The University of Texas at Austin

Ray Marshall Center

for the Study of Human Resources

for the Study of Human Resources

Measuring Two-Generation Effects of Capital IDEA Program Participation

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Measuring Two-Generation Effects of Capital IDEA Program Participation

Authors:  Kristin Christensen and Tara Smith
Date:  May 2015
Publication Type:  Report, 9pp.

 Research suggests that parental participation in Capital IDEA may be associated with both higher rates of high school completion and college enrollment among older children.  Capital IDEA contracted with the Ray Marshall Center to explore these relationships using participant data from Capital IDEA and student data from area independent school districts (ISDs).  This report provides results of that analysis.

Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting-Started Guide for State and Local Policy Makers (Revised and Updated)

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Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting Started Guide for State and Local Policy Makers (Revised and Updated)

Authors: Christopher T. King, Cynthia J. Juniper, Rheagan Coffey, and Tara C. Smith
Date: August 2016
Publication Type: Report, 55pp.

This is a revised and updated version of the one prepared in 2013.  This paper is intended to serve as a getting-started guide for state and local policymakers as they begin to develop and implement two-generation strategies in their areas.  It begins with an overview of the most recent family of innovative two-generation programs and provides several examples of the model that illustrate different approaches to a two-generation strategy with strong workforce and/or education components.

Behavioral Economics and Workforce Development: A Review of the Literature from Labor Economics and the Broader Field

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Behavioral Economics and Workforce Development: A Review of the Literature from Labor Economics and the Broader Field

Authors: Cynthia J. Juniper and Heath Prince
Date: February 2016
Publication Type: Report, 16 pp.

There is mutual benefit for employers and workers when workers improve their skills beyond the minimum requirements for their position—a fact not lost on employers, many of who are willing to provide education and training opportunities to staff, including frontline workers. These opportunities typically include on-the-job-training, tuition reimbursement for postsecondary courses, and paid leave to attend classes. Despite often generous budgets for these activities, relatively few workers take advantage of these opportunities, potentially limiting increases in productivity, wages and longer-term career advancement (Tompson, Benz, Agiesta, & Junius, 2013). This dilemma raises an interesting research question: Can emerging lessons from behavioral science experiments be applied to cutting the Gordian Knot of worker participation in education and training programs?

This review of current literature on the topic is intended to explore the strengths and limitations of applying tools of behavioral sciences to increase the participation and completion rate of training for lower-wage, frontline incumbent workers in ways that benefit both workers and sponsoring firms.

CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through July 2015

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CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through July 2015
Prepared for the Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program Administration for Children and Families U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Authors: Kristin Christensen, Cynthia Juniper, and Christopher King
Date: October 2015
Publication Type: Report, 51 pp.

This report examines changes in the CareerAdvance® program that directly relate to the experience and progress of participants in the first through tenth cohorts through July 2015—the end of the sixth program year. A key finding of the implementation study to date is that the Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP Tulsa) has approached the design of the CareerAdvance® program as a continuous improvement process. The program model, its pathways, and other components have all been refined over time to address participant concerns, barriers to progress, and other factors. Because of these changes, few cohorts have experienced exactly the same program. This report examines program modifications over time, documents participation and progress in CareerAdvance®, and explores factors that appear to impede or support participant progress.

Austin Two-Generation Pilot Project Evaluation

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Austin Two-Generation Pilot Project Evaluation
Prepared for the United Way of Greater Austin

Authors:  C.J. Juniper and Tanlyn Roelofs
Date:  August 2015
Publication Type:  Report, 69pp.

The project evaluated in this report, the Austin Two-Generation Pilot Project, provided English as a Second Language classes three mornings a week in the spring semester 2015 for adults with children enrolled in two different Austin Independent School District sites: Uphaus Early Childhood Center and Linder Elementary school. The project was designed to gain an understanding of the implementation process and participant experience of a two-generation project in Austin, TX to inform future two-generation project development in the region.

This two-generation pilot project was evaluated using the following means: a review of student goal setting forms, an interview with the ESL teacher, student surveys and focus group transcripts, a classroom observation, student attendance related to a pre- and post-test of student English literacy skills, and a comparison of the spring semester school attendance of the Uphaus children whose parents participated in the project, to the larger group of Uphaus students.

Participants indicated that their primary reason for participating in the program was to help their children with homework and to learn to use a computer for work and finding a job. Parents identified that quality child care services for their younger children were essential to their participation in the program. Parents reported increasing the amount of time they spend reading to their children, listening and talking to their children each day after school, reading the school newsletter, talking with their child’s teacher, and attending parent events. The majority of participants experienced improvements in listening (77%), pronunciation (61%), speaking (61%), and writing (77%) as a result of their participation in the class.

