Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
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The study's objective was to examine the impact of YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs that grant both a HSE and Diploma (Combined HSE/Diploma) on employment, and education and training. The authors investigated similar research questions for two other contrasts, the profiles of which can be found here:
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This study used an interrupted time series design to compare participant outcomes before and after participation in the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program using program administrative data collected through the Data YouthBuild (DYB) reporting system.
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The study suggested that the majority of program participants earned a diploma/GED, were placed in a job after program completion, and earned an AmeriCorps education award after participating in the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program.
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The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not account for trends in outcomes before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma Programs
Features of the Intervention
YouthBuild is a longstanding AmeriCorps grantee program with over 260 locations that aims to develop youth educational, occupational, and civic leadership skills, traditionally through constructing and rehabilitating low-income housing. Over the past decade, the number of U.S. based YouthBuild programs that grant high school diplomas has grown substantially and programs centered around health care, computer technology, and environmental services have also been added.
Each YouthBuild program operates differently, but all YouthBuild participants are provided with a mix of occupational training, hands-on service to the community, and educational programming. As a result of their participation in those activities, YouthBuild participants are eligible to earn AmeriCorps education awards. At Combined HSE/Diploma sites, participants could either work towards a high school equivalency (GED) or a high school diploma. The average HSE program lasted 7.8 months, and the average diploma program lasted 8.5 months.
The program serves low-income youth ages 16 to 24 who do not hold a high school diploma or GED.
Features of the Study
The study used an interrupted time series design to compare participant outcomes before and after participation in the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program.
The study included a representative sample of YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs. Sites that met the size eligibility criteria were selected from a sample of sites that had completed a survey about their program operations. The combined diploma/HSE sample included 6 sites and 261 youth participants. Across all program types, YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants were predominately male (62 percent), Black (36 percent) or Hispanic (30 percent), and economically disadvantaged (85 percent), with an average age of 19.3 years.
The treatment condition was participating in a YouthBuild AmeriCorps combined HSE/diploma program as implemented by the program site. The study relied on program administrative data collected as part of regular program operations and stored in the Data YouthBuild (DYB) reporting system. The reporting system includes information on each participant's demographics, enrollment information, service data, and program outcomes.
Study Sites
There were 6 sites that operated Combined HSE/Diploma program in this study:
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Capital City YouthBuild in Hartford, CT
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Pathways YouthBuild in Petersburg, VA
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Portland Youth Builders in Portland, OR
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PPEP YouthBuild AmeriCorps in Tuscon/San Luis, AZ
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YouthBuild Dayton CountyCorp in Dayton, OH
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YouthBuild Louisville in Lousiville, KY
Findings
Education and Skill Gains
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The study suggested that most participants in a YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program earned a diploma/GED.
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The study suggested that few participants went on to post-secondary education after participating in the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program.
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The study suggested that the majority of participants in a YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program earned an AmeriCorps education award.
Employment
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The study suggested that the majority of participants were employed after participating in the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors compared the outcomes of participants measured before and after they participated in the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program. CLEAR’s guidelines require that the authors must observe outcomes for multiple periods before the intervention to rule out the possibility that participants had increasing or decreasing trends in the outcomes examined before enrollment in the program. That is, if participants who had increasing training tended to enroll in the program, we would anticipate further increases over time, even if they didn’t participate in the program. Without knowing the trends before program enrollment, we cannot rule this out. Therefore, the study is only eligible for a low causal evidence rating, the highest rating available for “pre/post” ITS designs that only observe participants at two points in time (e.g., once before and once after the intervention).
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not account for trends in outcomes before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to YouthBuild AmeriCorps Combined HSE/Diploma program; other factors are likely to have contributed.