| Principal Investigator: | Cynthia Juniper, MA |
| Sponsor: | George Kaiser Family Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families |
| Research Partners: | Community Action Program of Tulsa County, Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child and Graduate School of Education, Tulsa Educare, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa’s School of Community Medicine, Northwestern University’s Institute of Policy Research, Columbia University |
| Project Duration: | July 2008 – September 2021 |
| Description: | In collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of partners, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is developing and implementing a sectoral workforce development strategy for low-skilled, low-income parents of children served by early childhood programs in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is emerging evidence that children whose parents hold stable jobs with progressively rising incomes exhibit better academic and behavioral outcomes. RMC and its partners have undertaken a dual-generation approach to poverty reduction that strengthens the investment in early childhood development by equipping Head Start parents with workforce training and gainful employment opportunities. This approach employs a more holistic model than traditional workforce development programs, as it also includes employee counseling and other support services to help parents complete training and adult basic education, retain their jobs, advance in their careers, and become economically self-sufficient. The goal is to develop a sustainable sectoral strategy that can be replicated beyond Tulsa to other communities across the nation.
In the first phase of the project (2008-2009), RMC designed a sectoral job development strategy focused on industries featuring jobs that pay well and provide much-needed employee benefits (e.g., health insurance, annual and sick leave) as well as career advancement opportunities. In April 2009, Community Action Program of Tulsa County launched the pilot, CareerAdvance®, at two Head Start sites in Tulsa involving 15 parents. The components of the CareerAdvance® are 1) GED and college readiness instruction, as needed; 2) skills training in the healthcare sector progressing from Certified Nursing Aide to Licensed Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse; 3) weekly peer support meetings addressing a flexible set of topics (e.g., life skills, work readiness, family finances); 4) conditional cash incentives (up to $3,000 a year) for participants meeting specified benchmarks to reinforce continued participation and help offset foregone earnings; and 5) workforce intermediation between healthcare employers and training institutions provided through Workforce Tulsa. The report on the project’s first year of operation is available at the link below. In partnership with Harvard University and the University of Oklahoma – Tulsa School of Medicine, a second pilot site was opened in July 2009 at a Tulsa Educare Center. The second pilot, EduCareers, includes all components described above as well as enhanced mental health services for participating households, curriculum enhancements for the children, parent engagement training, and a medical home. The CareerAdvance® project has now been expanded to 2015 with support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. RMC and partners at Northwestern and Columbia University have been engaged to provide ongoing on data collection, implementation, and outcomes analysis of project participants. |
| Reports Available: | CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY 2020: The impact of COVID-19 on service delivery Authors: Cynthia Juniper and Christopher T. King Date: February 2021 Publication Type: Report, 52pp. CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY2019 CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY2018 CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY2017 CareerAdvance® HPOG II Transition and Expansion CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through July 2015 Sustaining Two-Generation Strategies: A Case Study of Tulsa’s CareerAdvance® Program CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings Through July 2014 CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings Through July 2013 The Evolution of the CareerAdvance® Program in Tulsa, Oklahoma Expanding the CareerAdvance® Program in Tulsa, Oklahoma CareerAdvance® Implementation Report CareerAdvance® Pilot Project |
Central Texas Workforce Intermediary Initiative Pilot
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
| Sponsor: | The Rockefeller Foundation |
| Research Partners: | Skillpoint Alliance and Capital IDEA |
| Project Duration: | October 2005 – March 2007 |
| Description: | The Central Texas Workforce Intermediary Initiative (CTWII) will build and strengthen support among Central Texas stakeholders for a major workforce intermediary initiative linked to long-term economic growth and regional vitality. Specifically, the initiative will result in increased training and job creation, especially high-skilled jobs offering high wages, improved job retention, and career advancement for area residents, new business and industry development, greater productivity for the Central Texas business community, and greater economic and social equity across the community. The initiative will focus its efforts on nursing and allied health careers in the region’s steadily growing healthcare industry sector.