Sustaining Two-Generation Strategies: A Case Study of Tulsa’s CareerAdvance® Program

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Sustaining Two-Generation Strategies: A Case Study of Tulsa’s CareerAdvance® Program

Authors: Amanda Briggs, Christopher T. King, and Tara Smith
Date: May 2015
Publication Type: Report, 29pp.

This report examines the CareerAdvance® program in Tulsa (OK) as a case study on the sustainability of a two‐generation anti‐poverty strategy that seeks to increase family economic mobility by investing intensively in sector‐based, career pathway education and training for parents, while their children are simultaneously enrolled in quality early childhood education. It is the length and intensity of the CareerAdvance® program that creates the most serious challenges for sustainability.

The sustainability of the CareerAdvance® program is analyzed using the Microsoft Scaling Framework, which provides a lens to consider the program’s design, adaptability, use of technology, and context. This analysis indicates that some components of the CareerAdvance® program, e.g., wrap‐around services and peer supports, lend themselves to positive and sustainable outcomes for participants, and some components, e.g., a strong workforce intermediary and identifying more reliable funding streams, require further investment. Based on this analysis, the report offers a series of recommendations for policymakers and program staff implementing two‐generation programs, and considers the challenges associated with bringing them to scale.

Urban Fathers Asset Building Initiative: Evaluation Plan

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Urban Fathers Asset Building Initiative: Evaluation Plan

Authors: Daniel Schroeder and Dan O’Shea
Date: May 2011
Publication Type: Report, 27pp.

This Evaluation Plan details the research process of the Urban Fathers Asset Building (UFAB) demonstration.  The purpose of the process research component is to document and assess the key strategies, partnerships, activities, and outcomes associated with the design, implementation, and operation of asset building strategies for these young men, who as a demographic group tend to under-
enroll and have not fully benefitted from asset-building services, particularly Individual Development Accounts (IDAs).  This research will identify opportunities, barriers, and constraints encountered during the demonstration and document the strategies and actions taken to address them in order to help ensure the success and sustainability of the service delivery model developed through the demonstration experiences.  The process evaluation provides an independent assessment for short-term adjustments to policy and practices, as well as guidance for informed planning and decision-making regarding statewide application of the project model.

The CareerAdvance® Pilot Project: Recommended Jobs Strategy for Families Served by the Community Action Project of Tulsa County

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The CareerAdvance® Pilot Project: Recommended Jobs Strategy for Families Served by the Community Action Project of Tulsa County

University of Texas Authors: Christopher T. King, Robert W. Glover, Tara Smith, Rheagan Coffey, and Brian Levy
Harvard University Authors: Hiro Yoshikawa and William Beardslee
Community Action Program of Tulsa County Author: Micah Kordsmeier
Date: August 2009
Publication Type: Report, 99pp.

In this report, we describe the recommended sectoral jobs strategy for parents served by the Community Action Project (CAP) of Tulsa County as a pilot initiative — now called CareerAdvance® — to be implemented starting in the summer of 2009. This work is the product of months of research and fieldwork that included in‐depth discussions with leaders and staff of employers and industry associations, community and technical colleges, community organizations/providers, CAP, and others. It also relies on insights gained from interviews conducted by CAP staff with a sample of parents drawn from five early education centers in the spring of 2009.

Assessing the Resident Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency Program of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin

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Assessing the Resident Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency Program of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin

Authors: Dan O’Shea and Heath Prince
Date: August 2013
Publication Type: Final Report, 38pp.

The Ray Marshall Center conducted a detailed process analysis of the Resident Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) Program that connects public housing residents with workforce development and supportive services available through community-based partnerships for the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA). The evaluation examines client flow, services, partnerships, and outcomes, as well as forms and procedures for client intake, initial assessment, case management, and program performance measurement.

CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings Through July 2014

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CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings Through July 2014

Authors: Tara Smith, Kristen Christensen, and Christopher T. King
Date: October 2014
Publication Type: Report, 44pp.
(Prepared for the Health Professionals Opportunity Grant Program, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

This report examines changes in the CareerAdvance® program that directly relate to the experience and progress of participants through July 2014—the end of the fifth program year— and the recruitment of Cohort 10 in spring 2014.  A key finding of the implementation study to date is that the Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP Tulsa) has approached the design of the CareerAdvance® program as a continuous improvement process.  The program model, its pathways, and other components have all been refined over time to address participant concerns, barriers to progress, and other factors.  Because of these changes, few cohorts have experienced exactly the same program.  This report examines program modifications over time, documents participation and progress in CareerAdvance®, and explores factors that appear to impede or support participant progress.

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