Study Details | Pathways to Work

3138-Portland, OR, Employ

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: Career Builders

Population and employment barriers:

Cash assistance recipients, Parents (Single parents)

Services provided:

Case management, Work readiness activities

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Random assignment occurred between May 31, 2002, and February 26, 2003. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and applicants were ineligible for the study if someone in their family was already randomly assigned or if they were noncitizens, did not speak English, received Supplemental Security Income, or were incapacitated. The random assignment procedure differed for TANF recipients and applicants. TANF recipients were identified for the study if they had received TANF previously or had lost a job in the prior two years and needed a TANF eligibility redetermination. Recipients deemed eligible for the study and eligible for continued TANF receipt were given an appointment for random assignment and, if they arrived at that appointment, were randomly assigned. TANF applicants were required to first attend an assessment that helped them identify employment barriers and search for employment for 45 days. Those who did not find a job after 45 days were screened for eligibility for TANF receipt and, if eligible for the study, were randomly assigned. In total, 634 individuals were randomly assigned from May 2002 to February 2003.

Time period of study:

Random assignment began in May 2002 and concluded in February 2003. Two years of follow-up data are available for all participants.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase long-term earnings, Increase short-term employment, Increase long-term employment, Decrease short-term benefit receipt, Decrease long-term benefit receipt

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in ACF at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the study, with support from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	2,762.00	2,759.00	-3.00	2003 dollars	634
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 2	High	3,443.00	3,576.00	133.00	2004 dollars	634
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 1	High	16.60	13.70	-2.90	percentage points	634
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 1	High	49.80	45.80	-4.00	percentage points	634
Increase long-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Year 2	High	18.20	17.70	-0.50	percentage points	634
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 2	High	51.50	46.30	-5.20	percentage points	634
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 1	High	4,056.00	4,211.00	155.00	2003 dollars	634
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamps/SNAP benefits, annual	Year 1	High	2,995.00	2,976.00	-19.00	2003 dollars	634
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 1	High	93.20	93.30	0.10	percentage points	634
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 1	High	97.30	97.40	0.10	percentage points	634
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 2	High	2,590.00	2,891.00	301.00	2004 dollars	634
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamps/SNAP benefits, annual	Year 2	High	2,651.00	2,661.00	10.00	2004 dollars	634
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 2	High	59.40	63.60	4.20	percentage points	634
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 2	High	89.90	85.80	-4.10	percentage points	634

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.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. 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 intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention 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 study examined only single parents eligible to receive TANF. More than 95 percent of sample members were female, and 43 percent were White, 39 percent were Black, and 7 percent were Hispanic. The average age was 30. About one-third (34 percent) lacked a high school diploma or equivalent certificate. Fifty-four percent had worked in the year before random assignment, and 62 percent had worked fewer than 12 months in the past three years.

Age

Mean age

30 years

Sex

Female	96%
Male	4%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	39%
White, not Hispanic	43%
Another race	11%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	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%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were eligible for or receiving cash assistance

100%

Participant education

Had a high school diploma or GED	66%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	34%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Oregon TANF, Mount Hood Community College, and Portland Community College

Program history:

The Career Builders program grew out of the Portland TANF program, Steps to Success.

Intervention services:

The Career Builders program aimed to take a holistic approach to assisting individuals in finding and maintaining employment. Each participant was assigned a case manager, an employment specialist, a mental health specialist, and a community resource expert to help with these goals. In addition, the program began with a two-week, daily class designed to help individuals understand why they had not succeeded previously in the labor market, including extensive screening to identify barriers to employment and to identify individuals' strengths and interests. The program provided direct referrals to education and training programs and offered peer support classes to help participants establish a resource network. Participants were also intended to meet individually with an employment specialist to develop a long-term career plan and to discuss issues that arose once they found employment. However, owing to lack of funds and support from administrators and some staff, post-employment services were not implemented.

Mandatory services:

Participation in the Career Builders program was mandatory.

Comparison services:

Participants in the comparison group received standard TANF services, including case management, formulation of a preemployment development plan, and minimal follow-up after obtaining employment.

Service receipt duration:

Not specified.

Intervention funding:

Oregon TANF

Study publications

Azurdia, Gilda, and Zakia Barnes (2008). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: Impacts for Portland’s Career Builders program, New York: MDRC. Available at https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/full_550.pdf.

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

Study of Career Builders