to identify and assess postsecondary pathways and transitions between education, employment, and other outcomes for students exiting the public school system as well as analyze the performance of the human capital development system in Texas, spanning secondary education through postsecondary education, and workforce training and employment. Additional data sources that will be linked into workforce and education records include corrections, Vital Statistics, and federal and military employment from the Federal Employment Data Exchange System (FEDES). The project will also identify barriers to linking these data systems and present possible options for addressing these barriers. Outcomes and data from the Workforce Data Quality Initiative will be used to enhance program improvement, performance management, and research. This will provide researchers and local ISD administrators, as well as state and local policy makers, with information that could ultimately be used to improve young adult connections with the workforce system and help students and parents identify career pathways to high-wage employment. |
| Reports Available: | Postsecondary Education, Training and Labor Market Transitions in Texas: A Regional Analysis Authors: Greg Cumpton, Kristin Christensen, Christopher King, Charles Demakis, and Tara Smith Date: June 2014 Publication Type: Report, 64pp. Findings on Student Outcomes: Results from an Employer Survey Pilot Project Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 7 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 6 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 5 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 4 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 3 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 2 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 1 The Texas WDQI Project TAKS-ing Students? Evaluating Exit Exam Effects on Long-Term Student Outcomes in Texas The Effects of Institutional Inputs on Time to Degree for Traditional and Nontraditional College Students Work-study Financial Aid and Student Outcomes: Evidence from Community Colleges in Texas |
Austin College Access Network (ACAN) “Staying Powers” Project
| Principal Investigator: | Deanna T. Schexnayder |
| Sponsor: | TG Public Benefit Program |
| Research Partners: | E3 Alliance |
| Project Duration: | December 2010 – July 2011 |
| Description: | In partnership with E3 Alliance, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is participating in the Austin College Access Network (ACAN) college persistence project entitled “Staying Powers: Building College Persistence for our Most Challenged Students.” The project’s goal is to conduct a program to enhance the collaboration of participating organizations in the Austin College Access Network to improve college persistence for the region’s low-income and first-generation students at several area colleges and universities. In particular, the program will help establish data capabilities and provide resources for engaging higher education partners to develop shared programming to improve retention.Under the project, RMC will:
|
| Reports Available: | Development of a Student Tracking System for ACAN Participants Authors: Deanna Schexnayder, Patty Rodriguez, and Greg Cumpton Date: January 2012 Publication Type: Report, 9pp. The Ray Marshall Center’s 2011-2012 project with the Austin College Access Network, as well as available reports, are accessible via this link: ACAN |
A Statewide Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment for Texas
| Principal Investigator: | Deanna T. Schexnayder, MBA |
| Sponsor: | Texas Early Learning Council and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston |
| Research Partners: | Steve Murdock, Ph.D., Hobby Center for the Study of Texas |
| Project Duration: | June 1, 2011 – October 31, 2012 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center is beginning work with the Texas Early Learning Council and University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston to identify and evaluate education programs and services in Texas for children under the age of 13. The project has four objectives:
1. To understand and estimate the number of children under age 13 who will be eligible for early childhood education programs and services and before and after school-age care programs and services in the near term (2012-2015). 2. To understand and document the current supply across the state of Texas of formal providers of early childhood education programs and services as well as school-age care for children under the age of 13 based on data from federal, state and local agencies and service providers. 3. To conduct a gap analysis based on objectives #1 and #2. 4. To generate a final, comprehensive state of Texas needs assessment analyzing Texas’ early childhood education and school-age care system; and provides recommendations for meeting identified gaps in programs and services and quality and recommendations for conducting periodic needs assessment. |
| Reports Available: | Change in the Early Childhood and School Age Population in Texas, 2000 to 2010, and Projected to 2015 Authors: Steve H. Murdock, Michael Cline, Debbie Perez, and George Hough Date: September 2012 Publication Type:Report, 140pp. Publisher: The Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, Rice University Texas Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment: Supply and Quality of Early Care and Education and School-Age Care Texas Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment: Gaps between Need and Availability of Early Care and Education Texas Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment: Final Report |
Two-Generation Strategy Initiative
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
| Sponsor: | Foundation for Child Development |
| Project Duration: | April 2011 – June 2016 |
