Community College Interventions for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Demonstration and Evaluation
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About the Study
In 2014, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Office on Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) to fund contractor Westat to conduct an evaluation of the Pathways to Careers project. The outcome evaluation aims to examine the implementation and impact of innovative models for providing integrated education and career development services to youth and young adults with disabilities.
Two grantees, Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York and Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolled a total of 457 students and provided several services, including outreach and recruitment activities and academic and career counseling and support services (including opportunities for work-based learning). Grantees used the Guidepost for Success framework to develop services and support for participants and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principle for the training of faculty and staff to ensure greater student access to the curriculum.
This Department of Labor-funded study includes a final report and an issue brief. It was a result of collaboration between CEO and ODEP during the annual process to determine the Department’s research priorities for the upcoming year and contributes to the growing labor evidence-base to inform community college and employment and training programs and policies.
Implementation Study
- What was the intended project model of each grantee (i.e., its essential components, activities, and processes) and how does the intended model compare to the actual operational model?
- How did the grantees and their partners develop, modify, and implement their Pathways project models?
- What role did technical assistance and capacity building play in maintaining fidelity and/or project model enhancement?
- To what extent did the grantee project models incorporate the Guideposts for Success framework? (i.e., school-based prep; career prep and work-based learning; youth development; connecting activities; family involvement)
- To what extent did the grantees follow Universal Design for Learning guidelines and/or implement the practices? (i.e., Multiple means of engagement; representation; action and expression)
- To what extent did the grantees engage employers and other workforce development partners in designing and operating their projects?
- What were the major implementation challenges and how did grantees address them?
- To what extent did the grantees accomplish programmatic change, policy change (e.g., accessibility) and systemic institutional change?
- Are the grantee projects scalable and replicable? What are the lessons learned for other community colleges?
Outputs and Outcomes Study
- How satisfied are project participants (i.e., students, faculty, and staff) with the project?
- Which project components do participants perceive as most satisfactory and beneficial?
- Did the grantees meet their academic target goals for student outcomes? (e.g., persistence, certifications, degrees, transfers to 4-year programs)
- To what extent did the projects offer services to increase student engagement, self-advocacy, self-determination, and self-disclosure?
- Did the grantees meet their employment target goals for student outcomes? (e.g., employment and relationship to training, wages, advancement)
- How did outcomes differ for Pathways participants by interventions received?
- How did outcomes differ for Pathways participants than for students with disabilities enrolled in prior years at the same college?
- Demonstration and Evaluation of Community College Interventions for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities (Final Report, December 2020)
- Building Accessible and Inclusive Community College Environments for Students with Disabilities (Issue Brief, December 2020)
- Interim Report (December 2018)
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.