Study of the Effect of the Talent Search Program on Secondary and Postsecondary Outcomes in Florida, Indiana and Texas. Final Report from Phase II of the National Evaluation
Constantine, Jill M.; Seftor, Neil S.; Martin, Emily Sama; Silva, Tim; Myers, David (2006). US Department of Education. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED493358
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examining8,054Students, grades11-12
Talent Search Intervention Report - Dropout Prevention
Review Details
Reviewed: June 2026
- Meets WWC standards with reservations
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Talent Search.
Findings
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Earned a high school diploma or GED |
Talent Search vs. None |
Posttest |
High school students;
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N/A |
N/A |
Yes |
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Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 47%
Male: 53% -
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Florida
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Race Black 46% White 44% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 5% Not Hispanic or Latino 95%
Study Details
Setting
The Florida study was conducted in five Talent Search projects throughout the state, each including 10–20 high schools. Participants included students who entered ninth grade in 1995–96.
Study sample
The Florida study used a quasi-experimental research design. The matched sample included 900 students in the intervention group and 42,514 students in the comparison group. Propensity score modeling was used to match Talent Search participants to similar students who attended the same high schools and who were in the ninth grade in 1995–96. Matching was based on 13 demographic and academic characteristics, including whether students were economically disadvantaged, learning disabled, overage for grade, emotionally or physically disabled, or enrolled in a gifted or talented program. Students were also matched on gender, race or ethnicity, primary language spoken at home, and citizenship status. Intervention and comparison students were not statistically different from each other at the 0.05 level on any measures used in the matching procedures. However, there were statistically significant differences at the 0.10 level on two measures—language spoken at home and whether participated in a dropout prevention program. These differences were controlled for in regression models used to estimate program impacts. Weights were used to account for the closeness of the match, with closer matches receiving larger weights. In addition, the comparison sample was weighted to equal the size of the treatment group so as not to overstate statistical significance. So, the intervention and comparison groups each had an effective sample size of 900. Compared with all Florida high school students, participants in Talent Search were more likely to be black (46% compared with 25%) and economically disadvantaged (63% compared with 37%). They were less likely to be learning disabled (4% compared with 8%), overage for grade (10% compared with 26%), or male (34% compared with 53%). They were also less likely to be Hispanic (5% compared with 16%) or to speak a language other than English at home (3% compared with 14%).
Intervention Group
Most participants received services in their junior and senior years of high school. School and Talent Search staff recruited participants to participate.
Comparison Group
Comparison group students did not participate in Talent Search and attended the same high schools as students in the intervention group.
Outcome descriptions
One relevant outcome from the Florida study—high school completion—is included in this summary. This measure represents whether sample members earned a high school diploma or received a GED certificate. (See Appendix A2 for a more detailed description of this outcome measure.) The study also examined the program’s effects on financial aid receipt and college enrollment. However, these outcomes do not fall within the three domains (staying in school, progressing in school, and completing school) examined by the WWC’s review of dropout prevention interventions. Therefore, these results are not included in this report.
Support for implementation
No specific information concerning staff training was provided.
Talent Search Intervention Report - Dropout Prevention
Review Details
Reviewed: June 2026
- Meets WWC standards with reservations
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Talent Search.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Earned a high school diploma or GED |
Talent Search vs. None |
Posttest |
High school students;
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N/A |
N/A |
Yes |
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Earned a high school diploma or GED |
Talent Search vs. None |
Posttest |
High school students;
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84.00 |
70.00 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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8% English language learners -
Female: 54%
Male: 46% -
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Texas
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Race Black 20% White 36% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 43% Not Hispanic or Latino 57%
Study Details
Setting
The Texas study was conducted in 10 Talent Search projects (each including 10–20 high schools) and included participants who entered ninth grade in 1995–96.
Study sample
The Texas study used a quasi-experimental research design. The sample included 4,027 students in the intervention group and 30,842 students in the comparison group. Propensity score modeling was used to match Talent Search students to comparison students who attended the same high schools and who were in the ninth grade in the 1995–96 school year. Matching was based on 18 demographic and academic characteristics, including students’ eighth-grade test scores, race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, English proficiency, special education status, and enrollment in vocational education programs. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention group and the matched comparison group on the baseline characteristics used in the matching procedures. A Talent Search student could be matched to multiple comparison students. Weights were used to account for the closeness of the match—with closer matches receiving larger weights. In addition, the comparison sample was weighted to equal the size of the treatment group so as not to overstate statistical significance. So, the intervention and comparison groups each had an effective sample size of about 4,000. Compared with all Texas high school students, Talent Search participants were more likely to be female (62% compared with 47%), economically disadvantaged (51% compared with 38%), and black or Hispanic (73% compared with 53%). Talent Search students were less likely than other high school students in the state to be behind grade level (16% compared with 29%), to be receiving special education services (5% compared with 12%), or to score in the bottom quartile on standardized tests (22% compared with 27% for math and 20% compared with 27% for reading).
Intervention Group
Most participants received services in their junior and senior years of high school. Participants were either recruited to participate or volunteered to be in the program.
Comparison Group
Comparison group students did not participate in Talent Search and attended the same high schools as students in the intervention group.
Outcome descriptions
One relevant outcome from the Texas study—high school completion rates—is included in this summary. This measure represents whether students earned a high school diploma or received a GED certificate. (See Appendix A2 for a more detailed description of this outcome measure.) The study also examined the program’s effects on financial aid receipt and college enrollment. However, these outcomes do not fall within the three domains (staying in school, progressing in school, and completing school) examined by the WWC’s review of dropout prevention interventions. Therefore, these additional outcomes are not included in this report.
Support for implementation
No specific information concerning staff training was provided.
Talent Search Intervention Report - Dropout Prevention
Review Details
Reviewed: June 2026
- The study is ineligible for review
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Talent Search.
Findings
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Study sample characteristics were not reported.Grant Competition
Review Details
Reviewed: March 2026
- Grant Competition (findings for Talent Search)
- Does not meet WWC standards
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Study sample characteristics were not reported.Grant Competition
Review Details
Reviewed: March 2026
- Grant Competition (findings for Talent Search)
- Does not meet WWC standards because equivalence of the analytic intervention and comparison groups is necessary and not demonstrated.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Study sample characteristics were not reported.Grant Competition
Review Details
Reviewed: March 2026
- Grant Competition (findings for Talent Search)
- Does not meet WWC standards
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Study sample characteristics were not reported.Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do
Review Details
Reviewed: September 2009
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Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do Practice Guide
(findings for (Not applicable))
- Meets WWC standards with reservations
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
6% English language learners -
Female: 63%
Male: 37% -
Race Black 32% Other or unknown 7% White 38% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 24%
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
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Study findings for this report.
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and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).