The CTWII coalition will utilize a two-phase approach as it transitions from the planning stage to implementation. Phase I will focus on systems and capacity building. It will continue to solidify and expand accomplishments from the planning grant phase, including promoting ongoing stakeholder engagement, bolstering funding, finding additional ways to align funding streams, and continuing to work for improved public policies and political support. This phase will allow the group to implement and test select strategies in one initial industry sector — healthcare — then make adjustments as necessary before full-scale implementation. Phase II will include the continued expansion of the initial industry sector initiative and planning for the expansion of the initiative into at least one and possibly two additional industry sectors. This phase will also focus on long-term planning and sustainability of the efforts launched in Phases I and II. The overarching goal of our work in the healthcare industry sector will be to address the human resources needs of Central Texas healthcare employers by increasing the capacity of leading education and training institutions locally — especially Austin Community College and University of Texas’s School of Nursing — to connect low-income workers with job and career advancement opportunities in the healthcare industry. Through our efforts, we will:
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Industry Competency Scan
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
| Sponsor: | U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration |
| Research Partner: | Planmatics, Inc. |
| Project Duration: | June 2006 – March 2007 |
| Description: | Industry competency models, which specify the knowledge, skills and performance needed by high performing workers, are key to guiding education and training institutions in developing curricula to meet the demands of businesses. The Department of Labor‘s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has identified two key roles in promoting industry developed competency models that drive curricula, assessments and certifications:
To fulfill the information-brokering role, ETA is developing an electronic clearinghouse of existing industry recognized skill standards, competency models, and competency-based curriculum. This competency clearinghouse is intended to link to and be used in conjunction with two existing electronic resources in America’s Career InfoNet where users currently can search for skill certifications by occupation and industry and State occupational license requirements. The goal is to create an Internet site that will provide industry a means to publicize their emerging skill needs and where businesses, both small and large, educators, and individuals can go to ascertain the emerging skill demands in the U.S. workplace. It will be a tool for businesses and human resource professionals to develop job requirements; for educational institutions to use in curriculum development; and for career exploration and guidance. Planmatics, Inc., working with its subcontractor the Ray Marshall Center, will support ETA’s efforts in this arena by carrying out a scan of selected industries that are part of the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative in order to identify and catalogue the major competency models in use within these sectors. While our focus will be on industry-wide technical competencies, we also will report on competencies we find that address other levels in ETA’s building-block framework, for example, industry-specific and occupation-specific competencies. This task will review existing national, state, and industry skills standards and competency models for 4 to 5 individual industry groups. Summary descriptions, commonalities and gap analyses will be forwarded to ETA as they are completed during this time. |
Capital Area Training Foundation Construction Gateway Evaluation
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
| Sponsors: | Capital Area Training Foundation, Jobs for the Future |
| Research Partner: | Capital Area Training Foundation |
| Project Duration: | January 2004 – December 2004 |
| Description: | The Capital Area Training Foundation (CATF) and the Ray Marshall Center have entered into a strategic partnership that will:
The Construction Gateway Evaluation component of this partnership seeks to document results of the Gateway Program, identify practices/policies associated with positive results, and provide options for maintaining and expanding the initiative as well as exploring the possibility of replicating the model in other industry sectors. Moreover, the research feeds back into the larger objective of engaging civic interest and capacity in workforce development and career advancement, validating current investments, and influencing the public policy environment to promote more investment through the example of a “grounded” community program. The evaluation will be available Fall 2004. |
Central Texas Student Futures Project
| Principal Investigator: | Greg Cumpton, PhD |
| Sponsors: | Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, TG, Texas Education Agency, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Surveys: | Central Texas Student Futures Project 2021 Surveys Hays CISD 2021 Surveys |
| Project Duration: | September 2004 – March 2024 |
| Participating Districts: | Austin ISD, Bastrop ISD, Del Valle ISD, Eanes ISD, Elgin ISD, Hays CISD, Hutto ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Leander ISD, Liberty Hill ISD, Lockhart ISD, Manor ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Round Rock ISD, San Marcos CISD |
| Description: | The Student Futures Project—formerly known as Creating a Central Texas High School Data Center—is a research partnership of the Ray Marshall Center, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Skillpoint Alliance, and a growing number of Central Texas independent school districts (ISDs). The project is documenting and analyzing the progress of Central Texas high school students as they move onto colleges and careers. It relies on a combination of student surveys and linked administrative records to improve feedback and policy and program alignment for Central Texas ISDs in preparing students for the demands of adulthood and for success in the workplace. The purpose of the Student Futures Project is two-fold: 1) To provide ISDs, postsecondary institutions, and employers with comprehensive, longitudinal research on what high school students are doing after graduation, why they are making these decisions, and how a variety of educational, personal, and financial factors are related to their success in higher education and the workforce; and 2) To offer workshops, seminars, and applied research on best practices and applied research that will assist ISDs, the Education Service Center, and postsecondary institutions to increase the number of regional youth who obtain postsecondary academic and workforce credentials.
