National Evaluation of Youth Corps: Findings at Follow-Up

The authors used a random-assignment experiment to answer two primary questions about the Youth Corps program:

1) How does participation in Youth Corps influence Corps members’ educational outcomes, employment-related outcomes, civic engagement and life skills, and involvement in risky behaviors?

2) Do impacts vary by participant demographics or program characteristics? (Abstractor: Website Staff)

The study did not identify a significant impact of participating in Youth Corps on members’ educational attainment, employment or school status, or level of volunteering. While the evaluation found that participating in Youth Corps improved members’ financial well-being, the authors noted that many study participants were still enrolled in Youth Corps at the time of the study and that the financial effect may have resulted from the stipend participants received through the program. The authors identified a number of possible explanations for the lack of program impact on these outcomes. For example, the number of participants in the study may have been too small to measure an impact, the short follow-up period may not have allowed for enough time for educational attainment or career advancement, the Youth Corps programs in the study may not accurately represent all Youth Corps programs across the county, or the program may not produce the intended outcomes for participants. (Abstractor: Website Staff)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2011
• Author(s): Price, Cristofer; Williams, Julie; Simpson, Laura; Jastrzab, JoAnn; Markovitz, Carrie
• Organizational Author(s): Abt Associates, Inc.
• Funding Source: Corporation for National and Community Service
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies