Study Details | Pathways to Work

3085-Study of New Visions

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: New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project

Characteristics of study participants:

At least a high school diploma or equivalent, Cash assistance recipients, Employed, Parents, Public benefits recipients

Services provided:

Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Financial education, Job readiness, Occupational or sectoral training, Soft skills training, Tuition assistance/financial aid

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 1.0

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Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Riverside Community College and the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services randomly assigned 1,043 volunteers to an program group that was allowed to participate in New Visions (a part of Riverside County's welfare-to-work program) or to a comparison group that was not allowed to participate. Clients were Phase 2 (post-employment) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients who had at least one child and worked at least 20 hours per week in an unsubsidized job. During Phase 2 of Riverside County's welfare-to-work program, the emphasis for clients shifts from job entry to education and job advancement.

Time period of study:

Intake for the experiment ran from September 1998 to May 2002. Data collection ran through the end of 2003 for earnings and employment data and through summer 2004 for welfare payments and receipt and community college enrollment.

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, Increase education and training

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ACF, funded the evaluation.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Program group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	6,909.00	6,335.00	-574.00	2003 dollars	1,043
Increase long-term earnings	Earnings, two quarters	Quarters 9-10	High	4,295.00	3,761.00		2003 dollars	1,043
Increase short-term employment	Average number of quarters worked, follow-up period	Quarters 1-6	High	4.90	4.90	0.00	percentage points	668
Increase short-term employment	Average quarterly employment rate, annual	Year 1	High	72.60	71.80	-0.80	percentage points	1,043
Increase long-term employment	Average quarterly employment rate, two quarters	Quarters 9-10	High	63.30	60.10	-3.20	percentage points	1,043
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 1	High	3,301.00	3,477.00	176.00	2003 dollars	1,043
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Average quarterly AFDC/TANF receipt rate, annual	Year 1	High	75.80	78.00	2.20	percentage points	1,043
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Average quarterly AFDC/TANF receipt rate, two quarters	Quarters 9-10	High	30.40	36.30	5.90	percentage points	1,043
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Total AFDC/TANF benefits, two quarters	Quarters 9-10	High	1,479.00	1,935.00	456.00	2003 dollars	1,043
Increase education and training	Ever earned Riverside Community College certificate or degree	Month 30	High	1.40	2.20	0.80	percentage points	1,043

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 sample was all welfare clients who were parents. They were 94 percent female. Among people in the study, 45 percent had children younger than age 3, and 35 percent had three or more children. Slightly more than half the sample (53 percent) had never married, 35 percent were formerly married, and 11 percent were currently married. One-third were White (not Hispanic), 31 percent were Black (not Hispanic), 31 percent were Hispanic, and 4 percent were another race.

Sex

Female	94%
Male	6%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	31%
White, not Hispanic	34%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	31%
Unknown, not reported, or other	5%

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

Married	11%
Parents	100%

Employment and public benefit status

Were employed	87%
Were unemployed	13%
Public benefits recipients	100%
Had low incomes	100%
Cash assistance recipients	100%

Education

Had a high school diploma or GED	92%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	8%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Riverside Community College and county TANF offices

Program history:

The program began in 1998, concurrently with the evaluation, in response to welfare reform.

Program services:

New Visions was a special college program for TANF recipients. Its goals were to prepare TANF recipients for community college–based occupational training programs, encourage lifelong learning, and improve employment outcomes. The program consisted of a 1-week orientation session followed by 24 weeks of academic instruction geared to preparation for college, occupational training, or both. The program included courses in mathematics, English, reading, and office-related computer software. In addition, during the 24 weeks, participants took a guidance class designed to prepare them with critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, job search, interpersonal relationship, and study skills. After the 24-week program, participants were placed in occupational training. The training was organized into modules of courses with breaks in between so that participants could more readily combine training sessions with work and family demands.

Mandatory services:

None.

Comparison services:

Individuals randomly assigned to the comparison group were not allowed to participate in New Visions; instead, they were encouraged to take part in other vocational programs offered through Riverside County's Phase 2 employment and training program, including other courses offered at the same community college accessed by program condition clients.

Service receipt duration:

The core New Visions program lasted 24 weeks. People in the treatment group could then enroll in a mini-program, and mini-programs typically required four to seven months of part-time study.

Program funding:

CalWORKS program for California community colleges; general community college funds.

Study publications

Fein, David J., and Eric Beecroft (2006). College as a job advancement strategy: Final report on the New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project, Bethesda, MD: Abt Associates. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/nv_final_pdf.pdf.

Fein, David J., Eric Beecroft, David A. Long, and Andree Rose Catalfamo (2000). College as a job advancement strategy: An early report on the New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project, Bethesda, MD: Abt Associates.

Fein, David J., Eric Beecroft, David A. Long, and Anne Robertson (2003). College as a job advancement strategy: An interim report on the New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project The New Visions Evaluation, Bethesda, MD: Abt Associates Inc.

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Study of New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project