On October 30, MDRC and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association will host a free webinar as part of their College Promise Success Initiative. This webinar will feature adult promise programs as part of their programming around technical assistance and evidence-based support practices. Stay tuned for more information to come.

Because most jobs today, especially sustainable and well-paying jobs, require a college degree, those without postsecondary credentials are at risk of being left out of or underemployed in the workforce. While national attention is being focused on increasing this number in aggregate, more attention needs to be paid to populations like opportunity youth, immigrants, or the previously incarcerated that have historically had low college enrollment rates and continue to be underserved. This Jobs for the Future report details four ways that institutions can initiate and sustain guided pathways and cross-cutting policies: 1) political leadership and commitment, 2) data systems capacity and use, 3) braided funding, and 4) capacity building and continuous improvement. They also highlight four policies for students to help them connect, enter, progress through, and complete college: 1) strong on-ramps, 2) ongoing intensive student support, 3) comprehensive financial aid, and 4) robust career pathways. More information on the current conditions and policy opportunities within each category is provided in the report.

Two recent reports from the Institute of Higher Education Policy and the Education Trust found that programs offering free tuition to low-income students typically do not have the intended impact of making college more affordable. Because these programs only cover the leftover tuition of what other forms of federal and state aid do not cover, they usually do not lower other financial barriers, such as housing, transportation, or textbook costs. While some program advocates have said that these reports analyze financial aid programs in a vacuum and not in context of other forms of aid, the reports nonetheless recommend close scrutiny of free tuition programs and suggest adding other forms of financial support to fully enable low-income students to attend college.

This report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce outlines challenges faced by low-income students who work longer hours than their higher-income peers while at the same time aiming to complete their postgraduate education. The report distinguishes between these two groups of students, both on the extent of their financial safety nets and the applicability of their choice of study. It concludes with recommendations to provide support for low-income students in completing their higher education to close the opportunity and education gaps they face.

An MDRC infographic provides initial findings of the Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) initiative, which targets youth ages 15-25 who have been involved in the child welfare and justice systems, or who are homeless. The infographic identifies components of two established national programs – Jobs for America’s Graduates and the Jobs for the Future Back on Track – and the LEAP enhancements for case management and training that are offered locally to support youth in employment and postsecondary educational opportunities.

Produced by the Center for Poverty Research at UC Davis, this policy brief compares different interventions focused on increasing college enrollment for high school seniors. Research indicates students involved in a mentoring program are statistically more likely to enroll in college than both the control group and groups receiving assistance without personal mentoring. Women were most positively affected. Students who had not taken the SAT, or who did not have parent or counselor support, also positively benefitted. And, students were just as likely to persist in college as students in the control group who had enrolled, indicating any disadvantages before mentorship did not affect them once they got to college. This study refutes previous research by showing the importance of intensive, face-to-face mentoring for students above less-personalized methods.

This report evaluates the early impacts of the Year Up program. Year Up is a national training program for youth between 18-24 years of age. It provides individuals with 6 months of full-time training in IT and financial service sectors, followed by a 6-month internship, with an emphasis on professional and technical skills development. Findings indicate that Year Up participants reported higher-than-average earnings after assignment, as well as high satisfaction rates within the classroom. This consistently large and positive effect on incomes – when compared to the control group – represents the largest positive impact to date for any federal workforce program tested in this manner. Findings also indicated that adherence to program design during implementation was also largely positive, though outcomes vary between Year Up offices.

This report from MDRC presents the interim impact findings from an ongoing evaluation of YouthBuild, a program that employs at-risk youth in the construction field, teaching them marketable skills while also supporting them to earn their high school diploma or GED. Many of the reported impacts from this randomized control trial were positive, and each is examined in the report.

This brief from Mathematica Policy Research highlights a newer practice in college settings called competency-based education (CBE), which allows students to work at their own pace towards a credential, often meeting workforce demands faster than traditionally paced programs. This brief explores the current research that exists on this model, offers policy recommendations, and provides examples of colleges currently operating CBE models.