This report summarizes the results of a study that investigated the JTPA Title IV, Section 402 program for migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs). The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) through 53 grants, assists farmworkers in obtaining or retaining upgraded agricultural or non-agricultural employment, and provides services to farmworkers and their families that will contribute to their occupational development, upward mobility, and eventual economic self-

sufficiency. In July, 1991, DOL contracted with Berkeley Planning Associates ,(.BPA) and Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) to conduct a 24.month study of the effectiveness of the training, employment, and supportive services in meeting the goals of the program.

The study's objectives included: describing variations in the program's provision of services to MSFWs, assessing the quality of services being provided, describing the influence of factors such as federal policies and local economic conditions, describing the coordination practices of programs, and analyzing program outcomes. In order to address these objectives, BPA and SPR study staff employed a number of data collection and analysis methods. These included:

Case study site visits. The study team visited the same 18 randomly-chosen MSFW programs during each of the two study years. These case study visits provided the data for the qualitative cross-site analysis that forms the basis for much of this report.

Quantitative data analysis of a number of data sets, including:

aggregate-level data from the universe of programs, consisting of Annual Status Report (ASR) data reported to DOL for several recent program Year;

client-level data on characteristics, services, and outcomes on terminees from nine programs, consisting of existing data sets voluntarily transmitted to BPA for analysis;

databases containing information about the eligible farmworker population, including the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) and the Agricultural Work Force Survey.

The study team developed a conceptual framework that offered a system-level picture of the 5402 programs. It represented the constraints within which the funded programs must operate, including federal, state, and local factors. These factors influence the grantee service design, the adaptations made for service delivery at the local level, and the outcomes experienced by participants. The study team also used a model of quality training, which was developed during a previous study, to investigate the effectiveness of services provided by MSFW programs. The criteria for quality training were adapted for the $402 program. Together, these substantive paradigms governed the development of topic guides and subsequent analyses.