What is this study about?

The study examined whether participating in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program improved the educational and other outcomes of at-risk youth.

The study analyzed data on about 1,000 16- to 18-year-old high school dropouts enrolled in 10 ChalleNGe programs throughout the country.

After completing an initial screening, applicants were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that could participate in the ChalleNGe program or a control group that could not.

Information on educational attainment, involvement with the criminal justice system, and physical and mental health were gathered through surveys administered nine months after random assignment.

What did the study authors report?

The ChalleNGe program increased the percentage of youth who had earned a high school diploma or GED nine months after random assignment (46 percent, compared with 10 percent for the control group).

In addition, after nine months, the program had increased the rate at which youth were employed and enrolled in college and had reduced their likelihood of arrest.