Each year the Student Futures Project issues reports on area high school graduates to allow districts and schools to see exactly how their preparation has helped high school students move on to the next phase of their development either in college, training, or the workplace. The reports address the following questions, among others: • Who is and is not going to college and why? These reports will trace each graduating class as they move through work, postsecondary education and training, and other options for up to four years after graduation. The focus of these reports is to identify trends and practices that best enable students to capitalize on the opportunities they meet after graduation and to ensure that schools have a process for evaluating how they prepare their students for what lies beyond graduation. |
| Reports Available: | Findings from the 2014 Senior Surveys Authors: Carinne Deeds and Greg Cumpton Date: January 2015 Publication Type: Report, 88pp. Findings from the 2013 Senior Surveys Initial Postsecondary Enrollment Statistics through December 2011 for Class of 2011 Central Texas Graduates Trends in Low-Income Enrollment and Outcomes in Central Texas for School Districts and Campuses, 2008 through 2012 The Influence of Activities and Coursework on Postsecondary Enrollment and One-Year Persistence for the Class of 2010 FAFSA Filling Patterns and Direct to College Outcomes for Class of 2012 Central Texas Graduates Initial Postsecondary Enrollment Statistics through December 2012 Findings from the 2012 Senior Surveys Factors Associated with Education and Work after High School for the Classes of 2008 and 2009 Initial Postsecondary Enrollment Statistics for 2010 Central Texas Graduates through December 2010 Findings from the 2010 Senior Surveys Initial Postsecondary Enrollment Statistics through December 2009 for Class of 2009 Central Texas Graduates Findings from the 2009 Senior Surveys Central Texas Student Futures Project Conceptual Model Education and Work After High School: Central Texas Outcomes through December 2008 Education and Work after High School: Findings from Multi-Methods Research in Central Texas Findings from the 2008 Senior Surveys Education and Work after High School: A First Look at the Class of 2007 Student Futures Project 2007 Research Brief Findings from the 2007 Senior Surveys Community Briefing: Education and Work After High School: A First Look Outcomes One Year Later: An Update on the Class of 2006 Education and Work After High School: A First Look at the Class of 2006 Central Texas High School Graduate Data Center: Findings from the 2006 Senior Surveys Central Texas High School Graduate Data Center: Year One Report Brief Central Texas High School Graduate Data Center: Year One Final Report Beyond the Numbers: Improving Post-Secondary Success through a Central Texas High School Data Center Preliminary Year One Findings: January 2006 |
Patterns and Effectiveness of Vocational/Technical Education Participation in Texas
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
| Sponsors: | MPR Associates (now RTI International), National Assessment of Vocational Education |
| Project Duration: | April 2000 – December 2002 |
| Description: | Christopher King and Lee Holcombe will study the patterns and effectiveness of vocational/technical education participation in Texas in the 1990’s at both the secondary and postsecondary levels as mandated by the U.S. Dept. of Education as part of the National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE). |
Parent Satisfaction Survey of Austin Independent School District
| Principal Investigator: | Robert Glover, PhD |
| Sponsors: | Office of the President, The University of Texas at Austin; The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce; and The Sid Richardson Foundation |
| Project Duration: | December 1999 – August 2001 |
| Description: | This project conducted an independent survey of the satisfaction of parents with the Austin schools their child attended during March and April 2000. The survey was sponsored jointly by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and by the Office of President Larry Faulkner of the University of Texas at Austin. The Sid Richardson Foundation provided partial financial support. Telephone surveys were conducted in English or Spanish by the Office of Survey Research in the UT College of Communications with a randomly selected sample of 1,176 parents who had a child enrolled in an Austin ISD public school during the 1999-2000 school year. Dr. Bob Glover of the Ray Marshall Center staff served as overall coordinator for the project. Lee Holcombe assisted with the analysis of the data. Deanna Schexnayder participated with a group of volunteer experts on education or survey research from across the University and the Austin business community to develop the survey instrument. Professor Lynn Stokes of the UT Department of Management and Information Systems designed a random sample stratified to provide valid results by major ethnic or racial group (African American, Anglo and other, Asian American, or Latino), by level of school in which the child was enrolled (elementary, middle school, or high school), and by the income status of the household (low income or not). The survey included 32 questions measuring satisfaction with various aspects of schooling in Austin, along with 13 questions identifying school programs in which the child participated and activities in which parents participated. A follow-up parent satisfaction survey is planned. |
| Reports Available: | Parent Satisfaction with School Quality: Evidence from One Texas District Authors: Toni Falbo, Robert W. Glover, S. Lynne Stokes, W. Lee Holcombe, Wei Na Lee, Veronica Inchauste, O’Neil Provost, Deanna Schexnayder, and others. Date: January 2003 Publication Type: Report, 33pp. |
Teacher Mentoring Programs in Texas
| Principal Investigator: | Robert W. Glover, PhD |
| Sponsor: | SEDL – Southwest Educational Development Laboratory |
| Project Duration: | March 2000 – November 2000 |
| Description: | In collaboration with Southwest Educational Development Laboratory staff, Dr. Robert Glover examined mentoring programs and practices for novice teachers in schools and school districts across Texas. The study included a survey mailed to all Texas school districts, an analysis of administrative data available from the Texas Education Agency, and case studies of three school districts with established programs for mentoring teachers new to the profession. The study aimed to identify promising practices, gather information on the effects of mentoring, and provide a research base for advising educators in schools and school districts and state policy makers who want to begin or improve mentoring programs. |
Capital Area Education and Careers Partnership School-to-Career Grant: An Assessment of Early Accomplishments, Constraints, and Prospects
| Principal Investigator: | Christopher T King, PhD |
| Sponsor: | Texas Workforce Commission |
| Project Duration: | January 2000 – March 2000 |
| Description: | Ray Marshall Center researchers, Christopher King and Daniel O’Shea conducted an evaluation of Year One and Year Two deliverables of the “School-to-Career” project. These activities and services were delivered under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 by the Capital Area Education and Careers Partnership. |
| Report Available: | Capital Area Education and Careers Partnership School-to-Career Grant: An Assessment of Early Accomplishments, Constraints, and Prospects Authors: Daniel P. O’Shea and Christopher T. King Date: March 2000 Publication Type: Report, 23pp. |
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