The University of Texas at Austin

Ray Marshall Center

for the Study of Human Resources

for the Study of Human Resources

Retraining the Gulf Coast through Information Technology Pathways: Impact Evaluation Interim Report

Leave a Comment

Retraining the Gulf Coast through Information Technology Pathways: Impact Evaluation Interim Report

Authors: Ashweeta Patnaik and Heath Prince
Date:  January 2015
Publication Type:  Report, 41 pp.

This report describes the Gulf Coast IT program participants from the first year of program implementation, which is considered to be the 2013-2014 academic year. In addition, the report provides an update on the Ray Marshall Center’s impact evaluation activities and provides an overview of data quality, gaps in data, and implications for the impact evaluation.

Wage Insurance and Wage Supplements: Final Evaluation Design Report

Leave a Comment

Wage Insurance and Wage Supplements: Final Evaluation Design Report
A Report to the United States Department of Labor
Authors: Christopher T. King and Kristie Tingle
Date: January 2016
Publication Type: Report, 16pp.

The U.S. labor market has changed significantly in many respects since the creation of the unemployment insurance (UI) program in 1935.  The provision of cash benefits associated with UI has changed as well, yet the basic structure of the UI program remains the same.  Due to the possibility that features of the UI program may need to keep pace with the changing nature of work, policy makers are looking to alternative measures to encourage more rapid reemployment and ensure better earnings recovery.  Two proposed measures are the provision of wage insurance and/or the provision of wage supplements as a complement to UI, designed to increase the speed of reemployment and improve the wages of reemployed individuals.

This report outlines design parameters, evaluation methods, data sources, tasks, timelines and next steps for conducting a wage insurance and a wage supplement demonstration and accompanying evaluations.  The report proposes key research questions related to program design and results, along with supplemental research questions gathered from the literature, feasibility analysis of the demonstrations, and discussions with an expert advisory committee and USDOL policy and program staff.  Design parameters and options are outlined for each demonstration.  These include program eligibility, targeting, supplement amount, duration and timing, and administrative infrastructure, and are largely based on the existing literature.  The report proposes an implementation study and randomized control trial to capture the labor market impacts of the wage insurance and wage supplement demonstrations using employer records, state UI records, and survey data.  Recommendations are made that a benefit/cost analysis be conducted as well.  A discussion of the feasibility of the demonstrations and evaluation is included, along with precautions to ensure validity.  Recommended large sample sizes and randomized control trial design, will support statistically significant results.

See also USDOL Training and Employment Notice No. 30-16 announcing the release of the publication.

Austin Two-Generation Pilot Project Evaluation

Leave a Comment

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

Leave a Comment

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.

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

Leave a Comment

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

Leave a Comment

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.

Housing 360: Patterns of Program Participation and Outcomes

Leave a Comment

Housing 360: Patterns of Program Participation and Outcomes

Authors:Tara Smith, Kristin Christensen, Daniel Schroeder, and Heath Prince
Date Published: December 2013
Publication Type: Report, 36pp.

Abstract:  The City of Austin’s Housing 360 program was funded through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) under Title XII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Housing 360 appears to have been largely successful, though data limitations and the lack of a comparison group prevent more rigorous assessment. Available data indicate that the financial assistance provided to households helped many in the Austin community find or retain adequate housing in the short-term.

Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting-Started Guide for State and Local Policymakers

Leave a Comment

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

Authors: Christopher T. King, Rheagan Coffey, and Tara C. Smith
Date: November 2013
Publication Type: Report, 28pp.

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.

Toward Equity for All: Findings From Stakeholder Input on the Capital Area Community Agenda Project (Executive Summary)

Leave a Comment

Toward Equity for All: Findings From Stakeholder Input on the Capital Area Community Agenda Project (Executive Summary)

Authors: Ying Tang, Christopher T. King, Erin Brown, Katie Ryan, Bryan Hadley, and Suzanne Hershey
Date: July 2006
Publication Type:  Executive Summary, 10pp;  Full Report, 165pp.

This report presents a summary of stakeholders’ views on pressing issues, root causes and recommendations for action.  Responses to the online survey are also summarized here.  In addition, key findings from recent community needs assessments are included when appropriate and available.

Sign up for updates

Receive a semi-monthly e-newsletter with updates on research,
publications, events, and other developments from our Center.
View the Current and Archived issues.
Subscribe

Connect with us


2315 Red River St., Stop R1300
Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 3
Austin, Texas 78712-1536
Phone: (512) 471-7891
Email: rmcinfo@raymarshallcenter.org