| Description: | In partnership with the Foundation for Child Development, the Ray Marshall Center is implementing a Dual-Generation Strategy Initiative. This project seeks to create and promote the field of “dual-generation” strategies, those in which children simultaneously participate in high-quality early and primary education (PreK-3rd) while their parents participate in leading-edge workforce development and education programs ultimately leading to long-term learning and economic success for low-skilled, low-income families in the United States. The goals of the project are to improve the understanding of dual-generation strategies among policymakers, researchers, and funders, as well as foster the implementation of dual-generation strategies at the federal and state levels. The project potentially has four (4) phases, the first two of which FCD is funding through the Center:
The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) is a national private philanthropy in New York City dedicated to promoting a new beginning for American education from PreKindergarten through Third Grade (PreK-3rd). PreK-3rd Grade Education is a seamless learning continuum, connecting high-quality PreK programs with high-quality elementary schools, to create a well-aligned primary education for all our nation’s children. The Foundation promotes the well-being of children, and believes that families, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and governments at all levels share complementary responsibilities in the critical task of raising new generations. |
| Reports Available: | Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting-Started Guide for State and Local Policy Makers (Revised and Updated) Author: Christopher T. King, Cynthia J. Juniper, Rheagan Coffey, and Tara C. Smith Date: August 2016 Publication Type: Report, 55pp Austin Two-Generation Pilot Project Evaluation – UWGA Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting-Started Guide for State and Local Policy Makers Dual-Generation Strategy Initiative Research Brief Investing in Children and Parents: Fostering Dual-Generation Strategies in the United States |
Jobs to Careers: Promoting Work-Based Learning for Quality Care (R. W. Johnson)
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
| Sponsor: | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
| Research Partners: | Johns Hopkins University and University of Baltimore |
| Project Duration: | December 2007 – December 2009 |
| Description: | Researchers at the University of Texas’ Ray Marshall Center, in combination with those at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Baltimore propose to advance the understanding of work-based learning (WBL) and career advancement strategies and bolster the business case for these strategies by applying a rigorous return-on-investment (ROI) approach to two Jobs-to-Careers Projects, the Austin Healthcare Collaborative and the Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare. The research will offer a framework for applying state-of-the-art ROI to frontline health/healthcare worker efforts, compute initial ROI estimates for participants (e.g., employees, employers), taxpayers and society and address their implications. Questions to be addressed are:
The research will feature theoretical/conceptual analysis and fieldwork in year one, and data collection, impact and ROI estimation in year two. It will contribute to understanding the business case for WBL and career advancement strategies for frontline health/healthcare workers, guide future investments in frontline worker strategies, and increase understanding of the burden sharing of costs. |
Biotech Workforce Evaluation
| Principal Investigators: | Robert W. Glover, PhD |
| Sponsor: | WorkSource: The Greater Austin Workforce Development Board |
| Research Partners: | Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Community College |
| Project Duration: | September 2006 – August 2008 |
| Description: | The Ray Marshall Center is conducting an evaluation of a pilot project to enhance educational offering in biotechnology at Austin Community College. Specializations in biotechnical instrumentation and in molecular diagnostics are being developed and implemented in collaboration with industry through a series of teacher externships. In addition, the college is developing a one-semester program in Biotechnology Preparation to provide job applicants with applied skills to access entry-level jobs in biotechnology. Faculty from three ACC departments are involved in this initiative: Electronics, Biotechnology, and Medical Laboratory Technician.
The Ray Marshall Center evaluation is considering both process issues and outcomes of the demonstration. The project will monitor implementation of the project, examining whether implementation was carried out as planned, and if changed, how and why. The evaluation will document the project’s results, assess to what extent the goals and outcomes of the project were accomplished, how well the project served its targeted audiences and constituencies, the measurable returns on investment of the project, and what lessons can be learned from the experience. This pilot project is funded by the Texas Workforce Commission under its program “Meeting Industries’ Critical Workforce Needs” in biotechnology and administered by WorkSource: The Greater Austin Workforce Development Board. The program aims to foster workforce development for jobs in industry clusters targeted for economic development by Texas and by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. |
| Reports Available: | Evaluation of the Austin Biotech Workforce Education Consortium Author: Robert W. Glover Date: February 2009 Publication Type: Report, 68pp. Austin Biotech Workforce Education Consortium: First Year Report |
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