Glossary

An analysis varying the assumptions or parameter values used in the primary analysis to determine sensitivity or robustness of results to those assumptions.

For the purposes of reviews conducted by Pathways to Work, short-term is a period lasting 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services.

An increase in the amount earned through paid employment during a period 18 months or fewer after the participant first received program services.

An increase in the rate of employment during a period 18 months or fewer after the participant first received program services.

Reduction in the percentage of people receiving public benefits (such as TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and so on) or the value of their benefits during a period 18 months or fewer after the participant first received program services.

A parent raising a child or children without a spouse or partner in the household.

A person who is legally required to meet work requirements of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to receive benefits. Generally, these individuals are ages 16 to 59 and able to work.

Training in skills such as punctuality, professional communications and conduct, professional dress, and conflict management.

Characteristics or conditions that can introduce difficulties for a person to find, obtain, and/or keep a job.

A standardized measure of the magnitude of the impact of the program, which is the difference in outcomes between the program group and the comparison group. The effect size is calculated by dividing the impact shown in the study by the standard deviation for that measure. Effect sizes facilitate comparisons across different outcomes, settings, and programs. This helps us make direct and meaningful comparisons so users can compare, for example, an impact of 10 percent on employment rates with an impact of $1,200 on annual earnings, as well as to the average of these two effects across programs.

Pathways to Work considers statistical significance to be support for the existence of an effect of a program. Pathway to Work considers an effect statistically significant if the p-value of a two-sided hypothesis test of whether the effect is equal to zero is less than 0.05.  A p-value is the probability of observing an effect estimate as large or larger than the one observed, if there were no actual effect.

Financial support for time commitments associated with program activities to enable continued participation (e.g., support to accommodate reduced work hours or increased childcare hours due to training programs or meetings with program staff).

Programs whose effectiveness has not yet been rigorously evaluated but for which research studying their effectiveness is underway. The studies of these programs are presented on the Pathways to Work website in the “Studies Underway” section.

An analysis of a distinct implementation of a program.

Studies vary in terms of their quality, or rigor. This variability in quality can result either from the way a study was designed or the way it was executed. Study quality affects the confidence we can have in the study’s findings. Three possible ratings—high, moderate, and low—describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is due to the program. We assign the study quality rating based on our assessment of its quality. For studies that include multiple findings, we assess study quality for each finding. The study quality rating is the highest rating assigned to any of the findings. In the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, study quality ratings only apply to randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental design studies.

• High. The quality of the study is high, meaning we can be fairly confident in the study findings. The study finding is likely to be attributable to the program examined. This rating is reserved for findings from high quality randomized controlled trials with low attrition of sample members.
• Moderate. The quality of the study is moderate, meaning we can be somewhat confident in the study findings. However, factors other than the program examined could have influenced the study findings, and the study might not have fully accounted for those factors. We assign this rating to findings from randomized controlled trial studies that, because of flaws in the study (for example, high sample attrition), do not meet the criteria for the high rating but satisfy other design criteria. We also assign the moderate rating to study findings from well-executed quasi-experimental design studies.
• Low. The quality of the study is low, meaning we cannot have much confidence in the study findings. Factors other than the program examined could have influenced the study findings, and the study did not account for those factors. Study findings that do not meet the high or moderate ratings criteria receive the low rating.

More information about study quality ratings is available in the Protocol for the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse.

A subset of individuals examined in a study who share a particular characteristic (for example, single parents or women).

Temporary or short-term employment in which a worker’s wages are partially or fully paid for by an external funder (not the employer). Those engaged in subsidized employment or transitional jobs may have little to no recent work experience or history and may use the subsidized experience to learn basic employment skills. Employers may choose to hire workers at the end of their subsidized employment.

A condition that affects a person's ability to control the use of substances such as legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, or medications despite their harmful consequences.

Pathways to Work describes studies as having been conducted in suburban only settings if the study authors reported that the study was conducted in a suburban location or in multiple locations, all of which were suburban. This typically means that they were conducted in communities with moderate population density, such as large towns or neighborhoods outside of cities, where residential areas are typically separate from commercial areas. Programs are listed as having been tested in suburban only settings if at least one study of the program was in a suburban only setting.

SNAP, the largest of the domestic nutrition assistance programs administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides food assistance to individuals and households in need. The assistance is provided through electronic benefit cards participants can use to purchase food. Most individuals whose income and resources fall below certain federally-determined thresholds are eligible for SNAP.

We have some evidence that the program produces favorable results for a given outcome. Supported programs have at least one study of moderate or high quality that shows evidence of statistically significant and favorable findings within the outcome, but the evidence is less conclusive than that for well-supported programs.

In-kind assistance often provided to address participants’ barriers to employment or program participation.