Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Moore, Q., Wu, A., Kautz, T., Kent, C., McConnell, S., McInnis, N., Patnaik, A., & Schochet, O. (2024). Can a participant-centered approach to setting and pursuing goals help adults with low incomes become economically stable? Impacts of four employment coaching programs 21 months after enrollment. OPRE Report #2024-061. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [LIFT]
Highlights
- The study's objective was to evaluate the impact of four employment coaching programs serving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and adults with low incomes on earnings and wages, employment, public benefits receipt, employer benefits receipt, and education and skill gains. This profile focuses on the LIFT program. The authors investigated similar research questions at other programs; profiles of those studies are available here:
- Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Program: Can a participant-centered approach to setting and pursuing goals help adults with low incomes become economically stable? Impacts of four employment coaching programs 21 months after enrollment (Moore et al., 2024) | CLEAR
- Goal4 It!: Can a participant-centered approach to setting and pursuing goals help adults with low incomes become economically stable? Impacts of four employment coaching programs 21 months after enrollment (Moore et al., 2024) | CLEAR
- MyGoals: Can a participant-centered approach to setting and pursuing goals help adults with low incomes become economically stable? Impacts of four employment coaching programs 21 months after enrollment (Moore et al., 2024) | CLEAR
- The LIFT evaluation was a randomized controlled trial that assigned 808 participants to a treatment or a control group. Using participant surveys and administrative data, the authors used statistical models to compare the outcomes of treatment and control group participants.
- The study did not find statistically significant effects of LIFT on earnings and wages, employment, public benefits receipt, employer benefits receipt, or education and skill gains.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to LIFT, and not to other factors. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
LIFT
Features of the Intervention
LIFT is a career and financial coaching program designed to serve caregivers and parents of young children below the age of eight. Eligible participants must also have had stable housing for at least six months and either be enrolled in an educational program or have a household member who is working at least part time. LIFT provides monthly coaching support for up to two years to help participants set and pursue career, financial, and educational goals. LIFT participants also receive financial incentives for attending coaching sessions, up to a maximum of $1,200 over a two-year period.
Features of the Study
The study was a randomized controlled trial that assigned 808 eligible individuals to a treatment or a control group. Study enrollment took place between June 2018 and November 2019 in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. The 405 study participants assigned to the treatment group were offered LIFT services. The 403 study participants assigned to the control group could not participate in LIFT, but could access other services available in their communities.
Most study participants were female (95 percent)), and the average study participant’s household included two children. Nearly three-quarters of study participants were Hispanic (71 percent), about one in three were Black (28 percent), and one percent were White. At baseline, more than half of study participants reported having worked for pay in the past 30 days (52 percent). About two-fifths did not have a high school diploma or GED (38 percent).
The study relied on multiple data sources, including a baseline survey at study enrollment, 9- and 21-month follow-up surveys, and administrative data on quarterly earnings, unemployment insurance, and public assistance receipt. The authors used statistical models to compare the outcomes of treatment and control group participants and survey weights to adjust for survey nonresponse.
Findings
Earnings and wages
- The study did not find statistically significant effects of LIFT on earnings.
Employment
- The study did not find statistically significant effects of LIFT on employment.
Employer benefits receipt
- The study did not find statistically significant effects of LIFT on employer benefit receipt.
Public benefits receipt
- The study did not find statistically significant effects of LIFT on public benefits receipt.
Education and skills gains
- The study did not find statistically significant effects of LIFT on education and skill gains.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The study authors estimated multiple related impacts on outcomes related to earnings and wages, employment, public benefits receipt, employer benefits receipt, and education and skills gains. Performing multiple statistical tests on related outcomes makes it more likely that some impacts will be found statistically significant purely by chance, and not because they reflect program effectiveness. To help address this risk, the study authors pre-specified four confirmatory outcomes: a scaled measure of self-regulation and goal-related skills, earnings, a scaled measure of economic wellbeing, and TANF assistance receipt. However, the authors did not perform statistical adjustments to account for the multiple tests, so the number of statistically significant findings in these domains is likely to be overstated.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to LIFT, and not to other factors. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.