Effectiveness
STEP was found to have no discernible effects on either staying in school or progressing in school.
Program Information
Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) is a summer employment, academic remediation, and life skills program intended to lower school dropout rates by reducing summer learning loss and preventing teen parenthood. The program is integrated into the federal summer jobs program and is offered during six-to-eight-week sessions in two consecutive summers. It includes part-time summer work at minimum wage, a daily reading and math curriculum, and “life skills and opportunities” classes that focus on topics such as sexual behavior, drug use, careers, and community involvement. The program serves low-income 14- and 15-year-olds who have tested below grade level in either reading or math.
Research
One study of STEP meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. The randomized controlled trial included more than 2,500 students in four states: Massachusetts, California, Washington, and Oregon. Based on this study, the WWC considers the extent of evidence for STEP to be small for the staying in school and progressing in school domains. No studies of STEP that meet WWC evidence standards with or without reservations include evidence in the completing school domain that could be used to rate the intervention’s effectiveness.
