Study Details | Pathways to Work

3338-Study of Florida's P

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition, suggesting the findings can be attributed to the program.

Program: Florida's Project Independence

Characteristics of study participants:

Cash assistance recipients, Parents, Public benefits recipients, Single parents

Services provided:

Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Transportation assistance, Tuition assistance/financial aid, Work supports

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 1.0

Learn about our protocol

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

This study was a randomized controlled trial in which evaluators randomly assigned welfare applicants within participating counties to the Project Independence program condition or the comparison condition. Welfare applicants were eligible for the study if they were applying (or reapplying) for AFDC welfare benefits and were potentially subject to the participation mandate (meaning that they did not have a child younger than 3, were younger than 60, were working fewer than 30 hours per week, were not in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, and were not permanently ill or incapacitated).

Time period of study:

The study measured impacts through Quarter 5 after random assignment (about 15 months after random assignment).

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase long-term earnings, Increase short-term employment, Increase long-term employment, Decrease short-term benefit receipt, Decrease long-term benefit receipt, Increase education and training

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

The study was conducted under a contract with Florida's State Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, with support from the Ford Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Results

View table definitions

Scroll to the right to view the rest of the table columns

Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Program group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 2	High	2,401.00	2,548.00	147.00	1992 dollars	18,233
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 2	High	3,138.00	3,219.00	81.00	1992 dollars	18,233
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 1	High	17.40	19.20	1.80	percentage points	18,233
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 1	High	52.60	55.40	2.80	percentage points	18,233
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	Year 2	High	37.80	38.30	0.50	percentage points	18,233
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	Month 24	High	38.90	38.30	-0.60	percentage points	1,029
Increase long-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 2	High	22.10	23.10	1.00	percentage points	18,233
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 1	High	2,348.00	2,196.00	-152.00	1991 dollars	18,233
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamps/SNAP benefits, annual	Year 1	High	2,213.00	2,148.00	-65.00	1991 dollars	18,233
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 1	High	86.70	85.20	-1.50	percentage points	18,233
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 1	High	89.10	88.60	-0.50	percentage points	18,233
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 2	High	1,945.00	1,832.00	-113.00	1992 dollars	18,233
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamps/SNAP benefits, annual	Year 2	High	1,925.00	1,855.00	-70.00	1992 dollars	18,233
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 2	High	71.30	68.60	-2.70	percentage points	18,233
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 2	High	73.90	72.60	-1.30	percentage points	18,233
Increase education and training	Earned a certificate or degree from a training program	Year 2	High	6.30	8.60	2.30	percentage points	1,029
Increase education and training	Received a bachelor's degree	Year 2	High	0.40	0.20	-0.20	percentage points	1,029
Increase education and training	Received an associate's degree	Year 2	High	1.40	2.70	1.30	percentage points	1,029
Increase education and training	Received high school diploma or GED	Year 2	High	1.00	1.70	0.70	percentage points	1,029

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Means are not displayed when not reported or not aligned with the impact estimates. For example, if the impact estimate is regression-adjusted but only unadjusted means are reported in the study, the unadjusted means are not displayed as they are not aligned with the adjusted impact estimate.

Impact estimates are not shown when the estimate units cannot be converted to natural units.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the program. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the program, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the program produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

The research sample consisted of single parents, most of whom were women, who were applicants or recipients of AFDC and had at least one child age 3 or older when the study began. The sample was 35 percent White, 38 percent Black, and 22 percent Hispanic, with 1 percent identified as other and 5 percent identified as missing. More than three-quarters (76 percent) spoke English as a primary language. On average, participants were 32 years old when the study began. Thirty-nine percent of applicants were first-time applicants of AFDC. Fifty-two percent had obtained a high school diploma or GED at the time of random assignment.

Age

Mean age

32 years

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	38%
White, not Hispanic	34%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	22%
Unknown, not reported, or other	7%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

Family status

Parents	100%
Single parents	100%

Employment and public benefit status

Were employed	61%
Were unemployed	39%
Public benefits recipients	100%
Cash assistance recipients	100%

Education

Had a high school diploma or GED	52%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	41%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services

Program history:

Project Independence began in 1987 and officially became part of Florida's Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training program after the federal Family Support Act of 1988 was signed into law.

Program services:

Eligible AFDC applicants and recipients attended an orientation where they were assigned to one of two service tracks depending on their past educational and work histories. In the first service track, participants who had been deemed job ready—those who had completed at least 10th grade or worked for at least 12 of the past 36 months—conducted a two-week job search that included contacting at least 12 employers. Those who were unable to find employment through the job search were assigned to a two- to three-week job club in which staff provided guidance on best practices in finding a job. This included help developing resumes and interview skills. If the participant was still unable to obtain a job, a case manager conducted a formal assessment of the participant's employment goals and educational needs, helped the participant develop an employability plan, and referred the participant to additional education or training activities available in the community. In the second service track, participants who had been deemed not job ready worked with a case manager who conducted the formal assessment, helped develop an employability plan, and referred the participant to basic education or training programs consistent with the plan. Participants had to fulfill participation requirements or risked losing part or all of their AFDC grants for noncompliance. All participants were provided with or were referred to support services as needed, including child care, tuition assistance, transportation, tools, and uniforms. Financial support for child care ended in January 1991 because of budget cuts, at which time participants were excused from employment and training requirements if child care services were unavailable.

Mandatory services:

Study participants were required to participate in Project Independence. Those who did not participate could have their AFDC grant reduced.

Comparison services:

In the comparison condition, AFDC recipients continued to receive benefits but did not have access to the Project Independence program and were not subject to the participation mandates that could lead to welfare benefits sanctions for two years. They were provided with a list of employment and training services available in the community and were potentially eligible for subsidized child care and tuition assistance.

Service receipt duration:

Though not explicitly mentioned, the authors suggested that clients could receive Project Independence services through the full follow-up period (two years).

Program funding:

Federal funding; state of Florida funding

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $3,214 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $1,759 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $1,455 per person. This represents how much more it cost to provide intervention services compared to comparison services.

These figures are based on cost information reported by study authors. The Pathways to Work converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2024 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. This information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Study publications

Kemple, James, and Joshua Haimson (1994). Florida's Project Independence: Program implementation, participation patterns, and first-year impacts, New York, NY: MDRC. Available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED366804.pdf.

Kemple, James, Daniel Friedlander, and Veronica Fellerath (1995). Florida's Project Independence: Benefits, costs, and two-year impacts of Florida's JOBS program, New York, NY: MDRC. Available at https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/florida_project_independence_beefits_costs_fr.pdf.

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.

Study of Florida's Project Independence