Found Effects

The WWC found Job Corps to have no discernible effects on progressing in school and potentially positive effects on completing school

Improvement index

The WWC computes an improvement index for each individual finding. In addition, within each outcome domain, the WWC computes an average improvement index for each study as well as an average improvement index across studies (see
Technical Details of WWC-Conducted Computations). The improvement index represents the difference between the percentile rank of the average student in the intervention condition and that of the average student in the comparison condition. Unlike the rating of effectiveness, the improvement index is based entirely on the size of the effect, regardless of the statistical significance of the effect, the study design, or the analyses. The improvement index can take on values between –50 and +50, with positive numbers denoting results favorable to the intervention group.

Based on the one study of Job Corps that met evidence standards, the average improvement index for progressing in school is –3 percentile points and the average improvement index for completing school +13 percentile points.

Summary

The WWC reviewed two studies on Job Corps. One study met WWC evidence standards; the other study did not meet WWC evidence screens. Based on results from the one qualifying study, the WWC found no discernible effects on progressing in school and potentially positive effects on completing school. The conclusions presented in this report may change as new research emerges.